Books to Avoid

Spanky The Dolphin · Post by **Spanky The Dolphin** » 2003-01-26 11:52pm

The film's only redeeming feature is that it's not the book. I didn't think it was very good.

From what I've heard, the musical is atrocious, and barely has anything to do with the book.

Perinquus · Post by **Perinquus** » 2003-01-26 11:53pm

Seriously, the worst things I ever read were "Daisy Miller" and "Turn of the Screw", both by Henry James, in high school. Assigned reading. I have to agree with Oscar Wilde's assessment when he said: "Henry James writes fiction as though it were a painful duty."

Perinquus · Post by **Perinquus** » 2003-01-26 11:54pm

Spanky The Dolphin wrote:The film's only redeeming feature is that it's not the book. I didn't think it was very good.

From what I've heard, the musical is atrocious, and barely has anything to do with the book.

Pity, since I've always loved ragtime music. Got the complete works of Scott Joplin on CD.

Post by **Dalton** » 2003-01-27 12:14am

The Science of Star Wars...forget the author, but it was the only book I ever sent back to Amazon.

IRG CommandoJoe · Post by **IRG CommandoJoe** » 2003-01-27 12:19am

Perinquus wrote:
Spanky The Dolphin wrote:The film's only redeeming feature is that it's not the book. I didn't think it was very good.

From what I've heard, the musical is atrocious, and barely has anything to do with the book.
Pity, since I've always loved ragtime music. Got the complete works of Scott Joplin on CD.

Hmm...don't like it that much, but I like rag time music too. Although Stravinky's attempt at rag music is just....(shudders) I hate the type of rag time music that throws a bunch of notes and chords together that has no catchy melody to it like "The Entertainer" (the music from The Sting).

Spanky The Dolphin · Post by **Spanky The Dolphin** » 2003-01-27 12:22am

IRG CommandoJoe wrote:I hate the type of rag time music that throws a bunch of notes and chords together that has no catchy melody to it like "The Entertainer" (the music from The Sting).

Oh, you mean the "Ice Cream Song"?

Perinquus · Post by **Perinquus** » 2003-01-27 12:29am

IRG CommandoJoe wrote:
Perinquus wrote:
Spanky The Dolphin wrote:The film's only redeeming feature is that it's not the book. I didn't think it was very good.

From what I've heard, the musical is atrocious, and barely has anything to do with the book.
Pity, since I've always loved ragtime music. Got the complete works of Scott Joplin on CD.
Hmm...don't like it that much, but I like rag time music too. Although Stravinky's attempt at rag music is just....(shudders) I hate the type of rag time music that throws a bunch of notes and chords together that has no catchy melody to it like "The Entertainer" (the music from The Sting).

Well, I've never seen the musical or read the book (just watched the movie). Ragtime music, however, is great stuff. "The Entertainer" is just one of many great pieces written by Scott Joplin.

CmdrWilkens · Post by **CmdrWilkens** » 2003-01-27 12:38am

Master of Ossus wrote:Black Fleet Crisis

Let me state, as always, that I completely disagree with you.

That being said:
The Bear and The Dragon (unless you like a pro-US "we rule the world" wankfest)
Ishmael (The gorilla, I can't get over the freakin' gorilla though "Story of B" is a good novel that would probably appeal to many here)

IRG CommandoJoe · Post by **IRG CommandoJoe** » 2003-01-27 12:47am

Perinquus wrote:Well, I've never seen the musical or read the book (just watched the movie). Ragtime music, however, is great stuff. "The Entertainer" is just one of many great pieces written by Scott Joplin.

Me either, I only saw the movie too. I barely remember it because it was such a long time ago, but I remember the music and parts where the guy hid from people chasing him on a trolly and the big scam they pulled at the end with the fake shooting.

I should watch that again, it's a good movie.

Brother-Captain Gaius · Post by **Brother-Captain Gaius** » 2003-01-27 12:49am

Neuromancer. The phrase going through my head throughtout 98% of the book was, "WTF!?".

Darth Garden Gnome · Post by **Darth Garden Gnome** » 2003-01-27 12:51am

JediNeophyte wrote:Neuromancer. The phrase going through my head throughtout 98% of the book was, "WTF!?".

Its still classic cyberpunk, like it or not. But th efirst opening linesarecreepy.

(paraphrasing) "The sky over the bay flashed like a dead TV set."

