Spinning off from the multiple title thread, what are the worst SF
titles you've encountered?

Offhand, the two that pop to mind for me are:

"No, No, Not Rogov!" by Cordwainer Smith

and
_The Hieros Gamos of Sam and An Smith_ by Saxton.

Probably _Galactic Pot Healer_ is up there too.

I know Asimov hated _I, Robot_.

Others?
--
columbiaclosings.com
What's not in Columbia anymore..

On Sunday, 22 October 2023 at 19:18:33 UTC+1, Ted Nolan <tednolan> wrote:
> Spinning off from the multiple title thread, what are the worst SF
> titles you've encountered?
>
> Offhand, the two that pop to mind for me are:
>
> "No, No, Not Rogov!" by Cordwainer Smith
>
> and
> _The Hieros Gamos of Sam and An Smith_ by Saxton.
>
> Probably _Galactic Pot Healer_ is up there too.
>
> I know Asimov hated _I, Robot_.
>
> Others?

_I, Robot_ is a fine title, but it was someone else's.
Someone else that Isaac Asimov respected.
And... Asimov's collected stories weren't really
from a robot's point of view - although they usually
depended on robot psychology. Indeed, Asimov wrote
in a (human) robopsychologist who was to explain
the plots to readers...?

I recently had to order _The Lost Fleet: Outlands: Resolute_
from the bookstore, which may have been not on the
shelf because the title wouldn't fit. In the meantime,
I'm re-reading _The Lost Fleet: Outlands: Boundless_.

I can't make up my mind whether the sixth book
title in that long series counts as a spoiler
(ROT13 - _Ivpgbevbhf_).

On 2023-10-22, Ted Nolan <tednolan> <ted@loft.tnolan.com> wrote:
> Spinning off from the multiple title thread, what are the worst SF
> titles you've encountered?
>
> Offhand, the two that pop to mind for me are:
>
> "No, No, Not Rogov!" by Cordwainer Smith
>
> and
> _The Hieros Gamos of Sam and An Smith_ by Saxton.
>
> Probably _Galactic Pot Healer_ is up there too.
>
> I know Asimov hated _I, Robot_.
>
> Others?

_Galactic Effectuator_ by Vance comes to mind.

_Var the Stick_ by Anthony fits in with the other two in the trilogy and
is informative but somehow seems worse and unappealing to me.

_A Pair from Space_ by Silverberg, Blish. Evidently publisher Belmont
ended up with the rights to a couple of totally unrelated novellas and
couldn't think up a title. "First paperback publication of two major
science fiction novels - complete" (159 pages for the pair)

_A Torrent of Faces_ by Blish,Knight is not bad in and of itself, but
is the unfortunate(?) hands-down winner of the "most memorable title if
you have a one-letter typo" contest (it's a novel about massive
over-population).
--
Chris

On Sunday, October 22, 2023 at 2:18:33 PM UTC-4, Ted Nolan <tednolan> wrote:
> Spinning off from the multiple title thread, what are the worst SF
> titles you've encountered?
>
> Offhand, the two that pop to mind for me are:
>
> "No, No, Not Rogov!" by Cordwainer Smith
>
> and
> _The Hieros Gamos of Sam and An Smith_ by Saxton.
>
> Probably _Galactic Pot Healer_ is up there too.

Actually, I quite like that one.

I didn't like the title "Bill, the Galactic Hero" - too much to live up to
there. But Harrison redeemed himself with "Bill the galactic hero
on the planet of ten thousand bars". Not as good a book but I
can get behind the title (mind you, there are probably two thousand
bars in Toronto).

The worst title I can think of is not SF. The British retitled John Kenneth
Galbraith's little book (1) "The Scotch" to "The Non-Potable Scotch"
- wouldn't want to offend those Scots with some actual reality.

(1) Mostly written, he says, while listening to boring speeches as US
ambassador to India.

