History GoneHorriblyRight / Literature

*** "The Fights of Spring": A nerd is giving an ability to dodge any blow. Problem is, it's keyed to adrenaline, meaning he also dodges his girlfriend's embrace.

*** "Literature/TheMerchantPrinces": Jorane Sutt decided to send Hober Mallow to Korell with the expectation that he would either get himself killed or do something that would allow Sutt to metaphorically hang him as a step in his plan to become TheManBehindTheMan. Not only does Mallow achieve his stated mission, he also becomes filthy rich from trading with Korell, Sutt's attempt to hang him makes ends up in Mallow becoming a hero and Sutt a laughing stock, and a few months later, Mallow becomes the Mayor of Terminus (that is, the head of state for the Foundation) with enough influence to send Sutt into jail.

* The Project Blue/A-prime/Captain Trips/superflu virus in Creator/StephenKing's novel ''Literature/TheStand''. Nice bioweapon, with 99.4% communicability, and 100% mortality. Unfortunately, the scientists who created it [[GenreBlind forgot]] rule #1 of biological warfare: you absolutely, positively ''never'' weaponize an agent unless you have a vaccine or some other treatment for it. It's also mentioned that the same laboratory created similarly deadly variants of plague, smallpox, etc.

%%*** "Literature/TheMerchantPrinces": Jorane Sutt decided to send Hober Mallow to Korell with the expectation that he would either get himself killed or do something that would allow Sutt to metaphorically hang him as a step in his plan to become TheManBehindTheMan. Not only does Mallow achieve his stated mission, but the consequences lead to Sutt landing with his ass in prison and Mallow becoming the Mayor of Terminus (that is, the head of state for the Foundation).

** In ''Discworld/TheScienceOfDiscworld'', the Thaum Reactor was built for the purpose of creating more heat for the University in winter (The Senior Faculty were lukewarm on the subject of knowledge, but boiling hot when it came to frosty windows). The reactor ends up working too well- just before Hex channels the excessive magic into the Roundworld Project, the college becomes so hot that Ridcully dreams he's lost in a broiling desert, only to find reality no different in temperature.

** ''{{Literature/Foundation}}'':

* In ''Literature/TheLicaniusTrilogy'', Taeris grows tired of waiting to see if Davian, the boy he is tasked to watch over, really is TheChosenOne. To speed things along, he devises a plan and pays several thugs to threaten Davian just to see if his Augur powers will emerge. [[spoielr: They do, and how. In a moment of panic, Davian mind-controls everyone present, Taeris included to mutilate their own faces with knives. Davian is permanently scarred (mentally & physically), the thugs don't make it out alive, and Taeris is given a permanent impulse to scar himself for the rest of his life]].

* In [[{{Literature/TheAndromedaStrain}} The Andromeda Strain]] the SCOOP 7 probe is sent to find life in outerspace [[spoiler:and use Wildfire to develop it into a weapon]]. SCOOP 7 brings back the titular organism that is so deadly an entire town dies in less than a day.

* In the ''Literature/DiogenesClub'' story "End of the Pier Show", the retired club members perform a spell to revive the old UsefulNotes/WorldWarII spirit. The supernaturally-imposed wartime atmosphere comes complete with [[{{Ghostapo}} demonic Nazis]].

** The purpose behind telling no one that [[spoiler:the secret keepers were switched]] was to make sure everyone went after Sirius Black. Unfortunately, [[spoiler: the real secret-keeper was a lackey of the {{Big Bad}}, so the bad guys knew the truth, but no one else did]]).

** When [[BunglingInventor "Bloody Stupid"]] Johnson actually managed to do something that worked in the intended manner, it usually turned out this way. The Archchancellor's Bathroom ''will'' clean you up as advertised, and more; Mustrum Ridcully barely walked out, reporting he "never felt so ''clean''", and boarded it up [[NoodleIncident after an incident with the University pipe organ]]. Speaking of pipe organs, his worked quite well, and exactly the notes you wanted them to have even if they were extremely nonstandard (like vampires in Uberwald demanding an organ that had "thunder", "wolf howls" and such as its notes, and got it), but they can be overachievers (no one plays the Earthquake pipe in the Unseen University's great organ since it shifted the entire foundation a few inches). Finally, his commissions for the Fools' Guild had to be thrown into its museum never to be used again, after it was discovered the Automatic [[PieInTheFace Pie Throwing]] Machine was nailing people's faces at 300 MPH or so, and the giant SquirtingFlower that'd greet visitors drowned someone.

* In [[{{Literature/TheAndromedaStrain}} The Andromeda Strain]] the SCOOP 7 probe is sent to find life in outerspace [[spoiler:and use Wildfire to develop it into a weapon]]. SCOOP 7 brings back the titular organism that is so deadly an entire town dies in less that a day.

