The Book Thread: September 26th, 2026 [MP4]

[A Nancy cartoon by filler artist Caroline Cash]

Good morning, ‘rons and ‘ronettes. It’s time once again for the monthly MP4-hosted Sunday Book Thread. Dress for men, as always, is country club casual. Women, however, are encouraged to cater to my own particular tastes:

So ask the barman for a cocktail, covfefe or tea and let’s get started!

‘ghost in the machine’

In the world of comics, there is a thing known as a ‘ghost strip.’ That is, a strip that goes on after the original artist’s death under various hands. Nancy and Popeye are two that spring to mind. A variant of the ‘ghost strip’ is one where it’s taken over by a hand selected by the original artist; in this case, the Mort Walker strips Beetle Bailey and Hi and Lois.

The same thing happens in fiction, too. Clive Cussler’s ‘Dirk Pitt’ series continues to go on, 26 years after his death. ‘Tom Clancy’ novels still fill the shelves, and do I even have to mention the innumerable Sherlock Holmes pastiches that turn up every month? In a way, this sort of thing is a gift for a cartoonist or a writer. The hard work of coming up with a world and its inhabitants has already been done and the lives and personalities of the characters have already been limned. All you have to do is create a situation.

The hard part, however, is tone. A cartoonist can copy the Popeye art of Segar, but not his satiric blend of whimsy and seriousness. Almost anyone can write a Holmes story, but very few, IMO, capture the true style of Conan Doyle.* Most attempts are more concerned with a fiendishly twisted plot than with the characters of Holmes and Watson themselves. Which, again, can be a gift – you, as a writer, presume that whoever is buying your book has already internalized the Holmesian world (gasogene, hansom cabs, fog-shrouded streets), so you don’t need to concern yourself with richness of detail. Likewise with the heirs of Bushmiller, Segar, Cussler or Clancy: the hard work has been done and you’re only gilding the lily.

And this isn’t even mentioning books that re-imagine characters or provide (that dreaded word) ‘backstory.’ Gregory Maguire has made an entire career and buckets of money plundering the Land of Oz. Abraham Lincoln hunts vampires. Jane Austen deals with zombies.

How do you feel about ‘continuations,’ ‘re-boots’ or ‘pastiches?’ For readers, do you welcome them as more time to spend with characters you love? For writers, do you look on them as opportunities to try on a different ‘voice?’ Or do you despise the whole genre?

*The only ones I can think of are Adrian Conan Doyle and John Dickson Carr.

Posted by: Open Blogger at 09:00 AM

Comments

(Jump to bottom of comments)

1 Tolle Lege

Posted by: Skip at September 27, 2026 08:59 AM (Ia/+0)

2 Nope, didn't get anything read (except internet stuff). Too many distractions last week. I shall try to do better.

Posted by: OrangeEnt at September 27, 2026 08:59 AM (1Ff7Z)

3 Mow that’s a teacher!

Posted by: Eromero at September 27, 2026 09:00 AM (LHPAg)

4 Morning, book fiends!

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at September 27, 2026 09:02 AM (wzUl9)

5 Only a little further in Winston Churchill's The Gathering Storm, up to November 1938, but you know a lousy day outside is a good reason to get some reading in. Not that if it was a nice day to take it out on the deck.

Posted by: Skip at September 27, 2026 09:03 AM (Ia/+0)

6 I think like anything if it’s done well I can enjoy it. If it’s too on the nose or poorly written I bounce right out. I recently read a Holmes book from Moriarty’s point of view. The surprise twist ending was neither, it was obvious from the get go.

Posted by: Bryce at September 27, 2026 09:04 AM (5GspC)

7 Good Sunday morning, horde, MP4.

Miss Gaby's get-up is lovely, but it sure looks uncomfortable.

Posted by: Dash my lace wigs! at September 27, 2026 09:05 AM (CjHsb)

8 Or do you despise the whole genre?
====

I can't think of an example beyond zombies genre where it has benefited from a variety of types.

Do your zombies run, or not?

Posted by: San Franpsycho at September 27, 2026 09:05 AM (RIvkX)

9 Good morning fellow Book Threadists. I hope everyone had a great week of reading. Mine was mixed and entirely enjoyable.

Posted by: JTB at September 27, 2026 09:06 AM (yTvNw)

10 Morning, MP4.

Howdy, horde.

The week's reading was mostly a few of Joe Lansdale's Hap & Leonard novels, which were better than their tv series adaptations and the series adaptations were pretty good.

Continuations? I usually ignore them, finding the tone to be off. Take that Nancy strip up top. Years since I read newspaper comics, but I don't recall the Sunday Nancy strips as being as dark as the one at the top of the page. YMMV.

Posted by: Just Some Guy at September 27, 2026 09:06 AM (q3u5l)

11 The hard work of coming up with a world and its inhabitants has already been done and the lives and personalities of the characters have already been limned. All you have to do is create a situation.
----
This gets even weirder when you factor in Expanded Universe novels (e.g., Star Wars, Star Trek, Warhammer 40K, etc.)

There, you may have adaptations of an entirely different medium (movies, television, and a table-top miniature game, in the aforementioned examples) into a novel form. As MP4 says, the world has already been created. Now the authors have to create characters and plots that are suitable for the setting. Some authors are more successful than others.

Posted by: "Perfessor" Squirrel at September 27, 2026 09:06 AM (FZ29D)

12 This week I finished George Pelecanos's crime thriller The Man Who Came Uptown. It's rather Elmore Leonard-like in a lot of ways, just as readable, and dealing with street people -- but also with upper middle class DC residents (the story takes place in and around DC). It let me down a little with a muffled climax; the lead character (a great movie role for the young Denzel Washington), while he has a couple of solid action scenes, does not have a bang-up finish in the story. However, I enjoyed it and will try others of his.

Also this week I found and read the Christopher Golden and Brain Keene anthology, The End of the World As We Know It. It's a collection of short stories set in the world of King's The Stand, in which the superflu wipes out 99.4% of humanity. I'd say about 15% of the stories are very good, three were superb, the rest are okay, and there was one about Indian (dot) people that I couldn't finish thanks to all the cultural references and terms. Fun stuff.

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at September 27, 2026 09:08 AM (wzUl9)

13 Or do you despise the whole genre?

If the original creator approves it, I suppose it's all right. I still give it the side-eye, though. It's the same with the "book one of fourteen!" crowd. Just create one world and keep mining it until you exhaust the land. Seems like a cheap way of writing.

