# SF author who was bad on purpose? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 17, 2005, 11:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sf-author-who-was-bad-on-purpose/295065 "2005-03-17T23:10:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2005, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sf-author-who-was-bad-on-purpose/295065/21 "2005-03-18T17:22:13Z")
> [@Ethilrist](#): > > What about the Lucky Starr novels by Isaac Asimov, writing under the name of Paul French? Nah. First of all it was meant to be educational. Second he allowed it to be reissued under his own name. Third, the dates are wrong, and there aren’t enough of them. Fourth, he mentioned them in his autobiography without shame, and I don’t believe that Dr. A would have lied about something like that. If the part in question died by 1976, and he wrote two dozen of these things, he could not have written more than 2 a year, which would have put the start date back no earlier than 1964. Robert Moore Williams and John Jakes wrote some crappy Conan imitations, but I don’t think they wrote that many, and I’ve hardly seen better writing from them. There just weren’t that many series books back then. I’m going to have to browse the Tuck Encyclopedia this weekend for clues. ---
**Author:** ![Rube\_E.Tewesday](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f0a364/32.png) [@Rube\_E.Tewesday](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rube_E.Tewesday)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2005, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sf-author-who-was-bad-on-purpose/295065/22 "2005-03-18T17:36:01Z")
Finally found the thread **Exapno Mapcase** remembered. [http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=43184&highlight=spider+robinson+urban+legend](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=43184&highlight=spider+robinson+urban+legend) It was one of the first threads I posted in (extremely badly). Interesting how many of the same names came to mind in the two threads. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2005, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sf-author-who-was-bad-on-purpose/295065/23 "2005-03-18T20:04:25Z")
There were only six Lucky Starr novels, and the original idea was not to write something that would be deliberately bad, but to write something which could be easily adapted to the screen (this was the reason for the pseudonym: In case the screen adaptations (which never materialized) were bad, Asimov wanted to be able to distance himself from them). ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2005, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sf-author-who-was-bad-on-purpose/295065/24 "2005-03-18T20:23:50Z")
> [@Rube E. Tewesday](#): > > Finally found the thread **Exapno Mapcase** remembered. > [http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=43184&highlight=spider+robinson+urban+legend](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=43184&highlight=spider+robinson+urban+legend) > > It was one of the first threads I posted in (extremely badly). > > Interesting how many of the same names came to mind in the two threads. Thanks for finding that. Must have been the thread title that threw me off the scent. And I hadn’t realized it was so old that I was still a lurker. Something that wasn’t available online that far back is the [Internet Speculative Fiction DataBase](http://isfdb.tamu.edu/). It hasn’t been updated recently, but it covers all of the older writers and their works. I was going to say that if people consulted it some of the sillier suggestions might not have been offered, but then reality hit. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![smiling\_bandit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9a140/32.png) [@smiling\_bandit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smiling_bandit)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2005, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sf-author-who-was-bad-on-purpose/295065/25 "2005-03-18T20:28:01Z")
> [@](#): > > and the most consistent answer I got was E. E. “Doc” Smith, WHy would anyone say E. E. Smith’s work was bad? His stuff seems really cliche now, of course, but that was because he created so many sci-fi elements which later writers turned into cliches. He was amazingly innovative in this day. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2005, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sf-author-who-was-bad-on-purpose/295065/26 "2005-03-18T20:29:30Z")
Smith never tried to be deliberately bad, and they were just fine, assuming the pulp fiction conventions at the time. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2005, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sf-author-who-was-bad-on-purpose/295065/27 "2005-03-18T20:56:02Z")
> [@Exapno Mapcase](#): > > Thanks for finding that. Must have been the thread title that threw me off the scent. And I hadn’t realized it was so old that I was still a lurker. > > Something that wasn’t available online that far back is the [Internet Speculative Fiction DataBase](http://isfdb.tamu.edu/). It hasn’t been updated recently, but it covers all of the older writers and their works. I was going to say that if people consulted it some of the sillier suggestions might not have been offered, but then reality hit. 🙂 That thread had the guesses in almost the same order. I should have thought of Tubb, but I doubt it was him for the same reasons it isn’t “Akers.” And I doubt that it is Hamilton, since the Captain Future stuff was work for hire for a magazine, which didn’t involve fan demand. After reading it, I’m even more inclined to the Spidey is playing with our heads theory. ---
