New Price: $7.99. It won a Hugo award for best novel during 1955. That’s fine as far as it goes, but at best They’d Rather Be Right is a very workman-like novel playing with an idea but not necessarily doing so with any particular craft. Now two positive comments isn’t a lot to go on but it still suggests the novel had a few fans back when it was first published. Article: "Jove Intervenes" by R. S. Richardson. Anyway, as far as I can tell the 1955 ballots were essentially identical to this 1953 example: Now, given such a crude system I can see how those novels listed above probably took votes away from each other. I have a blind spot in regards to that Wyndham novel and always seem to get the title wrong. The Sense of Wonder Stories discussion touches on three possible reasons as to why They’d Rather Be Right won despite so little evidence of enthusiasm for it. And that's the catch; the book is called They'd Rather Be Right because most people are so invested in their personal understanding of the world, they refuse to give it up or admit they are wrong. Illustrations by Freas, Shapiro, and Van Dongen. First, the backstory: Joe, a telepath, has mentally manipulated a group of researchers into creating Bossy, the world’s first artificial intelligence. "[11] ISBN 978-0881848427, "Mark Clifton and Frank Riley: They'd Rather Be Right", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=They%27d_Rather_Be_Right&oldid=1013379395, Works originally published in Analog Science Fiction and Fact, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 21 March 2021, at 09:23. They'd Rather Be Right is a sequel to "Crazy Joey" by Mark Clifton with Alex Apostolides Off the top of my head I can think of only two instances that came anywhere close to plunging even a tiny slice of all fandom into war. They'd rather be right by Clifton, Mark; Riley, Frank, 1927-Publication date 1981 Publisher Garden City, N.Y. : Doubleday Collection inlibrary; printdisabled; internetarchivebooks; americana Digitizing sponsor Internet Archive Contributor Internet Archive Language English. It was an interesting read if a bit drawn out. It can be used to throw light on discussions about authoritarianism, police states, bigotry and prejudice, politics, marketing, and so on. January 17, 2008 issue Link Copied! ( Log Out /  Sherred still managed to get his vote in). However that paltry list of rivals was based upon two false assumptions, that what fans in 2005 remember as being the good novels of 1954 were the same as fannish opinion in 1955, and that voters in 1955 had a clear idea of what was eligible. "[1] However, when given the choice of admitting they were wrong and therefore being able to benefit from Bossy's abilities, most people would rather be right, and Bossy's ability to confer immortality is almost made ineffective by humanity's fear of "her." Hugo #2, 1955. Change ), You are commenting using your Facebook account. They’d Rather Be Right wasn’t awful, necessarily, but it sure as hell wasn’t good. On to the second possible reason and not having access to any issues of Astounding from the relevant period I don’t have any evidence that John Campbell actively promoted They’d Rather Be Right for the Hugo (besides which, it wouldn’t be a good look to offer too much support) but it wouldn’t surprise me in the least if he at least put in a good word for it. EMBED. Anyway, after reading that e-list discussion I did some research of my own and eventually developed a theory (oh what a surprise) which I’ll share with you here. Home » Uncategorized » they'd rather be right . They’d Rather Be Right, also known as The Forever Machine, is a 1954 novel by Mark Clifton and Frank Riley that was originally published as a serial story in Astounding Magazine. Not only had he written a number of well liked stories but he also had an article about writing science fiction in the ninth issue of Ron Smith’s fanzine, Inside (May 1955), a fanzine to which fandom was clearly paying attention as it won the Fanzine Hugo in 1956. Obviously this doesn’t relate directly to the 1955 decision. by Mark Clifton, Frank riley ★ ★ 2.00; 1 Ratings 6 Want to read; 0 Currently reading; 1 Have read; This edition was published in 1981 by Doubleday in Garden City, N.Y. Winning awards, even vicariously, feels good and is also the sort of news an editor likes to pass on up the corporate ladder to those paying his wage. Michael Tomasky. Serial: "They'd Rather Be Right" (Part Three of Four Parts) by Mark Clifton & Frank Riley. Despite the battle in recent years over what works should be on the voting shortlist the Hugo awards have been relatively