Thursday, April 28, 2011

Controversy over Ace Atkins's forth-coming Spenser books

Ace Atkins and TV writer Michael Brandman will be continuing Robert B. Parker's Spenser books. This has caused a lot of controversy at the Rara-Avis e-mail list, with people shouting "couldn't they at least wait until the body was cool? I mean, shit, Parker hasn't been dead two years". From my perspective, I can't see any harm someone writing more mediocre books that read pretty fast and tell about nothing. I mean, I've never been able to understand what's behind Parker's success and cult status. I don't want to hear stuff like "you just had to be there" or "Spenser's voice is unique" (which it doesn't really seem to me), I want to hear solid analysis.

4 comments:

Cullen Gallagher said...

I loved Ace Atkins' DEVIL'S GARDEN and have enjoyed his stories quite a lot. That's more than I can say about the one Parker/Spenser novel I read, "The Godwulf Manuscript." I had no plans to read any more Spenser books, but now that Atkins is going to writing them I will certainly be checking out one of his books.

Juri said...

I've never read anything by Atkins, but I've heard good comments on his books by people whose opinion I respect.

Robert said...

@Lähettänyt Juri klo - It's amazing how the internet gives people who have done NOTHING the idea that they are somehow authorities on what is or is not good, especially when the person they are putting down has achieved a degree of success that makes them jealous. I am sure that of all the Parker fans out there - and the number is legion - that there is not one of us who cares that you want "solid analysis" about what made his work so wonderful to us. Good luck to Mr. Atkins, I hope he does a good job.

Juri said...

Thanks, Robert, for your solid analysis. As someone who's published over 30 books (alas only in Finnish, my mother tongue) I'm not sure if I'm someone "who's done nothing".