William Hyde

On Monday, October 23, 2023 at 5:18:33 AM UTC+11, Ted Nolan <tednolan> wrote:
> Spinning off from the multiple title thread, what are the worst SF
> titles you've encountered?
>
> Offhand, the two that pop to mind for me are:
>
> "No, No, Not Rogov!" by Cordwainer Smith
>
> and
> _The Hieros Gamos of Sam and An Smith_ by Saxton.
>
> Probably _Galactic Pot Healer_ is up there too.
>
> I know Asimov hated _I, Robot_.
>
> Others?

"The Color of her Panties" - Piers Anthony. No explanation necessary.

"Starship" - Brian Aldiss. Because the renamed title (original "Non Stop") is a massive spoiler.

-Moriarty

In article <kpl7bkF308pU1@mid.individual.net>,
ted@loft.tnolan.com (Ted Nolan <tednolan>) wrote:

> Spinning off from the multiple title thread, what are the worst SF
> titles you've encountered?
>
> Offhand, the two that pop to mind for me are:
>
> "No, No, Not Rogov!" by Cordwainer Smith
>

What's wrong with that title? Yes, it is odd; but Dr. Linebarger wrote
odd stories.

> and
> _The Hieros Gamos of Sam and An Smith_ by Saxton.
>
> Probably _Galactic Pot Healer_ is up there too.
>
> I know Asimov hated _I, Robot_.
>
> Others?

_ Vazkor, Son of Vazkor_ - this Tanith Lee title was _Shadowfire_ in the
UK (and for the recent DAW reprint), a much better title.

I don't have a list of Ace Doubles available, so I can't list the worse
of Donald Wollheim.

--
"We have advanced to new and surprising levels of bafflement."
Imperial Auditor Miles Vorkosigan describes progress in _Komarr_.
�-----------------------------------------------------
Robert Woodward robertaw@drizzle.com

In article <robertaw-DC9C72.21543422102023@news.individual.net>,
Robert Woodward <robertaw@drizzle.com> wrote:
>In article <kpl7bkF308pU1@mid.individual.net>,
> ted@loft.tnolan.com (Ted Nolan <tednolan>) wrote:
>
>> Spinning off from the multiple title thread, what are the worst SF
>> titles you've encountered?
>>
>> Offhand, the two that pop to mind for me are:
>>
>> "No, No, Not Rogov!" by Cordwainer Smith
>>
>
>What's wrong with that title? Yes, it is odd; but Dr. Linebarger wrote
>odd stories.
>

When you go into an SF story with that title, you expect something
about robot government, and its drawbacks.
--
columbiaclosings.com
What's not in Columbia anymore..

On 22/10/2023 23.54, Robert Woodward wrote:
> In article <kpl7bkF308pU1@mid.individual.net>,
> ted@loft.tnolan.com (Ted Nolan <tednolan>) wrote:
>
>> Spinning off from the multiple title thread, what are the worst SF
>> titles you've encountered?

> _ Vazkor, Son of Vazkor_ - this Tanith Lee title was _Shadowfire_ in the
> UK (and for the recent DAW reprint), a much better title.
>
> I don't have a list of Ace Doubles available, so I can't list the worse
> of Donald Wollheim.
>
Here you go:

<https://www.isfdb.org/cgi-bin/pubseries.cgi?1>

--
Michael F. Stemper
Economists have correctly predicted seven of the last three recessions.

On Sunday, October 22, 2023 at 2:18:33 PM UTC-4, Ted Nolan <tednolan> wrote:
> Spinning off from the multiple title thread, what are the worst SF
> titles you've encountered?

‘Zirn Left Unguarded, The Jenghik Palace In Flames, Jon Westerley Dead’ by Sheckley.

pt

On Sunday, October 22, 2023 at 10:54:09 PM UTC-4, Moriarty wrote:
> On Monday, October 23, 2023 at 5:18:33 AM UTC+11, Ted Nolan <tednolan> wrote:
> > Spinning off from the multiple title thread, what are the worst SF
> > titles you've encountered?
> >
> > Offhand, the two that pop to mind for me are:
> >
> > "No, No, Not Rogov!" by Cordwainer Smith
> >
> > and
> > _The Hieros Gamos of Sam and An Smith_ by Saxton.
> >
> > Probably _Galactic Pot Healer_ is up there too.
> >
> > I know Asimov hated _I, Robot_.
> >
> > Others?
> "The Color of her Panties" - Piers Anthony. No explanation necessary.