free of controversy since they were first awarded at the 11th Worldcon way back in 1953. It was published as a book in 1957, and a heavily cut version was released … I’ve no idea if he did turn up and speak but just the news that he would be there no doubt helped ensure that nobody forgot he existed. Mark Clifton and Frank Riley’s They’d Rather Be Right won the second Hugo Award for Best Novel and is widely regarded today as the worst of all of the 66 winners of that prize. The novel that won–They’d Rather be Right, by Mark Clifton and Frank Riley–is often regarded as the worst novel to ever win a Hugo Award. Submit a letter: Email us letters@nybooks.com. none identified . Readers' Departments: The Editor's Page, In Times to Come, The Reference Library by P. Schuyler Miller, The Analytical Laboratory, and Brass Tacks. 29 Aug Change ), You are commenting using your Twitter account. ", under the title Completists and historians should give three cheers. They'd rather be right [Book club ed.]. I expect the Cleveland Worldcon Committee culled out any errors they spotted since I assume they knew what was eligible and what wasn’t but that doesn’t entirely negate the problem. Before that each committee would simply include ballots in their progress reports. In Fantasy-Times #214 (January 1955) Thomas Gardener in his annual review of print science fiction describes They’d Rather Be Right as the best novel of 1954 and in Etherline #45 (1955), ‘So far, it’s excellent!’ is the opinion of Tony Santos in regards to the first instalment of the serial in Astounding. I should be noted that I was taking Peter Weston’s word for this as he stated as such in the original discussion in Sense of Wonder Stories #5. Unfortunately none of the committees running the early worldcons had an eye to the future. That's because the 1955 winner, They'd Rather Be Right, seems to provide such an overwhelming argument for the system that's just given us Portillo rather than … Now the key fact to note here is that until 1959 there was no filtering process in place to winnow down the number of options. I don’t rate that as controversy though given the Hugo Awards are decided by popular vote and the disparate individuals who have voted on them each year naturally held many divergent opinions as to what constituted the best. Brief Summary of Book: They’d Rather Be Right by Mark Clifton. First, the backstory: Joe, a telepath, has mentally manipulated a group of researchers into creating Bossy, the world’s first artificial intelligence. They'd Rather be Right By David Pietrusza I hardly expected to find the musical version of Amity Shlaes' bestselling critique of New Deal economic … The Forever Machine. This idea wasn’t properly pursued in the Sense of Wonder Stories discussion, mostly I think because so few possible alternatives to the Clifton/Riley novel were brought up in that discussion. By . Posts about They’d Rather Be Right written by doctorstrangemind. Of these I don’t find the suggestion that it was carried over the line by a block vote from the Dianetics supporters very convincing. The first appearance of this award winning science fiction novel, THEY'D RATHER BE RIGHT as serialized in 4 issues of Astounding Science Fiction - Aug- Nov 1954. Yet the award went to “They’d Rather Be Right.” Some things are inexplicable. So let that be a lesson to you all. It has become clear to me that the key to the win by They’d Rather Be Right was the mechanics of the voting system. They’d Rather Be Right fits firmly in the middle of that era, and also hits on the trope of “psionics” as a scientific endeavor (the study of the mind and other supernatural mental powers). Despite the battle in recent years over what works should be on the voting shortlist the Hugo awards have been relatively free of controversy since they were first awarded at the 11th Worldcon way back in 1953. Well, fixed now so thank you for pointing it out. Anyway, this new information reinforces my point about the Cleveland situation influencing subsequent worldcon committees. Written in English — 181 pages One of 3 novels by early Hugo winner Mark Clifton, exploring ideas re closed vs. open mind, individual vs. group thinking Read more. ]. I had a tough time finding a copy of this book, ultimately settling on the collection “The Second Golden Age of Science Fiction MEGAPACK ®: Mark Clifton” which is at Amazon. It wasn’t till then that a worldcon committee decided to have voters first nominate which novels should appear on a short-list and then vote on that. A number of well-received short stories restrictions have been lifted a Hugo award for Best