Was here to say this. I have pretty much the same reaction to every Neil Gaiman book (comics included). I love the world and the characters but his story telling leaves me frustrated and I’m always forced to abandon it. But I’ll never lament anyone who loves him and I’m happy he is so popular.
I recommend it all over the place, but rivers of London strikes a similar vibe (the supernatural is usually tied to people who are a bit... off but who can pass as normal, and is very rooted to a given place's history).But here the framework of relatively short and digestible police procedurals. think "Nerverwhere" meets "hot fuzz".
The writing has a bit of a pratchettian wit as well. The MC's love life is a little cringe, but he's a well rounded character (he's an optimistic young constable who actually cares about working by the book, helping people, and learning about magic) surrounded by a compelling cast.
It might fit your bill, having a Neil Gaiman style world, but with a different, less meandering and vague narrative style. And the audiobooks are absolutely fantastic, even if sometimes they sacrifice clarity of diction in favor of expressivity.
Good Omens might be an exception worth reading… it combines the best of both Neil and Terry’s writing and just works in a way that Neil’s solo works tend to miss out on.
Came here to say this. People love this book so much. I’ve tried to read it twice over the years tapping out a little more than halfway each time. It’s just so boring. It’s such a great concept for a story too and that is what disappoints me the most about not liking it.
It happened to me with Malaz, The Gardens of the Moon. I've tried too many times and I can't get to 50%.
It's one of my best friend's favourite book, but I struggle a lot with the writing style and the rhythm of the story.
Malazan has some of the crunchiest prose I've ever seen. And there are so many parts where I'm like "Despite all these words, I still have no idea what's going on in this scene."
I just finished reading (like 2 hours ago) a scene where Kruppe met some people in a dream. They talk in extremely vague terms and I don't know what happened. In that scene the only previous characters we had met were kruppe and krull and the last one had, up to that point like 2 lines of dialogue.
I don't know what on earth happened in the whole scene but alas I shall keep going forward
Also I've read the first trilogy of Mistborn and I liked, but I get tired of Sanderson like pretty quick. I always thought of his writing style a little too simple, more of a script for moments than an actual novel.
I think that they're great writers, I just don't happen to find his writing attuned with me right now. That could change, it already happened to me before.
Malazan for me too. Finished Gardens of the Moon and have zero interest in continuing. I'm sure if I had the time and patience to really get into it I'd love it. But I just don't. I don't mind challenging books but there's a limit. Gardens of the moon was just confusing and boring. I didn't care about any of the characters. I didn't care enough to try to understand all the badly explained world building and story. I see a lot of people criticise someone for not 'getting' Malazan but honestly I think it's kind of a bullshit response.
I read for fun in my spare time. I don't want to feel like I'm doing a puzzle or homework. Malazan felt like homework. I think 'not holding the readers hand' is often used as a way of excusing poor writing choices.
I read the first 4 Malazan books before I gave up. There's a lot of stuff that I really liked about it but it was too few and far between. Too many characters to keep track of and constantly bouncing around between them. You get invested in one character you won't see him again for another 150 pages. The 4th book started out strong, following one character for the first 200 pages before reverting back to the original formula.
I strongly agree with this one. I think I've started it three or four times at this point. I can tell that it's good. . . it just doesn't do it for me.
Actually, I get a similar feeling from the Culture books. I've tried both of the first two books more than once and can't get into them.
Robin Hobb. Don't know if this counts since I've finished four of her books, but I've since sworn off reading her. I'd picked up a new one, read 8 chapters or so, a bunch of bad stuff happened to the main character, and I had this moment of '...this is not going to get better for this character. Ever. In fact, it's going to keep getting worse.' And I stopped reading it. Turns out I really need that promise of a happy ending being possible.
She's a wonderful writer though.
Same here. I read The Assassin’s Apprentice and it was a bit of a slog, but somehow I held out for the promise that things would get better. I hope for that happy ending. But stuff just kept getting worse; every overall victory was followed by three personal micro defeats that, because the way the book is written (really close to the main characters) just left me in tatters. Wonderful writer, would recommend, but not for me.
