The Ethics of Universe Borrowing

Back in November I got this blind date with a book at Writer's Block in Winter Garden. The thing that sold me on it was the description, especially the final bullet point.

It turned out to be The Monstrous Kind by Ludia Gregovic, a gothic fantasy romance extremely loosely based on Jane Austen's Sense and Sensibility (basically, one setting.)

Definitely got a lot of hype, but was it worth it?

Upfront let me say that I am a fan of Jane Austen, and in the past I have actually borrowed an element from her universe for a ghost writing gig. While her works are in the public domain, which means anyone can do pretty much anything they like to them with impunity, there are still some ethical problems with that. I am not a fan of writers who cut and paste her work, reword it just enough to escape plagiarism, and then claim the work as their own original work. It's a practice I find disrespectful and dishonest as well as disgusting.

Thankfully Austen only inspired this author, who took an idea and one minor setting from that work and then ran with it, building an entirely new and original universe, characters, conflicts and romance (I did the same with another setting in the series I wrote for my client.) For that I applaud her; if you want to do the same I'd recommend reading this book to see how she did it, which is I believe the most ethical way to write in someone else's universe.

As for my opinions on the story, I have to tread a little lightly, as this is the author's first novel, and I have some other concerns wrapped up in professional courtesy. It's well-written if a bit overly earnest (most first novels are.) The main character was quite unlikeable for me, but I hung in and finished the story because the world-building was very well done (partly thanks to Jane Austen.) I also liked some of the other characters, and the plotting was solid. I have no doubt the author will do well in the future.

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Wishing

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Of Kork

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