Asimov's imitators

[corroonb]

I see from looking at Wikipedia that a lot of Asimov's stuff has been extended by other authors. In my experience this has very rarely worked out and has sometimes produced terrible creations (the sequel of Day of the Triffids especially).

Anyway, is it worth reading any of the authorised sequels or are they just cash-ins?

[Moejoe]

Originally Posted by corroonb

I see from looking at Wikipedia that a lot of Asimov's stuff has been extended by other authors. In my experience this has very rarely worked out and has sometimes produced terrible creations (the sequel of Day of the Triffids especially).

Anyway, is it worth reading any of the authorised sequels or are they just cash-ins?

There was a sequel to The Day of the Triffids? What an awful thing to happen, although not as bad as having the entire opening to your novel stolen by a terrible film director like Danny Boyle.

[corroonb]

Originally Posted by Moejoe

There was a sequel to The Day of the Triffids? What an awful thing to happen, although not as bad as having the entire opening to your novel stolen by a terrible film director like Danny Boyle.

It was a terrible pulp horror set in New York and the triffids were beefed up into far more monstrous creatures. Badly written, cliched and, worst of all, disrespectful.

[Nate the great]

Originally Posted by corroonb

I see from looking at Wikipedia that a lot of Asimov's stuff has been extended by other authors. In my experience this has very rarely worked out and has sometimes produced terrible creations (the sequel of Day of the Triffids especially).

Anyway, is it worth reading any of the authorised sequels or are they just cash-ins?

Orson Scott Card wrote a couple interesting stories in the Foundation universe that I would recommend.

But if you're talking about the several novels that "finish" the Foundation series, I've never read them, nor will I ever read them.

[Moejoe]

Originally Posted by corroonb

It was a terrible pulp horror set in New York and the triffids were beefed up into far more monstrous creatures. Badly written, cliched and, worst of all, disrespectful.

That sounds ghastly. John Wyndham was such an understated writer, a master at his craft and criminally underrated compared to others of that generation. The opening to Day of the Triffids is still one of the best in literature.

[corroonb]

Originally Posted by Nate the great

Orson Scott Card wrote a couple interesting stories in the Foundation universe that I would recommend.

But if you're talking about the several novels that "finish" the Foundation series, I've never read them, nor will I ever read them.

I was talking about the later but also other series like Isaac Asimov's Robots and Aliens; none of which are written by Asimov.

[Dr. Drib]

Originally Posted by Moejoe

There was a sequel to The Day of the Triffids? What an awful thing to happen, although not as bad as having the entire opening to your novel stolen by a terrible film director like Danny Boyle.

Simon Clark, a gifted horror writer, wrote a nice sequel to "The Day of the Triffids," called "The Night of the Triffids."

Don

[corroonb]

Originally Posted by Dr. Drib

Simon Clark, a gifted horror writer, wrote a nice sequel to "The Day of the Triffids," called "The Night of the Triffids."

Don

I thought it was terrible. Nothing like the original at all.

[Dr. Drib]

Originally Posted by corroonb

I thought it was terrible. Nothing like the original at all.

We disagree, then, which is fine.

...although we certainly DO agree on the original!



Don

[Cyberman tM]

I would recommend Roger McBride Allens Caliban-Saga/Trilogy
I enjoyed reading it, and I think it even fits nicely into the whole Robots-Storyline. (In so far as that it doesn't really touch it, but doesn't read as if it's in a parallel universe either.)

OTOH, the "second Foundation Trilogy" I don't recommend. I only read the first two books but that was cruel enough. No doubt both authors are good at what they do, but neither tried to imitate Asimovs style - which is fine by itself, but if they contradict the original story by introducing things that can't have existed, it starts to get annoying.

(Note: I read the german translations of those books.)

[BenG]

For that matter, Asimov's own sequels to the trilogy, Foundation's Edge and Foundation and Earth, were inferior to the originals.

[Renaldo]

Betancourt's prequels to Zelazny's Amber Chronicles is pretty good.

[Reyben]

But if you're talking about the several novels that "finish" the Foundation series, I've never read them, nor will I ever read them.

The 'Second' Foundation trilogy doesn't finish the series so much as, er, not finish the series. It's a series of prequels, or rather mid-prequels; three books set between and around the two prequels already written by Asimov. Not convoluted at all, then.

They were written by Bear, Brin and Benford, who are all quite respected hard SF writers. They're not bad, but the three authors consciously chose to adopt their own tones rather than emulate Asimov's, so they don't quite 'fit' into the series' atmosphere. On the plus side, they do add quite a bit of texture and technology to the universe, particularly regarding life on the sprawling capital city/planet of Couresc- of Trantor. On the other hand, they feel a bit peripheral and unnecessary most of the time, as if they've been shoehorned in. I still found the three very entertaining, particularly the second, but I'm a sucker for anything that goes into a bit more detail about R. Daneel.

The third also manages to neatly propose an escape from the consequences of Foundation's Edge, which, I recall, quite impressed me when I read it. This was some years ago, I admit.

[Alfy]

I completly agree with Reyben. The three books were of high quality, from authors who did not need to write in Asimov's universe to make a name for themselves. They're not musts in any way, but highly enjoyable to read, and the different styles in which they were written gives a feeling of honesty to the whole endeavour (writing in the universe of instead of trying to emulate). And the ending of the last of them is pretty good!