# WTF is this Drivel? --or--Crappy works by authors you otherwise dig **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 27, 2003, 1:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wtf-is-this-drivel-or-crappy-works-by-authors-you-otherwise-dig/197875 "2003-08-27T01:49:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![belladonna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/9fc29f/32.png) [@belladonna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/belladonna)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2003, 1:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wtf-is-this-drivel-or-crappy-works-by-authors-you-otherwise-dig/197875/1 "2003-08-27T01:49:51Z")
So I stopped by the library after work today and did a quick skim and grab from the paperback shelves. One of the books I borrowed was _Magic_ by Tammy Hoag. I’ve read a handful of her other books and have enjoyed them. Easy reads–mostly thriller/suspense/crime with a romance in the background. Nothing deep or particularily artful, but good reads nonetheless. But this one—Ugh!–it reads like a sixth grader’s overly romanticized fantasy. Immediate, overwrought descriptions of “dewy eyes” and “pinkened lips beckoning like a siren’s song”. A setup so transparent I can already predict how it’ll end and I’m only 20 pages in. I already know I won’t be finishing it and, in a lifetime of voracious reading, I’ve only ever not finished a book I’ve begun on a half dozen or so occasions. It’s really that bad. So, has anyone else ever been deeply dissapointed by a book they thought for sure they’d enjoy by virtue of the author’s other works? ---
**Author:** ![rexnervous](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e9c0ed/32.png) [@rexnervous](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rexnervous)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2003, 2:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wtf-is-this-drivel-or-crappy-works-by-authors-you-otherwise-dig/197875/2 "2003-08-27T02:06:14Z")
When I was in high school **Ken Follett** came out with _The Key to Rebecca_. I loved it, and really liked the follow-ups I read, namely _Tripoli_ and _The Pillars of the Earth_. So last year I pick up the paperback _Code to Zero_. What an execrable piece of crap that was. Now I won’t pick up another Follett book. And it makes me wonder how good those earlier ones really were. ---
**Author:** ![MrSarcasticus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b487fb/32.png) [@MrSarcasticus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrSarcasticus)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2003, 2:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wtf-is-this-drivel-or-crappy-works-by-authors-you-otherwise-dig/197875/3 "2003-08-27T02:37:13Z")
If anyone but Stephen King had written THE REGULATORS, the publisher would have burned it and then burned the ashes. By far, the shittiest thing I’ve ever read. ---
**Author:** ![MrSarcasticus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b487fb/32.png) [@MrSarcasticus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrSarcasticus)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2003, 2:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wtf-is-this-drivel-or-crappy-works-by-authors-you-otherwise-dig/197875/4 "2003-08-27T02:42:59Z")
If anyone but Stephen King had written THE REGULATORS, the publisher would have burned it and then burned the ashes. By far, the shittiest thing I’ve ever read. ---
**Author:** ![Mearl\_Dox](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/65b543/32.png) [@Mearl\_Dox](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mearl_Dox)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2003, 3:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wtf-is-this-drivel-or-crappy-works-by-authors-you-otherwise-dig/197875/5 "2003-08-27T03:21:24Z")
I always liked Peter David’s comic books, and as a kid his Star Trek novels were my favorite junk reading. So I found a novel by him called “Knight Life” that was apparently his first published work. Looking around on the web, it seems to be a hit with many readers too. I hated it. I absolutely couldn’t stand it. If it hadn’t been Peter David, I wouldn’t have finished it. I don’t know if I outgrew his writing style somehow (it’s been a while since I’ve read anything by him) or if the book just hit me wrong somehow. ---
**Author:** ![Mirror\_Image\_egamI\_rorriM](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e56c9b/32.png) [@Mirror\_Image\_egamI\_rorriM](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mirror_Image_egamI_rorriM)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2003, 3:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wtf-is-this-drivel-or-crappy-works-by-authors-you-otherwise-dig/197875/6 "2003-08-27T03:23:53Z")
“Abduction” by Robin Cook, who usually writes pretty good medical thrillers. This one was about researchers getting sucked under the ocean into an Atlantis-type city, where people lived forever and a whole bunch of other crap like that. It was incredibly godawful. ---