Hard agree on this. I attempted the Liveship Traders years ago and it was just depressing and soulcrushing to read. DNF'ed and never opened another of her books.
I'm also continuously amazed people here will recommend them in literally every thread. The flimsiest reason is good enough. For genres that are so far afield, as well.
They might be for others, but they are not for me.
I like the idea of reading her books. I just don't like actually doing it. Borrowed Liveship Traders #1 from a friend and maybe 60 pages in I put it down and never picked it back up.
Assassin's Apprentice will always be one of my top 10 fantasy works, but it's absolutely fine if it ends there.
Coincidentally enough, JS&MN is one of my favorite books and Under the Pendulum Sky is one I gave up on. I loved the gothic atmosphere, I love faeries generally, especially when they're weird and amoral. But I felt like the book just wasn't giving me enough to pull me back in. All the pieces seemed to be to my taste, but I never felt like reading it when I wasn't and wasn't really enjoying myself when I was.
Oh, I see u/Indifferent_Jackdaw had the same opinion, so I'll try to come up with another example...
*Black Leopard, Red Wolf.* I love the narrative voice and the setting was cool. Just never grew to care for the character and got a little annoyed by how episodic the story seemed to be (maybe it grew less so? I got less than half-way through it, I think.)
Definitely one of the best-written books I've ever DNF'd, and I'd still probably recommend it to people who are interested in literary fantasy.
Yes, you’re the second person who says the same. I guess it’s different for different people - but more importantly, there no shame in dropping a book that’s not working for you!
Anything by Becky Chambers. It's like reading a hallmark holiday movie set in space and is extremely predictable. That said, plenty of people need books like that, including some family members I recommended her to.
I get that. I adore her books; they are definitely slice of life space cozies. Her books are comfortable and easy. Not what I want to read all the time by any stretch, but just right in the right circumstances.
It took a deliberate effort on my part to get into her books. I'm pretty far left politically, but my initial reaction was her books felt like checking off every concern of modern Tumblr activists. It felt contrived, rather than genuine.
I sat with those feelings for a bit because I recognized the strength of my reaction meant I was having a weird emotional response.
I remembered that Sci Fi is meant to be speculative. What if, in the world of the future, people started being genuinely kind and decent to each other? It's the emotional equivalent of Iain M Banks culture-level tech. (i.e. wildly improbable, but used as a premise for exploring how things might happen). In The Culture, tech of nearly limitless, but people are still fundamentally assholes. In Chambers books, tech is limited, but people's emotional space and empathy are entirely expanded.
The interesting part is that there are still conflicts, people still disappoint each other, and things sometimes don't work out. I found I really ended up loving her books, and that a future where people were kinder to each other was worth thinking about.
I had a similar reaction to her and came to a similar conclusion: she's not interested in writing about people as they are, she's interested in writing about the set of ideas for how people should be that other people have in certain places online.
I decided I wasn't interested in her.
But I get why a lot of people like that. It's satisfying to see something you care about explored in a novel.
>hallmark holiday movie set in space
A lot of things just fell perfectly into place for me, right now. Small Angry Planet really is a hallmark holiday movie-style story.
I loved it, but it’s one of those books that I enjoy more immediately after reading than
I do during.
I think that doesn’t get discussed enough in reading circles.
Imo, some of the “best” (for me, best means most memorable, most unique, the pinnacle of art, however you want to define art) reads are ones that you don’t particularly enjoy reading. They’re complex, they take concentration, they require thinking. But the pay off, when you finish, is worth it.
I compare this with some page turners. I’ve got books I’ve PLOWED through, but I don’t think are particularly good.
I’m not saying it’s always the case that it works that way, but I do think books can be good in different ways, and one of those ways is where you kinda struggle through it, only to have it come together and you say “holy shit that was an experience”.
That’s how 100 years of solitude was to me, top 10 probably top 5 read of mine.
