- Evil Overlord List
The Evil Overlord List, also known as If I Were An Evil Overlord, is one of several popular lists of planned actions for a competent Evil Overlord to avoid the well-known blunders committed by Evil Overlords in popular fictional works, typically explained in a comical fashion. The lists were compiled by
science fiction fans over a number of years, and copies of the list that can be found on the Internet vary in number and order of entries.History
The most famous specific lists, both referred to as the Evil Overlord List, were developed concurrently. Both were published to the web in the early 1990s. The original, if lesser-known list was compiled in 1990 by members of the now-defunct
FidoNet Science Fiction and Fandom (SFFAN) email echo. The FidoNet list originated with a 1988 Saturday Night Live skit featuring Bond Villains touting a book "What Not To Do When You Capture James Bond". The FidoNet list arose out of discussions regarding what sort of advice might be in that book.The later-produced yet more famous version of the list was compiled in 1994 by Peter Anspach (hence it is occasionally titled "Peter's Evil Overlord List") based on informal discussions at conventions and on online bulletin boards in the early 1990s, [Peter Anspach, "Peter's Evil Overlord List" [http://www.eviloverlord.com/lists/overlord.html] (accessed September 26, 2006)] and has subsequently become one of the best-known parodies of bad SFF writing, frequently referenced online (such as by
User Friendly ). It was originally The Top 100 Things I'd Do If I Ever Became An Evil Overlord, but grew over 100 entries.Despite predating the Anspach list's existence, the FidoNet list was published later, and thus never gained the wide notoriety of the former list.
Both Peter Anspach and Jack Butler (the compiler and publisher of the FidoNet list) acknowledge the other list's existence. Both also state that their two lists have been so cross-pollinated over the years as to become effectively identical.
The Evil Overlord List has led to spinoffs, including lists for
stock characters including (but not limited to) heroes, henchmen, sidekicks, the Evil Overlord's Accountant, andStarfleet captains. [ cite web |url=http://www.sff.net/paradise/overlord.html |title=Stupid Plot Tricks - The Evil Overlord Devises a Plot |accessdate=2006-12-14 ]Usage
In
Australia , a minor literary scandal erupted in1997 when it emerged that award-winning authorHelen Darville plagiarised this list for her regular column inBrisbane 'sCourier-Mail newspaper, which led to her being fired. [David Greason, "The Review - TZADIK," Australia/Israel & Jewish Affairs Council, [http://www.aijac.org.au/review/1997/222/tzad222.html] (accessed September 26, 2006). See also "The Australian", "Editor dumps Darville," Ed: 1, Pg. 3, 5 February 1997.]Teresa Nielsen Hayden , noted author and lecturer, uses an expanded version of the list in her lectures on writing science fiction. She recommends selecting five random clichés from the list, and using them, or their reverse ("Say you've drawn A-34, 'I will not turn into a snake. It never helps.' You can have a character turn into a snake and find it doesn't help, or do it and find it very useful indeed") as the basis for a plot. [http://www.sff.net/paradise/plottricks.htm "The Evil Overlord Devises a Plot"] Excerpted from Teresa Nielsen Hayden lecture on Stupid Plotting Tricks]
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