Disappointed with the adventures series

[Bigfootman]

I wish the UB series would have done a with a school shooting or something that we could relate to in today's times. Oh well, there's always fanfic that I guess I can write.

"Burned" and "Hazed"covered modern issues, but they were also two of the worst books in the series.

Edit: According to the "Hardy and Drew Mysteries" blog, swearing is back in the Adventures series. Specifically page 68 of Bound For Danger. It's odd, as the Adventures series, seems to be aimed at younger readers then the UBs, considering the chapter lengths and number of pages.

[MacGyver]

Well, that's a shame.
Thanks for the heads up on the return of the swearing issue though. I kinda thought that was one of the issues the Adventures series was trying to eliminate, based on fan feedback from the UB books.

[Bigfootman]

Currently reading "The Madman of Black Bear Mountain", and I actually like it. It's a well paced suspense story, with some good cliffhangers once the action starts. I will say that it's more "cartoonish" then the Casefiles or Digests, but it's a lot better written then most UBs I've read. My only real issue is the book's portrayal of Frank as a somewhat cowardly nerd. This somewhat stops once the titular Madman appears, but it's some rather bizarre characterization. Also, how did Frank not know ahead of time that Max was a woman? You'd think that seeing as he was a fan of her work, he would have already known from reading about her.

[MacGyver]

My only real issue is the book's portrayal of Frank as a somewhat cowardly nerd.

I could be wrong, but I feel like this is a characterization that the UB books did some too?

[Bigfootman]

I could be wrong, but I feel like this is a characterization that the UB books did some too?

Indeed they did have him as a nerd, but I don't remember Frank getting scared so easily in the UBs. Could be wrong about that though, as I haven't read a UB since the series got cancelled. I'm pretty sure Joe's characterization is exactly the same as the UBs.

Spoiler I've continued reading "The Madman of Black Bear Mountain", and my complaint about Frank not knowing that Max was a woman turned out to be explained in the book. It turned out to be part of a well done twist.

[MacGyver]

Keep in mind I've only read the first book in the Undercover Brothers series and I've yet to read any of the Adventures books (I'll get to at least the first one or two at some point- lol )- but I feel like the Adventures books are basically just a retooling of the UB universe. (Much like the Secret Files books got retooled into the Clue Book series. They seem to be essentially the same universe with perhaps just some minor tweaking.)

[Bigfootman]

Keep in mind I've only read the first book in the Undercover Brothers series and I've yet to read any of the Adventures books (I'll get to at least the first one or two at some point- lol )- but I feel like the Adventures books are basically just a retooling of the UB universe. (Much like the Secret Files books got retooled into the Clue Book series. They seem to be essentially the same universe with perhaps just some minor tweaking.)

I'm getting that impression too, but I'm only halfway through one adventures book, so its hard to judge. But save for the "deal" nonsense that I've been hearing about in the first two books, it seems like the Adventures series is an improvement. For one thing it's nice to see Frank and Joe going on a case without ATAC giving it to them. As I said in an earlier post, the book does seem to be aimed at a younger audience then the UBs. (There's some slipstick comedy, and some of the characters wouldn't look out of place in an episode of a kids cartoon) But while, its nowhere as action packed as the Casefiles, it still does have some fun scenes and quite a bit of action. That's more then I can say for the UBs.

[tomswift2002]

As I said in an earlier post, the book does seem to be aimed at a younger audience then the UBs. (There's some slipstick comedy, and some of the characters wouldn't look out of place in an episode of a kids cartoon) But while, its nowhere as action packed as the Casefiles, it still does have some fun scenes and quite a bit of action. That's more then I can say for the UBs.

The series seems to be aimed at younger audience than even the Original Series.  Period.

Plus with Burned from the UB's, while it did deal with a modern crime it was also an updating of an older crime (record piracy), but at the same time it showed how the UB's were really short-sighted and had their crimes just be with gangs of one.  With Burned you had a story where, especially with an agency like ATAC, the Hardy's could've had a case that went global, due to the crime being illegal recorded music distribution.  When you compare it to the older Hardy Boys TV episode The Mystery Of The Flying Courier that dealt with essentially the same crime, just vinyl record piracy in the 1970's, digital CD pirates in the 2000's, Burned turned out to fall far short.

[MacGyver]

The series seems to be aimed at younger audience than even the Original Series.  Period.

Really? Even younger than the Original Series? Interesting. I'm sure I'll better be able to judge whenever I get around to actually reading one of these books. And I will eventually...... but there are tons of other books I'd rather read first, honestly. I still love the Hardy Boys in general, but my enthusiasm for modern series has definitely waned- ever since the Digests ended in 2005, I haven't been a big fan of most all the series that have followed since.

[tomswift2002]

Really? Even younger than the Original Series? Interesting. I'm sure I'll better be able to judge whenever I get around to actually reading one of these books. And I will eventually...... but there are tons of other books I'd rather read first, honestly. I still love the Hardy Boys in general, but my enthusiasm for modern series has definitely waned- ever since the Digests ended in 2005, I haven't been a big fan of most all the series that have followed since.

Most of the Adventures you can get through in one sitting.  The most recent one was only 104 pages in length.

But, yeah, the Adventures seem to be aimed at an audience just a little older than the Secret Files/Clues Brothers series.  And the action/adventure is at about the level of a 2nd grade reader, whereas the Originals, you could easily mistake for being Casefiles in comparison.

[MacGyver]

Some of that discrepancy may also be reflective of the sorts of entertainment deemed suitable for children at different times in history. i.e. I wonder what Edward Stratemeyer would think of today's culture and children's entertainment versus what modern people might think of the culture of the early 1900s.

[tomswift2002]

Some of that discrepancy may also be reflective of the sorts of entertainment deemed suitable for children at different times in history. i.e. I wonder what Edward Stratemeyer would think of today's culture and children's entertainment versus what modern people might think of the culture of the early 1900s.

You mean to the point where they dumb down the books?  Seriously though, even when you compare the Adventures to the Mystery Stories that were published between 2000 & 2005, the violence level has been toned down to where we are lucky enough to see Frank or Joe throw a punch.  The Adventures more or less rely on the Hardy's having dumb luck to subdue the criminals.

[MacGyver]

Wow- I didn't know it was that bad.

[tomswift2002]

"Burned" and "Hazed"covered modern issues, but they were also two of the worst books in the series.

Edit: According to the "Hardy and Drew Mysteries" blog, swearing is back in the Adventures series. Specifically page 68 of Bound For Danger. It's odd, as the Adventures series, seems to be aimed at younger readers then the UBs, considering the chapter lengths and number of pages.

I just came across a rather surprising use of cursing in the Files/Casefiles universe, and it was in a Nancy Drew book.  on Page 120 (first page of Chapter 14) of the Nancy Drew Files #12 Fatal Ranson one of the guest characters takes the Lord's name in vain by using the OMG phrase. 

[Hardy Boys UB Fan]

You mean to the point where they dumb down the books?  Seriously though, even when you compare the Adventures to the Mystery Stories that were published between 2000 & 2005, the violence level has been toned down to where we are lucky enough to see Frank or Joe throw a punch.  The Adventures more or less rely on the Hardy's having dumb luck to subdue the criminals.

Yeah, the Casefiles they used guns, (disarming) bombs, knives and whatever else. Darn, I sure miss that! The most only time they used a knife was in that one UB where some girl wasn't breathing due to a swelled shut airway.