I call it "The Roddenberry Hijack." If he were still alive, I'm sure Alexander Courage would agree with me.

Posted by: OrangeEnt at September 27, 2026 09:10 AM (1Ff7Z)

14 People doing these continuation novels are getting paid for the fun of writing fan fiction! Yes, most fan fiction is unpublishable or just plain boring. But if you tell a good story and remain true to the characters and setting, you can have the delight of playing in your favorite author's world as well as getting a check.

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at September 27, 2026 09:10 AM (wzUl9)

15 I think that The Italian Secretary by Caleb Carr and the House of Silk by Anthony Horowitz are pretty true to the Holmes legacy.

Posted by: Thomas Paine at September 27, 2026 09:11 AM (0U5gm)

16 Years since I read newspaper comics, but I don't recall the Sunday Nancy strips as being as dark as the one at the top of the page. YMMV.
Posted by: Just Some Guy at September 27, 2026 09:06 AM (q3u5l)

Or being funny at all.

Posted by: OrangeEnt at September 27, 2026 09:12 AM (1Ff7Z)

17 I think that The Italian Secretary by Caleb Carr and the House of Silk by Anthony Horowitz are pretty true to the Holmes legacy.
Posted by: Thomas Paine at September 27, 2026

***
I've read Horowitz's, and the first of his James Bond sequels too. Enjoyed both. I'll have to look for Carr's.

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at September 27, 2026 09:12 AM (wzUl9)

18 I finished Theo of Golden by Adam Levi and quite enjoyed it.
I'm still listening/reading In the Shadow of Kings, book 2 in the Time of Dragons series by Phillip Quaintrell. I like the series but it is long.

Posted by: lin-duh at September 27, 2026 09:14 AM (VCgbV)

19 MP4,
I miss the days when you posted stories and photos of the lovely ladies of early 20th century showbiz on the morning thread. Always looked forward to them. The photo above brought back that memory.

Posted by: Tuna at September 27, 2026 09:14 AM (lJ0H4)

20 "Or being funny at all."

Yeah, that too.

Posted by: Just Some Guy at September 27, 2026 09:14 AM (q3u5l)

21 Moring all, time for church. I was busy working on some code for personal use, so I'll have to walk after church instead of before.

As to today's topic... done right it can be fantastic, done wrong it can be anywhere from 'subtly off' or 'the original author would have ended up exploring that more', to the horrors of 'what in the world did they think they were doing? This is WRONG!'

Posted by: RandomDave (if you can spare a bit, please click!) at September 27, 2026 09:14 AM (aJQbY)

22 The main driving force in these continuation novels is the same impetus that sees television doing reboots: the publishers/producers don't want to take a chance on something new, so they use the goodwill from previous works to lessen the risk.

Posted by: Thomas Paine at September 27, 2026 09:15 AM (0U5gm)

23 Right now I'm reading a Lovecraftian short story about a group of fossil hunters on an Arctic island. They discover someone has snuck into their camp and stolen most of their supplies.

What do they do? Retreat? Leave the island?

No, they do what all sensible people do in a situation like this. They split the party into two groups. One group heads back to civilization to find more supplies. The other group stays behind to solve the mystery at the heart of the story. Being this is the Cthulhu Mythos, I predict it doesn't end well for either group.

Posted by: "Perfessor" Squirrel at September 27, 2026 09:16 AM (FZ29D)

24 I have the pastiche "Matt Helm: The War Years," which I read in small chunks as the mood hits. I don't like it much, because I'm so steeped in Helm lore that it bothers me when this author, Keith Wease, an admitted Helm fan, misplaces certain flashbacks in the original books. And his original segments are either sexually deviant or dull.

This may stay in the house, but only for completion's sake.

Posted by: Weak Geek at September 27, 2026 09:17 AM (Pb7bQ)

25
I'm not fan. Think up your own damn characters and story!

*imitates pissing on computer to celebrate a successful comment*

*ahem* Anyway I understand the writer's impulse because the market's already there, and people tend to like successful name brands that satisfy their needs.

Very much the same thing as voting for Al Gore because Pappy Gore was such a Tennessee hack.

But, I don't think I've ever read a good one.

The first I remember, and was disappointed by, but was very popular was, "The Seven Percent Solution" by Nicholas Meyer, of Star Trek infamy IIRC.

TSPS was a pile, Holmes was basically a drug addict who needlessly harassed poor old Professor Moriarty teaching at Cambridge or some such place.

Buuuuut, best-seller and movie and I believe really started the whole low imagination, stealing characters genre. You know, Holmes VS Dracula, Holmes Builds His Dream Home, Fifty Shades of Holmes.

In short, not a fan.

Posted by: naturalfake at September 27, 2026 09:18 AM (YSUhf)

26 Police work in classic fiction is so different from contemporary tales. In "The Mugger," copyright 1956 by Ed McBain, one detective beats up a suspect, and another squad solves a case by breaking into a suspect's apartment.

I first noticed this pre-Miranda behavior in the radio version of "Dragnet." Sgts. Friday and Smith just entered homes and searched them as they pleased. And in a "Peter Gunn" episode, the police bugged the apartment of a fugitive's girlfriend on the chance that the guy would go there.

I think we've bent backward too far to protect criminals, but I'm glad that cops need warrants nowadays.

Back to "The Mugger": I'm annoyed that one culprit's M.O. is never explained.

Posted by: Weak Geek at September 27, 2026 09:18 AM (Pb7bQ)

27 The whole series thing (complete with replacement authors) was killed for me in high school. The Dragonlance series was a body blow, but David Eddings' regurgitation-like second series and Pier Anthony combined to put a bullet in the genre's head, a stake in its heart, and bury the corpse at sea.

I know there are great and important books out there, and those are the ones I want to read. Still working through Graham Greene and of course St. Augustine. I'm on The Ministry of Fear at the moment. Very good description of wartime London.

Posted by: Ace-Endorsed Author A.H. Lloyd at September 27, 2026 09:18 AM (ZOv7s)

28 Scott Adams hired several artist to draw for him as he had several nerve and muscle issues in his hands.
So a ghost artist.

Posted by: r hennigantx at September 27, 2026 09:18 AM (/+uur)

29 There are Flashman continuations, but never read any of them. Fraser mentions in the originals that Flashman served on both sides in the US civil war, and I'd like to read a worthy account of that.

