# Spider Robinson's reluctant author **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 19, 2013, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spider-robinsons-reluctant-author/663977 "2013-07-19T20:41:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Recusant](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/838e76/32.png) [@Recusant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Recusant)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2013, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spider-robinsons-reluctant-author/663977/1 "2013-07-19T20:41:17Z")
My apologies if this has been asked before; I ran a search and couldn’t find it. In the foreword to Callhan’s Crosstime Saloon (at least the eighth edition, which my copy is from), Robinson, speaking of an anecdote involving a then-dead author), notes: “As the story goes, this writer proceeded to write the worst, most hackneyed novel of which he was capable- and not only did he succeed in selling it, _the public demanded better than two dozen sequels_.” I’m trying to figure out who this author (and book) is. Robinson says to “ask around at any SF convention; it’s a reasonably famous anecdote”, but no one I’ve asked has heard of it, and I haven’t found anything definitive online or amongst the readers I know. (To be fair, I didn’t attend many sci-fi conventions in the 70’s, owing to a combination of financial constraints and not being born until 1984). There aren’t many sci-fi authors who were dead by 1977 (or 1983, when this edition came out) who had a series that ran anywhere near that many books, but Robinson’s wording doesn’t actually say it was science fiction- or that the author wrote all the books, which actually leads me to suspect Lyman Baum and The Wizard of Oz, but that’s hardly in keeping with what I know of his public image. Anyone know anything definite, or at least have a better guess? ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2013, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spider-robinsons-reluctant-author/663977/2 "2013-07-19T20:57:46Z")
At the risk of getting flamed by the fanbase, I’d nominate either e.e. “doc” smith for his lensman novels, or (whoever it was) for his Conan novels. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2013, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spider-robinsons-reluctant-author/663977/3 "2013-07-19T21:25:26Z")
> [@Ethilrist](#): > > At the risk of getting flamed by the fanbase, I’d nominate either e.e. “doc” smith for his lensman novels, or (whoever it was) for his Conan novels. No way, in either case. "Doc’ Smith liked his Lensman stories, and Howard was having good success with his Conan stories, which he showed no signs of thinking were inferior material. (And he only wrote one Conan _novel_, in any case. Nor were there as many as two dozen Conan _stories_.) If the story’s true, I suspect that Robinson was exaggerating. And I observe that “two dozen sequels” might not refer to novels, but to stories. I have no idea who he might have meant. ---
**Author:** ![Sam\_A.Robrin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sam_a.robrin/32/14497_2.png) [@Sam\_A.Robrin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_A.Robrin)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2013, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spider-robinsons-reluctant-author/663977/4 "2013-07-19T21:28:30Z")
I’ve always guessed the Gor series, myself. ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2013, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spider-robinsons-reluctant-author/663977/5 "2013-07-19T21:32:20Z")
Ron Goulart wrote the same basic novel & characters over & over again, just changing the names, setting & what the McGuffin was. All plots, identical. Persona of the protagonist never changed one iota. Dunno if he was the one Robinson had in mind, but he’s a good candidate. ---
**Author:** ![Baker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bb73d2/32.png) [@Baker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baker)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2013, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spider-robinsons-reluctant-author/663977/6 "2013-07-19T21:48:21Z")
> [@Sam\_A.Robrin](#): > > I’ve always guessed the Gor series, myself. I used to have an address for Robinson, but it’s long out of date I’d presume. I’d write and ask if it was Gor, as that seems to fit the story rather neatly. ---
**Author:** ![Recusant](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/838e76/32.png) [@Recusant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Recusant)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2013, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spider-robinsons-reluctant-author/663977/7 "2013-07-19T22:09:51Z")
> [@Baker](#): > > I used to have an address for Robinson, but it’s long out of date I’d presume. I’d write and ask if it was Gor, as that seems to fit the story rather neatly. Wouldn’t work; Lange is still alive. As it Goulart, so that knocks him out. CalMeacham makes a good point about how Robinson didn’t say that all the sequels were novels; but that opens it up so wide I’ll probably never know unless I ask the guy myself. ---
**Author:** ![Oakminster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/77aa72/32.png) [@Oakminster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oakminster)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2013, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spider-robinsons-reluctant-author/663977/8 "2013-07-19T22:14:06Z")
I thought it might be L Ron Xenu, but the timing doesn’t work. ---
