Have you ever been turned off of an author's books...

[Steve Roby]

Re OSC, I seem to recall some people suspecting that he's a deeply closeted gay man himself. As I recall, some people thought there were some unsubtle hints in books like Songmaster. Don't have any links, though, and may be misremembering. Still, it's... interesting for a guy whose religion has a, shall we say, distinctive history with the concept of marriage to make himself the great defender of the institution.

I was turned off by the first book in the Thomas Covenant series. Not because of the author, but because of the main character.

Same here. Hated Covenant, even if in retrospect I could make a case that Donaldson was trying something different and trying to address psychological issues about the character's acceptance of the fantasy world he finds himself in -- stuff that other writers routinely ignore -- but I also found the book kind of a long, slow slog. I gave up after the first book, but reread it and read the other two books of the first trilogy several years later because so many people really liked them. I upgraded my opinion slightly, from blecch to just below meh.

The Gor series by John Norman, which started as a fun ERB pastiche rapidly deteriorated to "I cant read this crap!!!!!"

Oh, yeah. I read the first one when I was 13, in 1976, a year before Del Rey Books kicked off the modern fantasy boom with the beginning of the Shannara, Xanth, and Covenant series. There wasn't much else out there at the time, if you'd already read Tolkien. (Technically I guess Gor is as close to SF as it is to fantasy, but it felt more like fantasy.) So, I read the first one, thought it was pretty good, and with a few bucks I got as a Christmas present I went out and bought the next six or seven books in the series. What amazes me now is that, even though the books got progressively worse at an almost exponential rate, I actually bought a couple more later.

 

[Daddy Todd]

I was surprised to see in the article that [Card] did have homosexual character in a book of his. I never heard of Songmaster, but then again Fantasy is not my bag.

My recollection of Songmaster, which I read decades ago, was that it included a pedophile who inappropriately touched an 8-year-old boy, "turning" the boy gay. Or something like that. I believe there was some plot point about the kid remaining celibate for his whole life because something bad would happen to him if he ever loved another person. Like I say, it's been 25 or 30 years since I read Songmaster, so I apologize if I get the details wrong.

Dragging out the idea that gays are permitted to exist as long as they're celibate doesn't win Card a lot of points in my book. Not to mention dragging out the discredited canard that gays are "created" by pedophiles. What is this, the '40's or something? Card could stand to read some literature besides Mormon tracts before trying to write about the LGBT experience.

 

[Daddy Todd]

I was turned off by the first book in the Thomas Covenant series. Not because of the author, but because of the main character.

I had the same reaction -- I got about halfway through the second book before abandoning Donaldson in disgust. Covenent whines incessantly about how he doesn't believe that he's really in the fantasy world -- while at the same time steadfastly refusing to use his powers because he doesn't want to hurt anyone. I mean, if it's all some kind of hallucination, YOU'RE NOT HURTING ANYONE... Sheesh, I found it all really annoying.

The Gor series by John Norman, which started as a fun ERB pastiche rapidly deteriorated to "I cant read this crap!!!!!"

The Gor series wound up being something like 30 books long -- the later titles are now extremely pricey on the secondary market. They've become quite popular amongst the BDSM crowd. Michael Moorcock backed out of being a GOH at a convention some years back when "John Norman" (Norman is a pseudonym -- his real name is John Lange) was also invited as a guest. Seems Moorcock wasn't willing to share the stage with a writer of BDSM fantasies.

 

[Turtletrekker]

I really looked forward to PA's 8th book in the Incarnations of Immortality series (the first book in that series for some 15-odd years), only to find parts of it a bit... disturbing. The older he gets the dirtier he gets.

There's a new book? I didn't know that. Which Incarnation is it this time?

Under a Velvet Cloak - looks like it's about Nox, the Incarnation of Night. Judging from the comments on Amazon, I'm not sure I even want to give this one a read...

I don't regret reading the book as it's not that bad. It's short and PA's obsession with little girls get a little annoying after a while. For Love of Evil was a far better conclusion for the series, and PA probably should have left well enough alone.

He does, however, leave open the possibility of more books as...

Spoiler: Under a Velvet Cloak

...this book sees the creation of a new Incarnation, the Incarnation of Dreams.

 

[seigezunt]

This one is his tirade against gay marriage:

http://www.ornery.org/essays/warwatch/2004-02-15-1.html

Wow, what an ass. I still don't think it would necessarily keep me from reading his work.

After all, would we stop watching TOS if we learned that a certain star treated his co-stars shabbily, would we?

Um, what? You're seriously comparing a guy who wants to throw all gays/lesbians/bisexuals/etc., into concentration camps, eliminating them entirely from society ... with an actor who has an overly large ego?