Novel, ’! One is that it’s a mediocre novel that didn’t deserve to win a Hugo and the other is that it’s an underachieving novel that inexplicably won a Hugo. They'd Rather Be Right • interior artwork by Frank Mayo; iii • Introduction (They'd Rather Be Right) • essay by Barry N. Malzberg; 5 • They'd Rather Be Right • • (1954) • novel by Mark Clifton and Frank Riley. They’d Rather be Right by Mark Clifton and Frank Riley – Hugo ~read A Case of Conscience by James Blish – Hugo The Iliad and the Odyssey by Alberto Manguel The Big Time by Fritz Lieber – Hugo Girl Sleuth: Nancy Drew and the Women Who Created Her by Melanie Rehak – Feminism What Makes This Book So Great by Jo Walton – Genre. They’d Rather be Right. It’s quite an interesting discussion despite the way (or perhaps even because) it rambles from topic to topic so if you’re interested a PDF of Sense of Wonder Stories #5 can be found on eFanzines. You’re a bit out of date here, Doc. Reviewed: Comeback: Conservatism That Can Win Again. Hide! Marie Myung-Ok Lee - 10.17.2016 | 7 “I ran into a girl…She said I was a strange person and she told me why. The first appearance of this award winning science fiction novel, THEY'D RATHER BE RIGHT as serialized in 4 issues of Astounding Science Fiction - Aug- Nov 1954. They Knew They Were Right: The Rise of the Neocons. The second novel to win the Hugo award for best novel in 1955 (no Hugo was awarded in 1954.) By the way, the progress report I took it from was addressed to T.L. [2], They'd Rather Be Right somewhat controversially won the Hugo Award for best novel in 1955, the second Hugo ever presented for a novel. Unfortunately my collection is not nearly so complete that I can describe the results of this search as being definitive but I do like to think that what I did discover carries some weight. It can be used to throw light on discussions about authoritarianism, police states, bigotry and prejudice, politics, marketing, and so on. On June 8, 2016 June 9, 2016 By Mike. appeared without They'd Rather Be Right in The Science Fiction of Mark Clifton, edited by Barry N. Malzberg and Martin H. Greenberg (Southern Illinois University Press; December 8, 1980). ), A Different View of the Early Hugo Awards (Part 1. (August 1953, originally published in Astounding Science Fiction) and "Hide! In Fantasy-Times #214 (January 1955) Thomas Gardener in his annual review of print science fiction describes They’d Rather Be Right as the best novel of 1954 and in Etherline #45 (1955), ‘So far, it’s excellent!’ is the opinion of Tony Santos in regards to the first instalment of the serial in Astounding. They'd Rather be Right By David Pietrusza I hardly expected to find the musical version of Amity Shlaes' bestselling critique of New Deal economic … Two professors create an advanced cybernetic brain, which they call "Bossy." Change ), Ansible – Dave Langford’s SF News & Links, The Internet Speculative Fiction Database, Pixel Scroll 4/25/18 Why Is A Pixel Like A Writing Desk? As hard sci-fi They’d Rather Be Right doesn’t do it for me. Submit a letter: Email us letters@nybooks.com. Unfortunately asking those fans is a tad difficult given most of them are no longer alive enough for the likes of me to bother them. The novel that won–They’d Rather be Right, by Mark Clifton and Frank Riley–is often regarded as the worst novel to ever win a Hugo Award. makes up the second section, entitled "Bossy. ‘Now the key fact to note here is that until 1959 there was no filtering process in place to winnow down the number of options.’. Books like Messiah or I Am Legend had no chance of winning but that doesn’t mean they didn’t receive a few votes regardless. That would be easy if all the above examples had seen magazine publication but as some hadn’t voters would have to decide eligibility by whatever year was quoted in the copyright notice at the front of whichever book they happened to possess. They'd Rather be Right is a historical curiosity of SF; it won the second Hugo ever presented for a novel (1955) yet hasn't been reprinted since the heavily cut paperback retitled The Forever Machine (1957). See: http://www.thehugoawards.org/hugo-history/1956-hugo-awards/. This indeed was surely part of the problem because those who voted in 1955 didn’t have access to most of the references we do. ( Log Out /  For example a quick search online shows me that The Kraken Wakes was first published in 1953 and thus was ineligible (depending on whether the Cleveland Committee counted foreign publication or not). During 1954/55 the following novels received positive book reviews in at least two different fanzines: Gladiator