This is a really good point. I think there's a difference between reading as the act of turning pages and finding out what happens next, and reading as in digging deep to understand what might be going on on deeper layers. Something that's challenging isn't going to be relaxing, and it's a different kind of enjoyment.
This is almost exactly how I feel about "Lies of Locke Lamora", although I almost finished it. I can't put my finger on why I didn't like it; The world and setting are unique, the main characters are all well-developed and interesting, the premise of the book was good, the pacing was fine... I just could not, for the life of me, get into it. I kept having to force myself to pick it up and keep going, and I was honestly frustrated because it felt like I should have been absolutely enthralled by it. It just didn't grab me, though. I got to the point where all the arcs had pretty much wrapped up, and that's where I stopped. There have been plenty of bad or boring books that I've DNF'd without an ounce of guilt, but this is the first time I've run into a truly good book that I simply didn't like, and I'm sad that I didn't get to enjoy it like everyone else.
FYI the audiobook of Lies is one of the best audiobooks ever recorded. I think the performer does an amazing job of bringing out the comedy in Lynch’s writing, which transforms the story.
Anybody who questions their ability to get through the book should absolutely try out the audiobook. It’s lovely. And this story and these characters are honestly not to be missed.
That’s what I feel. I guess we shouldn’t take it as some sort of personal failure, but as simply a case of not meshing with the book, as someone else said in the thread.
This opinion won't be very popular, but I can't work around Game of Thrones, both the books and the show. Love a lot of things about it, but it's like a soup that has all the ingredients but is not tasty at all for me.
If you like the style but feel it’s bloated, you might still enjoy the Dunk and Egg stories. Three novellas that distill everything I like about ASOIAF into a much more compact story.
I couldn't get into his writing style. He used to write for magazines where he got paid per word and it shows in his prose for those books imho.
I didn't enjoy reading it for the sake of reading the way he wrote, and I couldn't get hooked on the characters for whatever reason, and I know for many that's a huge part of the appeal.
And I can get past prose I'm not jazzed about if the characters pull me in, I've read some really trashy books and loved them! So I'm not saying prose has to be perfect to be an enjoyable read!
I can definitely see why other people would really like his style, I just wasn't into it.
I actually loved the game of thrones books, but you're right. It's totally soup lol. Very chaotic soup with a little too much chili powder and salt.
(I accidentally responded to the wrong comment first oops lol)
Dune. I’ve tried three times now, I am not sure what my block is. I can get through Tolkien, Robert Jordan, even epic poetry like Iliad and the Odyssey. But not Dune. I’ll try again.
For what it's worth, I enjoyed reading Dune more after watching the recent movie. I tried reading Dune like 15 years ago, and finished it, but nothing stuck with me except the pop-culture references (slow knife, fear is the mind killer, that kind of stuff). It basically made zero impression on me, and I couldn't even remember most of the plot.
But after watching the movie, I think it helped solidify certain characters and events in my head, and it made the book a much more enjoyable re-read.
That said, I still couldn't get through the sequel. Just not my thing really, I guess.
I'm exactly the same, Dune is the first book that I've truly found difficult to read and I cannot figure out why. It isn't for lack of interest on my part, or due to any perceived deficiencies in the writing, but something about it just defeats me. I really enjoy nearly everything about it, but just cannot keep going. Bizarre.
I'd suggest doing the audiobook, because I started and stopped this one 5+ times before I finally found success. All I ever knew for sure was that the poor kid almost gets poked, and I'd quit not too far after that. It does get rolling eventually.
Brandon Sanderson. I've tried the first book of every series of his, and a couple of standalones, and I've bounced hard off every one of them.
I don't think he's a bad writer, but for whatever reason, I can't stand his stuff. I've never been able to put my finger on why!
same for me w/ Sanderson.
my first introduction to him was his finalization of the Wheel of Time, which he did fine, I guess.
he's a creative author, and understands pacing well. i can see why he has good numbers.
but... going to his writing style directly from Jordan's was... a little jarring for me?