Posted by: Biff Pocoroba at September 27, 2026 09:19 AM (XvL8K)

30 I've found the 'ghost' approach to comics and novels to be hit or miss. I can't imagine anyone else able to match the Calvin and Hobbes of Bill Watterson. (Will Henry with his Wallace the Brave strip comes very close.) Same with the idea of someone else writing a Matt Helm book. I've been unsatisfied with most of the non-Cussler follow-ons except for the Isaac Bell series written by Jack Du Brul. The others aren't bad but they lack the playfulness, drama and invention that made Cussler so successful.

Posted by: JTB at September 27, 2026 09:19 AM (yTvNw)

31 “Uranium” by Tom Zoellner. Interesting book about an interesting rock. Goes into the long history of its use. At one time was considered a waste rock, and in the way of other materials. Sometimes used as a pottery glaze. Became very very important once it was discovered powerful bombs could be made with it.

The US government after the war was the sole purchaser and set the price high, and offered bonuses for discovery. The result was a huge prospecting boom in the desert southwest.

The Soviets just threw tens of thousands in a gulag and made them slaves. Little known side of wonderful socialism.

Posted by: Common Tater at September 27, 2026 09:19 AM (ebWKH)

32 I have the pastiche "Matt Helm: The War Years," which I read in small chunks as the mood hits. I don't like it much, because I'm so steeped in Helm lore that it bothers me when this author, Keith Wease, an admitted Helm fan, misplaces certain flashbacks in the original books. And his original segments are either sexually deviant or dull.

This may stay in the house, but only for completion's sake.
Posted by: Weak Geek at September 27, 2026

***
I've never heard of that one! Is it available now?

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at September 27, 2026 09:19 AM (wzUl9)

33 I vaguely recall an SNL skit along the lines of What if Napoleon had a howitzer at Waterloo? or some such drek. It was beyond lame, but it comes to mind if a story series is continued too far. Everything ultimately falls apart.
Could the Hardy Boys continue their adventures until the age of George Jetson?

Posted by: Quarter Twenty at September 27, 2026 09:20 AM (2Ez/1)

34 Even if the publishers and producers don't mind taking some chances, they look at the continuations with their large pre-sold audiences and figure there's no point in passing up guaranteed $$$.

But they do sometimes seem to crowd other stuff out, don't they?

Posted by: Just Some Guy at September 27, 2026 09:20 AM (q3u5l)

35 Douglas Adams, author of The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy, expired after the fifth book of his trilogy (his own phrasing, I believe). The last book ended in a way that is characteristic of Adams, but left a bad taste in my mouth.

After his death, another author tried to continue the series. I haven't read it, and comments from others elsewhere indicate it doesn't have the same panache and absurd writing quality as the originals, but it was an attempt to bring the story forward, past said ending.

Posted by: Another Anon at September 27, 2026 09:21 AM (4h45B)

36
Years since I read newspaper comics, but I don't recall the Sunday Nancy strips as being as dark as the one at the top of the page. YMMV.
Posted by: Just Some Guy at September 27, 2026 09:06 AM (q3u5l)

Or being funny at all.
Posted by: OrangeEnt at September 27, 2026 09:12 AM (1Ff7Z)

Yeah, that's was more sassy, grrrlboss Nancy. Not true to the original;.

Posted by: naturalfake at September 27, 2026 09:21 AM (YSUhf)

37 In authorial news, Keith Seafield commented on my review of his book War Trophies: Weapons from Vietnam.

He took exception to the "defects" I found in his work, which I admit disappointed me when I first read it. He admitted that the lack of a table of contents or index and some editorial issues, but stressed that the focus was on the individual stories, not the weapons, which could be found elsewhere.

I did a new post, copying his comment and noting that with time, I have come around to see his point of view, and my original review was more about my expectation than the product in front of my, very much how Tolkien took down the Beowulf critics for not appreciating the poem as it was, but instead projecting what they wanted it to be.

The posts are at ahlloyd.com if anyone cares. He commented on my newer post and was very complimentary and announced he has a volume on World War II trophies now available for those who are interested. (cont)

Posted by: Ace-Endorsed Author A.H. Lloyd at September 27, 2026 09:23 AM (ZOv7s)

38 Booken morgen horden!
Currently reading Communion by JD Vance

Posted by: vmom deport deport stab deport at September 27, 2026 09:23 AM (Ydd86)

39 I finished reading a very disappointing comic book, which actually ties into today's topic; the 1983 maxi-series "Camelot 3000." It bills itself as a continuation of Thomas Maloroy's "Le Morte d'Arthur," which I assume ends with Arthur not dying, rut being 'laid to rest.' And rest he does, until the 3000, until an alien invasion forces a kid to hide in an archeologic excavation, which just happens to be digging up old Camelot. The youth disturbs Arthur's tomb, waking him at last. Arthur's return triggers Merlin's reappearance, who then reincarnates a handful of knights into current-day bodies.

Sadly, the story is mostly interested in re-hashing the standard Arthurian tropes, with in an outlandish setting and with extra baggage. When something new is added to the characters, it's usually terrible. And the first half of the series ignores what should be the most pressing matter (the aliens) in favor of interpersonal drama. By the time the action picked up, I didn't care.

The art would have been good, but was utterly wasted on a genre mish-mash and a bad story. Not a recommendation.

Posted by: Castle Guy at September 27, 2026 09:24 AM (3v7ra)

40 Nancy was never funny. That was what made it so wonderful. It was a brilliant yet completely unaware satire of comic strips.

Posted by: Trimegistus at September 27, 2026 09:24 AM (78a2H)

41 I read the Sunday comics for Doonesbury and The Far Side

Posted by: San Franpsycho at September 27, 2026 09:24 AM (RIvkX)

42 Nancy Drew is still on going, I think

Posted by: vmom deport deport stab deport at September 27, 2026 09:24 AM (Ydd86)

43 I've been unsatisfied with most of the non-Cussler follow-ons except for the Isaac Bell series written by Jack Du Brul. The others aren't bad but they lack the playfulness, drama and invention that made Cussler so successful.

Posted by: JTB

Yes, those are good, and they have an entirely new character and time period. Though, DuBrul was already a successful author. I would probably prefer that he go back to Philip Mercer stories.

Posted by: Thomas Paine at September 27, 2026 09:25 AM (0U5gm)

44 When the new comic-strip artists do true continuations ('Wizard of Id' & .B.C.' come to mind) then it's fine. What the bastards did to 'Andy Capp' should have sent them to the Tower.

