New Jeeves and Wooster novel...but they've been dead forty years!

'What ho! It may be almost 40 years since their last appearance, but Bertie Wooster and his "gentleman's personal gentleman" Jeeves are due to return this November when Sebastian Faulks dons the mantle of their much-loved creator, PG Wodehouse.


Faulks, who is becoming used to slipping into the skin of classic authors, after publishing a bestselling James Bond novel in 2008, was approached by the Wodehouse estate to take on the first ever authorised Wodehouse follow-up. Jeeves and the Wedding Bells, described as "a homage to PG Wodehouse" by the author's estate, will be published on 6 November by Hutchinson, also home to Wodehouse's later novels.' (Quoted from The Guardian)


Do you think this works, another author writing a novel that continues established characters? Faulks may have written a best selling novel using the character of James Bond, but was it successful? Did anyone here read it? It would be interesting to hear your opinion.


Years ago my daughter loved Enid Blyton. I bought her a novel, one she hadn't read, which was quite unusual After completing it she told me that it was 'all right.' Then I read the title page properly 'Enid Blyton's Famous Five'. And further exploration on the copyright page gave me the name of the real author.

We used to have hot buns delivered to our school tuck shop before morning break, I still miss those. The postal order never did arrive. Yarooo, back to work.

Still waiting for that postal order I take it Brian? Watch out here come a beak!

In fact, I agree with both of you. It would, however, be interesting to see how people writing today might (or not) capture the spirit of the period those works belong in. To put them in today would be 'heresy', so I will not even go there.

For me, I've got to agree with you, Victoria. These follow up books can only be pale imitations put out by the estate of the original author as a money spinner.

No, no noooooooooooo! Wodehouse wrote about 90 books, which surely has to be enough even for prolific readers, we don't need a pale imitation. He was a comic genius, Faulkes is a good writer but funny he isn't.

Yes, I've read Sebastian's 'normal' books and enjoyed them a lot. I can't agree with you Brian, no-one other than Anthony Buckeridge could write a Jennings, or CS Forester a Hornblower. I get my pleasure from re-reading those.

Oh wow! Excellent news. I wish he would do some Billy Bunters as well, Frank Richards' Greyfriars School has been to long neglected.