**Author:** ![redtail23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/3e96dc/32.png) [@redtail23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/redtail23)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2013, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spider-robinsons-reluctant-author/663977/9 "2013-07-19T22:16:52Z")
> [@Sam\_A.Robrin](#): > > I’ve always guessed the Gor series, myself. That was my first thought. ---
**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:** [July 19, 2013, 10:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spider-robinsons-reluctant-author/663977/10 "2013-07-19T22:38:14Z")
We’ve done this a number of times before. Probably the best threads are [An SF novel “so bad no publisher could be found”](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=226661) and [What’s This Sci-Fi Book Series?](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=43184). Summary: No series and no author matches the quote. It’s not common at conventions and nobody has an answer. People keep coming up with a similar set of ludicrous guesses and insults, though. ---
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2013, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spider-robinsons-reluctant-author/663977/11 "2013-07-19T23:14:46Z")
I’ve just asked him but IIRC this is one of the questions he politely ignores. (The others being, “Paul?” and “Terry?”) News as it happens. ---
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2013, 1:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spider-robinsons-reluctant-author/663977/12 "2013-07-20T01:43:04Z")
_Erm erm erm_… “Keep guessing” is all I can pass along. Sooner or later you’ll kick it to the kerb, 0 K? ---
**Author:** ![squeegee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/squeegee/32/14537_2.png) [@squeegee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/squeegee)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2013, 2:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spider-robinsons-reluctant-author/663977/13 "2013-07-20T02:05:40Z")
Well, if you stories and not just novels count, maybe it’s Spider Robinson. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![urban1a](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/e47c2d/32.png) [@urban1a](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/urban1a)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2013, 2:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spider-robinsons-reluctant-author/663977/14 "2013-07-21T02:13:08Z")
Thanks, **Bosda Di’Chi of Tricor** for reminding of one of my all time favorite authors. My two favorite books are ‘After Things Fell Apart’ and ‘Brainz, Inc.’, with ATFT being superior. Thanks to your mention, I have reordered the books and plan on spending some quality time reading them. You may be correct about his other books. In particular, I seem to remember that I was never able to get into the Barnum series. Bob ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2013, 11:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spider-robinsons-reluctant-author/663977/15 "2013-07-21T11:11:39Z")
If you’re willing to step out of SF, Dick Francis wrote pretty much the same novel, over and over and over again. I wouldn’t call it hackneyed, though: you pick up one Dick Francis novel, and it will be a good read. It’s just that the next one will be practically the same. ---
**Author:** ![AtomicDog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ac91a4/32.png) [@AtomicDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AtomicDog)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2013, 12:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spider-robinsons-reluctant-author/663977/16 "2013-07-21T12:02:39Z")
Arthur Conan Doyle? ---
**Author:** ![E-DUB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/e-dub/32/403_2.png) [@E-DUB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/E-DUB)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2013, 2:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spider-robinsons-reluctant-author/663977/17 "2013-07-21T14:06:30Z")
I always thought he was talking about Burroughs’ Mars books but there was only one dozen of those. Maybe Doc Savage? ---
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2013, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spider-robinsons-reluctant-author/663977/18 "2013-07-21T17:10:15Z")
> [@E-DUB](#): > > …of **those**. Set selection: null. ---
**Author:** ![FXMastermind](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fxmastermind/32/7289_2.png) [@FXMastermind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FXMastermind)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2013, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spider-robinsons-reluctant-author/663977/19 "2013-07-21T17:26:50Z")
> [@Recusant](#): > > _the public demanded better than two dozen sequels_." Isn’t a sequel to a novel always a novel? ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2013, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spider-robinsons-reluctant-author/663977/20 "2013-07-21T17:32:40Z")
> [@FXMastermind](#): > > Isn’t a sequel to a novel always a novel? I’d say “No”. Hal Clement wrote a novel-length sequel (_Star Light_) to his classic _Mission of Gravity_ , but he also wrote two short stories set on the same world, with the same characters (_Under_ and _Lecture Demonnstration_). I’d unhesitatingly call all of them “sequels”. There are plenty of other examples. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spider-robinsons-reluctant-author/663977.md?page=2)