**Author:** ![BethCro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/cdc98d/32.png) [@BethCro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BethCro)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2003, 3:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wtf-is-this-drivel-or-crappy-works-by-authors-you-otherwise-dig/197875/7 "2003-08-27T03:37:27Z")
The Patricia Cornwell novels featuring Judy Hammer and Andy Brazil (Isle of Dogs, Hornet’s Nest, Southern Cross). I enjoy the Kay Scarpetta books, but, honestly, who is writing these?? It seems like PC is just renting her name out to some sad git who couldn’t sell books without the _big author name_. Sheesh, even Cornwell’s heroine shows up in these books, and if you can feel a fictional character’s embarrasment, this would be the case. Kay Scarpetta seemed ill-written, and longing to get out of such a shite book. ---
**Author:** ![rjung](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/45deac/32.png) [@rjung](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rjung)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2003, 7:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wtf-is-this-drivel-or-crappy-works-by-authors-you-otherwise-dig/197875/8 "2003-08-27T07:26:20Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Mearl Dox \* > I always liked Peter David’s comic books, and as a kid his Star Trek novels were my favorite junk reading. So I found a novel by him called “Knight Life” that was apparently his first published work. Looking around on the web, it seems to be a hit with many readers too. > > I hated it. I absolutely couldn’t stand it. Are you talking about the first original version of **Knight Life,** or the just-released revised-and-expanded version now in stores? I’ve only read the original, and while I enjoyed it, it is _definitely_ an uneven work from a fledging writer. As for the OP, I’ll toss out two: 1. **A Rock and a Hard Place,** by the afformentioned PAD. Just couldn’t get interested in it at all – deadly dull, boring stuff. 2. **Dark Side of the Sun,** by Terry “Discworld” Pratchett. It tries to be a parody of classic Asimov, but it doesn’t really click – the characters are forgettable, the situations are forgettable, the humor is barely present. Noses ahead of Pratchett’s **Strata** only because **Strata** had a (slightly) more interesting plot and some relatively memorable characters. ---
**Author:** ![MidnightRadio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ecd19e/32.png) [@MidnightRadio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MidnightRadio)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2003, 10:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wtf-is-this-drivel-or-crappy-works-by-authors-you-otherwise-dig/197875/9 "2003-08-27T10:01:12Z")
_Mortal Fear_ by Robin Cook. It had the exact same plot as _Coma_! Absolutely worthless. I knew what was really going on, who was in on it, and how it would end before I was at the halfway point. ---
**Author:** ![nisosbar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/c37758/32.png) [@nisosbar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nisosbar)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2003, 11:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wtf-is-this-drivel-or-crappy-works-by-authors-you-otherwise-dig/197875/10 "2003-08-27T11:25:10Z")
Hunted Past Reason by Richard Matheson. What a stupid book. Like Ramsey Campbell, he’s really good at short stories, but when it comes to novels, it’s difficult for him to sustain the suspense. Hunted Past Reason was a quick read and not boring, but it WAS lame and Matheson shamelessly used really weak literary gimmicks to expand the story - a story which has an intriguing premise, but Matheson failed to really use his imagination to develop the characters well or to devise believable scenarios, which is close to unforgivable, IMO. ---
**Author:** ![Dung\_Beetle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dung_beetle/32/7945_2.png) [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2003, 11:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wtf-is-this-drivel-or-crappy-works-by-authors-you-otherwise-dig/197875/11 "2003-08-27T11:54:28Z")
I’m with **MrSarcasticus**. Stephen King disappoints me time and again. Yet I remember the good old days, and keep trying… I’ll nominate The Dark Half as a big pile o’ suck. ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2003, 12:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wtf-is-this-drivel-or-crappy-works-by-authors-you-otherwise-dig/197875/12 "2003-08-27T12:04:25Z")
Sheri Tepper, who’s a favorite sci-fi author of mine, is profoundly uneven. Her good books are _great_ – thought-provoking premises, page-turning execution – but they alternate with truly disappointing efforts. Just last night I finished her latest, **The Visitor** , which I’d been devouring voraciously – and it all fell apart in the last 50 pages. ---
**Author:** ![belladonna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/9fc29f/32.png) [@belladonna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/belladonna)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2003, 12:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wtf-is-this-drivel-or-crappy-works-by-authors-you-otherwise-dig/197875/13 "2003-08-27T12:10:10Z")
_Regulators_ didn’t bother me. _The Dark Half_ was Ok, I kind of liked the Jekyl and Hyde vibe. But _Dreamcatcher_? There’s a story not worth even a third of the time it took me to read the damn title. Dreck. And I say that as a huge fan. I can only hope his forthcoming installments of the Dark Tower manage to rise above the monotone he’s been developing for the last few years. I’d be devestated to have a story I’ve gotten so invested in end poorly. ---
