quote from Sam Mason “he hated holidays, sunny days and outdoor stuff and so everyone said he should be like everyone else when he just wanted to write write write!!”

Jehosaphat! I know just how old Isaac felt there!

quote from Mark Tiedemann “but let us be honest, Susan’s character was not particularly fleshed out by Asimov himself—characterization was not his strong suit and he knew it,”

That’s the whole fun of fanficcing: being able to ‘flesh out’ a character, setting or situation, and filling in gaps. And naturally, carrying on from a cliff-hanger ending. And then giving the whole thing a bit of a new slant (or even a good old send-up!)

“I never said a thing about my own writing…”

“There are plenty of writers who would actually welcome someone else extending their work after their passing. I count myself among them…”

(snort)

Touché, Renai, mais pas blessé. ;)

But as to whether it’s my business whether or not there are I, Robot sequels … it certainly is. I am a sci-fi/fantasy book critic and journalist, and also a consumer of such products.

There is a shocking trend towards “authorised sequels” in our industry that is resulting in a lot of shocking books masquerading under legendary monikers.

As a critic, I certainly feel a need to point out how dangerous this trend is towards the art form that we all love. And as a consumer, I feel obliged to make my opinion known to the manufacturers of such products.

And, in many cases, “manufacturer” is indeed the right word. Many of these series are not being treated as art. They are being treated as “brands” and churned out en-masse.

And I, for one, exercise my right to object.

Your mileage may vary :)

Touche`, SandChigger? ;)

PS: Troll-feeding is a time-honoured internet practice!