Um, no. I'm not equating the two, thank you very much. I'm just saying someone's stupid RL attitudes may not necessarily keep me from reading or watching a work of fiction. It's fiction.

For instance, Diane Carey's stupid libertarian philosophy didn't keep me from enjoying Dreadnought.

 

[seigezunt]

The Gor series by John Norman, which started as a fun ERB pastiche rapidly deteriorated to "I cant read this crap!!!!!"

The Gor series wound up being something like 30 books long -- the later titles are now extremely pricey on the secondary market. They've become quite popular amongst the BDSM crowd. Michael Moorcock backed out of being a GOH at a convention some years back when "John Norman" (Norman is a pseudonym -- his real name is John Lange) was also invited as a guest. Seems Moorcock wasn't willing to share the stage with a writer of BDSM fantasies.

Ah, Gor. I've read some of those. It's actually fascinating to see how the writing deteriorates into polemic in those. The later ones read like DeSade to me, sexist kink punctuated by reams of unbearable blather...

 

[OmahaStar]

For instance, Diane Carey's stupid libertarian philosophy didn't keep me from enjoying Dreadnought.

Oh gee thanks. I had blocked that writer's existence from my mind. Now she's back.

Ok, Carey isn't a *bad* writer, she just does not know how to write about her subject. In this case, space and starships. She is obsessed with another kind of ship - the ones that float on water. If that's the kind of story she wants to tell, well she knows that subject very well, go tell it. But Kirk or Picard obsessing over boats on every fricken page? I don't think so.

 

[Broccoli]

I don't think that I've ever willingly boycotted an author's story based on whether or not I think of him or her as a jerk. Though, if I had a poor opinion of someone, I wouldn't go out of my way to pick up one of his or her books.

That being said, I can see someone stop reading an author's books because of the author. If you don't like them, why pay for their book and give them money?

I have been in a position where I didn't think much of an author, but then meet them, and totally pick up their stuff. For example, comic writer Mark Millar. I didn't care much for him based on what I read in interviews and articles. Last year at the Chicago Comic Con, I went to his panel, was able to meet him, and chatted with him for a little bit. He is an awesome guy and very fan-friendly. That is partly the reason why I'll be first in line to see Kick-Ass when it opens in the spring.

How many writers, I wonder, have been turned off writing because their fans are a bunch of dicks? I'd be surprised if it hasn't happened.

Didn't that happen to a Star Wars author recently? I can't recall the name (she was the author that couldn't write enough about Boba Fett and the Mandelorians), but a few fans were criticizing her work and she lashed out at them, refusing to write Star Wars anymore. I can't recall the details, so take this with a grain of salt.

Which is what I don't like. I don't believe anyone on this board actually has extensive knowledge of every subject in the world, otherwise they would probably be the leader of a small country.

Or Batman.

Okay, so we've covered Christopher's posting style as well as any possible social disorders...

*checks off items from list*

Now, when are we going to talk about his love life, finances, and political affiliations? Come on, people! We have to get moving if we're going to completely dissect the man's entire existence! I want blood!

I hear he's a dracula in his spare time.

A couple of recent examples of Authors Behaving Badly have left a bad taste that I still haven't gotten over. For example, I never have gotten over my distaste for Mitch Albom (if he has any big fans here, I'm sorry - he's a fine writer, but...) after a journalism scandal. That scandal didn't get a huge amount of media play, but as a former reporter, I keep up on media issues, and as the situation progressed, Albom acted and talked and wrote like someone who thought the ordinary rules of journalistic ethics didn't apply to him because he's just so important and busy and talented.

Really? I never heard of this and would like to learn more. Can you give me a news link or something so I can read about this?

 

[Therin of Andor]

But Kirk or Picard obsessing over boats on every fricken page? I don't think so.

I don't remember mention of sea vessels in "Dreadnought!" Lieutenant Piper doesn't experience the art of sailing with Kirk until the prologue of "Battlestations!", IIRC.

 

[EliyahuQeoni]

I really looked forward to PA's 8th book in the Incarnations of Immortality series (the first book in that series for some 15-odd years), only to find parts of it a bit... disturbing. The older he gets the dirtier he gets.

There's a new book? I didn't know that. Which Incarnation is it this time?

Under a Velvet Cloak - looks like it's about Nox, the Incarnation of Night. Judging from the comments on Amazon, I'm not sure I even want to give this one a read...

Doesn't sound even remotely interesting to me. But then I thought the last 2 books in that series were totally unneeded

 

[William Leisner]

How many writers, I wonder, have been turned off writing because their fans are a bunch of dicks? I'd be surprised if it hasn't happened.

