Hello and welcome!

This group is for the discussion of bad science fiction and =d fantasy book covers, with particular reference to the trove of such things on the website Good Show Sir. Anybody with an interest in science fiction and fantasy are is welcome to join and air their views.

However, I'm pinching a rule from another LT group, The Green Dragon: no politics or religion. Plenty of groups on LT for those already. This group is to be a place for cheerful discussion among friends.

First.

Welcome @TorMented, @sakerfalcon and @ScoLgo!

Took 4 tries but here I am!

I got some sci-fi covers in with the cookbooks, but none suitable for our home. It did beat having to squint at blurry pictures of traffic lights.

>4 GSSex-noob: Welcome indeed, GSSxn!

I m interesting in sci fi and fantasy

Hi, everyone!

Hammy present and reporting for duty!

>6 CanetteArilleBooks: Welcome, Canette!

Welcome @Hammy_JLK and @CanetteArlleBooks! Special welcome to @clamairy, whom I'm ridiculously delighted to find here. (@clamairy is one of the creators of the Green Dragon, and has been a GD stalwart since forever.)

>6 CanetteArilleBooks: I note your profile says that you're an author. LT has groups for authors. I'm not one myself, but you might find the group Hobnob with Authors interesting and/or useful.

>9 haydninvienna: Thank you! You didn't know I have a special fondness for terrible (wonderful) album and book covers?

I have joined, probably as a lurker. Someone has to keep an eye on you folks.

>12 MrsLee: You're very welcome.Goodness knows, GSS is a rowdy bunch.

Well, here I am: better late than never!
(This is Bruce, in case the "bam" doesn't give it away. :) )

>14 bam2001: Welcome, Bruce! (Took me about 0.00004 seconds to work it out.)

Wonder if we could persuade DSWBT out of obscurity ...

Not sure why I can reply here and "Error connecting" but not on the Frankenstein post, or to add a new topic to put in the pix I did on the main site a few days ago.

Every time I go to the Frank comments, it says I need to log in... and when I do and go back, the same.

I've reloaded and turned off ad blockers to no avail.

>17 GSSex-noob: Sorry, no idea. There doesn't seem to be anything unusual about the Frankenstein thread. Best I can do is to suggest that if it continues, you post in the Bug Collectors group (https://www.librarything.com/ngroups/897/Bug-Collectors) giving details of your device, operating system, browser and as much info as you can about how and when it happens.

To create a new topic in this group, go to https://www.librarything.com/ngroups/24253/Good-Show-Sir and click "Post a new topic". (If that button doesn't appear or is greyed, that would be worth a bug report in itself. I can see it and it works for me, but I'm the group admin.) The procedure for posing images in a topic is a bit convoluted, regrettably. The shortest description I know of of the process starts here: https://www.librarything.com/topic/177029#7522745 and continues for the next few posts. Note that only certain image file types are supported, and there's a limit of 3.9Mb.

Just noticed that @NomadUK has joined our happy little crew: hello and welcome! Odd: I should get a notification when a new member joins, and I don't seem to have done.

>17 GSSex-noob: Very odd. At least 2 LTers who are not members of the Good Show Sir group have managed to post in that thread. Tomorrow I might have to post a plea for help somewhere: I have no idea what the problem might be.

@haydninvienna: Many thanks. BC and I need it explained like we're much older than we actually are.

1. Getting an image into an LT post: this is something that LT doesn't do as well as it might. There are two ways, one of which is permanent; the other isn't, quite.

2. The permanent one requires you to have the image in your member gallery or junk drawer. To see your member gallery, click "Home" from any LT page and you will be taken to your own home page. (NB this works only if you are logged in.) At the top of the page is a two-row menu bar. The lower row has "Home" at its left and then, second from the right hand end, "Gallery". Click "Gallery" and you get your member gallery page. There is a menu at the left from which you can see your junk drawer. Your member gallery is visible to anyone who cares to look at your profile; the junk drawer isn't. Officially the junk drawer is for images that you want to link to in Talk pages but you can use either. Near the top right of either page is a large blue button titled "Add Picture". Click it and a dialog headed "Upload image" should open. This dialog needs to be read carefully because there is a lot in it. First, you can either "choose file" (for uploading from your device) or capture an image from the web by entering its URL. Then you choose whether to add it to your member gallery or your junk drawer. — there is a drop-down for this. There are other text boxes but it's not obligatory to do anything with them. Then click "Upload Image".