Posted by: Nazdar at September 27, 2026 09:25 AM (NcvvS)

45 Morning, all. Sorry I'm late.

Posted by: Mary Poppins' Practically Perfect Piercing (aka Eloquent Depression) at September 27, 2026 09:25 AM (qRla/)

46 Short story expert Edward D. Hoch wrote at least a few Ellery Queen continuation stories which appeared in the magazine. I don't recall the one I read being all that outstanding -- yet another "dying message clue" mystery, I think. The TV series with Jim Hutton also relied on that too much. True, the Queens pioneered the technique and produced some top-notch stories using it. But that is not all there is to the classic detective tale.

Nobody has tried continuing John Dickson Carr's locked room/impossible crime stories with Dr. Gideon Fell, not that I know of. I doubt there are any writers with Carr's level of ingenuity today, even if a publisher were willing to try such a novel.

There were continuations of Rex Stout's Nero Wolfe & Archie Goodwin tales, by someone called Robert Goldsborough. The two I read did not have the sprightly, vigorous tone of Stout writing as Archie.

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at September 27, 2026 09:25 AM (wzUl9)

47 I don't think I've read any continuation series. There are few series that I've read through a single author's end: Longmire, Joe Pickett, Matthew Scudder (actually not to the end of Scudder series).

They start to get stale for me. I think if the author himself can't keep it fresh, it's not likely that another author will improve it. A series should have a natural end.

Posted by: Dash my lace wigs! at September 27, 2026 09:26 AM (CjHsb)

48 Morning, all. Sorry I'm late.
Posted by: Mary Poppins' Practically Perfect Piercing (aka Eloquent Depression)

Inexcusable! Get thee to a corner.

Posted by: Tuna at September 27, 2026 09:26 AM (lJ0H4)

49 (cont) The book is basically a series of unrelated articles about the story behind a weapon, especially the biography of its owner, service record and it often has official paperwork and other items and excellent full color pictures.

Seafield works for an online auction house and realized that the items he were selling had a lot of historic value and so he compiled the book to document them. It is a unique window into a world that I think most collectors have no idea exists. Perhaps the most startling discovery for me was the sheer variety of weapons recovered in Vietnam, which included American and German arms along with the usual Soviet bloc stuff.

Posted by: Ace-Endorsed Author A.H. Lloyd at September 27, 2026 09:27 AM (ZOv7s)

50 In authorial news, Keith Seafield commented on my review of his book War Trophies: Weapons from Vietnam.

Posted by: Ace-Endorsed Author A.H. Lloyd at September 27, 2026 09:23 AM (ZOv7s)

I thought authors weren't supposed to respond to reviews, good or not?

Posted by: OrangeEnt at September 27, 2026 09:27 AM (1Ff7Z)

51 Morning, all. Sorry I'm late.
Posted by: Mary Poppins' Practically Perfect Piercing (aka Eloquent Depression) at September 27, 2026 09:25 AM (qRla/)
---
Sigh. Do you feel tardy?

Posted by: Ace-Endorsed Author A.H. Lloyd at September 27, 2026 09:27 AM (ZOv7s)

52 Had a delightful, unexpected start to the reading week. I started "The Complete Fenelon", a series of short essays written at the onset of the Enlightenment. It reads like a series of letters to a friend answering questions and offering perspective on morality and what is appropriate to be a good man. There are strong echoes of Marcus Aurelius' Meditations, Apostle Paul's letters to the Romans, even Montaigne's Essays, adding to my enjoyment. Fenelon offers guidance, not dogma, recognizing there is joy to be found in God's creation (which includes healthy, sexual marriage) and doesn't demand a life of constant suffering and atonement. The encroaching dominance of the Enlightenment can provide information but faith and imagination of the individual provides meaning. There is morality and balance in ways I see too seldom.

I'm impressed. Francois Fenelon turns out to be a calm, perceptive voice that appears again in the Romantic poets and later with Chesterton, Wendell Berry, Tolkien, even parts of the Agrarian movement.

I got a copy of Fenelon's book, "The Adventures of Telemachus". It goes on my winter reading list.

Serious thanks to our own Fenelon Spoke for suggesting this.

Posted by: JTB at September 27, 2026 09:28 AM (yTvNw)

53 In the world of comics, there is a thing known as a ‘ghost strip.’ That is, a strip that goes on after the original artist’s death under various hands.

-
Apparently, in the literary world, the result of a new author continuing a series started by another is called a continuation novel. In Anthony Horowitz' novel Marble Hall Murders, the protagonist, a book editor, rails against continuation novels when asked to edit one. The ironic thing is that Horowitz is known for, among other things, his excellent continuation novels, three James Bonds and two Sherlock Holmes.

Horowitz often includes authors and other literary figures in his books and usually presents them in a poor light. In Magpie Murders, for example, highly succesful novelist Alan Conway is presented as a bitter and hateful man who hates nobody more than his fans. It makes we wonder if that is the way he sees himself and his profession or it he is merely having some fun.

Posted by: Anonosaurus Wrecks, Where's My Cookie? at September 27, 2026 09:28 AM (ndZc7)

54 Alas, that's all for this week as I have a busy day ahead.

Thanks, MP4!

Posted by: Ace-Endorsed Author A.H. Lloyd at September 27, 2026 09:28 AM (ZOv7s)

55 Re series.

Joe Lansdale is wrapping up his Hap & Leonard series; last book, Petrified Dreams, is due out next month.

Just fyi for any Lansdale fans out there in the unlikely event you didn't know it already.

Posted by: Just Some Guy at September 27, 2026 09:28 AM (q3u5l)

56 I think one can make an interesting distinction between writers continuing a particular series vs. writers using a setting but creating new characters and events. I don't think I would enjoy reading stories about Louis Wu or Kevin Renner that weren't written by Larry Niven -- but I don't think I would mind seeing "Known Space" or "Mote Universe" stories by divers hands. Play in the author's sandbox, but don't try to change the castle he built.

Posted by: Trimegistus at September 27, 2026 09:28 AM (78a2H)

57 Morning, all. Sorry I'm late.
Posted by: Mary Poppins' Practically Perfect Piercing (aka Eloquent Depression) at September 27, 2026 09:25 AM (qRla/)
======

*uses short pencil behind right ear to make tardy note in permanent record*

Posted by: San Franpsycho at September 27, 2026 09:28 AM (RIvkX)

58 I think that The Italian Secretary by Caleb Carr and the House of Silk by Anthony Horowitz are pretty true to the Holmes legacy.
Posted by: Thomas Paine at September 27, 2026

I didn't like Carr's book at all. I've read one of Horowitz' Bond novels and thought it was pretty close to the Fleming voice.

