It Was a Dark and Stormy Night: The Final Conflict: Yet More of the Best (?) from the Bulwer-Lytton Fiction Contest (Bulwer-Lytton Contest) [Mass Market Paperback]

Scott Rice (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1, 1995 | Series: Bulwer-Lytton Contest

A collection of humorous selections taken from the Bulwer-Lytton Contest for the best of bad fiction presents entries on the most atrocious opening sentence to hypothetical bad novels.

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 144 pages
• Publisher: Penguin (Non-Classics) (January 1, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0140157913
• ISBN-13: 978-0140157918
• Product Dimensions: 6.9 x 4.9 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #483,404 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the funniest books I've ever read., October 2, 2000

By 

James Yanni (Bellefontaine Neighbors, Mo. USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: It Was a Dark and Stormy Night: The Final Conflict: Yet More of the Best (?) from the Bulwer-Lytton Fiction Contest (Bulwer-Lytton Contest) (Mass Market Paperback)

The Bulwer-Lytton fiction contest is an annual contest run by Scott Rice of San Jose State University. in which he challenges entrants to compose the opening sentence to the worst of all possible novels; the inspiration for the contest (and the title of it) is Edward George Bulwer-Lytton, who wrote the much-spoofed "Paul Clifford" in 1830, the novel that begins with the phrase, "It was a dark and stormy night...". This book is the fourth of, so far as I know, five collections of the best (most stunningly bad?) entries to that contest.

5.0 out of 5 stars A difficult race to the bottom won by all, May 14, 2009

By 

Charles Ashbacher (Marion, Iowa United States) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)   

This review is from: It Was a Dark and Stormy Night: The Final Conflict: Yet More of the Best (?) from the Bulwer-Lytton Fiction Contest (Bulwer-Lytton Contest) (Mass Market Paperback)

Sometimes, a race to the bottom can be more difficult than one involving excellence. This book is a collection of sentences of very bad fiction and after you stop laughing and deconstruct the prose, it is easy to understand how difficult it is to write something so bad. The entries are from the Bulwer-Lytton Fiction Contest sponsored by San Jose State University and are designed to be the opening sentence to the worst possible novel.
Amusing and atrocious, these sentences will make you groan as you read them and appreciate how bad they are. Which demonstrates how good the writers are, to make something this bad requires significant literary talent.

4 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars ROTFLMAO!, August 12, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: It Was a Dark and Stormy Night: The Final Conflict: Yet More of the Best (?) from the Bulwer-Lytton Fiction Contest (Bulwer-Lytton Contest) (Mass Market Paperback)

As Mark Twain first proved with his reprinting of an abysmally inept Portuguese guidebook to the English language, bad writing can be funny. Read about the Bulwer-Lytton contest and see how intentionally bad writing can tickle your funny-bone, and be instructive to boot.