3. Once the upload completes, you will see your member gallery or junk drawer, whichever you uploaded the image to. The image should be there. Right-click on it and choose the appropriate menu selection to copy a link to the image (for me on Safari, this is "copy image address"; I think in Firefox it's "copy image link"; dunno about any other browsers).

4. Now go to wherever you want to insert the image (such as in a Talk post like this). Enter this text including the opening and closing triangular brackets: . (I have this as a system-wide macro on my Mac — very handy.) Paste the copied address of the image into that text instead of the bit from "http" to "jpg" (but leaving the double quotes there). Don't worry about the height and width settings just yet. You have now created a link to the image in your member gallery. The image should be displayed if you click "Preview". If that's all you do you will get the default width and height settings; if you don't like the result you can go back and put some numbers into either one (the units are pixels BTW) and fiddle with it till it looks right — click Preview to see the effect of what you've done. You need to set only one; the system will set the other proportionately.

5. A quirk: if you upload from eg a phone you get the default orientation for the device, which may not be what you want. Doing a tiny edit (any edit) on the image and re-savng it before you upload it is said to solve this issue. That reminds me that LT will allow only a few image formats and the default iPhone one is not one of them. You have to save the image as a .jpg or .png before uploading it.

6. I said there was a less permanent way. You can link to an image on the web directly (if the image is in one of the supported formats) by inserting its web address in the text I mentioned in para 4. This will work for as long as the image stays at that web address. We all know how permanent web addresses are, don't we?

That's it. There are some screenshots of stages in the process in the description I mentioned in >18 haydninvienna: . I haven't done any because doing them is a mild PITA but I will if anyone thinks it necessary.

Hey @haydeninvienna, have you considered putting something in the About section? Our title doesn't immediately suggest "bad sf covers" and who knows, it might be just what someone needs.

Welcome @bam2001!

And welcome @paradoxosalpha!

Hi all. I am a longtime GSS reader and rare poster there. I am sad to learn of the likely demise of the site. I am an earnest fan of much of the now-unfashionable art that used to appear on sf/f paperback covers, from BAF to DAW to Mayflower Moorcocks. Contrary to the GSS Admin post from this week, I don't think the more "tasteful" covers you see today are a great improvement.

I also think the GSS peanut gallery had days when it was the funniest thing on the whole Interwebs.

>26 paradoxosalpha: Hello! Glad to see another devotee of old covers popping up here. Feel free to post any classic covers you come across.

And agreed on the funny. Many's the time I'd be reduced to helpless laughter by the commentariat.

And welcome @EndofDiskOne!

Hello @EndodDiskOne. Good to have you here. Please jump right in if you find any terrible covers. If not, just make a snarky/thoughtful/off-topic comment on any of our existing ones.

Haydn, is EDO another recruit you've found from the Green Dragon, like Mrs. Lee? She's added some quality comments here -- i enjoyed the music discussion.

We are serious about nothing but fun here.

>29 GSSex-noob: I think @EndofDiskOne is another former GSS-er who has found their way here. @MrsLee is a quality person in every way, but she recruited herself. Rightly so. You could do lots worse than read her threads in the Green Dragon and Cookbookers groups (likewise with some of the other LTers who found their way here, such as @clamairy, @sakerfalcon and @paradoxosalpha).

>30 haydninvienna: Confirmed that @EndofDiskOne is another respected GSS denizen. If he cares to post here sharing his old handle, you will know which one, but I'm not going to blow his cover.

>30 haydninvienna: *smooch*

>32 MrsLee: Aw, gee, shucks ...

>31 haydninvienna: I have found my way here to Library Thing based on GSS xN's recommendations prior to the most recent (and possibly final "Error establishing a database connection".

Formerly "Ryan", and before that "Wilbur" as a commentator on GSS.

Now, let's see if I can post covers?



...Seventeen attempts later... Success! Mostly!

Anyways, my wife and daughter and I look forward to continued GSS-style japery via the medium of questionable cover illustrations from our favorite SciFi books.

Ryan!!! Finder of excellent covers on his vacations! Provider of likely our last GSS cover, which was formerly owned by me. Glad you joined us here.