**Author:** ![BMalion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e274bd/32.png) [@BMalion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BMalion)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2005, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sf-author-who-was-bad-on-purpose/295065/28 "2005-03-18T21:30:26Z")
Heinlein? 😃 Never did like his stuff, but that’s just me. ---
**Author:** ![phouka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c5a1d2/32.png) [@phouka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/phouka)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2005, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sf-author-who-was-bad-on-purpose/295065/29 "2005-03-18T21:40:02Z")
Wasn’t there an anonymous story that made the rounds of one of the early cons, that was so badly written, people were appalled and laughing hysterically at the same time? I know I’ve seen it linked to from the SDMB, and there was a comment on it that many of the writers at the con thought a professional writer had done it on purpose, with the only giveaway being its excellent pacing. ---
**Author:** ![davenportavenger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/5f8ce5/32.png) [@davenportavenger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davenportavenger)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2005, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sf-author-who-was-bad-on-purpose/295065/30 "2005-03-18T21:49:58Z")
> [@phouka](#): > > Wasn’t there an anonymous story that made the rounds of one of the early cons, that was so badly written, people were appalled and laughing hysterically at the same time? I know I’ve seen it linked to from the SDMB, and there was a comment on it that many of the writers at the con thought a professional writer had done it on purpose, with the only giveaway being its excellent pacing. You’re thinking of [The Eye of Argon](http://www-users.cs.york.ac.uk/~susan/sf/eyeargon/eyeargon.htm). It was written by a totally sincere 13-year-old. **K364** : What was the general plot of Venus on the Half-Shell? I’m a big Vonnegut fan and thought it might be an interesting addition to my Vonnegut collection, but the prices on it were always so high, I guess because it’s out of print. Was it a Trout book summarized in one of Vonnegut’s books? ---
**Author:** ![tremorviolet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e47774/32.png) [@tremorviolet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tremorviolet)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2005, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sf-author-who-was-bad-on-purpose/295065/31 "2005-03-18T21:55:23Z")
> [@continuity eror](#): > > **K364** : What was the general plot of Venus on the Half-Shell? I’m a big Vonnegut fan and thought it might be an interesting addition to my Vonnegut collection, but the prices on it were always so high, I guess because it’s out of print. Was it a Trout book summarized in one of Vonnegut’s books? I’m not **K364** but I read my dad’s copy of Venus on the Half-Shell when I was thriteen. All I remember is lots and lots of sex with alien women. Which made it perfect reading ofr a thirteen year old girl but probably not all that interesting for an adult… ---
**Author:** ![Julius\_Henry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/8797f3/32.png) [@Julius\_Henry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Julius_Henry)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2005, 11:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sf-author-who-was-bad-on-purpose/295065/32 "2005-03-18T23:35:51Z")
It seems to me that our legs are being pulled with this story. Let’s examine this: Someone intentionally writes a bad science fiction novel, but people read it and enjoy it anyway and it becomes a big hit. Okay, now read that last sentence again, only replace the words “science fiction novel” with “musical play about Hitler” and now we’re talking about a Mel Brooks movie. Just something to consider. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2005, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sf-author-who-was-bad-on-purpose/295065/33 "2005-03-18T23:53:42Z")
> [@smiling bandit](#): > > WHy would anyone say E. E. Smith’s work was bad? His stuff seems really cliche now, of course, but that was because he created so many sci-fi elements which later writers turned into cliches. He was amazingly innovative in this day. Of course. But what’s bad about Smith is his prose style. E.g., the first Lensman novel, _Triplanetary_ told an exciting story, in a way so clumsy and ham-fisted it made me gag. His later stuff, like the Family D’Alembert books, is better, but not by much. ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2005, 12:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sf-author-who-was-bad-on-purpose/295065/34 "2005-03-19T00:35:39Z")
