Back in July of last year, an anonymous source asked me what was up with the scheduled collaboration between Janet Evanovich and Stephen J. Cannell. Anonymous loved the sample chapter, and then, it disappeared. Later sources emailed me to confirm that the partnership was off, as the book had been canceled.
Today’s New York Post reveals that not only is there “no possibility of Stephen Canell [sic] and Janet Evanovich ever collaborating on a series of adventure novels,” but that the “fallout may have caused a rupture in the relationship between Evanovich and her longtime agent Robert Gottlieb at Trident Media.” Yeouch.
Publisher’s Lunch Deluxe confirms the report, stating that “creative differences” were the cause of the cancellation of the novel.
Well that is unfortunate news and a crappy way to start off the weekend. Damn.
I used to totally <3 Stephanie Plum. But honestly? These days? Not worth buying the books. Shoddy retreads, sloppily written, and nothing *ever* progresses forward. Stephanie has definitely become TSTL and needs to just off herself in one of her oh so zany, har-har-har accidents so that Ranger and Joe can both get on with their lives. In fact at this point, I think both of the men are SO much smarter than she is, I can’t imagine why either bothers hanging around.
submit word: kind96. Guess I’m not feeling kind today.
Stephen J. Cannell, as in, the guy who created The A Team? Wow. I would read it if Stephanie Plum pitied the fool. But I gave up on her books after I read three and nothing happened.
Hmm. Interesting …
I’m still buying the Plum books and feeling kinda guilty about it afterward. There’s really a formula to them these days, and they’re all a rehash. I totally agree with ya, Robinjn. I don’t even think they’re that funny anymore. I keep hoping that they’ll get better.
*Memo to self: If you must read them, borrow them from library and quit spending good money on them.*
I’d say that Stephanie needs to go and it might be more fun if Joe and Ranger were the couple- just sayin’.
The thing is, Evanovich has the ability to write compelling characters and good dark but funny plots. The talent is definitely there. And I will fight anybody that says Ranger is not hawt to the 99th degree of hawtness.
Her first books had a tremendous amount of potential. But at some point it seems like she decided to go with “let’s make Stephanie perpetually cute and stupid and slapstick, because that’s making me money.”
One of the reasons I love series novels is because I enjoy getting to know the characters in depth and seeing them grow and change. It’s one of the things I love best about the J.D. Robb mysteries. They are character driven but in the best way. I really enjoy watching Eve struggle with overcoming her past and becoming a functional human being. Her growth and change (and the great secondary characters) keep me coming back for each new book. I know the mystery will be at least somewhat fascinating, and the characters make it.
In not allowing any of her characters to grow or change, Evanovich has eviscerated what makes a series work. They just become the exact same novel with a different car being wrecked each time. Boring.
You want to hear something profoundly embarrassing? It’s all fanfic, all the time, in my brain as far as Steph and Morelli are concerned. I stopped reading awhile ago because I suspected that the triangle would continue indefinitely and I didn’t want the gratification of Plum/Morelli’s happy ending delayed for that long, so I stopped reading and made up my own ending in my mind. I pretend with blithe ignorance that the story ended the way I wanted.
But man, did I love that series when it started. If you say the word “gumpy” to me, I giggle like a 12 year old boy. I was once reading one of the Plum books in Journal Square in Jersey City waiting for my husband to pick me up, and for some reason a police officer asked me what I was reading. I told him it was a comedy series about a bounty hunter set in Trenton and he was so excited: “Jersey?! Trenton, JERSEY?! Get ahttahere!” He bought a copy and found me a day or two later to tell me his partner was demanding his turn to read it next.
To heck with “Poor Canada.” There needs to be more romance and the like set in Jersey. Fuggedabahdit.
When Stephanie’s grandma shot the chicken I laughed so hard I snorted coke through my nose and fell off the couch.
At the same time, the first novels were dark and edgy. I was genuinely scared in parts.
Now they read like Evanovich scrawled them in a week. And her other stuff? It’s just bad. Bad to the power of 10.
I caved and bought Plum Lucky—the latest between the numbers novella. The print was about a foot wide (ok, so that was good for my tired old no-line trifocal covered eyes, but still). Somebody on Amazon counted. Only 28 lines to a page.
More of a novelette than a novella. Honestly, I’ve read longer short stories.