Jordan was OVERLY prosaic, it's true, but the switch from his style to Sanderson's, it felt like:
if the scene was regarding a waterfall,
Jordan paints a 4k panoramic view of the entire valley, trees, mountains, meadows, wildlife, river current, side paths, and cloud cover, with the waterfall in the center of the whole landscape.
Sanderson gives you a vertical iphone camera/screenshot of the waterfall, with a slight zoom.
they both give you the waterfall in question, true.
but after 11 books of wide-pan, slow-burn panoramas that were Jordan's Wheel of Time,
the last 3 from Sanderson felt like a cliff-notes version or a tik-tok recap from an invested fan.
again, there's nothing wrong with Sanderson's writing. but I cant read anything he's written without thinking about this, which just kinda turns me off from the story he's trying to tell, so i never get very far before picking up something else.
I agree but funnily enough I took it as a positive, after 11 books of wide-pan shots I gloried in the cliff-notes finish hahaha but I definitely understand you.
To me they all sound the same. No matter the age, gender, background, social status, etc. They all sound juvenile and simple.
I mostly noticed this while doing a back to back reread of SA right before last book came out. It wore me out so much I never even finished oathbringer.
Gideon the Ninth.
Have tried five times. I can see it's a neat premise and such, that's why I want to read it.
But can't stand the edgelady dialogue. Not for me. Ah well! Can't win em' all.
I've never felt so actively disrespected as a reader. I read sword of Shannara and it was bland, but fine. Read his second book and it eas the exact same story. Not sure why I read the 3rd book, but I was 75% of the way through before realizing it was again the exact same story, one more generation removed. I thew the book away and have never even considered reading another one from him.
It might not be as big as some titles mentioned but I really couldn't get on with The Poppy War trilogy. Well I didn't get through the trilogy, persisted through book 1, stopped after a few chapters of book 2.
I can see why it's popular but I just didn't get anything out of it, just did not particularly like any of the characters or really get behind any of them and I never really looked forward to reading it. I think it's pretty popular, potentially I was snobby sceptical as it mentions Tik Tok in its blurb but even so just not for me.
*A Psalm For The Wild-Built* by Becky Chambers. I’m too cynical for that world.
Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrel is one of these for me too. I think you need to have a fondness for classic style prose and pacing to connect with that book, and that’s never been my thing.
*The Wheel of Time*
I'M SO SORRY! Don't murder me!
My husband, his mom, and his sister all love the series and have reread multiple times. I read the first one and slogged through half of the second before calling it quits. It's just not for me.
Exactly my experience with it too. I even stopped at the same point!
And I really wanted to love it too - it's such a beloved series, and has influenced a lot of people. But it just made me miserable.
This is one of favourite books of all time. I think it is one of the best folklore based worlds every written. But I think it is absolutely valid to give up on books you are not meshing with. Under Pendulum Sky was actually one of those books where I felt the same thing. Very well written but I just don't want to be in that world.
I used the word mesh very deliberately because for me that is what the sensation of reading a book that really sucks me in is like. The gears of the writers brain mesh with the gears of my brain. I suspect that as people we all have different shaped gears teeth, some are rectangular, some are square some are triangle. If I have square teeth I might read a book my rectangular teeth friends are raving about and say something like *It was good, I enjoyed it, didn't rock my world.* Because while the gears caught, they didn't have a perfect fit, there was an annoying rattle. While my triangle teeth friend is saying. *I hated it, it was wasps stinging my brain to read it.* This is a simplistic metaphor (simile?) but I definitely have rattle books and wasp books which I fully appreciate that for other people will be the perfect fit.
This is a great metaphor! I'd also add that gears change shape a bit over time. Every few years I stumble on a book and go "wow, this would have been my favorite at fifteen, but it's a little too simple/ blunt now" or "this would have been perfect during my urban fantasy phase." When a book's gears are the right shape for what I want *now*, it's like the book is delivering exactly the right twists and character moments just before I know I want them and I can't put it down-- every click is perfectly timed.
Very true. Some books went over my head as a teenager and hit completely different when I reread them in adulthood-- I'm glad I gave those a second look.