A very useful title, though, as it tells you not to read the book. If only
John Norman had been similarly forthright many a person would have
been saved from Gor.

>
> "Starship" - Brian Aldiss. Because the renamed title (original "Non Stop") is a massive spoiler.

Absolutely.

William Hyde

On Monday, October 23, 2023 at 3:43:27 PM UTC-4, pete...@gmail.com wrote:
> On Sunday, October 22, 2023 at 2:18:33 PM UTC-4, Ted Nolan <tednolan> wrote:
> > Spinning off from the multiple title thread, what are the worst SF
> > titles you've encountered?
>
> ‘Zirn Left Unguarded, The Jenghik Palace In Flames, Jon Westerley Dead’ by Sheckley.
>

Heh! I rather liked that one, actually.

And I agree with Moriarty else-thread that "Starship" was a massive mistake..

Some of the worst titles I've encountered are:
The Saliva Tree - Brian Aldiss (I suppose sequels would have had even worse titles.)
The Quincunx of Time - James Blish
The Infinitive of Go - John Brunner
The Beast That Shouted Love At The Heart Of The World - Harlan Ellison
Brainz, Inc - Ron Goulart

The Ellison almost sounds poetic at first, but when I think about it
with any scrutiny at all, it just sounds like a bad title.

Tony

In article <kpmfgoF9e78U1@mid.individual.net>,
ted@loft.tnolan.com (Ted Nolan <tednolan>) wrote:

> In article <robertaw-DC9C72.21543422102023@news.individual.net>,
> Robert Woodward <robertaw@drizzle.com> wrote:
> >In article <kpl7bkF308pU1@mid.individual.net>,
> > ted@loft.tnolan.com (Ted Nolan <tednolan>) wrote:
> >
> >> Spinning off from the multiple title thread, what are the worst SF
> >> titles you've encountered?
> >>
> >> Offhand, the two that pop to mind for me are:
> >>
> >> "No, No, Not Rogov!" by Cordwainer Smith
> >>
> >
> >What's wrong with that title? Yes, it is odd; but Dr. Linebarger wrote
> >odd stories.
> >
>
> When you go into an SF story with that title, you expect something
> about robot government, and its drawbacks.

Really? I saw a name (it is a Russian surname).

--
"We have advanced to new and surprising levels of bafflement."
Imperial Auditor Miles Vorkosigan describes progress in _Komarr_.
�-----------------------------------------------------
Robert Woodward robertaw@drizzle.com

In article <robertaw-DC9C72.21543422102023@news.individual.net>,
Robert Woodward <robertaw@drizzle.com> wrote:

> In article <kpl7bkF308pU1@mid.individual.net>,
> ted@loft.tnolan.com (Ted Nolan <tednolan>) wrote:
>
> > Spinning off from the multiple title thread, what are the worst SF
> > titles you've encountered?
> >
> > Offhand, the two that pop to mind for me are:
> >
> > "No, No, Not Rogov!" by Cordwainer Smith
> >
>
> What's wrong with that title? Yes, it is odd; but Dr. Linebarger wrote
> odd stories.
>
<SNIP>
>
> I don't have a list of Ace Doubles available, so I can't list the worse
> of Donald Wollheim.

And now that I have found my list of Ace books (1953-1968), I will look
through it for examples of Wollheim.

Someone once claimed (somewhat tongue in cheek), that if Wolllheim had
published the Bible, the two parts would had been named _The War God of
Israel_ and _The Thing with Three Souls_.

This might had been inspired by what he did to the first 2 books of
Asimov's Foundation Trilogy which became _The 1,000 Year Plan_ and _The
Man Who Upset the Universe_ (he wasn't given the chance to rename
_Second Foundation_). Also, _The Stars, Like Dust_ became _The
Rebellious Stars_.

Poul Anderson's "A Bicycle Built for Brew" became "The Makeshift
Rocket"; _The Man Who Counts_ became _The War of the Wingmen_; _The Long
Way Home_ became _No World of Their Own_.