But what griped me the most—on the Evanovich website, they asked the fans to vote for the character we wanted brought back the most.
This little rotten nasty guy named Randy Briggs got a lot of votes (including mine.) He’s an LP who’s a geek and he has a great mean streak.
So in Plum Lucky, Evanovich “brings back” Randy. But like 3 times, someone says, “Where’s Randy?” “He’s getting laid.” (I’m at work, so I’m paraphrasing badly.) Otherwise, Randy is a total no-show in the book.
I don’t know if Evanovich brought Randy back to please her fans, to appease her fans or frankly to hit us in the face with a dead fish.
But I will buy Fearful Fourteen or whatever it is on the first day around June 21st, because I am the kind of fan it’s hard to discourage.
Has anyone seen Perfectly Plum, the Smart Pop book of essays on the series? Good read. Especially the essays that are all, “Stephanie is totally on this hamster wheel of unchange while everyone else kind of grows into themselves.”
I am fine with her never choosing Joe or Ranger over the other one, but it’s pretty stupid how she doesn’t seem to get all that much better at her job after umpteen books.
Also, don’t buy the unnumbered books except for cheap at Costco. NOT WORTH HARDBACK.
Yeah, I gave up after #12 because I thought that someone who’s been a bounty hunter for more than, say, a week, should remember to leave the house with a loaded gun and a charged taser and cell phone. I guess I just don’t find incompetence cute or funny. *g*
Also, I find it necessary to clarify that I read #s 1-12 in a space of three months, so Stephanie’s lack of common sense was even more glaring.
I read her first 9 books in one week and quickly discovered that after book 3 things became very predictable. She has some interesting characters but does nothing with them! I don’t bother buying the books, I just wait for them to become available in the library.
And then there are times when you wish characters would un-grow and un-change. LKH, anyone?
Personally, I stopped forking over $$ for Evanovich, but I still get her at the library (well, she’s still getting my library annual fee). They’re good for a couple hours of mindlessness—and sometimes that’s all I want.
Agreeing with all that has been said about the series. It started with great potential but just fizzled out. I listen to them on CD in my car when I run errands. For some reason they are funnier that way! LOL
Seriously, I’m at the point where I hope she gets together with that Diesel guy because I think Ranger and Joe are too good for her. It drives me nuts when Stephanie is sleeping with Joe at night and kissing Ranger during the day. It happens constantly. I have no respect for her doing that over and over again. Once, I could see, but continually? UGH, she deserves neither of them.
I also agree with those that say she hasn’t grown. That’s what is annoying to me. She’s the same person in book 13 as book 1.
During an interview on one of the audio versions, Evanovich stated Stephanie will forever remain 30. She will forever bounce between Ranger and Morelli. She will forever remain a little clueless, a little helpless, a little incompetent. So anyone hoping for character growth are bound to be disappointed.
I loved the early books. Good stuff, great characters, great plots, the works. Now it’s just the same crap reheated.
I read Plum Lucky, but I got it from the library. I read it in about a day. I really could have done without the horse farting in the elevator. Or Randy Briggs at all. Where are Alber, Valerie and the kids? They have more depth and character development then Stephanie.
I’m sure I’ll read #14, but it won’t bother me if I have to wait a while on the reserve list at the library. It’s the Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys graphic novels I don’t like to wait for.
Ann~I’ve never listened to the interviews on the CD’s. Thanks for that info.
Well, now that I know that I can listen to them and laugh, but not expect any growth. Maybe I’ll enjoy them more if I lower my expectations.
Oh, and off topic~~if Evanovich is going to use actual height and weights for her characters she needs to know that the way she describes Lula is actually about a size 22-24, NOT a size 16. *rolls eyes* skinny people NEVER get that right, so just leave off the sizes and describe her! Say she wears clothes 3 sizes two small, but don’t give the sizes. That annoys me so much.
I have a friend who adores Stephanie Plum. She’s getting a concealed carry permit (for good reason) and we spent some time yesterday looking for the perfect cookie jar.
Ah, the psychic spamblocker word: Directly38.
I’m obviously in the minority being as how I look forward to the new Plum each June. Of course, FWIW, I enjoy the characters and don’t need to see major changes in how anyone behaves.
And forget Morelli. I’m a Ranger supporter all the way. When the time for a choice comes, in the last book, that’s the way I want the choice to go. YMMV.