That one is an eye-popper too. Not sure about the human's sword grip. Or the quote -- praising with faint damns there, Ted?

And welcome @Bookmarque (who I know is really, really good at finding weird covers).

Thanks much! I don't read much SF or F at all, but I love a crazy cover. Take this for example -



I mean, I can kind of see a person who only knows the movies and Frankenberry cereal coming up with this, but...ah, it's a bit of a stretch.

>37 Bookmarque: I thought those were made of pasta at first glance. Greetings, Bookmarque (excellent name BTW)

Anyway, newer LT members here, please post your amazing finds in their own thread so they don't get lost here.

(just in the short time we've been here, we've gotten two WTF Frankenstein covers; it's truly a classic)

Oh yeah, Frankenstein covers run all over the map from gorgeous and compelling to head-scratching. I'm happy to contribute either where appropriate.

>37 Bookmarque: I think these are the parts leftover after building the creature. If you have ever done any putting together of furniture, you know there are extra parts at the end.

That's it! The monster came flat pack!

>41 Bookmarque: But there's no Allen wrench!

I guess it was bespoke. The rest of us will have to wait till MØNSTÜR hits the market.

(In sad news, I had to have the cat put down Thursday. Short illness and he was 18, so not that bad. Had friends with and the staff was really OTT kind.)

>43 GSSex-noob: Always hard to lose or furry friends. *Hugs*

My cat is going through a health scare right now, but he seems to be on the mend. He's only 10.

>45 paradoxosalpha: It went as well as it could, but the house is certainly too quiet and still without my little furry chaos machine.

Hope yours improves soon.

>43 GSSex-noob: Sorry to hear about your gato.

I lost my kitty to a heart issue three years ago at the age of only 9 1/2. I still can't bring myself to have another around.

>47 Hammy_JLK: They are the best. Yours was so young! The cat I had before/overlapping this one made it to 20. Shortest-lived cat I had was 14; Mom had to have my childhood/teen kitty put down while I was off at college.

So sorry to hear. My neighbor lost his dog last week, and he's pretty devastated: I don't know how well I'll handle my dog when his time comes (which may not be much too longer. He's 14 going on 15 and both deaf and blind, if still energetic in his pursuit of snacks).

I would just like to complain that it was 102 degrees today. The previous record high for this date was 77. 25 degrees lower!

Bruce, the kitty who made it to 20 was deaf and blind for a couple of years before she died. But I don't know how it goes with dogs; cats exist in a much smaller size range.

>50 GSSex-noob: You may have noticed that the Green Dragon has a Weather Check-In topic. Both complaints and brags are welcome.

>>43 GSSex-noob: >47 Hammy_JLK: Belatedly, sorry about your kitties. I always used to be a cat person until we had a couple of mixed breed pups dumped on us. Backstory: the woman who did it was a breeder of Parson Russell terriers (I hesitate to call her a friend). One of her bitches got into a romantic encounter with, we think, a red heeler (Australian Cattle Dog, but the tan colour phase). The two pups we got, both female, were built like heelers but with Jack Russell colouring. We were asked "do you want them because if not I'm putting them down." So, Mrs H being a sucker for animals, we took them. Free dogs! Cost us huge sums in chewed furniture and then quarantine etc to ship them to England from Australia. Both ended up being put down for age and infirmity at about 14 years old.

The Wikipedia article on the Australian Cattle Dog is pretty spot-on about their temperament, particularly about their protectiveness. One night in England a would-be burglar got into the house and unexpectedly met Paris* coming the other way ready to defend her people. I'm not sure he's stopped running yet.

*Their names, given them by the breeder, were Nikki and Paris. Oh dear.

And while we're about it, welcome @TimSharrock!

>52 haydninvienna: Hooray! Hi Tim!

(it's "only" 98 today)

>52 haydninvienna: Hi, Tim!

Only up to 91 today here. I'm hoping it cools off in a week or two.

>51 haydninvienna: The Australian Cattle Dog also makes for a successful TV star.

The "Australian" Shepherd is actually Californian.

A friend was often complimented on how well-behaved her young sons were. She replied, "They were raised by show dogs" -- German Shepherds. Although when the family moved from one story to two, the dogs really fretted about the stairs.