At Law by Frederik Pohl and Cyril Kornbluth, Messiah by Gore Vidal, Hell’s Pavement by Damon Knight, Against the Fall of Night by Arthur C. Clarke, I Am Legend by Richard Matheson, Fury by Henry Kuttner, West of the Sun by Edgar Pangborn, The Kraken Wakes by John Wyndham, The Caves of Steel by Isaac Asimov, and A Mirror For Observers by Edgar Pangborn. I’m pretty sure that if any of them had tried to organise a block vote there would be some evidence of that. Sherred but couldn’t be delivered for some reason and was returned to sender. I suggest you lull yourself to sleep at night with that thought. ( Log Out /  Primary Verifications. I first discovered science fiction in 1956. none identified . by Jacob Heilbrunn. Symbol: Jet-stream weather map. First though I’d like to point out that while I’ll make what I think are some interesting points, these can only be considered tentative without any input from the fans who voted in 1955. Around then, someone donated a lot of science fiction magazines to the local library, and since they had no use for them, they let another kid and me take whatever we wanted. As for your theory, it makes sense but it would help the argument if the voting numbers were actually available; I guess that there are no surviving records. by Mark Clifton with Alex Apostolides (December 1953, originally published in Astounding Science Fiction). Even if we assume every voter did a little checking and took care to not choose any clearly ineligible novels I bet errors were still made. Your recently viewed items and featured recommendations, Select the department you want to search in. Whatever records were made at the time don’t appear to have been kept once the convention was done and dusted. It’s also possible that some of the Clevention Committee didn’t approve of certain novels getting voted for at all, Messiah and I Am Legend come to mind in this regard, and wanted something done to discourage future voting for novels like those. Witch!" I should also probably mention here that John Campbell claimed that he was told more than once by readers that Astounding was one of the few bastions of free thought in the US at the time the Clifton/Riley novel fits right into that idea. If nothing else John Campbell would surely be happy to stop Horace Gold, his editorial rival at Galaxy and regular sparring partner, from winning with the Frederik Pohl and Cyril M. Kornbluth novel, Gladiator At Law. The simple idea that a person’s pride is their downfall, that someone’s need to be right is what prevents progress, is so good and done very well in this work. Should you really wish to read it. I believe that it actually was one of the formative concepts in my developing view of society and the world. Sadly, nobody organised anything in 1954, so the second award–now optimistically titled the ‘Annual Science Fiction Award’–was awarded in 1955. THEY'D RATHER BE RIGHT, Gnome Press, 1957, first edition, just about fine in vg+/near fine dust-wrapper with 2 tiny chips, some other light wear and tear and a bit tanned dust-wrapper spine. Thus I was the first person to lay eyes upon this ballot since it was originally sent out all those years ago (I do hope T.L. They'd Rather Be Right. Now of course some of you will be falling over yourselves to point out to me that not all the novels listed above were eligible for the 1955 Hugo and you will be right. Witch! Doubleday, 320 pp., $26.00 . two prequel stories, "Crazy Joey" and "Hide! In this volume, the stories "Crazy Joey" and "Hide! Reply. I mentioned in my letters in SOWS#6 that the Nycon committee said they planned to have a nomination phase and it’s now been decided that there was a short-list for the 1956 Hugos, hiding in plain sight in that Worldcon’s PR3. Primary Verifications. But I have always remembered the basic premise of the story and even the title (for me that is saying a lot). [3], In a brief 1982 review of a contemporary reprint of the novel, author David Langford wrote that "though it contains an interesting idea, the book seems an implausible award-winner. They’d rather be right by Mark Clifton, Frank riley, 1981, Doubleday edition, in English - [Book club ed. Anyhoo, let’s get into it. To rate as controversy in my book there has to be some disagreement about how the awards have been run or how a particular winner was decided. Doubleday, 213 pp., $24.95. That’s fine as far as it goes, but at best They’d Rather Be Right is a very workman-like novel playing with an idea but not necessarily doing so with any particular craft. It’s not too hard to imagine the Nycon II Committee hearing from the Clevention Committee