** When [[BunglingInventor "Bloody Stupid"]] Johnson actually managed to do something that worked in the intended manner, it usually turned out this way. The Archchancellor's Bathroom ''will'' clean you up as advertised, and more; Mustrum Ridcully barely walked out, reporting he "never felt so ''clean''", and boarded it up [[NoodleIncident after an incident with the University pipe organ]]. Speaking of pipe organs, his worked quite well, and exactly the notes you wanted them to have even if they were extremely nonstandard (like vampires in Uberwald demanding an organ that had "thunder", "wolf howls" and such as its notes, and got it), but they can be overachievers (no one plays the Earthquake pipe in the Unseen University's great organ since it shifted the entire foundation a few inches). Finally, his commissions for the Fools' Guild had to be thrown into its museum never to be used again, after it was discovered the Automatic Pie Throwing Machine was nailing people's faces at 300 MPH or so, and the giant squirting flower that'd greet visitors drowned someone.

* In AlexanderPushkin's poem ''Ruslan and Lyudmila'' a desperate young man decides to study sorcery to win his sweetheart. He does master a love spell, but it takes him several decades to do it, and the moment he performs it a lovesick old crone falls on him. Who doesn't take rejection well.

* In ''Literature/CheaperByTheDozen'', Frank Gilbreth Senior prides himself in having his family operate much like their own company, holding meetings about matters, bidding on bigger chores, etc. This backfires when his children conspire and all vote in favor of getting a dog, which of course has them outvote him twelve to one. He panics when this happens, as he realizes that they could conceivably vote in favor of all sorts of frivolous things. Fortunately, they stop with the dog. There's also the matter of Lilly winning the bid to paint the fence for five cents (she was saving up for roller skates). The job is clearly too much for her to handle and she spends the entire time working on it exhausted. Both of her parents are upset, but the children were taught to follow through on their jobs, so she went through it to the end. [[spoiler:When she finished, her father paid her the five cents [[CrowningMomentOfHeartwarming and then revealed that he bought her the roller skates she'd wanted]].]]

** "{{Literature/Runaround}}":[[YouAreNumberSix SPD 13]]'s [[ThreeLawsCompliant Third Law (self-preservation)]] was modified to be a higher priority than normal. When Donovan casually sends the robot on a mission to fetch selenium, he accidentally creates a LogicBomb, where the robot must fetch the selenium (because of the second law) and mustn't get too close to the selenium (because of the second law). The bomb makes the robot act drunk while it runs around the lake.

** When [[BunglingInventor "Bloody Stupid"]] Johnson actually managed to do something that worked in the intended manner, it usually turned out this way. The Archchancellor's Bathroom ''will'' clean you up as advertised, and more; Mustrum Ridcully barely walked out, reporting he "never felt so ''clean''", and boarded it up [[NoodleIncident after an incident with the University pipe organ]]. Speaking of pipe organs, his worked quite well, and exactly the notes you wanted them to have even if they were extremely nonstandard (like vampires in Uberwald demanding an organ that had "thunder", "wolf howls" and such as its notes, and got it), but they can be overachievers (no one plays the Earthquake pipe in the Unseen University's great organ since it shifted the entire foundation a few inches).

** "Literature/LittleLostRobot" has scientists creating robots whose [[ThreeLawsCompliant First Law]] is modified to be less stringent. These modifications end up being entirely too effective - especially when one of them is ordered to "[[LiteralMinded get lost]]".

* Creator/IsaacAsimov wrote quite a few short stories where this happens.
** "Little Lost Robot" has scientists creating robots whose [[ThreeLawsCompliant First Law]] is modified to be less stringent. These modifications end up being entirely too effective - especially when one of them is ordered to "[[LiteralMinded get lost]]".
** Another Asimov story, "Runaround" has a ''very expensive'' robot whose Third Law (self-preservation) is therefore modified to have greater weight in its decisions. When it is asked to go get some material, the substance in question is dangerous to the robot over prolonged exposure. So it ends up in a conflict between its self-preservation and obedience laws, and keeps circling about the place it needs to go. Unknown to the robot, if the humans don't have any of it their life support will eventually fail.
** ''Another'' Asimov story, "True Love" has a man create a computer program to search databases throughout the world to find his ideal match. After deciding looks alone won't cut it, the man imprints as much of his own personality as possible on the program to find a perfect personality match as well. After this is done, the computer finally finds a match...and has the man arrested so the computer can keep the girl for itself.
** "Ignition Point!" is about a man who figures out how to write content-free speeches that will get audiences fired up. In the first test, the speechwriter stops in the middle, throws away the speech, and starts improvising -- the speech worked on him, too...
** In fact, several other stories can be thought of as robots doing their work too well, such as "Robbie", "Satisfaction Guaranteed", "Kid Brother", and "Reason".
** In the short story "Galley Slave", the antagonist claims that the robot is doing its job too well.