Having run out of time, I won't to further.

--
"We have advanced to new and surprising levels of bafflement."
Imperial Auditor Miles Vorkosigan describes progress in _Komarr_.
�-----------------------------------------------------
Robert Woodward robertaw@drizzle.com

On Sun, 22 Oct 2023 19:54:06 -0700 (PDT), Moriarty
<blues95@ivillage.com> wrote:

>On Monday, October 23, 2023 at 5:18:33?AM UTC+11, Ted Nolan <tednolan> wrote:
>> Spinning off from the multiple title thread, what are the worst SF
>> titles you've encountered?
>>
>> Offhand, the two that pop to mind for me are:
>>
>> "No, No, Not Rogov!" by Cordwainer Smith
>>
>> and
>> _The Hieros Gamos of Sam and An Smith_ by Saxton.
>>
>> Probably _Galactic Pot Healer_ is up there too.
>>
>> I know Asimov hated _I, Robot_.
>>
>> Others?
>
>"The Color of her Panties" - Piers Anthony. No explanation necessary.

I read it and Mela's panties are in fact plaid.
I managed a couple more Xanth books after it before giving up
completely.

--
Jerry Brown

A cat may look at a king
(but probably won't bother)

On Sun, 22 Oct 2023 19:54:06 -0700 (PDT), Moriarty
<blues95@ivillage.com> wrote:

>On Monday, October 23, 2023 at 5:18:33?AM UTC+11, Ted Nolan <tednolan> wrote:
>> Spinning off from the multiple title thread, what are the worst SF
>> titles you've encountered?
>>
>> Offhand, the two that pop to mind for me are:
>>
>> "No, No, Not Rogov!" by Cordwainer Smith
>>
>> and
>> _The Hieros Gamos of Sam and An Smith_ by Saxton.
>>
>> Probably _Galactic Pot Healer_ is up there too.
>>
>> I know Asimov hated _I, Robot_.
>>
>> Others?
>
>"Starship" - Brian Aldiss. Because the renamed title (original "Non Stop") is a massive spoiler.

In "Billion Year Spree", Aldiss mentioned both the above and Wyndham's
"The Kraken Wakes" which became "Out of the Deeps" in the US.

At least one of these changes earned the adjective "plonking".

--
Jerry Brown

A cat may look at a king
(but probably won't bother)

On Monday, October 23, 2023 at 8:34:23 PM UTC-4, Tony Nance wrote:
> On Monday, October 23, 2023 at 3:43:27 PM UTC-4, pete...@gmail.com wrote:
> > On Sunday, October 22, 2023 at 2:18:33 PM UTC-4, Ted Nolan <tednolan> wrote:
> > > Spinning off from the multiple title thread, what are the worst SF
> > > titles you've encountered?
> >
> > ‘Zirn Left Unguarded, The Jenghik Palace In Flames, Jon Westerley Dead’ by Sheckley.
> >
> Heh! I rather liked that one, actually.

So did I.
>
> And I agree with Moriarty else-thread that "Starship" was a massive mistake.
>
> Some of the worst titles I've encountered are:
> The Saliva Tree - Brian Aldiss (I suppose sequels would have had even worse titles.)

I felt it fit the story well.

> The Quincunx of Time - James Blish

And I like this.

> The Infinitive of Go - John Brunner

Never grasped the meaning of this at all.

> The Beast That Shouted Love At The Heart Of The World - Harlan Ellison

He had quite a penchant for titles that were sentence-length.

> Brainz, Inc - Ron Goulart

Ugh.