Posted by: Mary Poppins' Practically Perfect Piercing (aka Eloquent Depression) at September 27, 2026 09:29 AM (qRla/)

59 As I have mentioned before Anthony Burgess wrote 1985 not as a continuation or fan fiction but rather a riposte, a friendly amendment to Orwell's 1984.

Posted by: San Franpsycho at September 27, 2026 09:30 AM (RIvkX)

60 I read the "Camelot 3000" as a custom bound comic, where the original off-the-newstand comic books were sewn together into a single volume. (someone else did this, I just bought it off ebay. Where I may end up reselling it) This meant I got to see all the original ads and editorial material, which was almost more interesting than the story. The ads were amusing for the sheer range of them; from kids stuff like bubble gum and Saturday morning cartoons (an unfamiliar lineup that was before my time) to Lego Technic and Atari games, to borderline-adult products like (first edition) Dungeons and Dragons!

Also amusing was the author's notes at the end the end of the first couple issues. (Printed in lieu of letter pages, since no letters had yet been written) The author basically explained the research he did for the story, explaining the original Arthur legends. It was interesting to see that some of the stuff that we might consider 'revisionist' Arthurian history (like what went into the 2004 movie) was already known in 1983.

Posted by: Castle Guy at September 27, 2026 09:30 AM (3v7ra)

61 Posted by: Tuna at September 27, 2026 09:14 AM (lJ0H4)

Thank you for the compliment! I stopped when AoS posts began enforcing a word limit. Now that I'm retired, perhaps I'll start doing it again as a once-a-week thing.

Posted by: Mary Poppins' Practically Perfect Piercing (aka Eloquent Depression) at September 27, 2026 09:31 AM (qRla/)

62 Nancy Drew is still on going, I think
Posted by: vmom deport deport stab deport at September 27, 2026 09:24 AM (Ydd86)

I'm miffed that The Dover Boys aren't continuing.

Posted by: OrangeEnt at September 27, 2026 09:31 AM (1Ff7Z)

63 Morning, all. Sorry I'm late.
Posted by: Mary Poppins' Practically Perfect Piercing (aka Eloquent Depression) at September 27, 2026 09:25 AM
======

Did you at least bring donuts?

Posted by: Guy who always wants a donut at September 27, 2026 09:31 AM (2Ez/1)

64 Wasn't there some recent attempt to "reboot" or "re-imagine" Camelot 3000? I thought I heard about that and I'm too lazy to look it up.

Posted by: Trimegistus at September 27, 2026 09:32 AM (78a2H)

65 43 ... " DuBrul was already a successful author. I would probably prefer that he go back to Philip Mercer stories."

Agreed, although I don't want him to abandon the Isaac Bell books entirely. But a new Philip Mercer book would be very welcome.

Posted by: JTB at September 27, 2026 09:32 AM (yTvNw)

66 Morning, all. Sorry I'm late.
Posted by: Mary Poppins' Practically Perfect Piercing (aka Eloquent Depression) at September 27, 2026 09:25 AM (qRla/)

You were trapped in the book depository line with tankascribe?

Posted by: OrangeEnt at September 27, 2026 09:33 AM (1Ff7Z)

67 @32 --

Copyright 2012. I learned of it through a Helm fan site whose URL I don't recall.

I think I got my copy on eBay, but it looks to be print on demand. You should be able to find a copy without much trouble.

Posted by: Weak Geek at September 27, 2026 09:34 AM (Pb7bQ)

68 I've often wondered if it was possible to put together an AI thingabob that you could dump "the Culture" canon into that would produce more of next-gen Ian Banks books.

Similar thoughts with Terry Pratchett and Discworld.

Posted by: pawn at September 27, 2026 09:35 AM (XKNhI)

69 How terrible can a man be who vastly increases the size of his country, and creates it's first parliament? Ivan Vasilyevech became the first Tsar of Russia in 1547, and his story is told by Benson Bobrick in Fearful Majesty. Ivan had periods of brilliance interspersed with bouts of madness, which makes his story even more compelling.

Ivan was only three years old when his father died, and a group of nobles called Boyars formed a ruling council to guide the country while he matured. At 16, he was named Tsar in a nod to the Roman Empire. During this time, the country was still subject to periodic raids from Mongols in Kazan. Ivan fought and defeated them, growing Russia to the Volga, and then disbanded the Boyar council. In celebration of his victory, he ordered St Basil's cathedral built, one of the most identifiable buildings in the world.

As he expanded the size of Russia and also his power, his moodiness grew. He formed the first secret police, and began the first purges in Russia. As time went by, his fits of rage came more often, and in one he fatally struck his heir, dooming the house of Rurik. His sickly younger son was the last of the line.

Posted by: Thomas Paine at September 27, 2026 09:35 AM (0U5gm)

70 Tom Clancy founded a ghost town. Two-thirds of the Jack Ryan books had ghost writers.

That is a way to learn of new authors who are similar to your favorite.

Posted by: Randomizer at September 27, 2026 09:35 AM (fjkOR)

71 Scott Adams hired several artist to draw for him as he had several nerve and muscle issues in his hands.
So a ghost artist.

I've heard rumors that Garry Trudeau did the same thing.

Posted by: Mary Poppins' Practically Perfect Piercing (aka Eloquent Depression) at September 27, 2026 09:37 AM (qRla/)

72 I've often wondered if it was possible to put together an AI thingabob that you could dump "the Culture" canon into that would produce more of next-gen Ian Banks books.

Similar thoughts with Terry Pratchett and Discworld.
Posted by: pawn at September 27, 2026 09:35 AM (XKNhI)
---
Discworld would be tough. So much of that world is based on satirizing other works (particularly Shakespeare) that AI would not do a very good job of imitating Pratchett's distinctive satirical outlook on culture.

Posted by: "Perfessor" Squirrel at September 27, 2026 09:37 AM (FZ29D)

73 Miss Gaby is showing a saucy bit of ankle there.

One near seamless continuation of style and mood would be William Horwood's stories set in Kenneth Grahame's "Wind in the Willows" wood.