Didn't that happen to a Star Wars author recently? I can't recall the name (she was the author that couldn't write enough about Boba Fett and the Mandelorians), but a few fans were criticizing her work and she lashed out at them, refusing to write Star Wars anymore. I can't recall the details, so take this with a grain of salt.

I believe you're thinking of Karen Traviss, and my understanding was that, because the new Clone Wars series was going to supercede what she had done in her books, she decided just to walk away rather than trying to retcon everything she had established. I may be wrong in the details, but I'm pretty sure it wasn't because of frustration with her readers.

 

[Joel_Kirk]

How many writers, I wonder, have been turned off writing because their fans are a bunch of dicks? I'd be surprised if it hasn't happened.

Didn't that happen to a Star Wars author recently? I can't recall the name (she was the author that couldn't write enough about Boba Fett and the Mandelorians), but a few fans were criticizing her work and she lashed out at them, refusing to write Star Wars anymore. I can't recall the details, so take this with a grain of salt.

I believe you're thinking of Karen Traviss, and my understanding was that, because the new Clone Wars series was going to supercede what she had done in her books, she decided just to walk away rather than trying to retcon everything she had established. I may be wrong in the details, but I'm pretty sure it wasn't because of frustration with her readers.

^^

That's interesting...

 

[captcalhoun]

How many writers, I wonder, have been turned off writing because their fans are a bunch of dicks? I'd be surprised if it hasn't happened.

Didn't that happen to a Star Wars author recently? I can't recall the name (she was the author that couldn't write enough about Boba Fett and the Mandelorians), but a few fans were criticizing her work and she lashed out at them, refusing to write Star Wars anymore. I can't recall the details, so take this with a grain of salt.

I believe you're thinking of Karen Traviss, and my understanding was that, because the new Clone Wars series was going to supercede what she had done in her books, she decided just to walk away rather than trying to retcon everything she had established. I may be wrong in the details, but I'm pretty sure it wasn't because of frustration with her readers.

correct. she established stuff about Boba Fett during the Clone Wars and the cartoon will/has contradicted it in season 2. (not sure if that ep aired yet)

 

[JD]

While they aren't writers I did just remember two directors whose movies I won't watch because of stuff they've done in real life. I haven't ever seen a Woody Allen movie becuase I find the fact that he married his adopted daughter disturbing, and while I have watched his movies in the past I won't watch anymore Roman Polanski movies now that I know he's a child molester.

 

[Greg Cox]

and while I have watched his movies in the past I won't watch anymore Roman Polanski movies now that I know he's a child molester.

To me, the movies and the crime are two different things. Polanski should definitely answer for his crimes, just like anyone else. Talent is not a get-out-of-jail-free card.

But "Rosemary's Baby" and "Chinatown" are still classic films. They didn't suddenly become bad movies just because their director did something vile.

Anne Perry is a convicted murderer. Her mystery novels are still worth reading, regardless of her past.

 

[Thrawn]

^ I'm inclined to agree with this perspective. A whole lot of absolutely amazing art of any variety, throughout history, has been made by deplorable people.

 

[Sci]

Anne Perry is a convicted murderer. Her mystery novels are still worth reading, regardless of her past.

To be fair, Perry was also 15 at the time of the murder. While that's hardly a young child, she wasn't exactly a mature adult, either.

(BTW, to anyone who hasn't seen it, the film Heavenly Creatures is about the murder that Perry and her best friend committed, and it's a brilliant film.)

 

[Nerys Myk]

While they aren't writers I did just remember two directors whose movies I won't watch because of stuff they've done in real life. I haven't ever seen a Woody Allen movie becuase I find the fact that he married his adopted daughter disturbing, and while I have watched his movies in the past I won't watch anymore Roman Polanski movies now that I know he's a child molester.

It was the adopted daughter of his girlfriend and her ex-husband.

 

[Myasishchev]

Soon-Yi was also an adult even when the (romantic) relationship began, afaik. She's 39 now. If she's happy with it, I don't see why anyone else should care. I don't think the existence of a legal, normal and relatively long-lived marriage is a particularly good reason to avoid some of the excellent films Allen's did over the years.

Plus, and I just discovered this, Ronan Farrow is a huge crybaby.

 

[Greg Cox]

Anne Perry is a convicted murderer. Her mystery novels are still worth reading, regardless of her past.

To be fair, Perry was also 15 at the time of the murder. While that's hardly a young child, she wasn't exactly a mature adult, either.

(BTW, to anyone who hasn't seen it, the film Heavenly Creatures is about the murder that Perry and her best friend committed, and it's a brilliant film.)

Agreed. It's a wonderful film.

And I wasn't trying to bash Perry. Just pointing out that her past crimes have no impact on the quality of her work.

Coming at this from an editorial perspective, when I review a manuscript, I don't care if the author is a good person. What matters is if they are a good writer.