The Newest "Dark Shadows" Novel.......

Just finished reading this and found it rather moving.  It's a shame the publishers didn't go with this as the next DS novel.  Havng a known author contribute to the series certainly would have upped its prestige level and could have even generated interest in a new DS series or theatrical film.

I'm not sure what the majority of fans would make of this book if it had been issued as a DS novel.

The "Barnabas" character is secondary and not very  sympathetic. That suits me just fine.....but most fans of the show wouldn't be too thrilled, would they? 

The "Barnabas" character is secondary and not very  sympathetic. That suits me just fine.....but most fans of the show wouldn't be too thrilled, would they? 

I think the decision to reject this book says a lot about fan fiction vs. "official" novelizations. Fan fic writers/audiences are much more eager to embrace and explore these sorts of stories that foreground a secondary character (please don't slap me, Willie fans). The stuff that's produced commercially has to appeal to a broader base, so you're not going to see many of the "twists" associated with fan fic. What Hinton is up to here is what fans would expect and most likely embrace from a fan fic writer, but the very same people might scream and yell over what she did if it were sanctioned novelization, perhaps because it somehow represents an assault on the DS canon that a piece of fan fic wouldn't present because it doesn't carry the blessings of DCP.

 One aspect of the novel that I really enjoyed was

***SPOILER*** (forgive me for not using the spoiler text feature--I can't figure out how to do it)
[spoiler]the relationship between "Willie" and "Maggie".  One thing that always bothered me about DS is Willie's never fully escaping suspicion regarding Maggie's kidnapping.  The moments of "Willie's" vindication are quite lovely.[/spoiler]

By the way, am I the only person who found it distracting that the "Willie" character's new name is the same as that of the Bionic Woman?  

***SPOILER*** (forgive me for not using the spoiler text feature--I can't figure out how to do it)

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[spoiler]One aspect of the novel that I really enjoyed was the relationship between "Willie" and "Maggie".  One thing that always bothered me about DS is Willie's never fully escaping suspicion regarding Maggie's kidnapping.  The moments of "Willie's" vindication are quite lovely.[/spoiler]

Another reason I probably wouldn't like the novel, if I understand you correctly.  One of the things that made DS unique was its refusal to resolve all its tensions and ambiguities.  Hence Barnabas never fell in love with Julia, no matter how much some fans may have wanted this.  Barnabas was neither entirely good nor entirely evil.  We are meant to admire and sympathize with Julia, yet she was clearly complicit in a murder.  A cloud of suspicion continued to hang over Willie (though I'd forgotten this).  Characters remained in the dark over the true nature of others and their true motives, just as is the case in real life.  Though DS is often said to have pandered to its audience, it did not always do so, and that is one of the things I most admire about the original series.

Hence Barnabas never fell in love with Julia, no matter how much some fans may have wanted this.

Hmm - I think that's debatable... Barn. was such a complicated character...you could never quite tell what was really going on in that noggin of his (chuckle), especially near the end of the series. I know they officially left things unsaid but...well...ya know...

Although, I wholeheartedly agree that one of the awesome things about the show was it's refusal to resolve all of it's loose ends. Makes the show that_ much_ more_ fun to watch, again and again; contemplating all the storylines and unique characters from beginning to end. Oh, how I miss it being on the boob tube. Sigh...

And interestingly enough, that's also what makes fanfiction that much more delicious. But that's just me... I know, I'm a nut (kinda like a low-fat chewy chocolate chip cookie spiked with rainbow m&m's, sprinkles, sliced almonds and chopped pecans for added crunch. Hey, new recipe...gotta write that down...  ).     lol

I now send you back to the original discussion at hand...cough...[/i] 

Well, I loved it.  I think it's extreme and perhaps a little challenging to the DS status quo, but I think that's healthy.  I just think it's a pity that such a vivid take on the format can only make it into print hiding under faux names and sly sidesteps.

I suppose how much acceptance it would have found as a bonafide DS novel is moot, but as a part of an ongoing series of books, I would hope that readers can embrace these sort of deviations from the norm as not only welcome but necessary.

BTW, did anyone else spot the glitch where one of the characters slipped into their copyright-challenged alter-ego?

BTW, did anyone else spot the glitch where one of the characters slipped into their copyright-challenged alter-ego?

LOL, yes, and both first and last names.

I think it was natural to resolve the plot point mentioned by Jean-Claude since it's a novel about Willie, and it's a given that I was picturing a young John Karlen (sigh) throughout.

Excerpt from book review in Entertainment Weekly Online from 9/10:

"Hinton hopes all the hoopla will generate some Hollywood interest. She has fond memories of standing alongside Francis Ford Coppola on the Tulsa sets of The Outsiders and Rumble Fish."

 

It also states that she spent 5 years researching and writing HH and was signed to a two-book deal with Tor after several publishers passed, provided she get out and sell herself.  She's about to do just that as she begins a 12-city tour.

The full article is at http://www.ew.com/ew/report/0,6115,692230_5_0_,00.html and is accessible to EW subscribers, AOL members, and anyone with the current issue lying around.

Go to: www.bookreporter.com for an interview with S. E. Hinton and how she came about to write Hawke's Harbor.

~~Carol

And still not one word of acknowledgment by the author that the book is based on Dark Shadows. 

I wonder if she can't say anything for fear of the remotest possibility of having DCP lawyers pounding at her door.

Gerard

I don't think that can be the scenario, Gerard.  Sooner or later, it would have to get back to DCP...how could it be kept secret?

Someone else suggested that it's actually the opposite: that Dan Curtis agreed to let the book be published only so long as no mention of the connection was made directly by the author or the publishing company.

Someone else suggested that it's actually the opposite: that Dan Curtis agreed to let the book be published only so long as no mention of the connection was made directly by the author or the publishing company.

That sounds plausible to me. I'm looking forward to reading it myself.