Hilarious collection of entries into a bad written contest that challenges contributors to craft the worst possible opening sentence for a novel. Possibly more enjoyable for those who write prose, but definitely amusing for anyone that enjoys reading. ( )

I loved this book, even though it made me seek out Bulwer-Lytton himself. Much to my combined amusement and dismay. ( )

Not exactly a laugh-a-thon, but good for a few snickers (especially the "Vile Puns" section). Many of the entries are brilliant in the manner of "someone impersonating a drunk on ice skates," as the introduction's metaphor goes. It offers good exercise for writers like me. I attempted to parse what made each entry a bad opening line. I'm not sure I've passed, since some of these false starts had genuine hooks to them, I thought (how did someone drown in their sleep? I want to know.) I think some of the entries are more subtle, where perhaps the sentences themselves aren't bad but suggest the (non-existent) novel to follow would be bad by implication. I won't go hunting for more in this series, but one was fun to read. ( )

Over time, I've become less and less of a fan of the Bulwer-Lytton Contest and more of a fan of the "little Lytton" one.

The main issue I had is that, absent any limit, the openings tend to go on and on, often giving off the feeling that the author is just trying far too hard. Put a bunch of them together in one volume, and the problem becomes unavoidable.

Ultimately good for the occasional chuckle, but primarily tedious otherwise. ( )

This selection from the best (if that is the word) entries to the first of what became an annual bad-writing contest: a challenge "to compose the worst possible opening sentence for an imaginary novel" is crammed with snippets of entertaining monstrosities. I will not cite them here: the book entirely deserves your attention. ( )