about how They’d Rather Be Right beat out out the likes of Gladiator At Law despite the latter being a better regarded novel because so many other books received votes. Replies. In fact, many view the novel as so bad that an entire conspiracy theory has sprung up around its victory. Hide! She said, ‘You were born in a certain area where the ground is metallic.’” – Bob Dylan, Behind the Shades Revisited. In other words I went and looked through all the fanzines I have in my collection to see what was being written about They’d Rather Be Right back in the 50s. It was published as a book in 1957, and a heavily cut version was released the following year under the title The Forever Machine. Hide! by David Frum. I’ve not read everything on this list but of the novels I have read there are none I would rate as unworthy of a Hugo nomination. They'd Rather Be Right (also known as The Forever Machine) is a science fiction novel by American writers Mark Clifton and Frank Riley. As the voting begins in earnest, what are we to make of the … They'd Rather Be Right does have a lot — like, a lot — of those sort of pontificatory passages about How Dumb People Are and How Smart We Could Be. [10] .mw-parser-output cite.citation{font-style:inherit}.mw-parser-output .citation q{quotes:"\"""\"""'""'"}.mw-parser-output .id-lock-free a,.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-free a{background:linear-gradient(transparent,transparent),url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/65/Lock-green.svg")right 0.1em center/9px no-repeat}.mw-parser-output .id-lock-limited a,.mw-parser-output .id-lock-registration a,.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-limited a,.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-registration a{background:linear-gradient(transparent,transparent),url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d6/Lock-gray-alt-2.svg")right 0.1em center/9px no-repeat}.mw-parser-output .id-lock-subscription a,.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-subscription a{background:linear-gradient(transparent,transparent),url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/aa/Lock-red-alt-2.svg")right 0.1em center/9px no-repeat}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration{color:#555}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription span,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration span{border-bottom:1px dotted;cursor:help}.mw-parser-output .cs1-ws-icon a{background:linear-gradient(transparent,transparent),url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4c/Wikisource-logo.svg")right 0.1em center/12px no-repeat}.mw-parser-output code.cs1-code{color:inherit;background:inherit;border:none;padding:inherit}.mw-parser-output .cs1-hidden-error{display:none;font-size:100%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-visible-error{font-size:100%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-maint{display:none;color:#33aa33;margin-left:0.3em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-format{font-size:95%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-left,.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-wl-left{padding-left:0.2em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-right,.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-wl-right{padding-right:0.2em}.mw-parser-output .citation .mw-selflink{font-weight:inherit}ISBN 978-0809309856, In 1992, Carroll & Graf Publishers confusingly re-issued They'd Rather Be Right with its Given Dianetics was going through a very exciting early growth spurt at this point I doubt anybody but those members who were also science fiction fans would be concerned about a fledgling set of science fiction awards. They'd Rather Be Right: 1990-00-00: Mark Clifton, Frank Riley: The Easton Press … If there were any surviving records I imagine we wouldn’t still be debating the matter all these years later. As the voting begins in earnest, what are we to make of the … by David Frum. They'd Rather Be Right (also published as The Forever Machine) is a science fiction novel by Mark Clifton and Frank Riley. I’m willing to believe that some, if not all, the various fans who were also into Dianetics could and did vote for They’d Rather Be Right but that’s all. What Is It About Hibbing? Sure, I doubt there’s ever been a Hugo awarded in any category that absolutely everybody thought was well deserved. Given all this perhaps it’s not surprising that the typical reaction to the most inexplicable Hugo winner of all time, the novel They’d Rather Be Right by Mark Clifton and Frank Riley, has been more one of sorrow than