Those stories you're embassed to have once liked

[roseembolism]

We've all done it. We've all read those books or stories that at the time we thought were wonderful, they spoke to us. Later on though, with more maturity or simply perspective, we realize that not only are those stories bad, but we are actually embarrassed that we ever liked them.

For me, one of the big embarrassments in my reading past is Emergence, by David Palmer. At first as a callow youth I thought this story of a genius 11 year-old girl traveling across an America where a plague wiped out 99.9% of humanity was a fun adventure story...but then on later reflection the creepiness started surfacing. The Mary Sue nature of the protagonist (black belt genius who everyone wants to sleep with), the elitist "Fans are Slans" distinction taken to the genetic level (the plague wiped out all the mundanes, you see), the far, far right wing politics (all Communists are evil psychopaths who must be killed), the pedophilia, and of course, the telepathic macaw. Oh god, the telepathic macaw. The book is really like a parody of a bad post-apocalyptic novel, except serious.

There's also The Harper Hall trilogy, which has Menolly as the definition of a Mary Sue (literally everyone except her parents and the bad guys loves her). And anything I read by Ann Ricin. And finally, Enders Game, about which enough has been written.

So let's hear it people- what are some stories that you're embarrassed to admit you ever liked?

Comments

[seawasp]

We've all done it.

MOST of you have done it. There are some books I have come to no longer follow as gospel (e.g., Atlas Shrugged) but I can't think of anything I'm EMBARRASSED to have liked.

There's one thing I've WRITTEN (besides the stuff I wrote at say 11) that I'm somewhat embarrassed about, but enough money will salve that.

[roseembolism.livejournal.com]

Well, given that you must have read that story you wrote, I'm willing to include that in the category.

[seawasp]

But I'm in no way embarrassed to have LIKED it, just embarrassed to SUBMIT it because it's so obviously Middle-age-crisis Mary Sue. In many ways it's one of my favorite things I've written and has, I think, by far some of my most powerful scenes.

[digitalsidhe.livejournal.com]

Funny, I was just thinking of Emergence a few days ago. Not sure why. But I recall being annoyed at how everyone seems to turn out to be a Homo Superior (or whatever they call it) by the end — particularly sensei, who first noticed the new species, and yet somehow didn't notice that he had one of the most obvious traits of them (disease resistance)?!? The main character's narration even tried to hang a lampshade on that, but it still didn't work for me.

I didn't recall that anyone wanted to sleep with her except the kind of lecherous Adam, though — and it was appropriate that he'd want to. Nor do I recall there being pedophilia in there.

I'll take your word for it that there are, though — I don't really think I need to go back and re-read that thing again. Note that it's not in my "used-to-be cherished" category; just in the category of "books that I remember having read, a long, long time ago".

For "things I'm embarrassed at ever having liked", I'd have to say Piers Anthony. Both the early Xanth novels and the first few Incarnations of Immortality. (I also read some other stuff of his that wasn't as near-and-dear to my heart, and which I therefore don't have to be quite so embarrassed about.) His prose style! It's sooo bad!

[roseembolism.livejournal.com]

It's amazing how many people have mentioned Xanth in conversations.

[seawasp]

I just found that with Anthony you read the first 1-N of the series, where N is never more than 3.He does all the interesting stuff early on.