Posted by: All Hail Eris, She-Wolf of the 'Ettes 'Ettes at September 27, 2026 09:38 AM (kpS4V)

74 Cable went out

Posted by: Skip at September 27, 2026 09:38 AM (B76vZ)

75 “Nancy`” was always one of the most ridiculously Unfunny comic strips ever created. It had less actual jokes in it than Mark Trail.
Why would anyone want to continue that?

Posted by: Tom Servo at September 27, 2026 09:39 AM (H8mUs)

76 I've heard rumors that Garry Trudeau did the same thing.
Posted by: Mary Poppins' Practically Perfect Piercing

Didn't he pass on as a result of Bush Derangement Syndrome some time ago?

Posted by: Auspex at September 27, 2026 09:39 AM (Y8DZL)

77 As to my own work - I thought I'd finished editing, but last night I thought of a couple of (small) bits to add, one being a hint concerning the next book in the series. The cover needs some tweaking, but otherwise, I'm ready to submit to Amazon for a proof copy.

I also have to set up a new website, which, since I am a tech-phobe, is going to be a royal PITA.

Posted by: Mary Poppins' Practically Perfect Piercing (aka Eloquent Depression) at September 27, 2026 09:40 AM (qRla/)

78 Being called "Ivan the Terrible" won't improve anybody's mood. Though I expect nobody dared say it in his hearing, or maybe the nickname came along only after he was gone?

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at September 27, 2026 09:40 AM (wzUl9)

79 >>Didn't he pass on as a result of Bush Derangement Syndrome some time ago?

He's still around. Wikipedia says he's 78.

Posted by: Nazdar at September 27, 2026 09:42 AM (NcvvS)

80 I'm of two minds when it comes to continuations/pastiches/adaptations. One the one hand, I'm often disappointed when I see them, as I would usually prefer something new. But, sadly, they do draw my eye, and I will sometimes buy them anyways. Sometimes because that's the only thing available in the genre (I bought the Camelot 3000 comic because there aren't a lot of sword-and-sorcery comics, and I was hoping for something...anything...that filled that void. Alas, I was disappointed) and sometimes because the tie to known property is enough to hook my interest on that product rather than the one next to it.

What I really don't like, however, is when the story is just a rehash of the original. I'll always choose a new adventure of established characters over a story whose purpose is 'look how I've re-imagined the characters you love.' Another of my recent reads was "Wicked West: Legend of Oz" which started off kind of lame, but got more interesting once it finished rehashing Dorothy's story and moved on to...well it may have been new stories, or it may have been rehashing sequel stories that were at least new-to-me.

Posted by: Castle Guy at September 27, 2026 09:43 AM (3v7ra)

81 I enjoyed the Holmes/Russell books by Laurie King. The first is The Bea Keeper's Apprentice. Holmes helps raise an orphaned teenager and discovers she's very intelligent. Spoiler alert, they marry and solve crimes together. I did give up eventually as the books started to become tedious. The first few were fun reads and since I'm a woman I enjoyed the romance side of the narratives.
Not books, AI generated videos that continue the saga of the LOTR characters. Some of them are pretty good. Short and entertaining.

Posted by: neverenoughcaffeine at September 27, 2026 09:43 AM (2NHgQ)

82 How could you write this without mentioning "Ian Fleming's James Bond"?

Posted by: Flakey Foont at September 27, 2026 09:43 AM (uaNKo)

83 Ok, I just asked an AI engine to do this:
"Describe the opening scene of a Hardy Boys story set in the world of George Jetson."
I'm impressed with the result. Because we have a word limit here, I'll just quote a snippet.
The alarm clock in Frank Hardy’s bedroom didn’t ring so much as take off.

It rose from the nightstand on tiny jets, circled his head twice, and projected a red message across the ceiling:

UNAUTHORIZED ENTRY—JETSON CITY SKYWAY 7

Frank sat up. Outside the window, the city glowed beneath him: towers floating on magnetic platforms, traffic lanes curling through the clouds, and delivery robots zipping between homes like fireflies. Somewhere above, a commuter pod honked impatiently.

Posted by: Quarter Twenty at September 27, 2026 09:44 AM (2Ez/1)

84
69 How terrible can a man be who vastly increases the size of his country, and creates it's first parliament? Ivan Vasilyevech became the first Tsar of Russia in 1547, and his story is told by Benson Bobrick in Fearful Majesty. Ivan had periods of brilliance interspersed with bouts of madness, which makes his story even more compelling. “

There are interesting parallels between Ivan and Henry VIII, who ruled at the same time. Henry created the English Navy and vastly expanded England’s power and importance - and we’ve also been telling tales of his monstrous personal life for 5 centuries now. Great Man or Tyrant? As is often the case, both.

Posted by: Tom Servo at September 27, 2026 09:44 AM (H8mUs)

85 I'm continuing my Harlan Coben obsession having finished one Myron Bolitar book and begun another.

Posted by: Anonosaurus Wrecks, Where's My Cookie? at September 27, 2026 09:44 AM (ndZc7)

86 B.C. got stupid toward the end, so is a rare case the continuation has improved. Like Sanderson's Wheel of Time

Posted by: Yyrog the Lich King at September 27, 2026 09:45 AM (9/+ak)

87 @39 --

"Camelot 3000" gained recognition because it was the first mainstream comics maxi-series. This meant that anything could happen to the characters because they weren't tied down by continuity concerns.

It also gained attention because of the lesbian subplot.

The Brian Bolland art was pretty.

Be glad you weren't buying it as the issues hit the shelves. What was intended to take a year stretched into about two. Frustrating.

Posted by: Weak Geek at September 27, 2026 09:45 AM (Pb7bQ)

88 Reading this week was a mixed, and enjoyable, mixed bag. Rereading parts of Malcolm Guite's Galahad and the Grail. Then the Francois Fenelon essays mentioned above. Discovering the original Dr. Doolittle stories from the 1920s. (More on those another time.)

Finally, Will Henry's newest collection of his Wallace the Brave comic strips. There is a bit of Calvin in Wallace: the unending exuberance of a little boy with his little boy assumptions and imagination. Each panel includes subtle, small 'bits' (often a seagull or fish) that add to the humor. Thoroughly enjoyable and they make me laugh out loud.