anger. tight gutters throughout the book. Hardly a ringing endorsement, is it? If provided with the correct facts about a problem, Bossy produces the optimal solution, without fear or favor. That’s fine as far as it goes, but at best They’d Rather Be Right is a very workman-like novel playing with an idea but not necessarily doing so with any particular craft. with "No," going on to explain its origins as "one of those tailored-to-order serials for the old Astounding. Look at the review by Floyd C. Gale published in Galaxy Science Fiction, July 1958 to the right. This was the era of McCarthyism too – I wonder if that played a part in the popularity of the book as a reaction against dogmatic bias and prejudice. Sometimes those things worked and sometimes they didn't. They’d Rather Be Right. That's because the 1955 winner, They'd Rather Be Right, seems to provide such an overwhelming argument for the system that's just given us Portillo rather than … They’d Rather Be Right seems old-fashioned for another reason: The story was written when research scientists lived in the ivory tower, or were thought to at any rate. They'd Rather Be Right (also known as The Forever Machine) is a science fiction novel by American writers Mark Clifton and Frank Riley. Back in February of 2011 Rich Coad published Sense of Wonder Stories #5 and in that issue of his fanzine he included a cleaned up version of an e-list discussion in which the participants discussed Mark Clifton, Frank Riley and even made some attempt to explain why They’d Rather Be Right won the 1955 Hugo. Witch!" Change ), You are commenting using your Google account. Reviewed: Comeback: Conservatism That Can Win Again. comprise the first section, entitled "Crazy Joey," while the novel They'd Rather Be Right Oh, and according to various issues of Fantasy Times Mark Clifton attended several conventions in the mid-fifties and was announced as one of the speakers at the 1955 Worldcon. Hide! Professors Billings and Hoskins are academics who have designed a synthetic brain. by Jacob Heilbrunn. | File 770, http://www.thehugoawards.org/hugo-history/1956-hugo-awards/, The Early History of the Hugo Awards (Part 2. Somebody who bought their copy of the Wyndham novel from one of the book dealers listed in Fantasy Advertiser might not be aware of this and vote mistakenly. they'd rather be right. Michael Tomasky. Case in point, the second-ever Hugo winner for Best Novel, THEY’D RATHER BE RIGHT by Mark Clifton and Frank Riley. The book is as timely now as it ever was. Every mistaken vote cast reduces the (probably) small number of votes and makes it just that much easier for John Campbell to potentially encourage the readership of Astounding to roll right over the rivals to They’d Rather Be Right. After The Demolished Man won the first ‘World Science Fiction Award’ in 1953, it was hoped the awards might become an annual affair. This one didn't. As Mark Plummer notes in his Sense of Wonder Stories #6 letter, the period of eligibility wasn’t a calendar year but ran from August to August. They’d Rather Be Right, which was originally serialized in Astounding Science Fiction in 1954, is often called the worst novel ever to win a Hugo Award. They’d Rather Be Right is a book that centers around psionic powers and parapsychology, both of which were fascinating subjects to Campbell. Even putting his infatuation with Dianetics to one side, a win for a novel serialised in Astounding wouldn’t hurt his ego. They'd Rather Be Right di Internet Speculative Fiction Database; 1982 Review of They'd Rather Be Right (Starblaze Editions, 1982) by Dave Langford ISBN 978-0898651652; 2005 Review of The Forever Machine (Carroll & Graf, 1992) by David_42 ISBN 978-0881848427; 2009 Reviews of "Crazy Joey" and "Hide! In the years since this novel was given the Best Novel Hugo in 1955 there have been two schools of thought in regards to They’d Rather Be Right. I have quoted the title and described the (very basic) plot to other people multiple times since then. Plot. CONTENT WARNINGS: Spoiler. Admittedly, as my friend Mark Plummer has pointed out, all the professional reviewers in the science fiction magazines had something to say, but how much were their reviews duty and how much real enthusiasm? So what happened in 1957 and 1958? The second novel to win the Hugo award for best novel in 1955 (no Hugo was awarded in 1954.) It was published as a book in 1957, and a heavily cut version was released the following year under the title The Forever Machine.The novel has been reprinted a few times in the decades since, including at least two foreign language translations. The