Some major moments of joy in the literary world:
- A new The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy book? You're kidding... Eoin Colfer is writing it?... Okay, while the torches and pitchforks remain on stand-by, the frenzied mob invitations have not yet been sent out for And Another Thing...
- Black Library's new Eldar trilogy. "Man, this is going to be bad, usual Black Library stuff. Eldar dying, all the time. Just like G- wait, what? GAV THORPE is writing it? AWESOME!"
- Every time a Ciaphas Cain book is announced, its fans rejoice.
- A book of secrets sold on thinkgeek? Meh who cares. WAIT, ITS GOT THE COLONEL'S SECRET RECIPE IN IT?!? One please!
- After the clusterkark that was Legacy of the Force, it's hard to get interested in the newest part of the Star Wars Expanded Universe. You just know the author who hates Jedi and loves Mandalorians is going to derail the entire plot and idiotize all other characters to make Boba Fett look good. Again. Wait - Traviss isn't on it? Aaron Allston said "Well, no one on the writing team is absolutely in love with Boba Fett this time around"? ...Okay, Fate of the Jedi, you could be worth reading.
- Before then, it was Bantam Spectra going out with a bang rivaling the Death Star's explosion: after fans complained bitterly for years how some of the Star Wars Expanded Universe writers were just being ridiculous, Bantam's final licensed worksnote were two novels by none other than Timothy Zahn. And then, the books actually lived up to the hype.
- Imperial Commando 2 was canceled when its author, the one who loves Boba Fett, flounced out of writing Star Wars. Del Ray still wants books about non-Force-Sensitives... so they are turning to
Aaron Allston and having him write more Wraith Squadron!
- When Darren Shan announced a prequel to The Saga of Darren Shan about Mr. Crepsley there was much rejoicing indeed.
- While most fans of Terry Pratchett were already looking forward to I Shall Wear Midnight, the few holdovers were wowed with the long, long, long overdue return of Eskarina.
- "Well, old chap, I still haven't quite gotten over the events that Conan Doyle put us readers through in his Adventure of the Final Problem, killing off Holmes and all — I, a grown man, wore mourning crepe for months after that story. Now, after ten years, I presume I shall have to accept that Conan Doyle was serious about never wanting to write the Great Detective again. Sigh... At any rate, allow me the courtesy of perusing the latest number of The Strand Magaz— What the deuce? The Hound of the Baskervilles, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle? No doubt another of his ripping Professor Challenger tales, eh, what? What's this? A NEW HOLMES STORY AFTER ALL THIS TIME??? DO FUCKING WANT!!!! YAHOO!!!" Doyle deliberately gave The Hound a clear date of 1889 (two years before Holmes's death) to make it clear that this was just a one-off, he wasn't actually coming Back from the Dead. Then, eighteen months later, came The Return of Sherlock Holmes.
- Though slightly more mutedly respectful out of reverence to the great professor, this was basically the reaction of every Tolkien fan to Christopher Tolkien's announcement that there was a full book's worth of material printable for a stand-alone, First Age Middle-earth novel, The Children of Húrin. It completely lived up to its billing as something completely from Tolkien's hand, rearranged into a cohesive narrative or not.
- When rumors were going around again for the publication date for A Dance with Dragons. After five years and the notorious postponing, fans were a little skeptical... but turns out winter is finally coming!
- New book in The Railway Series coming out this year. Thomas fans, rejoice.
- The Heroes of Olympus, the Sequel Series to Percy Jackson and the Olympians, is getting a sequel? Whatever; the first book was packed with bland characters, so there's no way it will match up to... Percy is back? And he's one of the narrator characters?! Yay!
- Annabeth is going to be a major character in the third book? Percabeth reuniting? The Greeks are back? PRAISE THE GODS!
- SHE'S ONE OF THE NARRATORS?! GIVE IT GIVE IT GIVE IT GIVE IT!!!!! NOW!!!
- Rick Riordan's doing a short story featuring Percy Jackson and Carter Kane? THANK RA AND ZEUS!
- The Kane Chronicles was neat, but can he keep up the....NORSE! And he explicitly pointed out they have some Demigods....commencing drooling!
- Even better: A Single Narrator, and the chapters are snarkily titled again!
- Octavian and Rachel will meet....there is no way that won't be hilarious. (Here's to hoping she throws something at him)
- Alas, she only threatened to, but all seven of the Heroes of Olympus got to narrate, and Rick revealed the first LGBT character in the series Nico Di Angelo. Perhaps a tad controversial, but hey, Rick has more guts than most writers of his demograph.
- Nico will narrate in The Blood of Olympus? Give it to us fans!
- Annabeth is going to be a major character in the third book? Percabeth reuniting? The Greeks are back? PRAISE THE GODS!
- The fandom of Tales of the Frog Princess pretty much exploded in pure glee after the author announced that, yes, in a few years, Zoe and Francis would be getting their own book.
- Web of Magic is being published again? They're making new covers to replace the old crappy ones? The last book is finally seeing the light of day? YES! Nostalgia fuel ahoy!
- The last Wicked Years book? 'Tis a shame.. Wait, what? Gregory made Gelphie super canon?! Elphaba and Glinda may have been reunited somehow? It's an early Christmas!
- Rachel is still Xena in the Animorphs re-release? Hooray!
- In A Song of Ice and Fire, the third book (A Storm of Swords) gave us King Joffrey choking on his own wedding feast and painfully dying (it later turned out to have been poisoned wine that did him in). Boy, did the fandom rejoice at that. Wait till this event makes this to the TV adaptation..
- The Silver Brumby series was a good one, it's a pity it went out of print- Wait, it's being reprinted? In an omnibus? Yes! There IS a god of obscure-but-wonderful horse stories!
- Inversion. After Frank Herbert's death, the Dune series ended on what could be interpreted as a massive cliffhanger, so fans were reasonably interested when it was announced his own son, Brian Herbert, would be collaborating with another author to fill out the story with several prequels and sequels. While many fans were apprehensive or mildly curious, a good portion was eagerly anticipating how it would hold up... until it was announced the writer Brian would be collaborating with was none other than Kevin J. Anderson, a writer most known for writing some of the most hated entries in the Star Wars Expanded Universe, The X-Files, StarCraft, and countless other expanded universes. All interest immediately dropped, and not even the claim that the new books were based on "lost notes" could save them, since everything points to milking the cash cow and nothing else. And then the books actually came out, and the fanbase's fears were justified.
- The GONE trailers are always shit, why should we look forward to them? It's the only thing about being a Fayzian we don't love! Wait... Is that a high quality, adrenaline pumping, well-acted trailer?!? IN WHICH CAINE AND DIANA HOLD HANDS AND ARE HINTED AT A REUNION?!? IN WHICH ASTRID GETS STRANGLED BY DRAKE?
- Oh, the Vampire Academy fandom won the Young Adult Crush Tourney for a second time... Wait, Richelle Mead is giving us Dimitri point of view as a prize? Of an 'iconic scene'? YES! We're getting the first chapter of The Fiery Heart as well? HELL YEAH.
- The Dresden Files is already so awesome, how can Butcher even think of cramming more - wait. What? Word Of Jim says Harry will eventually break all seven Laws of Magic? Which includes time travel? PREORDERING YESTERDAY!!!
- Harper Lee is coming out with a new novel, 55 years after To Kill a Mockingbird? Awesome!
- The next Dragaera novel involves Vlad exploring a house and having conversations with the mysterious Devera? The fandom is counting down the days!
