One-hit Wonders

[Bookpossum]

Stella Gibbons.
"Cold Comfort Farm" is a brilliant spoof of English rural gloom and doom novels written back in the early 1930s, and remains laugh-out-loud funny now. She wrote quite a number of other books, none of which are remembered now. I doubt they would still be available.

[bill_mchale]

Originally Posted by JeremyR

I would say JRRR Tolkien. He did great with The Hobbit, but then followed it up with a mind numbingly dull trilogy, and his other stuff is even more obtuse.

Well, with respect, regardless of your opinion on the Lord of the Rings, I think sales, and its enduring legacy of essentially reshaping Fantasy Literature (or at least epic fantasy literature) means that it would be unfair to consider Tolkien a one hit wonder. Now a two hit wonder might be fair... since few people have ever been able to get through anything other than the Hobbit and the LOTR.

--
Bill

[BenG]

Originally Posted by Bookpossum

Stella Gibbons.
"Cold Comfort Farm" is a brilliant spoof of English rural gloom and doom novels written back in the early 1930s, and remains laugh-out-loud funny now. She wrote quite a number of other books, none of which are remembered now. I doubt they would still be available.

Amazon has several of her books with three available for the kindle.
Amazon. uk has over a dozen for the kindle.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by yekim54

The Bible by God

Actually, God had an incredible smash hit with the 10 Commandments before the bible came out. But the Bible was written by man.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by JeremyR

I would say JRRR Tolkien. He did great with The Hobbit, but then followed it up with a mind numbingly dull trilogy, and his other stuff is even more obtuse.

I highly disagree. The Lord of the Rings was very good. Most of the stuff his son is publishing after he died can be said to be dull.

[bill_mchale]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

Actually, God had an incredible smash hit with the 10 Commandments before the bible came out. But the Bible was written by man.

Not even one man. Regardless of your status as a believer or not, it must be acknowledged that the Bible was written by dozens of men over a period that might stretch anywhere from at least 600 years to as much as 1500 years (depending on your dating of the various books of the Bible). Whether it was inspired by God or not is probably a subject best left out of this thread. So in any case, it is an anthology.

--
Bill

[Bookpossum]

Originally Posted by BenG

Amazon has several of her books with three available for the kindle.
Amazon. uk has over a dozen for the kindle.

Thanks for that, Ben. I must admit I didn't check before I posted. I still think she's a one hit wonder in that CCF was and remains so well known, but her other books aren't.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by bill_mchale

Not even one man. Regardless of your status as a believer or not, it must be acknowledged that the Bible was written by dozens of men over a period that might stretch anywhere from at least 600 years to as much as 1500 years (depending on your dating of the various books of the Bible). Whether it was inspired by God or not is probably a subject best left out of this thread. So in any case, it is an anthology.

--
Bill

Good way to look at it.

[Requiem]

I got a couple,

James Frey - A Million Little Pieces (Minus the controversy, it is now filed under fiction) Then the others were horrible

I would also extend the parameters a touch and say Pillars of the Earth and World Without End by Ken Follett were amazingly deep character driven stories, and the rest is Pop-Fiction, spy thriller type junk. I say extending because it is two books, but the point is the same.

[Zetmolm]

Originally Posted by Requiem

I would also extend the parameters a touch and say Pillars of the Earth and World Without End by Ken Follett were amazingly deep character driven stories, and the rest is Pop-Fiction, spy thriller type junk. I say extending because it is two books, but the point is the same.

Fall of Giants is also very good, and is supposed to be the first of a trilogy. That will stretch it to 3-5 books, but your point about the rest is probably true.

[carpetmojo]

Originally Posted by yekim54

The Bible by God

[elemenoP]

Thanks for all these!

Requiem, so would you say A Million Little Pieces stands on its own as a work of fiction? It doesn't detract that the author made it up?

Actually the Bible had a sequel, according to some: the New Testament. Would you say that one is incredible and the other is mediocre? And according to some others, there was a much later sequel: The Book of Mormon!

eP

[Requiem]

Requiem, so would you say A Million Little Pieces stands on its own as a work of fiction? It doesn't detract that the author made it up?

Author's make up everything, they are inherent liars (on purpose), so whats the difference? As long as you don't take it as some form of autobiography and read it as a fictional work, it does stand on its own.

[Requiem]

Fall of Giants is also very good, and is supposed to be the first of a trilogy. That will stretch it to 3-5 books, but your point about the rest is probably true.

I read that also, hoping it would grab me like World without End and Pillars of the Earth did, but no dice. The others were much greater, I found Fall of Giants to be forgettable.

[Catlady]

Originally Posted by Requiem

Author's make up everything, they are inherent liars (on purpose), so whats the difference? As long as you don't take it as some form of autobiography and read it as a fictional work, it does stand on its own.

I wouldn't support an author who faked a book this way.