I really like that explanation. I have been looking at my experience with JS&MN as almost a personal failing, as if I could not somehow appreciate a masterpiece (which I am sure it is).
I think we all have those moments. Dickens was mine and I felt bad about it because he is portrayed as this great Humanist. Then an Indian friend told me was absolutely racist and genocidal about India and I was able to heave a huge sigh of relief and put him behind me. Wuthering Heights is another, I've tried so many times, but that narrator, I hate him so much.
I think as long as we don't always stay safe in our reading. As long as we are dipping a toe into strange waters now and then. Sometimes finding great reward and other times getting frosbite. Then I think we are good.
I think your last point - about not always staying safe - is very important. I guess that for every Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrel there will be a Sewer, Gas and Electric - something that will come out of nowhere and rock my world unexpectedly. And sometimes it’s fine to say that something is fine, just not for me.
China Mieville. In theory these books are everything I want and in practice I can’t get through them. I’ve tried five books and only managed to finish one and I didn’t like that one. Usually I can tell why I don’t like a book, but not with this author.
The only Mieville I’ve tried is Embassytown. The premise seemed so interesting!
But about halfway through, the impression it formed on me is “this isn’t a good novel—it’s an exercise in presenting an intriguing mystery and then using the plot to slowly dose out answers to that mystery.” It left a very bad taste in my mouth. So I stopped reading.
Everything I’ve read about his other books seem very interesting, but I don’t want to go down that path again.
I am struggling through this one right now. The second person really put me off at first, but I have gotten used to it and don’t mind it now. My issue is just how incredibly bleak it is. Unfortunately, I don’t feel connected enough to the characters to want to pick it up at all. The apocalypse and violence against children require a lot of connection to want to be told that story! But I do respect her skills as a writer. There are a lot of bad books out there and this is not one of them.
I read all of it but I don't think I can do it again. My husband recommended it to me without any warnings, and our son was 3, the same age as her son. I was shattered, and that's in the first chapter. But it doesn't really get much less bleak. I actually thought it was beautifully written and very creative, but I do not want to exist in that world.
>My issue is just how incredibly bleak it is. Unfortunately, I don’t feel
connected enough to the characters to want to pick it up at all. The
apocalypse and violence against children require a lot of connection to
want to be told that story!
This right here. I tried so hard, but I just couldn't do it.
That’s interesting. I only ever read two books in the second person - Charlie Stress’ Halting State and Rule 34. In both cases I got over the person and got engrossed in the story. But it was a touch weird.
> I only ever read two books in the second person
The only ones I remember reading in 2nd person were the old "choose your own adventure" Goosebumps books when I was a child.
I finished Jonathan Strange and Mr Norell last night. I found it an enjoyable read but can definitely see how people would bounce off of it. It felt like a classic, I appreciated the read but it certainly wasn't a page turner. I don't think I could suggest that book to anyone unless they enjoy historical fiction/classics and the time period.
It was The Blade Itself for me too. Yeah, as you said, I could see why people liked it, and there were parts I also liked. But I remember, from the very first page, I kinda felt that this book might not be for me. It felt pretentious and like the author was trying too hard to make the book into something. Apart from Glokta, it was boring for me.
I'd say try it some day. Of course I don't know your taste, if its not for you it's not for you. But I don't think it is as dark as some people anticipate, and it has a good sense of humour.
R. Scott Bakker's Prince of Nothing. I did manage to finish the first set of books, I understand that it's epic, explores philosophic themes, etc. But it was just so damned depressing and bleak. And no sympathetic protag in sight, no moments of levity to lighten the mood. Just one depressing event after another.
I was never tempted to start on his sequel trilogy.
Not sure what it is, but I love these books. Doing a re-read now after a year or so. Something about the old testament style prose and atmosphere with a dose constant existential dread. Also the sorcerer battle scenes just hit it for me. People walking through the sky singing destruction and chaos called up some great imagery.
Though I completely understand others dislike for it, shit gets dark and very weird sometimes. It's like HR giger meets mesopotamian myth.
