Using other authors as characters

[murg]

Originally Posted by leebase

Why would someone like him do such an OBVIOUS copying of another author's successful franchise?

Because he stopped having original ideas years ago.

[crich70]

I remember back in the 70's there was a Superman Comic book that dealt with a well known Dr of Biochemistry being the villain of the story. It was the late Dr. Isaac Asimov who filled the place of villain in that one.

[sadievan]

Originally Posted by fjtorres

During the Hachete catfight he came out to openly engage Joe Konrath on his blog and he sounded more than a bit full of himself.
Stuff along the lines of "my last book sold more than you will sell in your entire life". Some defended it as banter...
(Shrug)

Originally Posted by Luffy

I read that blog entry. I have the same reaction as you. I'm not tempted to read any of his books. OTOH I want to read Konrath's Jack Daniels books.

I read an interview with Lee Child a while back in which I got the same impression. It soured me on him and not sure if I will read any more of his books.

[Bookworm_Girl]

Originally Posted by sadievan

I read an interview with Lee Child a while back in which I got the same impression. It soured me on him and not sure if I will read any more of his books.

In that case I recommend the John Puller series. Seriously though, I've only read the first one but I thought it was pretty good in comparison to the Reacher series. I plan to read more.

[silasgreenback]

Sharyn McCrumb's "Bimbos of the Death Sun" is rumored to lampoon Harlan Ellison, reading the book makes it seem like more than a rumor.

Robert A. Heinlein's books could have been a lot better if he'd just used other authors in place of constant tributes to his ego via characters based on himself.

[rkomar]

Originally Posted by leebase

...Why would someone like him do such an OBVIOUS copying of another author's successful franchise? It sure pissed Lee Child off, and I understand why.

It may be the publishers who are not being creative. They may see the success of one series, and then try to get another author to write something similar for them. An agent may also be pushing the idea, too.

[Kumabjorn]

I've read some of Baldacci's books now and I do Think Lee Child's Jack Reacher series is better, at least up to the 8th or 9th. So I have no problem with him being upset about the John Puller series and feeling ripped off. Mr. Child has chosen to stay with his Publisher and enjoying the benefits of being associated with a publishing house, so why not use those resources instead and have the publisher's lawyers sue Mr. Baldacci? That would be a proper line of action and the publicity more than the Court appearance should be more devastating than appearing as a bad guy in his novel, the latter is, with lack for a better word, just childish.

Child's latest Jack Reacher novel is entiteld "Personal" and it is still only available at full price, so I haven't bought it yet. But the title now gives me the association that a renegade former Army cop by the name John Puller ends up getting killed by Jack Reacher. If that is the case I Think I'll pass.

[DuckieTigger]

wonder how long it will be until Jack Reacher gets killed in the next John Puller book.

[Anabana]

This whole trend leaves me cold. Nicola Upson has written 2 or more books with Josephine Tey as the detective... It's just too distracting trying to separate the character and my impression of the real Josephine Tey from her books and bios I've read -lol. I've only read the first of Upson's series, but it just went flat. In this case, I don't think the flaw is in the stars, it's in me. :^)

[fjtorres]

Originally Posted by DuckieTigger

wonder how long it will be until Jack Reacher gets killed in the next John Puller book.

Marvel's Deadpool started out as a riff on DC's Deathstroke.
DC reciprocated by giving Deathstroke (Slade Wilson) a brother named Wade and then killing him gorily.
(They've played the cross-company doppelganger game many times in the comics and TV, mostly for fun. Though sometimes...)

[BelleZora]

Originally Posted by Kumabjorn

I don't remember the title or the author, but I remember reading of an author who wrote a whodunit in which every murder victim was a New York literary critic.

I was reminded of this reading Lee Child's "Never Go Back", because in it one of the bad guys are named Ronald David Baldacci. I'm not familiar enough with naming conventions in the U.S., but it strikes me as odd that he would chose the name of another suspense writer for an unsavory character in his novel. Is there some bad blood between these authors or did Baldacci perhaps name an unsavory character Lee Child in one of his novels?

Here is an example of an author venting anger by condemning an actual place to a bad fictional end:

From Wikipedia for Bellingham, Washington

In Footfall, a bestselling novel by Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle, Bellingham was mostly destroyed after an alien invasion when Earth's defenders launched an Orion-type vehicle. Bellingham was chosen for this honor after Niven had a bad experience as guest of honor at a local science fiction convention.

By the way, Bellingham is a great little city. Niven should give it another chance.