William Hyde

On Sunday, October 22, 2023 at 1:18:33 PM UTC-5, Ted Nolan <tednolan> wrote:
> Spinning off from the multiple title thread, what are the worst SF
> titles you've encountered?
>
> Offhand, the two that pop to mind for me are:
>
> "No, No, Not Rogov!" by Cordwainer Smith
>
> and
> _The Hieros Gamos of Sam and An Smith_ by Saxton.
>
> Probably _Galactic Pot Healer_ is up there too.
>
> I know Asimov hated _I, Robot_.
>
> Others?
> --

5,271,009
Tlön, Uqbar, Orbis Tertius
The Gnurrs Come from the Voodvork Out
The Huge and Hideous Beasts
Time Considered As a Helix of Semi-Precious Stones
Mechasm

On Sunday, October 22, 2023 at 2:18:33 PM UTC-4, Ted Nolan <tednolan> wrote:
> Spinning off from the multiple title thread, what are the worst SF
> titles you've encountered? [snip]

Some titles may be bad when taken in isolation, but they are of
interest when considered in context. Take J. G. Ballard's "Why
I Want to Fuck Ronald Reagan" (1968)
(https://www.isfdb.org/cgi-bin/title.cgi?44468) -- it's as close
to a "perfect British New Wave title ca. 1968" as you can get.

On Tuesday, October 24, 2023 at 6:59:34 PM UTC-5, Butch Malahide wrote:
>
> 5,271,009
> Tlön, Uqbar, Orbis Tertius
> The Gnurrs Come from the Voodvork Out
> The Huge and Hideous Beasts
> Time Considered As a Helix of Semi-Precious Stones
> Mechasm
Ralph 124C 41+.
Gahan Wilson's blot.

On Oct 22, 2023, ted@loft.tnolan.com (Ted Nolan wrote
(in article <kpl7bkF308pU1@mid.individual.net>):

> Spinning off from the multiple title thread, what are the worst SF
> titles you've encountered?
>
> Offhand, the two that pop to mind for me are:
>
> "No, No, Not Rogov!" by Cordwainer Smith
>
> and
> _The Hieros Gamos of Sam and An Smith_ by Saxton.
>
> Probably _Galactic Pot Healer_ is up there too.
>
> I know Asimov hated _I, Robot_.
>
> Others?

I’m surprised that no-one has mentioned The Moon is a Harsh Mistress yet.

On Wednesday, October 25, 2023 at 8:41:35 AM UTC-4, WolfFan wrote:
> On Oct 22, 2023, t...@loft.tnolan.com (Ted Nolan wrote
> (in article <kpl7bk...@mid.individual.net>):
> > Spinning off from the multiple title thread, what are the worst SF
> > titles you've encountered?
> >
> > Offhand, the two that pop to mind for me are:
> >
> > "No, No, Not Rogov!" by Cordwainer Smith
> >
> > and
> > _The Hieros Gamos of Sam and An Smith_ by Saxton.
> >
> > Probably _Galactic Pot Healer_ is up there too.
> >
> > I know Asimov hated _I, Robot_.
> >
> > Others?
> I’m surprised that no-one has mentioned The Moon is a Harsh Mistress yet.

I always assumed that title was a quotation from an earlier work, but apparently not.

pt

On 10/25/2023 6:50 AM, pete...@gmail.com wrote:
> On Wednesday, October 25, 2023 at 8:41:35 AM UTC-4, WolfFan wrote:
>> On Oct 22, 2023, t...@loft.tnolan.com (Ted Nolan wrote
>> (in article <kpl7bk...@mid.individual.net>):
>>> Spinning off from the multiple title thread, what are the worst SF
>>> titles you've encountered?
>>>
>>> Offhand, the two that pop to mind for me are:
>>>
>>> "No, No, Not Rogov!" by Cordwainer Smith
>>>
>>> and
>>> _The Hieros Gamos of Sam and An Smith_ by Saxton.
>>>
>>> Probably _Galactic Pot Healer_ is up there too.
>>>
>>> I know Asimov hated _I, Robot_.
>>>
>>> Others?
>> I’m surprised that no-one has mentioned The Moon is a Harsh Mistress yet.
>
> I always assumed that title was a quotation from an earlier work, but apparently not.
>
"is a harsh mistress" is the female version of "is a harsh master" which
is (or was) a common phrase used to describe someone (or something) with
exacting standards that are hard, if not impossible, to satisfy.

--
I've done good in this world. Now I'm tired and just want to be a cranky
dirty old man.