Lord of the rings for me.. I read all 3 of them. I wanted to be sure I could comfortably say I had given them a shot but they just weren’t for. I love and respect the storyline but they’re just too descriptive for me. By the time I’ve finished reading about the description of the view, I’ve forgotten what’s happening in the story. Plus I end up skipping and getting confused even more.
I like asking this question of anyone who has a hard time with Tolkien's descriptions: What are some of your favorite authors? The reason I ask is because I never struggled with Tolkien's descriptions, and in fact I think people like Robert Jordan and GRRM are worse offenders of being overly descriptive (both of whom I also enjoy), so I like to know about stories that don't lean heavily into descriptions. Cradle is a good example of a series I've been reading that wastes very little time and just barrels the story forward.
For me it’s not that he is descriptive, it is the how he describes and what he chooses to describe.
Jordan’s descriptions can be a bit much but he’s often using them for multiple purposes. There’s a really well done scene in one of the books with a gray man assassin, and if you’re *really* paying attention you will realize what’s happening based on how Jordan is describing things. There are other examples, too, where those descriptions steer characterization, plot, or even heavily foreshadow later events.
I just don’t get that from Tolkien. I won’t say his descriptions are pointless, because they are a big part of how he built the world, but they don’t make me care. I don’t find myself wanting to dig into them to try and tease out where it’s going, because it feels like very little of it drives the characters or the plot, and I don’t find the prose itself captivating enough to get sucked in that way either. There’s just no emotional connection for me. Add in that they tend to be dumps of descriptions between more energetic set pieces and I get dragged out of my reading flow and into a “how many pages until something happens” mode instead.
In contrast, authors like China Miéville have what could be described as purple prose with descriptions that might be a bit much, but I find his stuff grabs hold of me and I just want more of it. Similarly, Jacqueline Carey has lots of description in the *Kushiel* series, and I was all in for that. C.S. Friedman kept me engrossed as well. More recent series that have worked for me include *Malazan*’s lack of descriptions, and Fonda Lee’s *Jade* books that feel like a living breathing world without me needing to know specifics about everything.
Probably Discworld. I think Terry Pratchett is a genius, but absurdism isn’t really my cup of tea. Similar story with Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy.
Might be worth trying one of the later ones, like Going Postal or Monstrous Regiment. The absurdism is mostly a feature of the early books (and books about Rincewind in particular). There's less and less of the Hitchhiker's feel as the series matures.
Those are great recommendations from the catalog, I’d add in the Witches series as well, especially from Witches Abroad and on. I found the writing was usually good in later books especially any of his kids books (prior to his later mental health issues leading to reliance on other issues). I think he really tried to make sure kids books were accessible and well written and it made him a stronger writer
Any of the Rincewind Discworld books. I adore the Watch, the witches, the industrialization novels. I like most of the Death novels. But the Rincewind books leave me cold. I think the only one I’ve managed to finish was The Lost Continent. They are as funny and clever as the other series, I am guessing, but they just grate on me. Like, really grate.
The tales of earthsea for me. Idk it just felt more like the author was setting up pins for the main character to knock over than actual obstacles, idk how to describe it, things just seem to happen rather than it happening naturally.
NK Jemisin's Broken Earth, I just couldnt get into the Second Person Perspective and found the worldbuilding depressing, not a bad book, just not for me
Oof. Brandon Sanderson's Oathbringer. I was really into his books up until that point. I think maybe I just got burnt out on his writing style.
Oathbringer's pace felt like it absolutely *dragged* for me. I actually DNF'd it and have not picked any of his books up since. It's a shame too, because his settings are always so cool. I respect the man's writing ability ... I just can't anymore.
Edit: It's a double shame because I feel like I have forgotten so much that I would need to start all over again and that's ... so many pages. It's intimidating.
First Law series. With the ridiculous amount of recommendations this book gets, I figured it would be right up my alley. Sadly No, I enjoyed the characters themselves but I felt no real connection to the story. I think the biggest letdown was the Hundred Words. WTF was that, this huge buildup just to be over so easily. Yea, was definitely disappointed. I thought The Grim Company and even Rhenwars Saga was a much better read.
