This reaction was to be expected; the author knew the risks of doing this (please see the other thread for additional thoughts -> http://www.thegodfathertrilogy.net/ubb/ultimatebb.php?ubb=get_topic;f=16;t=000027 ).

It has been a while since I have rambled on the board, so please allow me to catch up:

To understand the structural point of failure in this book, one simply needs to compare it with the Star Wars movie series. Lucas had a strategic plan. He wrote at least 9 scripts, released the middle segmentand then went back and released the first segment. Thus the last segment (Episodes 7-9)are being reserved pending the success or failure of the prior segments. Many people have written Star Wars books, but the stories only branch off of the 'cannonized' movie releases. Lucas controls how much of the story lines are revealed in the books, video games and web site. A very methodical approach that will allow him to use $100 dollar bills for toilet paper for quite some time.

Puzo was a great author but did not have the same strategic vision (that is not a criticism - just an observation). He did write other novels that referenced GF (like the Last Don - the Corleone name is mentioned) but even he did no more than branch off - he never revised the cannonized version of the novel, GF1, or GF2.

GFR is a diversion from the model. Not only does it branch off from the original work, it revises that which has been cannonized by the fans. To grasp the seriousness of this error, GFR is akin to someone not only writing about the missing years of Christ between 12 and 30, but also attributing something to Him that is contrary to cannonized scripture. Sure plenty of people do it (e.g. - the DaVinci Code), but they get raked over the coals in the process.

Please do not misunderstand my example. I am not suggesting that the GF novel is equal to the Bible. I am addressing a principle - it is OK to branch off and extrapolate from an accepted belief, but when you revise it, you can expect to catch hell for doing so. In that light, the GFR author has done something that Lucas or Puzo did not dare to do.

I respect his right to express his voice and to earn a living as he sees fit (after all, this is America). But he violated a basic principle, whether it is Luke Skywalker, Fredo, Indiana Jones or James Bond - never tamper with the original stuff.

Final thought - when you hire a contractor to paint your house, you do not expect him to add a room to it. In like manner, the GFR author has added color to the dark areas, but he has also changed the picture.