On Tue, 24 Oct 2023 16:52:36 +0100, Jerry Brown
<jerry@jwbrown.co.uk.invalid> wrote:

>On Sun, 22 Oct 2023 19:54:06 -0700 (PDT), Moriarty
><blues95@ivillage.com> wrote:
>
>>On Monday, October 23, 2023 at 5:18:33?AM UTC+11, Ted Nolan <tednolan> wrote:
>>> Spinning off from the multiple title thread, what are the worst SF
>>> titles you've encountered?
>>>
>>> Offhand, the two that pop to mind for me are:
>>>
>>> "No, No, Not Rogov!" by Cordwainer Smith
>>>
>>> and
>>> _The Hieros Gamos of Sam and An Smith_ by Saxton.
>>>
>>> Probably _Galactic Pot Healer_ is up there too.
>>>
>>> I know Asimov hated _I, Robot_.
>>>
>>> Others?
>>
>>"The Color of her Panties" - Piers Anthony. No explanation necessary.
>
>I read it and Mela's panties are in fact plaid.
>I managed a couple more Xanth books after it before giving up
>completely.

I liked the Xanth books I read.

I still recall, if vaguely, the "Xanth through history" maps.

But there were just too many of them to keep, even in mass-market
paperback.
--
"Here lies the Tuscan poet Aretino,
Who evil spoke of everyone but God,
Giving as his excuse, 'I never knew him.'"

On Tuesday, October 24, 2023 at 11:52:50 AM UTC-4, Jerry Brown wrote:
> On Sun, 22 Oct 2023 19:54:06 -0700 (PDT), Moriarty
> <blu...@ivillage.com> wrote:
> >On Monday, October 23, 2023 at 5:18:33?AM UTC+11, Ted Nolan <tednolan> wrote:
> >> Spinning off from the multiple title thread, what are the worst SF
> >> titles you've encountered?
> >>
> >> Offhand, the two that pop to mind for me are:
> >>
> >> "No, No, Not Rogov!" by Cordwainer Smith
> >>
> >> and
> >> _The Hieros Gamos of Sam and An Smith_ by Saxton.
> >>
> >> Probably _Galactic Pot Healer_ is up there too.
> >>
> >> I know Asimov hated _I, Robot_.
> >>
> >> Others?
> >
> >"The Color of her Panties" - Piers Anthony. No explanation necessary.
> I read it and Mela's panties are in fact plaid.
> I managed a couple more Xanth books after it before giving up
> completely.

A few years ago I was entering Anthony's latest book in the ISFDB
database, read the first couple of pages on Amazon and came
across panties.

Who knew that panties had so much staying power?

Dimensional Traveler <dtravel@sonic.net> wrote:
> On 10/25/2023 6:50 AM, pete...@gmail.com wrote:
>> On Wednesday, October 25, 2023 at 8:41:35???AM UTC-4, WolfFan wrote:
>>> On Oct 22, 2023, t...@loft.tnolan.com (Ted Nolan wrote
>>> (in article <kpl7bk...@mid.individual.net>):
>>>> Spinning off from the multiple title thread, what are the worst SF
>>>> titles you've encountered?
>>>>
>>>> Offhand, the two that pop to mind for me are:
>>>>
>>>> "No, No, Not Rogov!" by Cordwainer Smith
>>>>
>>>> and
>>>> _The Hieros Gamos of Sam and An Smith_ by Saxton.
>>>>
>>>> Probably _Galactic Pot Healer_ is up there too.
>>>>
>>>> I know Asimov hated _I, Robot_.
>>>>
>>>> Others?
>>> I???m surprised that no-one has mentioned The Moon is a Harsh Mistress yet.
>>
>> I always assumed that title was a quotation from an earlier work, but apparently not.
>>
> "is a harsh mistress" is the female version of "is a harsh master" which
> is (or was) a common phrase used to describe someone (or something) with
> exacting standards that are hard, if not impossible, to satisfy.
>
Wiki quotes Jimmy Webb
"The Moon is a Harsh Mistress" was one of the best titles I've ever
heard in my life... In this case I had contact with Robert A. Heinlein's
attorneys. I said, 'I want to write a song with the title, "The Moon is
a Harsh Mistress". Can you ask Mr. Heinlein if it's okay with him?'