Explanation - invariably I will read a fantastic book, beautifully written with a sweeping or moving story that is profoundly impactful…and some amateur reviewer will have written, “That book is so boring! Blah, blah, blah, nothing exciting ever happens!” 🙄

When I read these, I often pause to try to imagine what sort of book those reviewers WOULD like, lol. No doubt its probably an elitist, pompous exercise…but its fun imagining for a moment a book filled with non-stop, over the top action, gory or imaginative deaths by the dozens, torrid romantic liasons, CIA and KGB and SS agents around every corner, etc. Ive been tempted to write that book, tongue in cheek, just so those reviewers would have something to be happy about.

Then I thought…maybe someone has already done this? Intentionally written a book so egregiously over-the-top that even those action-aholics might be tempted to say, “too fast, and too much excitement…” in their reviews?

  • anfotero@alien.topBEnglish
    1·
    1 year ago

    If you want to know how a book like that might be, read Ron Goulart. Specifically his science fiction, like The Hellhound Project or Hail Hibbler or Big Bang. The vast majority of his work (a whopping 180 novels in total) is like that, albeit not for that reason: he just had a knack for formulae and a liking for money!

    • aging-graceful@alien.topOPBEnglish
      1·
      1 year ago

      Interesting! Do you enjoy them?

      Im not usually looking for over the top action or thriller novels, but if someone is good at their niche, whatever it is, I’m usually willing to give them a try.

      • anfotero@alien.topBEnglish
        1·
        1 year ago

        I LOVE them.

        Let me be absolutely, unequivocally clear: most of them are mediocre at best. Nearly everything I’ve ever read by him, mainly his SF, is basically the same novel with some variations, albeit intelligent and funny ones.

        BUT.

        They’re quick, outrageous, funny (the man was fond of satire and anarchic humor) and in every novel you can see the craftsman at work on another more-or-less identical, unrefined armchair, but what a comfy armchair it’ll be! I don’t know, I just find him immensely entertaining. He also was a pop culture historian with a lot of publications to his name and it shows in the best of ways.

        His franchise work like the TekWar series by Shatner, which he ghost-wrote, a LOT of Flash Gordon and other things, is usually really good. The Groucho Marx: Detective series is a hoot.

        If you read only one maybe try Hail Hibbler, it’s deranged :D