HOWZAT

“But on reflection I realised that this is a wonderful opportunity to work with characters I have loved since childhood and give them something of my own voice while holding on to the spirit of Douglas Adams”.

He added: “I feel more pressure to perform now than I ever have with my own books, and that is why I am bloody determined that this will be the best thing I have ever written.

“Being given the chance to write this book is like suddenly being offered the superpower of your choice. For years I have been finishing this incredible story in my head and now I have the opportunity to do it in the real world. It is a gift from the gods.”

Ms Belson said: “I am delighted that Eoin Colfer has agreed to continue the Hitchhiker series. I love his books and could not think of a better person to transport Arthur, Zaphod and Marvin to pastures new. The project has my full support.”

The idea for the story came to Adams while in a field in 1971 and the first radio series was broadcast by the BBC in 1978.

A play and the first book appeared the following year.

Hitchhiker’s spawned four more books, a TV series, a comic and a recent film.

The Salmon of Doubt, a collection of essays as well as previously unpublished material by Adams, was published in 2002.

Penguin managing director Helen Fraser said: “Douglas Adams was an extraordinary writer, with an ability to come at the reader from the most unexpected angles, knock them off balance and make them laugh at the same time.

“Eoin Colfer is an inspired choice as Douglas’s successor... He is a huge talent and a fantastically funny writer, and this new book will bring as many new young readers to Douglas Adams’s work as it will introduce adults to the brilliance of Eoin Colfer.”

Recent precedents include Devil May Care, the James Bond adventure written by Faulks earlier this year to mark the centenary of Ian Fleming’s birth and Peter Pan in Scarlet, an official sequel to J. M. Barrie's Peter and Wendy.

Michael Rowley, Waterstone’s science fiction buyer, said: “Penguin matched Sebastian Faulks (to James Bond) perfectly and Waterstone’s believes Eoin Colfer and The Hitchhiker’s Guide To The Galaxy is an equally inspired combination.

“There’s a ready-made audience of millions for more Hitchhiker’s books - this is very exciting news for all those fans.”

And Another Thing... will be published in October next year.

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