> [@Ethilrist](#): > > What about the Lucky Starr novels by Isaac Asimov, writing under the name of Paul French? No, but actually Asimov did use the idea in one of his stories. An author wrote a deliberately bad mystery novel as a parody of mystery novels in general, then found himself trapped into a long series of them. Then the detective comes to life, and starts haunting the detective. Could this possibly be the genesis of the rumour? ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2005, 12:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sf-author-who-was-bad-on-purpose/295065/35 "2005-03-19T00:46:55Z")
> [@continuity eror](#): > > **K364** : What was the general plot of Venus on the Half-Shell? I’m a big Vonnegut fan and thought it might be an interesting addition to my Vonnegut collection, but the prices on it were always so high, I guess because it’s out of print. Was it a Trout book summarized in one of Vonnegut’s books? I’ve still got my copy. It was written by P. J. Farmer, with Vonnegut’s permission, IIRC. Which Vonnegut later withdraw, sadly. I liked that book! Basically it’s the tale of a guy named Simon, a space wanderer, and about the last survivor of earth (wiped out by a flood, I think) who travels around the galaxy searching for meaning. He’s got a dog, an owl, and a female robot named (?) Chworktap and has many interesting adventures, and a fair amount of sex. If you’re a Vonnegut fan, I’d say go for it. Damn, now I have to dig up my copy and re-read it! It’s been a few years! ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2005, 12:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sf-author-who-was-bad-on-purpose/295065/36 "2005-03-19T00:52:00Z")
Found my copy of Venus on the Half-Shell! From the back cover: > [@](#): > > The Space Wanderer. An earthman wearing an eye patch, levis, and a shabby gray sweater who roams the cosmos in a chinese spaceship… > > The Space Wanderer. A man without a planet who has gained immortality from an elixir drunk during a sexual interlude with an alien queen in heat… > > The Space Wanderer. An intergalactic rover whose constant companions are a dog, an owl, and a female robot programmed for, among other things, unique fleshly delights… > > The Space Wanderer. A pretty nice guy whose only fault is that he asks questions that noone can answer’ primarily, why are we created only to sufffer and die? > > Venus on the Half-Shell! Available for the first time without lurid covers! ---
**Author:** ![tremorviolet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e47774/32.png) [@tremorviolet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tremorviolet)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2005, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sf-author-who-was-bad-on-purpose/295065/37 "2005-03-19T14:08:22Z")
> [@Qadgop the Mercotan](#): > > Basically it’s the tale of a guy named Simon, a space wanderer, and about the last survivor of earth (wiped out by a flood, I think) who travels around the galaxy searching for meaning. He’s got a dog, an owl, and a female robot named (?) Chworktap and has many interesting adventures, and a fair amount of sex. I pretty sure that’s the book I read. Doesn’t it start off with the protagonist having a picnic or something with his girlfriend and then the world ends and he’s in a spaceship? And then there’s massive quantities of sex, of course… ---
**Author:** ![Rube\_E.Tewesday](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f0a364/32.png) [@Rube\_E.Tewesday](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rube_E.Tewesday)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2005, 2:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sf-author-who-was-bad-on-purpose/295065/38 "2005-03-19T14:24:06Z")
Huh, wonder what happened to my copy of _Venus on the Half-Shell_ ? Probably lent it to somebody who never returned it, or sold it to a used bookstore for a dime or something. I still think that its recurring question “Why are we born only to suffer and to die?” is one that I’d like an answer to. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2005, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sf-author-who-was-bad-on-purpose/295065/39 "2005-03-19T16:10:10Z")
> [@tremorviolet](#): > > I pretty sure that’s the book I read. Doesn’t it start off with the protagonist having a picnic or something with his girlfriend and then the world ends and he’s in a spaceship? And then there’s massive quantities of sex, of course… That’s it, all right! But it wasn’t sex for sex’s sake. It was sex more for the purpose of exploring the idea of “Why are we born only to think about sex all the time, suffer, and die”. IMHO. ---
**Author:** ![RikWriter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/49beb7/32.png) [@RikWriter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RikWriter)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2005, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sf-author-who-was-bad-on-purpose/295065/40 "2005-03-19T16:30:29Z")
> [@BMalion](#): > > Never did like his stuff, but that’s just me. Yes it is. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sf-author-who-was-bad-on-purpose/295065.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sf-author-who-was-bad-on-purpose/295065.md?page=3)