Posted by: JTB at September 27, 2026 09:46 AM (yTvNw)

89 Being called "Ivan the Terrible" won't improve anybody's mood. Though I expect nobody dared say it in his hearing, or maybe the nickname came along only after he was gone?
Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at September 27, 2026 09:40 AM (wzUl9)
----

He was "terrible" or fearsome to his enemies, is how my Russian teacher explained it. It was a compliment.

Posted by: All Hail Eris, She-Wolf of the 'Ettes 'Ettes at September 27, 2026 09:46 AM (kpS4V)

90 I've begun reading a new book, Comedy Is A Grim Business: The Making of It's A Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World by James Curtis.

I've been hoping for a book like this for years, but so far it's been a dull, slow slog. Curtis begins not with the movie or even director Stanley Kramer, but with a writer from England's Ealing Studios proposing Now For A Frolic, a movie described as "Greed on wheels," starring as many big UK comic names as possible.

I hope it gets better, but who knows?

Posted by: Mary Poppins' Practically Perfect Piercing (aka Eloquent Depression) at September 27, 2026 09:46 AM (qRla/)

91 WeakGeek,

Think I posted a link last week to a fairly cheap copy of Westlake's Adios, Scheherazade on ABEBooks. Did you manage to snag that copy?

Posted by: Just Some Guy at September 27, 2026 09:47 AM (q3u5l)

92 Good morning!

hen author Lucy Foley found out the Agatha Christie estate wanted her to write a new Miss Marple mystery, she immediately wished she could tell her grandmothers, both huge fans of the legendary mystery writer. . .

That initial idea turned into Murder at the Grand Alpine Hotel, out today, the first Miss Marple mystery since Agatha Christie’s last in 1976, and the only one ever authorized by the Christie estate.

Posted by: Lizzy at September 27, 2026 09:49 AM (rOKnE)

93 2 How could you write this without mentioning "Ian Fleming's James Bond"?
Posted by: Flakey Foont at September 27, 2026

***
The first continuation novel, new to publishing in those days I think, was Kingsley Amis's Colonel Sun, written as by "Robert Markham." It's quite good. I lost interest in the ones done by John Gardner (not the literary author); they updated Bond to a degree, but didn't capture the real flavor.

Now we have Horowitz's stories set in the original 1950s time period: Trigger Mortis, for instance, takes place just after Goldfinger and features Pussy Galore and Bond continuing their affair, for a time. That one had the action and the "incredible suspense" (as the Signet paperback blurbs had it) of the originals.

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at September 27, 2026 09:49 AM (wzUl9)

94 I also have to set up a new website, which, since I am a tech-phobe, is going to be a royal PITA.

Sounds like something you could probably get an AI to code for you as long as you can describe what you want. And by AI, I may or may not mean Asian Indian.

Posted by: Oddbob at September 27, 2026 09:50 AM (vTZFs)

95 OT but on my way into town to go to what will possibly be the last day of The Academy of Natural Sciences - the USA's oldest science museum - thanks to Drexel trying to liquidate it fast and quiet to prop up their indebted old asses.

I've been signing stuff, calling people, doing everything. Donors HAVE turned out, and the Penn Foundation offered to fund it fully for at least a year so things could get straightened out.

but Drexel refuses all help. it just wants to scrounge as much $$ as possible out of it. How do I know? because Drexel did EXACTLY this - same playbook - to the lovely Atwater Kent History Museum a few years back.

I'm off to say goodbye today, and still praying Drexel will see the light and work with the city and the feds and EVERYONE to keep the Museum operating on the Ben Franklin Parkway.

say a prayer for us! if they are able to lock those doors Wednesday, it's way easier for them to sell it off. people will forget.

Posted by: Black Orchid (j+aD2) at September 27, 2026 09:51 AM (j+aD2)

96 See if its back yet

Posted by: Skip at September 27, 2026 09:51 AM (Ia/+0)

97 I recently read a Michael Crichton book, "Micro," that was unfinished when he died, so it was completed by Richard Preston. You could tell where Preston took over because the main character was killed off.

Crichton was a fun writer - no imitation possible.

Posted by: Lizzy at September 27, 2026 09:52 AM (rOKnE)

98
There are interesting parallels between Ivan and Henry VIII, who ruled at the same time. Henry created the English Navy and vastly expanded England’s power and importance - and we’ve also been telling tales of his monstrous personal life for 5 centuries now. Great Man or Tyrant? As is often the case, both.
Posted by: Tom Servo at September 27, 2026

***
The idea was floated for a time, I think, of young Princess Elizabeth (later Elizabeth I) marrying Ivan, or maybe it was later after she was queen of England. Now *that* would have been explosive.

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at September 27, 2026 09:53 AM (wzUl9)

99 Thank you for the compliment! I stopped when AoS posts began enforcing a word limit. Now that I'm retired, perhaps I'll start doing it again as a once-a-week thing.
Posted by: Mary Poppins' Practically Perfect Piercing (aka Eloquent Depression)

Yes, please do.!

Posted by: Tuna at September 27, 2026 09:53 AM (lJ0H4)

100 @47 --

A series should have a natural end.

The webcomic Full Frontal Nerdity by Aaron Williams had this observation:

"Neil Gaiman said that if your story runs long enough, all your characters die. ... I think George R.R. Martin took that as a challenge."

Posted by: Weak Geek at September 27, 2026 09:53 AM (Pb7bQ)

101 I've often wondered if it was possible to put together an AI thingabob that you could dump "the Culture" canon into that would produce more of next-gen Ian Banks books.

Similar thoughts with Terry Pratchett and Discworld.

Maybe not with those specific properties but I'll bet it's already being done.

Posted by: Oddbob at September 27, 2026 09:54 AM (vTZFs)

102
The book three was slow, so I wandered off for a bit, and saw that-

They're rereleasing "Logan's Run" in 4K, which is a surprise. All fans of Jenny Agutter and Farah Fawcett should rejoice.

BONUS! You'll get to see how the city of Dallas will look in the 23rd Century!!!

Posted by: naturalfake at September 27, 2026 09:54 AM (YSUhf)

103 The hard part, however, is tone.

**********

You can change the tone if you use the strategy of the Dread Pirate Roberts. Just fire your entire readership at the same time you bring the New Dread Author Tom Clancy on, hang around for a month telling the new readers how great the New Dread Author Clancy is, then retire to an island in the Caribbean (or Forest Lawn).

Posted by: muldoon at September 27, 2026 09:55 AM (I0N4X)

104 Being called "Ivan the Terrible" won't improve anybody's mood. Though I expect nobody dared say it in his hearing, or maybe the nickname came along only after he was gone?

