In Spider Robinson’s introduction to Callahan’s Crosstime Saloon, he relates an anecdote about an author who bet his friend that it was impossible to write an SF novel so bad that nobody would publish it. The friend turns out the worst, most hackneyed piece of junk he could, and not only did it get published, the public demanded two dozen sequels.
Anyhow, anybody know if this story has any truth to it, and if it does, what the book was?
I wish I knew! Now I’m going to be checking this thread for responses all day…
Maybe I should do some research…
{u}Mission Earth, by L. Ron Hubbard
Okay, maybe not. But I dare you to get through the entire series.
No idea how true the story is, but it’s supposedly about the first Gor novel–I think the author’s name was John Norman, but I also think that was a pen name. I have no idea how long the series ended up being, but there were more than twenty books.
Yeah, these are the books where the men are studly and the women are slaves. If you’re into hackneyed SF, the first few books aren’t too bad (disclaimer: this is based on my recollection of reading them back in high school)–I’ve certainly read worse writing.
I did, in high school. Thankfully, I remember little of it. (High school and Mission Earth)
I’ve always heard it was A. E. van Vogt and The World of Null-A. That’s only what I’ve HEARD, I am making no claims as to the truth of it.
I’m perfectly willing to entertain the notion that the Gor books were started on a such a bet, too. I cannot explain their true suckiness otherwise.
The first however many of the GOR books were written by John Norman and I liked them. When he died, his son took over writing them and they are pretty WTF? I think John Jr. has some real issues with women because if you think the slaves in the first ones were treated badly, they had a life of luxery in Paradise compared to Junior’s GOR.
I got through the entire series. The thing about L. Ron Hubbard is that he was an awful, awful writer–but a natural storyteller. I rather like Ole Doc Methusela, Slaves of Sleep, and Typewriter in the Sky. I just wish he would have been willing to let his writing be edited more.
One piece of follow-up info that could be useful. Robinson said that it’s a pretty famous anecdote and if you ask around at any SF convention you can find the answer, but “I don’t want to name names, as his estate might sue”
Were there any sequels to Null-A?
Otherwise, I’d believe this was it. Sooooooo bad. Thankfully I remember little of this too.
I will probably be savag-- errr, ripped to shreds for this, but I always wondered if the titles were either Doc Savage, Man of Bronze, or The Grey Lensman series.
The Gor books certainly sink low enough to fit the description, but when I first heard about the criteria (i.e., “so bad no publisher could be found”), I somehow formed the impression that the books in question were supposed to have been produced during the “Golden Age of Pulp,” (to coin a phrase).
My impression was probably erroneous.
Previous thread on the subject, which eliminates some of the apparent likely suspects. No clear answer, but one likely suspect appears to be the “Captain Future” series by Edmund Hamilton.
The worst single piece of “science fiction” ever written was The Eye of Argon. Don’t read this link if you value your sanity. Really, it is that terrible.
Just remember: Frank Herbert’s Dune was rejected by 17 consecutive publishers before Berkeley Books picked it up.
Eegad. I’ve just read the first chapter, and I need to lie down. This thing was published?
Umm, yeah, please consider yourself ripped wrt the Lensman series, because (a) it was written waaay too early to be the subject of this rumor (I don’t recall the dates offhand, but it may have been written before the term “science fiction” was even coined), and (b) it’s the definitive space opera and it RAWKS!
Doc Savage, on the other hand, sucks IMO. I managed to force my way through the first book but have NO desire to read any more of them.
You read a whole chapter of that? I couldn’t get past the first paragraph before my brain needed a good scrubbing.
DreadCthulhu,
you think you’re clever don’t you? This is part of the terrible revenge for me knocking Lovecraft isn’t it? You knew I was lurking in this thread and had to post that to lure me in.
I don’t think it was ever actually published, just endlessly circulated between fans. There should be a transcriber’s note at the end with a little more information.
What you do with the EoA is gather your friends together at a party or whatever and give 'em each a copy. Then you take turns reading the story aloud EXACTLY as it’s written (typos and all)–when one person makes a mistake or busts out laughing, the next one goes.
I’m frequently appalled at what does get published. I think that Fanthorpe’s stuff is actually worse than The Eye of Argon, just better edited. It’s even worse than Hubbard’s junk. Yet not only did his stuff get printed – it got reprinted, so it’s not just contractual obligation. Galaxy 666 went through at least three editions (!!!)
And there are plenty of other examples. The Null-Frequency Impulser, Don Pendleton’s Cataclysm! Yechhhh.
If nothing else, it should give encouragement to aspiring authors. If this crud could get published, somebody ought to be willing to publish yours.
John Norman is alive and well. I spoke with him at a sci-fi convention last April. After being blacklisted by the publishing cabal for years, he has found a new home publisher and has resumed the series.
As far as I know, he never died.