WEXFORD author Eoin Colfer has stopped answering his emails after being besieged by fans of the science fiction series 'The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy'.

Last September it was announced the best selling author of children's series 'Artemis Fowl' was to publish a sequel to Hitchhiker following the death of its creator, Douglas Adams, in 2001.

However, since he signed on to the project, Eoin says he has been amazed by the emails and letters he has received from fans of the cult series.

'It's usually from guys saying don't do it. People who believe that doing a sequel is a terrible idea and saying stay away from it. The reaction has been much stronger than I thought,' Eoin told the Sunday Tribune last weekend.

Hitchhiker fans have now moved on to target the MySpace website of his younger brother, musician Niall Colfer, who releases his debut album 'Finds' on March 6.

'There's a link to my website from Eoin's,' Niall said. ' Previously, I would have got emails from people asking to get a signed copy of an Artemis Fowl book, but the Hitchhiker emails have a more sinister thing about them.

'People feel they have ownership over these books and there's a new person doing them, Eoin is prepared that a certain percentage are not going to like them,' said Niall.

However, Eoin Colfer says he's confident fans of the original Hitchhikers series will like his book.

' I'm lucky, in that Jane, Douglas Adams' widow, has been reading my books for years, which meant I didn't have to go through any jumps to get the job.

'Purposely, I haven't tried to write like Douglas because he was a genius. Instead I've written an Eoin Colfer book with Douglas Adams characters,' said Eoin.

- Conor CULLEN