IRG CommandoJoe · Post by **IRG CommandoJoe** » 2003-01-27 12:52am

That means it was dark out...wtf? How could it flash if it's a dark TV set? Wtf???

IRG CommandoJoe · Post by **IRG CommandoJoe** » 2003-01-27 12:53am

OMG I already see JediNeophyte's point! I said WTF two times already!

Exonerate · Post by **Exonerate** » 2003-01-27 12:58am

Animorphs series. Aliens invade, Animorphs kick ass, narrowly escape. Rinse, repeat, shine.

Spanky The Dolphin · Post by **Spanky The Dolphin** » 2003-01-27 12:59am

Exonerate wrote:Animorphs series. Aliens invade, Animorphs kick ass, narrowly escape. Rinse, repeat, shine.

The fact that they're books for pre-teens should tell you something.

DPDarkPrimus · Post by **DPDarkPrimus** » 2003-01-27 01:04am

Animorphs. GOD.

I can't believe I used to read those. They were such a rip-off too... for the same price I could get a book 5 times longer.

Lord Poe · Post by **Lord Poe** » 2003-01-27 01:12am

As I've said before, "The Vampire Armand" with its graphic gay porn between grown men and young boys is probably the worst book I've read.

"Back To The Future" novelization. WHAT a piece of shit. With lines like, "I'll put this letter in Doc's coat pocket and hope he doesn't reach his hand in there and find it!" Or Marty in detention doing something with a match and a rubber band to shoot it onto a fire alarm so he can get out early. Idiocy.

The new Trek books, "The Janus Gate". Fucking awful. I have only been able read ONE. I HATE IT when authors have a clear hobby in RL and they want to add every SINGLE goddamn detail about it. 80% of the FUCKING BOOK has to do with cave exploration, the proper tools, the proper 20th century equipment (Strange forcefield prevents them from using 23rd century tech..) the proper terms, etc. If I wanted to read a cave splunking manual, I WOULD HAVE FUCKING BOUGHT ONE.

Spanky The Dolphin · Post by **Spanky The Dolphin** » 2003-01-27 01:16am

For BTTF: IIRC, the rubber band scene was in the script for the film, but they never shot it (if not it was at least in the drafts).

Yeah, I hate it when authors go on and on and on about something that doesn't have anything to do with the book or you don't give a shit about.

Lord Poe · Post by **Lord Poe** » 2003-01-27 01:25am

Spanky The Dolphin wrote:For BTTF: IIRC, the rubber band scene was in the script for the film, but they never shot it (if not it was at least in the drafts).

Ah. Then I'm glad they didn't; it sounded stupid.

Yeah, I hate it when authors go on and on and on about something that doesn't have anything to do with the book or you don't give a shit about.

There's a lot of books like that. I understand Tom Clancy does this too, but I've never read any of his books.

Post by **Dalton** » 2003-01-27 01:32am

Neuromancer was certainly messed up. It might be a great cyberpunk novel, but I prefer Neal Stephenson. Snow Crash was great and Cryptonomicon is shaping up to be just as good.

IRG CommandoJoe · Post by **IRG CommandoJoe** » 2003-01-27 03:03am

How can anything cyberpunk be great? Ugh, I just can't stand cyberpunk. Who the hell likes that shit?

Post by **The Yosemite Bear** » 2003-01-27 03:26am

IRG CommandoJoe wrote:OMG I already see JediNeophyte's point! I said WTF two times already!

Actually the line was A TV set tuned to a dead channel (All grey and staticy)

Post by **The Yosemite Bear** » 2003-01-27 03:31am

The book that I really can't stand, was a biography of various serial killers and criminal pysche, motivating factors etc. *SHhudders* and that simply falls under the catagory of TMI.

Post by **Dalton** » 2003-01-27 03:32am

IRG CommandoJoe wrote:How can anything cyberpunk be great? Ugh, I just can't stand cyberpunk. Who the hell likes that shit?

That's not a very fair statement.

Sir Sirius · Post by **Sir Sirius** » 2003-01-27 07:12am

IRG CommandoJoe wrote:Can I answer on behalf of a very large percentage of SD.net's community?

The Bible.

Properly read, the Bible is the most potent force for atheism ever conceived.
-- Isaac Asimov

The bible should be a mandatory read in elementary school, along with an explanation as to why it is a vile book. We'd have more atheists that way.