Another new member. Welcome @eclbates!

>56 haydninvienna: Hello, @eclbates! Jump right in, we have NO formalities.

Pre-reqs: the ability to laugh at terrible SFF covers, and an appreciation for jokes, puns, and the occasional digression into side topics, such as the lovely folksong detour we took thanks to @MrsLee.

Contribute anything that smacks your gob, but only if you really want to.

Does anyone else go back "home" periodically and be sad but not surprised to get the database error?

All praise to @haydninvienna for saving Sarnath. Bokrug will eat him last.

As chronic LT user who just kept GSS in my LT homepage quicklinks, I'm afraid I deleted the link after the crew moved in here.

I still have the link on my start page. I should at least replace it with this one...

Welcome @dukedom_enough!

Hi @dukedom_enough!

We are harmless and friendly. All we ask is that you laugh at bad sci-fi and fantasy covers.

Haydn, what about a generic chat/SFF-related thread?

Just for amusing things we come across, like TIL "Alien: Romulus" is coming out on VHS in addition to the usual formats. Or for personal triumphs/tragedies.

(Home base is up today!)

>63 GSSex-noob: No sooner said ...: What's on your mind?

And welcome @bchiclitz! Good to see another one of the stalwarts finding their way here!

>65 haydninvienna: I needed BC here for the comments and help labeling Jaunty Hips, which as you know was our continuing campaign to be a hashtag over t'old place and was roundly ignored.

Despite waves at everything, I hope my fellow Americans had a nice holiday weekend.

As is traditional, I overate and watched the parade and dog show. Wholesome as heck, with added local wine.

Welcome @amanda4242!

>68 haydninvienna: I looked at her profile and what she has listed is both eclectic and awesome.

Should fit perfectly in here!

Welcome @daard23 (a name I seem to remember from Another Place)!

>70 haydninvienna: Yes, always good to see an old friend!

I have an issue of Astounding from Jan. 1945. Still in one piece, I only had to tape the back cover on.

Some pretty good stories, and the ads are a hoot. Cover only has a rocket on it, sorry.

If anyone in the US is interested, I can send it to them for only the cost of postage.

>72 GSSex-noob: Hmm. The ISFDB (was curious about the contents) shows a cover with some dude really reaching for that diving height record. https://isfdb.org/wiki/images/1/1c/ASTJAN1945.jpg

>73 bam2001: You're right. 80 years of cheap paper being stored in unknown conditions isn't kind to colors, or to the ink even staying on.

He's going to have a hot time pretty soon, Mixed Man or not.

Maybe I should have made this a submission instead!

Welcome @VulpeVibeVixenVivy!

Welcome @absurdeist!

Thanks. I've been enjoying catching up on the comic relief!

>77 absurdeist: Welcome welcome!

>77 absurdeist: Hello! So glad to have you here!

Welcome @AndyHolland!

Welcome, new folk!

Can't believe I didn't look in here for almost a week.

However, continuing my viewing of OTT outfits and lasers, I am watching Day 2 of Eurovision.

And welcome @cpaulanavarro!

>83 haydninvienna: thank you! Happy to be here

>84 cpaulanavarro: Hello! Always good to have a new friend.

Yet another new friend! Welcome @Scott_beeler!

>86 haydninvienna: Yay!

And another: welcome @Oswestrian!

Welcome @stochasticooze! (BTW great username for this group.)

Stochasticooze ought to be something on a sci-fi cover; not sure if title or art.

>90 GSSex-noob:

I was about to say it could be both, but then I remembered which group this is. We can't have appropriate covers!

>91 AndreasJ: Yeah, but supposing the book AND the art were both ludicrous and terrible?

>92 GSSex-noob:

Then they need to be ludicrous and terrible in incompatible ways.

>93 AndreasJ: I'm sure we've had that, particularly with the "slap a random trippy image on the cover, never mind if it doesn't match the story" idea so prevalent in the 60s-70s paperbacks.

Welcome @mortismedia!

Welcome @RubyBook! Steady trickle of new faces ...

Still they come. Welcome @aquila!

>97 haydninvienna: uh oh...that's Gollum!

Hello newcomers! Dive right in, we're friendly. Except to bad art.

>98 absurdeist: Yes we is, Preciouss!

Another new member! Welcome @Anakrin!