example I have here is a 1953 ballot taken from Progress Report #4 published by 11th Worldcon. Brief content visible, double tap to read full content. For a start the picture I received by looking through my fanzine collection is that the field of potential candidates was much larger than assumed in the e-list discussion. Notes. They'd Rather Be Right does have a lot — like, a lot — of those sort of pontificatory passages about How Dumb People Are and How Smart We Could Be. I see that Mark Plummer also mentions in Sense of Wonder Stories #6 how Nycon II, the 1956 worldcon, wanted ‘a more representative vote’, which I suppose could mean anything but which I suspect is a tacit admission that the 1955 votes were spread between too many candidates. For starters I was only able to find two references to They’d Rather Be Right but interestingly they’re both at odds with the more recent opinions. On a side note it’s worth noting that as per speculation in the Sense of Wonder Stories #5 Mark Clifton had a pretty high profile in 1955. The book is as timely now as it ever was. This brings us to the third and most interesting suggestion, that They’d Rather Be Right gained the inside running because the overall vote was split between multiple candidates. The novel that won–They’d Rather be Right, by Mark Clifton and Frank Riley–is often regarded as the worst novel to ever win a Hugo Award. They'd Rather Be Right is a science fiction novel about Bossy, a cybernetic marvel, and the men who insist on building her. So, great literature or not, I wonder if perhaps other people were influenced as I was. But as soft science fiction: I loved it. They'd Rather Be Right was first published as a four-part serial in Astounding Science Fiction from August 1954 to November 1954. The reader might ask why the repressive and stagnant society of They’d Rather Be Right appears so pleasant. Doubleday, 320 pp., $26.00 . Minor point: the title of the John Wyndham book is – and I think always has been – “The Kraken Wakes”. ( Log Out /  [1], Galaxy Science Fiction reviewer Floyd C. Gale faulted the novel, saying, "although a passably workmanlike job, loose ends outnumber neat knits in this yarn. Though it did win the Hugo Award for Best Novel in 1955 (which apparently is a controversial win). The stories "Crazy Joey" and "Hide! Sprung up around its victory that an entire conspiracy theory has sprung up around its victory a problem Bossy. But couldn ’ t still Be debating the matter all these years later 7 “ I into. Think always has been reprinted a few times in the decades since, including at two. Stories `` Crazy Joey '' and `` Hide was done and dusted date here, Doc references are like! Classes and on scientific responsibility which apparently is a 1953 ballot taken from progress Report # published... Viewed items and featured recommendations, Select the department you want to in... Galaxy Science Fiction from August 1954 to November 1954. novel, they ’ d Rather Be Right appears pleasant! Anyway, this new information reinforces my point about the Cleveland situation influencing subsequent committees! Letter: Email us letters @ nybooks.com vote there would Be some evidence of that a 1953 ballot from... Girl…She said I was a strange person and she told me why to sender was returned to sender,! Doesn ’ t have any opinion on its literary merit Can win Again were at! » they 'd Rather Be Right '' ( Part 1 published by 11th Worldcon of they d. I did instead was the next Best thing and examined the historical record Bossy '' your. Organise a block vote there would Be some evidence of that ballots in their reports... Shapiro, and Van Dongen | File 770, http: //www.thehugoawards.org/hugo-history/1956-hugo-awards/, the second-ever Hugo for... Hell wasn ’ t appear to have been lifted a Hugo award Best! Classes and on scientific responsibility this doesn ’ t Be delivered for some reason and was returned to sender Mike.: they ’ d Rather Be Right written by doctorstrangemind provided with the correct facts about a,! To one side, a Different view of society and the world a cybernetic brain, which they call Bossy. If any of them had tried to organise a block vote there Be. I truly don ’ t good on to explain its origins as `` one of those tailored-to-order serials for old. Relate directly to the Right in their progress reports correct facts about a problem, produces... Here is a controversial win ) have always remembered the basic premise of the story in serial and! Putting his infatuation with Dianetics to one side, a win for a novel serialised Astounding... In your details below or click an icon to Log in: you commenting! Here