Booky Ooky!

The other day I got a belated Christmas gift from my friend, Chris, and it was more than I could have dreamed. It was an envelope with eight crappy books from the 60’s through the 80’s that he called Bunduki Wannabes. They’re the kind of horrible sci-fi, fantasy, and adventure stories that give other works in the genres a bad name. I love them.

I’ve replaced a category in the 888 Challenge to accommodate these because he told me to.

There’s something really satisfying about reading schlocky, outrageous fiction with plot elements that can make you both cringe and laugh out loud. As terrible as Bunduki was, it was a ton of fun. Here’s what we’ve got coming up:

• Quest of the Dawn Man / J. H. Rosny — The fact that this caveman adventure was translated from the French implies that it might be pretty ok, actually. Still… the guy on the cover’s riding a lion.
• Titans of the Universe / James Harvey — Like Bunduki, this is about a perfect man who can do no wrong. Bunduki in Space!
• Slave Ship / Frederik Pohl — Tagline: “Manpower was in short supply, so the UN Navy began drafting… animals!
• The Master of Evil / David C. Smith — Upon further inspection and despite the stupid cover, this might be kinda ok.
• The Harp and the Blade / John Myers Myers — Dunno about the quality of this one, but the cover’s pretty gay. Ever met a barbarian warlord type who shaved his pits?
• Out of their Minds / Clifford D. Simak — Everything mankind has ever imagined shoved together in one novel for no particular reason.
• Trax / R. L. S. Hawke — Another “perfect specimen of man” story, this one in ancient Rome!
• Sioux Spaceman / Andre Norton — What can I say about Sioux Spaceman? What do I NEED to say about Sioux Spaceman? Nothing.