Why are there no Firefly novels? I know there are graphic novels, but I don't care for graphic novels. Is it because the industry doesn't believe there is a market or is it some kind of licensing issue?
Why are there no Firefly novels?
- Thread starter ConRefit79
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Ebook by Steven Brust:
http://dreamcafe.com/firefly.html
http://dreamcafe.com/firefly.html
Likely this, as both the series and movie failed to generate a healthy financial return.
A
Amaris
Guest
*squee!*
IIRC KRAD had a pretty detailed post about his attempt to pitch Firefly/Serenity novels and what the process was like and the rationale behind not having them. I believe it was summed up that Joss basically wasn't interested. This was a few years ago in a totally different post but perhaps if he's around KRAD could 'plain again 
This book has several original stories from writers for the show, along with nonfiction content:
Firefly: Still Flying: A Celebration of Joss Whedon's Acclaimed TV Series
Firefly: Still Flying: A Celebration of Joss Whedon's Acclaimed TV Series
Why are there no Firefly novels?
Because the 'verse is incoherent, the characters sitcom-thin, and the show's selling points were its visual flair and rapid-fire wisecracks, only the former of which comes through in graphic novels, and neither of which really translate to text?
*ducks*
I'm not saying there couldn't be any good novels set in the 'verse, but they'd have a very different feel to them than the show/movie... which left the basics of the universe so vague, they'd have to do a lot of world-building to make any kind of sense, far more than Zahn faced in continuing Star Wars.
Because the 'verse is incoherent, the characters sitcom-thin, and the show's selling points were its visual flair and rapid-fire wisecracks, only the former of which comes through in graphic novels, and neither of which really translate to text?
*ducks*
I'm not saying there couldn't be any good novels set in the 'verse, but they'd have a very different feel to them than the show/movie... which left the basics of the universe so vague, they'd have to do a lot of world-building to make any kind of sense, far more than Zahn faced in continuing Star Wars.
^Even if your criticisms were valid, it's nonsense to suggest that quality has anything to do with whether or not there's a book line. There have been tie-in lines for much shallower shows.
The answer is that Whedon, for whatever reason, decided he wasn't interested in doing prose tie-ins. And that prose tie-ins to a show that lasted only half a season are unlikely to exist in any case. They're rare enough for longer-lasting shows, especially shows that are no longer on the air.
The answer is that Whedon, for whatever reason, decided he wasn't interested in doing prose tie-ins. And that prose tie-ins to a show that lasted only half a season are unlikely to exist in any case. They're rare enough for longer-lasting shows, especially shows that are no longer on the air.
If Weird Al Yankovic can do it...
I don't agree with the first part of your post but I'd largely agree with the second part.
Though I personally thought Zahn's books felt nothing like the Star Wars movies. And I'd still love to see what KRAD would have done with the FF universe.
I agree (I recall a whole series of novels based upon Happy Days of all things). But while there'll never be agreement between those of us who don't care for Firefly and those who think it's the greatest thing since pointed ears, the fact remains a lot of Firefly's appeal came not from the writing, but from the performances, the visual style, etc. And as such perhaps the concern is it won't translate into prose very well. That's probably why Whedon preferred to commission the graphic novel instead.
That said, I don't see why he shouldn't let authors at least give it a try. There's probably enough fanbase out there to sustain at least a few books and they were able to keep a bunch of Buffy and Angel novels going for a while. Look how well Doctor Who novels are doing, and they've even recruited the likes of Michael Moorcock, Stephen Baxter, and Brian Aldiss (for a short story), with the widespread hope of Neil Gaiman doing a novelisation of The Doctor's Wife (which at least report wasn't off the table). Imagine George RR Martin doing a Firefly novel (OK, maybe not...)
Alex
We're still getting over the deaths of Wash and Book and you're suggesting a novel by the one writer who's even fonder of killing off lead characters than Joss Whedon?!
Firefly just isn't very popular, that's why.
YEa, the Babylon 5 Trilogies, were mostly well received by the fans that read them, but, there just wasn't enough of a fanbase to sustain them, despite how good they were
Farscape, I believe, only got 2 or 3 novels
YEa, the Babylon 5 Trilogies, were mostly well received by the fans that read them, but, there just wasn't enough of a fanbase to sustain them, despite how good they were
Farscape, I believe, only got 2 or 3 novels
There were three FARSCAPE novels, plus various non-fiction Companions.
Again, not a plausible explanation. There have been multiple Serenity tie-in comics, and Quantum MechaniX has done pretty good business with its Serenity maps and blueprints and such. Clearly the franchise is popular enough to sustain those tie-ins. Not to mention that if the show were that unpopular, there never would've been a movie sequel. That movie was made because Firefly DVDs sold in huge quantities. And the audience size you'd need to sustain a novel line is small compared to the sales figures for a successful DVD box set.
So it's clearly not viable to blame the absence of one particular category of tie-in on the overall popularity of the franchise, because that would not explain why it has other types of tie-in but not this type. The expanation is that Whedon simply chose not to give the go-ahead for novel tie-ins, for whatever reasons of his own.
^ Exactly. It's no secret that Pocket Books attempted to launch a line of Firefly novels, and several of us Trek writers contributed proposals, but that, for their own reasons, the licensor chose not to proceed with the project.
Which isn't all that unusual. These things happen. Sometimes projects get green-lighted. Sometimes things fall by the wayside. If you haven't got a file full of drafts and outlines that never went anywhere, you probably haven't been the business very long . . . .
Which isn't all that unusual. These things happen. Sometimes projects get green-lighted. Sometimes things fall by the wayside. If you haven't got a file full of drafts and outlines that never went anywhere, you probably haven't been the business very long . . . .
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