**Author:** ![Dung\_Beetle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dung_beetle/32/7945_2.png) [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2003, 12:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wtf-is-this-drivel-or-crappy-works-by-authors-you-otherwise-dig/197875/14 "2003-08-27T12:14:21Z")
I knew I was forgetting one! I’m a huge fan also, but almost everything SK’s put out in the last few years has been awful. ---
**Author:** ![Agrippina](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8797f3/32.png) [@Agrippina](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Agrippina)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2003, 12:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wtf-is-this-drivel-or-crappy-works-by-authors-you-otherwise-dig/197875/15 "2003-08-27T12:21:36Z")
For some reason, I could never get into **The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon** by Stephen King. I’ve tried reading it numerous times, but cannot get through with it. So I’ve given up. That’s never happened to me with a Stephen King book besides that and **Desperation**. Then again, I’ve stayed away from most of his newer stuff because of those two books. ---
**Author:** ![singular1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ba9def/32.png) [@singular1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/singular1)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2003, 12:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wtf-is-this-drivel-or-crappy-works-by-authors-you-otherwise-dig/197875/16 "2003-08-27T12:26:59Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by BethCro \* > \*\*The Patricia Cornwell novels featuring Judy Hammer and Andy Brazil (Isle of Dogs, Hornet’s Nest, Southern Cross). > > I enjoy the Kay Scarpetta books, but, honestly, who is writing these?? It seems like PC is just renting her name out to some sad git who couldn’t sell books without the _big author name_. Sheesh, even Cornwell’s heroine shows up in these books, and if you can feel a fictional character’s embarrasment, this would be the case. Kay Scarpetta seemed ill-written, and longing to get out of such a shite book. \*\* Oh, ain’t it the truth? Good lord, those books are horrendous! I did read her book about Jack the Ripper, and while it is dry, at least it isn’t embarrasing! I was also very disappointed by James Patterson’s **See How They Run**. I am not a fan of Nazi-themed and politacal intrigue books, and I’m ashamed to say I read this based only on my appreciation of Patterson’s other work. I finished it out of a sense of obligation to finish what I start, but I didn’t enjoy any part of it. ---
**Author:** ![BwanaBob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bwanabob/32/2985_2.png) [@BwanaBob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BwanaBob)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2003, 12:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wtf-is-this-drivel-or-crappy-works-by-authors-you-otherwise-dig/197875/17 "2003-08-27T12:36:30Z")
Michael Crichton - Sphere - what the hell was he thinking. The shittiest payoff in his entire body of work. Robert Heinlein - love most of his stuff but (as I posted in another thread) The Number of the Beast and The Cat Who Walked Through Walls were utter dreck. Avoid at all costs. ---
**Author:** ![NutMagnet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ea5d25/32.png) [@NutMagnet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NutMagnet)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2003, 12:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wtf-is-this-drivel-or-crappy-works-by-authors-you-otherwise-dig/197875/18 "2003-08-27T12:42:26Z")
**BethCro** and **singular1** have it, hands down. That “series” is badly written, trite, implausible, pointless, and juvenile. I can’t for the life of me, figure out who those books were written for, and like **BethCro** , I think were written by a friend’s kid. ---
**Author:** ![Michael\_Ellis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/977dab/32.png) [@Michael\_Ellis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Michael_Ellis)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2003, 12:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wtf-is-this-drivel-or-crappy-works-by-authors-you-otherwise-dig/197875/19 "2003-08-27T12:45:28Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by BwanaBob \* > **Michael Crichton - Sphere - what the hell was he thinking. The shittiest payoff in his entire body of work.** No kidding. All we have to do is wish to forget it, and we will. :mad: I wish I could do the same thing. ---
**Author:** ![belladonna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/9fc29f/32.png) [@belladonna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/belladonna)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2003, 1:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wtf-is-this-drivel-or-crappy-works-by-authors-you-otherwise-dig/197875/20 "2003-08-27T13:22:55Z")
Heh, _Sphere_. I actually read that book twice. I had absolutely no recollection of having read it the first time until I reached that ridiculous and suddenly familiar ending and nearly threw the book across the room in frustration. I couldn’t believe I’d wasted _another_ bunch of hours of my life reading a crappy book for the second time. Talk about forgettable… [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wtf-is-this-drivel-or-crappy-works-by-authors-you-otherwise-dig/197875.md?page=2)