What Are The Best Bad Novels You've Ever Read?

[BAYLOR]

Books that are bad , yet they are fun to read just the same. This covers all genres.

 

[Hazen Sealock]

The Belgariad and Mallorean. Originally reading them in my early teens, I reread them 12 years ago when my wife was pregnant with our first child. Easy to breeze through and great escapist fiction.

I'd also have to add most of Piers Anthony's ouvre to the list. Although I still look back on them kind of fondly, Bio of a Space Tyrant and Phase Adept had some seriously pervy elements (especially Space Tyrant with the 'consensual rape' part. If my mom had known what I was reading...). Both Xanth and the Incarnations of Immortality series started out pretty good but really petered out as the went along. The former I stopped reading when I could not bring myself to check out a book titled The Color of Her Panties. I mean, I was like 15 and the librarian and I were on a first name basis.

 

[Bick]

E. E. "Doc" Smith's stuff? Also, I think some van Vogt is kinda ropey as far as being decent literature goes (Space Beagle I'm looking at you), but I like it.

 

[Vince W]

I remember the Timewars series by Simon Hawke. Terrible stuff really, but a bit of fun at the time.

 

[BAYLOR]

I remember the Timewars series by Simon Hawke. Terrible stuff really, but a bit of fun at the time.

The Timewars series. Yes, fun to read. He also wrote the Wizard of 4th Street series which is alot of fun to read and he wrote two Star Trek Novels .

 

[chongjasmine]

The sword of truth series.

 

[K. Riehl]

The Vang- The Military form by Christopher Rowley All told from the viewpoint of a genetically engineered alien. Humans avoid total destruction by a single alien by luck alone.

The Ricard Braeth trilogy by Allen Wold.Starting with Jewels of the Dragon. A real throw back 40's space opera series. Ricard's nervous system is wired to a special gun that makes him, " an unstoppable killing machine that moves at incredible speed." Gloriously evil bad guys and interesting aliens.

 

[Venusian Broon]

E. E. "Doc" Smith's stuff? Also, I think some van Vogt is kinda ropey as far as being decent literature goes (Space Beagle I'm looking at you), but I like it.

Totally agree! Got a small collection of battered van Vogt that I found on 2nd hand book store hunts. If reading Dostoyevsky's Crime and Punishment is like swimming the Atlantic ocean solo, then a lot of Van Vogt is like sitting at the shallow edge of the hotel pool, dangling your feet in the warm water and sipping on margaritas.

 

[svalbard]

I would second The Belgariad and the first couple of books The Malloreon series.

 

[BAYLOR]

The Blade books by Jeffrey Lord . Pulpy but pure escapist fun. I recommend these books

 

[BAYLOR]

I would second The Belgariad and the first couple of books The Malloreon series.

The Belgariad is Edding's best work.

 

[AllanR]

We Can Build You and Counter-Clock World by P.K. Dick.

First: someone develops high quality androids and the best thing they can think to do with them is make an army and hold civil war reproductions. (selling tickets to the show to make money) A Lincoln is made and competitors make a Booth. Oh, and everyone is schizophrenic and over their lives spends everyone some time at a sanitarium.

Second: The dead arise in order of when they died. (so someone who died twenty years ago will be reborn in twenty) Main characters hangs around graveyards with listening devices to hear scratches in coffins....oh and the Library is in control of society. It is also considered very rude to eat in front of anyone else (and they all eat sorghum pretty much exclusively)

But one doesn't read PKD expecting things to make sense..... even his worst writing is full of gems.

 

[BAYLOR]

The sword of truth series.

Started out good.