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius

Correct, it didn't show up until later, and the Russian word Grozny is actually more like 'fearsome'.

Posted by: Thomas Paine at September 27, 2026 09:55 AM (0U5gm)

105 The webcomic Full Frontal Nerdity by Aaron Williams had this observation:

"Neil Gaiman said that if your story runs long enough, all your characters die. ... I think George R.R. Martin took that as a challenge."
Posted by: Weak Geek at September 27, 2026 09:53 AM (Pb7bQ)
----
That happened a lot in Raymond E. Feist's Riftwar Cycle, but it worked well. Only magicians lived long enough to see the end of the series.

Posted by: "Perfessor" Squirrel at September 27, 2026 09:55 AM (FZ29D)

106 I wonder how much money is in the Agatha Christie estate.

Posted by: dantesed at September 27, 2026 09:56 AM (Oy/m2)

107 I finished the third book of Wil McCarthy's near future Rich Man's Sky series, "Beggar's Sky". The so-called "Four Horsemen" are trillionaires who've made a killing on private space ventures like moon mining, a cislunar refueling depot, Martian colonies, and a space station deploying a sun shield. They're all battling interference from Earth governments and there's lots of corporate skullduggery too. There's a fifth enterprise, a floating city high above Venus's caustic clouds, but it's not making any money and the colony is effectively forgotten, with no viable way to fly its inhabitants back to Earth.

The Elon Musk-y character Igbal Renz was contacted by friendly alien intelligences while under the influence of mind-expanding drugs, and the aliens invited him to meet them at the edge of the solar system for a chat. Igbal threw all his money into developing a new drive and he and the crew made contact with these intra/interdimensional beings.

Posted by: All Hail Eris, She-Wolf of the 'Ettes 'Ettes at September 27, 2026 09:56 AM (kpS4V)

108 Robert Jordan's Eye of the World Series was finished with by Brandon Sanderson who was hand picked to complete the series.

Posted by: lin-duh at September 27, 2026 09:57 AM (VCgbV)

109 >> “Nancy`” was always one of the most ridiculously Unfunny comic strips ever created.

Ugh, totally forgot about that one.
So, so bad.

Posted by: Lizzy at September 27, 2026 09:57 AM (rOKnE)

110 >>"Neil Gaiman said that if your story runs long enough, all your characters die. ... I think George R.R. Martin took that as a challenge."

I would add that if it's a movie/tv series, your bad guy eventually becomes the hero. See: Terminator.

Posted by: Lizzy at September 27, 2026 09:58 AM (rOKnE)

111 Women, however, are encouraged to cater to my own particular tastes:

The 'ettes will probably love everything about that outfit, except the corset.

Posted by: SpeakingOf at September 27, 2026 09:59 AM (6ydKt)

112 This past week I finished listening to The Outermost House by Henry Beston and Moriarty by Anthony Horowitz. Both were recommended here. Thank you to who ever posted about those books. As a side note I enjoyed The Outermost House a lot; Moriarty not so much.

Posted by: Rufus T. Firefly at September 27, 2026 10:00 AM (iOWVI)

113 53 Apparently, in the literary world, the result of a new author continuing a series started by another is called a continuation novel.

Posted by: Anonosaurus Wrecks, Where's My Cookie? at September 27, 2026 09:28 AM (ndZc7)

Ironically, that sort of thing is one of my earliest memories of reading. I was reading through "The Boxcar Children" novels, kids-mystery novels, featuring a family of kids, with the older kids aging out of the story as the series progressed. Then all of a sudden, a new author took over, and the timeline re-set back to the middle. But that may be as much due to editorial mandate as the new author...

Posted by: Castle Guy at September 27, 2026 10:01 AM (3v7ra)

114 I've often wondered if it was possible to put together an AI thingabob that you could dump "the Culture" canon into that would produce more of next-gen Ian Banks books.

Similar thoughts with Terry Pratchett and Discworld.

I believe the issue here would be that the AI could only imitate what has come before, so you would be reading similar stories and plots over and over again.

And Banks slowly seemed to be introducing more sinister aspects to the Culture, so hard to know exactly where he was going with that.

Probably, AI would be a poor substitute for that sort of thing...growth within a series.

Posted by: naturalfake at September 27, 2026 10:01 AM (YSUhf)

115 They're rereleasing "Logan's Run" in 4K, which is a surprise. All fans of Jenny Agutter and Farah Fawcett should rejoice.

BONUS! You'll get to see how the city of Dallas will look in the 23rd Century!!!
Posted by: naturalfake at September 27, 2026 09:54 AM (YSUhf)
=====

The movie is a very poor adaptation of the book. Totally obfuscated the world built by the authors behind some ridiculous "we live in a bubble mall because of the environment" enviro-nonsense.

Posted by: San Franpsycho at September 27, 2026 10:01 AM (RIvkX)

116 ...sigh...
I have a trio of bears eating crabapples off the tree right outside my window. And not being too gentle about it. What a backdrop to the book thread....

Posted by: Castle Guy at September 27, 2026 10:02 AM (3v7ra)

117 three = thread

Who knew?

Posted by: naturalfake at September 27, 2026 10:02 AM (YSUhf)

118 I must be the only one here who actually liked Nancy.

And it's still going on because the syndicate wants to keep making money. The same applies to the abomination that is the modern Andy Capp.

Posted by: Mary Poppins' Practically Perfect Piercing (aka Eloquent Depression) at September 27, 2026 10:02 AM (qRla/)

119 As to my own work - I thought I'd finished editing, but last night I thought of a couple of (small) bits to add, one being a hint concerning the next book in the series.

Posted by: Mary Poppins' Practically Perfect Piercing (aka Eloquent Depression) at September 27, 2026 09:40 AM (qRla/)

I don't know how it happened, but the Theda Bara book I bought had a couple of sections with a different typeface for a few paragraphs. I found the same in Sarah Hoyt's "Darkship Thieves."

Do you use more than one typeface, or was it a gremlin in your software? I've noticed a couple of times cutting and pasting in my work, that it changes the typeface and I have to reformat.

Posted by: OrangeEnt at September 27, 2026 10:02 AM (1Ff7Z)

120 I always liked the Sprague De Camp versions of Conan better than the original Howard works, at least until I grew up and realized there was more to Conan that killing and loose women.

Posted by: Chiraq vet at September 27, 2026 10:04 AM (1pT2y)

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