And the Fandom Rejoiced/Literature

Some major moments of joy in the literary world:


 * A new The Hitchhikers 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.
 * I'd be sending those invitations out right about now.
 * They'd better be to celebrate about how fucking awesome And Another Thing was. :)
 * They are.
 * Meh.
 * 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.
 * 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 were 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, X-Files, Starcraft, and countless other universes' 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.
 * 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 works 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
 * "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 F***ING 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 Hurin. It completely lived up to its billing as something completely from Tolkien's hand, rearranged into a cohesive narrative or not.
 * The Warrior Cats fandom rejoiced once when it was announced that Night Whispers would at long last have the perspective of a cat from another Clan (not counting Moonrise in which the cat wasn't with the forest Clans at the time). Then they rejoiced again when it was a ShadowClan cat. Then a third time when it was Flametail. They also rejoiced at the reveal of Mapleshade, the series' first female villain, which was long overdue, as over 20 main series books plus several Expanded Universe books were out at the time.
 * So rumors are going around again for the publication date for A Dance with Dragons? Well after five years I'm still a little skeptical... Wait, Martin himself confirmed this? 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 Canon Sues, so there's no way it will match up to... Percy is back? And he's one of the narrator characters?! I'm sold!!
 * 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.
 * The last Wicked Years book? 'Tis a shame.. Wait, what? Gregory made Gelphie super canon?! It's an early Christmas!
 * Rachel is still Xena in the Animorphs re-release? Hooray!