New people! Jump right in.

I sure miss Mrs. Lee, though.

Another new mmeber: welcome @volkameria!

Yay! Jump in, the water's fine. If a bit silly.

Thanks @haydninvienna and @GSSex-noob, I love silly water! 🤪 And silly covers too. Never heard of GSS before librarything but this is amazing.

>105 winterhugel: That's the spirit! Sorry you didn't find us sooner, but glad you're here now.

I see we have a new member called @SatanasAdversarius. Normally I would of course weicome them, but I don't see how I can since they're unreal.

Nothing against naming yourself for an imaginary character. Particularly in this sub!

Another one! Welcome @prosfilaes!

And another! Welcome @Interstellar_Octopus!

>110 haydninvienna: :)

>111 Interstellar_Octopus: I'm sure we've seen you on some of our covers!

And welcome @Hammy_JLK (and about time too!).

>112 GSSex-noob: only the good ones ;)

>113 haydninvienna: Thanks! I was a member before, somehow kicked myself out of the group so had to re-subscribe....

>115 Hammy_JLK: I thought I'd seen you in here before!

>114 Interstellar_Octopus: Listen, nothing beats this https://www.isfdb.org/cgi-bin/pl.cgi?112311
and most especially the re-enactment of it I was in... the computer I had that on died, does anyone have that GSS post saved?

@Hammy_JLK: Wondered what happened!

And welcome @TheLOFT!

>117 GSSex-noob: I would read the book behind that cover in three heartbeats cause how many hearts an octopus has. Sword fighting an octopus? sickkk

>119 Interstellar_Octopus: I do wish we had available the re-enactment that was done at a con I attended. I played one of the bored background women. The octopus was 3 people under a jacket, one wielding an iPhone.

>117 GSSex-noob: As you requested, GSS-xn! The Mother Lode is up (temporarily?), so here's the link...

https://www.goodshowsir.co.uk/?p=13293

Unfortunately, Lee Moyer's site throws 404s when I click on the recreations.

I did save the page to my computer, so if someone needs it to be uploaded, I can try.

>121 Hammy_JLK: As long as you've archived the GSS page, that's all we need here. I particularly thought @Interstellar_Octopus needed to see the full glory.

Also in a hard disk failure, I lost my copy, so much thanks.

The ones I was in or witnessed were Leviathan's Deep, Swords in the Mist, Discovery, Sanctuary in the Sky, and Crabs 2 (the first one, with Lee himself wielding the chopsticks).

>122 GSSex-noob: Yoo this is sick. Some very accurate cover re-enactments on this page. The octopus one makes me think how cool it would be to make a Giant Pacific Octopus puppet with like a few people concealed inside the head-area controlling the tentacles. Now I want to enlist some talented people to make a big puppet and then write a puppet play to have an excuse to use it.

Welp.

>123 Interstellar_Octopus: Glad you liked it. I'm sure you could find people to do it, but then there's financing, writing the play and rehearsing it, and finding some place to put it on and other characters, and...

And welcome @RobertDay!

>125 haydninvienna: He's most welcome after the cover he found!

>125 haydninvienna:, >126 GSSex-noob: Thanks! But I hope that's not setting a standard I have to carry on living up to (or down to, depending on your viewpoint)... :-)

Christmas welcome @Nightmusic!

And while I'm about it, a happy whatever-you-celebrate to all the denizens of this, our own little private looney-bin!

>127 RobertDay: Like all of us, you call 'em as you see 'em. In this case though, you mentioned in your review how dreadful the cover was. As admin of this fine group, my duty was clear.

>129 Nightmusic: Love it!

Just to make it clear, anything we might say here isn't necessarily a comment about the books these covers adorn (or whatever they do). There's lots of examples of good books with awful, GSS-worthy covers.

Example:

East of Laughter is probably a good book, given that it's by Lafferty, but OMG that cover!

>130 haydninvienna: Her face, dear heavens. Can she even focus on the satyr?

I think we are even more horrified when a terrible cover appears on a great book. Extra insulting.

>130 haydninvienna: My immediate first thought was 'Ecce Monkey":

https://www.reddit.com/r/pics/comments/ykyww/an_old_church_in_spain_needed_to_re...

>132 RobertDay: Yes! I knew it reminded me of something.

