Worst SFF Book Ever

[AE35Unit]

AE being more like fantasy than SF isnt a criticism really.
Of course its fantasy like Dune is one of the most famous Science Fantasy stories there is.

Stay away from those stories like i stay away from Space Opera

But Con i'm not criticizing it because its fantasy like,but only because I didn't like the style of writing.
After all Emphyrio is very fantasy like but I find it enjoyable. Tho I wish it would get a move on!

 

[Rodders]

Does not being able to "Get into" a book make it bad? I mean, i could never get into the Lord of the Rings, but would never say it was a bad book. (Well, not out loud anyway. And certainly not on these forums. )

 

[AE35Unit]

Does not being able to "Get into" a book make it bad? I mean, i could never get into the Lord of the Rings, but would never say it was a bad book. (Well, not out loud anyway. And certainly not on these forums. )

Ah i actually started a seperate thread on such books called Books you Couldn't Get Into or similar. Might have to search for it tho

 

[Teresa Edgerton]

Yikes! Thanks, Teresa... That's on my 'to read' list (somewhere down on the second or third page, admittedly, but it's there).

Well, if somebody recommended it to you, perhaps they have a better idea of what you might like than I do. The publishers thought so highly of it, they did a ton of promotion. If, on the other hand, it's on your list because of that promotion, you might want to reconsider its presence there.

I, as you may have gathered, disliked it intensely.

 

[Kvothe the raven]

There are any number of really bad books, that's hardly interesting.

A far more interesting question is what books do you consider to be really bad that are generally recognised by many to be very good.

For me, something like Gibson's "Neuromancer" would be a contender.

Haha- I was about to say I liked Neuromancer- but then I re-read your post, and realized that was the whole point of it.

Well, then- if I were to provide a similar example, I would have to say New Moon by Stephanie Meyers. Why? It's worse than Twilight, and I couldn't force myself to read any of the rest.

Feel free to throw books at me

 

[weirdside]

The Fungus by Harry Adam Knight. It was horribly written, the characters were less than one dimensional, uselessly graphic, cliched to the max, and it just blew. It was one of those books that was so bad that you had to finish it and keep saying "what, no way it just did that! It can't possibly get worse." And then it did, repeatedly.

 

[rai]

NOT sure if it's the worst but "Wicked" was fairly horrible IMO could not get past p~100

 

[rai]

There are any number of really bad books, that's hardly interesting.

i agree

A far more interesting question is what books do you consider to be really bad that are generally recognised by many to be very good.

For me, something like Gibson's "Neuromancer" would be a contender.

two books (for me)

'The Wanderer' won a Hugo and I could not read it past about p 50

'The Doomsday Book' also had a lot of critical acclaim and I could not read past p 100

bear in mind I try to finish the books I start and the three books I mention (including 'Wicked') I really wanted to read and thought I would really like them, maybe that has something to do with being really let down by the book that make it seem like a bad book. I mean if you have no high hopes and the book is half-bad you don't mind so much.

 

[Teresa Edgerton]

A far more interesting question is what books do you consider to be really bad that are generally recognised by many to be very good.

Haven't we already done that thread? And have we really exhausted the original subject of this one?

 

[LaMattie]

I dislike anything by Terry Pratcehtt. I even hate to see his books in the shops...

 

[Khale]

Anything by Ed Greenwood.

 

[dask]

THE MORPHODITE by M. A. Foster. I couldn't finish it. For me, really really bad.

 

[K. Riehl]

Tarzan and the Silver Globe by Barton Werper gets my vote. Designed as a deliberate rip off of the Tarzan series the Burroughs foundation had the books pulled for copyright infringement. They should have had them pulled for how bad they were written.

In the first chapter there is, I kid you not, a 3.5 page argument about whether the characters should take beans along on the Safari.

 

[AE35Unit]

Tarzan and the Silver Globe by Barton Werper gets my vote. Designed as a deliberate rip off of the Tarzan series the Burroughs foundation had the books pulled for copyright infringement. They should have had them pulled for how bad they were written.

In the first chapter there is, I kid you not, a 3.5 page argument about whether the characters should take beans along on the Safari.

Amazing! :s
Tell me,what is the book depicted in your avatar? Been trying to make out the words there but can't. It also looks like a negative image

 

[The Procrastinator]

(I think it says "Lord of Light", Mr Antenna, but my button eyes are not good enough to make out the author.)

 

[AE35Unit]

(I think it says "Lord of Light", Mr Antenna, but my button eyes are not good enough to make out the author.)

Ah the Zelazny book. I have that on my shelf.

 

[Lobolover]

I'd say anything by L. Ron Hubbard. IMO, he wasn't a terribly gifted writer. I tried to read battlefield Earth, but really could not get into it.

Unfortunately, i cannot think of any now that you mention it. I'll have to get back to you.

He did write some other things seemingly non concted to his scientology bs before he went nutty/built up a personality cult , but I never heard much of his pulp stories anywhere, anyone had the pleasure ?

Also does anyone have a clue what book Chris means ? I'll refresh yer memory in case you don't wanna look for it .

I've read so many really bad SF books (most bought at jumble sales, or charity shops, fortunately; when I buy a book full price and it turns out thus I am miffed) that no particular name floats up to the top of the cess pit.

But wasn't there a book that was so badly written that copies were taken to conventions, and there was a challenge; open the book anywhere, and read it aloud until you couldn't continue for laughing; good, trained straight-men could manage eight or ten paragraphs, nobody could do a chapter.

As far as I can tell, the author wasn't attempting a parody, but seriously trying to write the best he could, fast paced adventure and eroticism, which makes the laughter a little cruel; but isn't it something that gets reprinted because of how bad it is is impressive (Yes, I know Harry Harrison did some deliberate takeoffs – Star smashers of the Galaxy rangers, anyone? – but the idea of not realising just how bad you were managing is difficult to absorb.)

 

[Pyar]

There are any number of really bad books, that's hardly interesting.

A far more interesting question is what books do you consider to be really bad that are generally recognised by many to be very good.

For me, something like Gibson's "Neuromancer" would be a contender.

I would have to say Terraforming Earth, it was such a let down since I heard such good things about Jack Williamson.

 

[Urien]

The Iron Tower by Dennis McKiernan. Basically he rips off the Lord of the Rings almost scene by scene including the elves leaving, Gandalf in Moria and the Hobbits (he calls them Warrows).

 

[j d worthington]

The Iron Tower by Dennis McKiernan. Basically he rips off the Lord of the Rings almost scene by scene including the elves leaving, Gandalf in Moria and the Hobbits (he calls them Warrows).

Well, actually it was intended as a prequel to a rewritten sequel to LotR... so it would almost inevitably have to be a copy. This does not excuse it (I'm not sure such is possible), but it explains why it is the way it is....

Dennis L. McKiernan - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia