Books that should not have been written

This morning Wired listed the top 5 Science Fiction/Fantasy books which were written by great authors but were awful books.  You can check out Wired's reasoning by clicking though but the general theme seems to be that these are the books where each author lost sight of what made their writing or their series great.

1. To Sail Beyond the Sunset by Robert Heinlein
2. Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer
3. Narcissus in Chains by Laurell K. Hamilton
4. Tarnsman of Gor by John Norman
5. MasterHarper of Pern by Anne McCaffrey

So have you ever come across a great author that you loved, except for that one absolute turkey of a book they wrote.  Either email me (my name at bookfinder dot com) or add a comment with your thoughts.  This can be any genre, and doesn't necessarily have to just be science fiction or fantasy but you have to like the author, just not this book(s).

[Now Reading: The Van by Roddy Doyle]

Comments

[ccr in MA]

It scares me a little that I've read 4 of the 5...

[Brenda Estacio]

Hi,

My new book was just released, I would like to invite you to read my new fantasy novel, "Gateway to DreamWorld." It has received rave reviews and has a shot at becoming a movie.

http://www.eloquentbooks.com/GatewayToDreamWorld.html

Brenda Estacio

[Marc B]

I must admit that I was stunned when I saw the list. You guys are are way too deep dish and cerebral for me. Series Genre fiction failures - I was expecting a list starting with Mein Kampf, and maybe The Communist Manifesto or the Bible.

But hell, I bet you guys know just when Clive Cussler lost his Muse.

[Kristen]

I agree with you on Breaking Dawn. I just wrote about something similar here: http://www.daemonsbooks.com/2009/08/18/dont-believe-the-hype/

[Biblibio]

Might I put in a good (bad?) word for some of Orson Scott Card's sequels? I'm sure there are worse books out there, but "Children of the Mind" made me cringe, and "Shadow of the Giant" was just kind of lame. For both Ender-world series, I wish he could have ended with the second book... Oh well.

Hmm... other anomalies... "The Pearl"! I've read three other Steinbeck books and think all three are positively brilliant but "The Pearl" remains one of my least favorite books ever. And this will encourage some debate: "1984". I thought it was boring and poorly written while each of the three other Orwell novels I read ranged from quite nice to incredible.

There are probably more but I turn the stage over to anyone else with suggestions...

[william e emba]

I thought the entire Gor series was in the category of Books That Should Not Have Been Written, and that this was a view held by the author himself.

[skerriga]

I agree with Biblibio, except I go one further and say that Orson Scott Card should never have published anything he ever wrote except Ender's Game.

[CJCarlin]

I will agree with you regarding Orwell's iconic masterpiece, Biblibio, but for the genuine importance that story has as a commentary on politics. A warning, a cautionary tale, a prediction; it doesn't matter how you interpret his dystopian future. What matters is that you know we could easily fall into it.

[Dennis]

If we're talking fantasy, yep. David Eddings has lost his touch, as has R.A. Salvatore. But where Christian books are concerned, I absolutely love Martin Luther's writings. Whenever I read them, I feel the Holy Spirit off the words. However, I don't think the Holy Spirit dwelled in the words of the book against Jews. THAT is flying high and taking a hard fall!

Feel free to contact for anything. I love theology.

PlatinumDeege@live.com

Thanks!

[R. Ratkartz]

Since Al Gore's silly little book is mostly fiction masquerading as science, and having neither socially redeeming value nor artistic content, I would not hesitate to nominate it for a parallel category: Rubbish That Should Not Have Been Written.