Quote:
Originally Posted by nekokami
I had similar feelings about Great King's War. I didn't know about Carr's books, but I tend not to like sequels written by other authors, even when they are authors I otherwise like. (For example, I haven't bothered to pick up The Wizard of Karres, because I just don't think it's possible for anyone but Schmitz to write a Karres book.)
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I'll get to Kalvan Kingmaker at some point and comment.
I agree with your feelings in general. For instance, I have the "sequel" to _The Witches of Karres_ (and for that matter, I have the Chilton hardcover of the original), but I've been reluctant to read it. I love Schmitz's work, and I'm delighted that Baen has brought it back to print.
But sequels by a different hand are always a thorny proposition, and books written by more than one author are another. Combine both, and you have a recipe for failure. I corresponded a bit with Jim Baen before this one got released, and confessed I was disquieted. Mercedes Lackey gets top billing, but Eric Flint and Dave Freer are also in the mix. My suspicion is that Mercedes did the outline, and Eric and Dave, who have collaborated before, did the submission draft. Eric and Dave have worked together before, but there's still the question of vision, chemistry, and viewpoint.
I'll get to it at some point, too. The problem will be not setting my expectations too high.
(And to add irony to it all, I've been told Schmitz had actually
written a sequel to Witches, but the manuscript was lost in a move. Arrgghhhh.
)
Meanwhile, Jerry Pournelle corresponded with Piper, and once stated he was the only one who knew of who had Piper's formal permission to write stories set in his universe. Jerry is another writer who can be prickly, and his personality and opinions can sometimes get in the way of appreciating his fiction for people familiar with them. But it might be interesting to see what he would do with a Piper story. A sequel to _Space Viking_ might be a good fit for him.
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Dennis