Book remake

The number of the beast by Robert A. Heinlein, states, in its one good chapter, that the number of the beast actually means that there are six to the power of six to the power of six dimensions. And in some of those, evil people in black suits want to destroy others. There is a machine to travel from one dimension to the other and there the adventure begins.

An interesting premise.

Heinlein is not a bad writer by any standard but in this case he totally effed up the rest of the book. All the caracters do is bicker about who should be in charge next and what it means to be in charge and the many ways they can screw this up. Could have been an interesting philosphical work, could have been a thrilling scifi, should have been both. Sadly it is utter crap.

Some movies get a remake every other decade, the great stories of western mankind. Some movies are simply modernised in the remake. Some movies take a story and put it in a different setting. Some movies are remakes from another part of the world, translations.

In fact, most movies from hollywood/america are remakes in some from or other.

But never books. Some books are inspired by older works, some even have a copied storyline but no book is ever presented as a remake.

So for starters I propose that Robert J. Sawyer writes a remake of The number of the beast.

There is another train of thought that led me to this idea. I really don't think that if Edgar Allen Poe were alive today he could find a publisher. An agent would say his work is outdated and in archaic language. Yet he is still regarded as an all time best.

So I propose we find an agent who hasn't heard of some great writer and ask him to read a "manuscipt" and then expose to the world what a douche he is for not knowing James Joyce. But anyway, I'm getting of topic and starting to rant so I'll stop.