Then you got the strangely placed boobs and the too-skinny legs once you're past the face.

I remember “East of Laughter” from the previous site. In particular I remember my first glance at it and my initial confusion over just what she is stroking.

>134 TorMented: Well, the other one is a satyr ...

I remember it too. Apparently RAL hated this cover — don't blame him.

>133 GSSex-noob: I can't get over how large the satyr's left hand is. Yes, it's supposed to look bigger since it's closer to the reader than his right, but it's way too big even with that considered. Maybe he stepped on it himself and it swelled up....

>130 haydninvienna: Never read East of Laughter, but I do remember a short story by RA Lafferty, "Hands of the Man". An excellent introduction to Lafferty, IMO.

>137 Hammy_JLK: I thought so too. Neither character on this cover is in proportion. To themselves, even.

As we used to say, feet are hard to draw. But hooves are easy.
What does she have in her right hand? I think it is supposed to be a floppy hat like the femme fatale would wear when sauntering into Philip Marlowe’s office.

>140 TorMented: hooves are easy

Idle legs end in the devil's trotters!

The only other credit for artist Neil McCall in isfdb.org is this perfectly respectable Lafferty cover:

>140 TorMented: I agree. Which makes me wonder about the hair bow and hairdo; do they get all squished when she's wearing the hat?

I see the convenient fog has eliminated the need to draw her feet. Which are probably as weird as her face and boobs.

>142 paradoxosalpha: Well, everyone has an off day, I suppose... And a commissioning editor anxious to make a production deadline might very well accept an artist's second-best (or worse) if it means getting a project out of the door.

Thus bringing us hours of harmless amusement :-)

>143 GSSex-noob: I couldn't tell if she's carrying a hat (because of the reddish oval in it that suggests the inside of the crown) or a jacket with hideous patterns (because of the hair bow).

It does look more like a hat, though, which still doesn't explain how she'll wear it with the hair bow and high ponytail.

>132 RobertDay: Apropos of this, I saw that Cecelia Gimenez, the lady who did that painting, passed away recently. Once the world took notice, apparently tourist visits to the church jumped about tenfold, so it may have been a good thing after all - Cecelia sold other artworks on eBay and donated to a Catholic charity, and the tourist money has provided hundreds of thousands of Euros to help pay for the town's care home for the elderly.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/dec/30/cecilia-gimenez-monkey-christ-mura...

Another new one. Welcome @ME_Forest!

>147 haydninvienna: Always good to see new folks popping in.

Another one of us: welcome @jdavidhacker!

Gosh, two in two days. Welcome @Bibliospiral!

Wow, new people! Hello!

Two new people! Welcome @baroquem and @Diabolical_DrZ!

I wonder if they read the newsletter?

And another one! Welcome @FleetSparrow!

Yes had not heard of it except for the newsletter. Very fun slowly going through threads. Thanks to founders and contributors

We're always glad to expand our merry band of snarkers.

And another! Welcome @AydenJBolden!

>157 haydninvienna: Hello!

>158 AydenJBolden: Hope you enjoy your stay! Hours of fun looking through the old threads -- and much better for you than doomscrolling.

My goodness! Five new members! Welcome @Richardcun, @CA2Balloon, @Bargle5, @chaws and @barefootsong! All: note well what >159 GSSex-noob: said.

I think I'm going to start an "introduce yourself" thread.

Another new member — welcome @rretzler!

Hello, newcomers! Welcome, welcome!

>161 haydninvienna: My sad attempt at a sci-fi wave.

>163 rretzler: Hm. Hands are a lot easier to draw than feet, apparently.

>164 Hammy_JLK: You can trace hands and everyone will recognize them from the outline.

>163 rretzler: Not sad at all. I like this. Thank you, I think you'll fit right in here.

>165 GSSex-noob: Apparently I have been out of kindergarten too long. ;-)

>163 rretzler: That Limbo hand is actually good; shame about the rest of it.

>168 GSSex-noob: True!

>168 GSSex-noob: I have a question about the "Limbo" cover blurb.

Why is it "Orwell", but "Mr. Huxley"?

It looks to me like the Mr. was thrown in to make the top three lines of equal length.

Welcome @WildMaggie!

>172 haydninvienna: Welcome indeed. Always happy to see another woman here.