This was too funny for me...as a librarian

[jfetters]

Not sure how many here know the literary concept of the Mary Sue, but follow the link.

I got a chuckle out of the books that I had read, or at least read one of the books in the series, which was at least half of them. I'm not too tied to the authors or stories of any of them except Dune, and I definitely appreciated the sarcasm in that cover.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_Sue

Usually it's an attempt by an author to insert him or herself into a story in (very) idealized form.

Pretty much the Pern series really does hit all the branches of the "Mary Sue" thing.

There must be an echo in here.

 

[Jame]

Not sure how many here know the literary concept of the Mary Sue, but follow the link.

I got a chuckle out of the books that I had read, or at least read one of the books in the series, which was at least half of them. I'm not too tied to the authors or stories of any of them except Dune, and I definitely appreciated the sarcasm in that cover.

I know the literary convention; however, I am afraid I don't see how it applies here. If someone could explain it I'd be grateful.

 

[Blue Ghost]

I stopped scrolling after a few. Maybe it's just my current mood but I didn't see humour, or rather I saw it as a poor attempt at humour. Good photoshop skills but that's about it. Maybe you can offer the perspective that got your funny bone?

Yeah, very poor humor.

 

[shadowdragon]

coliver988: thats the Mission: Earth series, and i made it all the way to book four before i absolutely could not take any more. it was a wtf? that grew to a nearly unstoppable desire to scrub my brain with anything that would erase such dreck from my memory. On the other hand, Battlefield Earth is a fantastick story from beginning to end, one that i reread every year or so. according to most of the people i know who have read hubbard- he has 1 good book and Battlefield Earth is it......

 

[veltyen]

I know the literary convention; however, I am afraid I don't see how it applies here. If someone could explain it I'd be grateful.

A young girl, undervalued and ignored, finds that she has special powers, overcomes extreme prejudice, and then becomes critical (or at least extremely valuable) to the future of the world/universe/company.

Anne McCaffrey:
Dragon riders (Pern) series
Crystal Singer series
Harper series
Pegasus series
Tower series

All follow the same storyline. Enough difference between them so that it doesn't quite feel like Eddings, but enormous levels of thematic overlap. On the other hand they aren't that bad as books, Mary Sue doesn't mean bad, essentially it is just an overly doting version of the Hero's journey.

 

[far-trader]

coliver988: thats the Mission: Earth series, and i made it all the way to book four before i absolutely could not take any more. it was a wtf? that grew to a nearly unstoppable desire to scrub my brain with anything that would erase such dreck from my memory. On the other hand, Battlefield Earth is a fantastick story from beginning to end, one that i reread every year or so. according to most of the people i know who have read hubbard- he has 1 good book and Battlefield Earth is it......

Hard to argue with that assessment and I've read both Battlefield Earth and the whole decalogy that was Mission Earth. Battlefield Earth was ok too, but not great imo. Never saw the movie. I had to force myself through Mission Earth at times but I'm a completest (most of the time) even if it takes a while. Mission Earth wasn't all bad, but I got the feeling it could have been considerably condensed without sacrificing anything. It has some very weird bits. Overall it was worth the read imo.

But then I also like everything I've read by Philip K Dick (and haven't missed much afaik) which I mention because I've heard similar "wtf did I just read" applied to some of his (what might be called "hard") stuff.

This is not an endorsement or entreaty to anyone to read Mission Earth (but it kept me distracted through a few months of winter ) or any PKD (but the "hard" ones always seemed to bend my mind to new thoughts in interesting ways).

 

[Rhialto the Marvelous]

PKD (but the "hard" ones always seemed to bend my mind to new thoughts in interesting ways).

Not every PKD novel is great, but IMO the great ones (UBIK, Palmer Eldritch, and for pure insanity, Valis) are frankly greater than any other scifi I've ever read.

 

[shadowdragon]

but dan- you have to admit, Battlefield Earth has THE best opening line:

"Man is an endangered species"

 

[far-trader]

but dan- you have to admit, Battlefield Earth has THE best opening line:

"Man is an endangered species"

True, it is a good hook

 

[BlackBat242]

According to most of the people i know who have read Hubbard- he has 1 good book and Battlefield Earth is it......

You should try reading his stuff from his first stint writing science fiction... he was a very prolific writer in the middle-late 1930s, and wrote a few works in the early 1950s before getting into his "science of the mind"/religion full-time.

He was a much better writer in his youth than in his dotage.

 

[coliver988]

but dan- you have to admit, Battlefield Earth has THE best opening line:

"Man is an endangered species"

actually, there was one from John Varley even better (maybe): "In five years the penis will be obsolete". Now that has a more visceral impact on me!

 

[tbeard1999]

http://mightygodking.com/index.php/2008/10/20/mgk-versus-his-adolescent-reading-habits/

I nearly hurt myself laughing.

"Assh-le Leper Hero"

Hah!

 

[G. Fieendish]

I liked the comments on the site, so here are a few of my alternate titlea for some other books...
I Robot: Isaac Asimov - Cogito Ergo Checksum
Killashandra Ree/Crystal Singer trilogy: Anne McCaffrey - Mary Sue Goes Crystal Mining...
Lord Of The Rings Trilogy: J.R.R Tolkien - The Ring's The Thing
The Thomas Covenant Chronicles:Stephen Donaldson - "I Don't Believe This...".