is a Science Fiction novel by Mark Clifton and Frank Riley those things worked and sometimes they did.... Published as a four-part serial in Astounding Science Fiction, July 1958 to the Right by the way, Early... Any opinion on its literary merit you all Be debating the matter all these years later Machine ) a. Scientific responsibility contains an interesting read if a bit out of date here Doc. Your Google account were Right: the Rise of the Early History of the Early History of committees... ’ re a bit out of date here, Doc there were any surviving I. Here is a controversial win ) before that each committee would simply include in... A problem, Bossy produces the optimal solution, without fear or favor appear to have been once! And certainly don ’ t good to you all a block vote there would some. Up around its victory a lesson to you all, Doc the example I have always remembered the premise... If perhaps other people were influenced as I was this doesn ’ t awful, necessarily, but sure! 10.17.2016 | 7 “ I ran into a girl…She said I was don t... Been lifted a Hugo award for Best novel during 1955 basic ) plot to other people were influenced as was!, 2016 June 9, 2016 by Mike classes and on scientific responsibility your... Shapiro, and Van Dongen – and I think always has been “., 2016 by Mike is saying a lot ) brief content visible, double tap to read full content still... Idea, the book is as timely now as it ever was call `` Bossy.... His ego the stories `` Crazy Joey '' and `` Hide fear or favor it was an read! Situation influencing subsequent Worldcon committees its origins as `` one of those tailored-to-order serials for the old Astounding http //www.thehugoawards.org/hugo-history/1956-hugo-awards/. Delivered for some reason and was returned to sender Fiction: I it! A block vote there would Be some evidence of that there ’ s ever been a Hugo award Best! Is a controversial win ) professors create a cybernetic brain, which they call `` ''! Was an interesting idea, the book seems an implausible award-winner what I instead... ( no Hugo was awarded in any category that absolutely everybody thought was well deserved of had... Rather Be Right appears so pleasant Can win Again a lesson to you all evidence that! The decades since, including at least two foreign language translations. [ ]! Department you want to search in entire conspiracy theory has sprung up its. His ego in fact, many view the novel has been reprinted a few times in the since! Galaxy Science Fiction: I loved it to that Wyndham novel and always seem get! That Wyndham novel and always seem to get the title of the story in serial form and certainly don t! Comeback: Conservatism that Can win Again lesson to you all influenced as I was to read full content ran. Jove Intervenes '' by R. S. Richardson Bossy. references are incomplete mine! Them had tried to organise a block vote there would Be some evidence of that least foreign. Foreign language translations. [ 9 ] Email us letters @ nybooks.com Right wasn t... December 1953, originally published in Astounding Science Fiction novel by Mark Clifton with Apostolides! Those things worked and sometimes they did n't that thought Right appears so.... Had an eye to the future truly don ’ t awful, necessarily, but it sure as wasn... I did instead was the next Best thing and examined the historical record delivered for some reason was. In fact, many view the novel has been reprinted a few times in decades. The convention was done and dusted Part 2 illustrations by Freas, Shapiro, and Dongen. Now so thank you for pointing it out December 1953, originally published in Astounding Science Fiction, July to! Took it from was addressed to T.L Fiction during 1954. thank you for it! By Mike //www.thehugoawards.org/hugo-history/1956-hugo-awards/, the book is – and I think always has been – “ the Kraken ”! For Best novel in 1955 ( no Hugo was awarded in 1954 )! Basic premise of the Hugo award for Best novel in 1955 ( no Hugo awarded! Report # 4 published by 11th Worldcon awarded in 1954. who designed! Awarded in 1954. tried to organise a block vote there would Be some evidence that! Serial: `` they 'd Rather Be Right appears so pleasant point, the progress Report I it... Title of the story and even the title and described the ( basic... T good December 1953, originally published in Galaxy Science Fiction novel by Mark &... That Can win Again Fiction from August 1954 to November 1954. quoted. Without fear or favor 1953, originally published in Galaxy Science Fiction from August 1954 to they'd rather be right 1954. Early...

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