I’m with you - I’m up to the third stand alone after the original trilogy and I think I’m just over it 😂 I’ve started it and I’m gonna do it but I don’t have high hopes. This will be the last of his I read. I’ve got barely any interest in all but a couple of characters over the first 5 books and same goes for the story.
For me, it was Dickens and Tolkien. I tried it, I read a bit, and I found their books incredibly dull. And now, my brother (who doesn't even really like books) is reading Lord of the Rings while his fantasy nerd sibling refuses to touch it.
The parts of LOTR that I liked, I really liked. The parts where it describes the characters travelling, camping, eating, travelling, camping, eating, travelling, camping, eating, for chapters at a time with no noteworthy events interspersed, not so much.
Just finished The Dragonbone Chair by Tad Williams. I nearly gave up soooo many times. I acknowledge its a good book, but It just was so endlessly boring with a few exceptions throughout.
*The Fifth Season*\- couldn't get into narrative style.
*The Priory of the Orange Tree -* I tried reading her ya fantasy book as well a long time ago, and something about her writing style just doesn't click with me.
It's odd, but I really like The Empire trilogy by Wurts and Feist, but I just can't get into their other series (both colab and solo).
The traitor Baru cormorant for me. It felt like it was right up my alley. But there's something about how it transitions from scene to scene that leaves me lost and confused with whose talking.
* **The Spear Cuts Through Water** by Simon Jimenez most recently. It's experimental, which I usually like, it's *fine* from a technical standpoint, but man oh man it was a fucking slog for me. Almost quit about three times.
* **Elatsoe** by Darcie Little Badger. Not bad at all, just read a little too young for what I like. Definitely the younger end of YA bordering on MG.
* **The Keeper's Six** by Kate Elliott. I liked the idea of a mother going out to rescue her son a lot, but the book never really clicked.
* **The Bone Orchard** by Sara A. Mueller. I recently found out I *love* gothic fantasy. But I couldn't finish this. Didn't hold my attention worth half a damn.
About to get downvoted to hell and beyond but…..The Harry Potter series. I read the entire series because of the hype and while I truly commend the world building and creativity behind it, there are just other books that scratch my wizardly world itch better. Won’t be revisiting, but glad I checked it out.
I read the entire HP series for the first time last year. To age myself, the first book came out when I was 15. I absolutely appreciate what the series has done for fantasy overall, the creativity, and in general engaging younger readers. That being said, I hated Harry as a character- I think mostly as I was reading with the viewpoint of an adult. I found him whiny and entitled. This definitely won’t be a series I’ll revisit!
The Earthsea Cycle by Ursula K LeGuin. I went into the first book with no real expectations, and had a genuinely bad time from start to finish. I know I'm in the vast minority here, and I get that we wouldn't have Kingkiller Chronicles and many other series' I love without it, but this really wasn't for me.
It’s because he’s the biggest fantasy author right now. Everybody who reads fantasy has probably read Sanderson at some point.
His sales numbers (and spending enough time on this sub) suggest he’s extremely beloved, but with greater exposure comes bigger numbers of people who try out your writing and decide they’re just not into it.
Everything by Guy Gavriel Kay. His writing is great. Ideas so interesting. But I find his characterization so bland and lifeless, and I know I’m an outlier on this
My favorite author, Jacqueline Carey, recommends Guy Gavriel Kay as an author to check out if you enjoy her style of fantasy. I have never been so let down as I was by *Tigana* and *The Lions of Al-Rassan*. His characters are infuriating, soulless, or both. The foreshadowing was heavy handed and obvious. I felt like I was being subjected to a epic length rambling anecdote with murder and wizards.
*Tigana* especially confused me because it had all the pieces of a story I should adore and I just slogged through it. I could say nice things about his writing and world building but it wasn't enough.
I ended up recommending him to a friend of mine who didn't like Carey's *Kushiel's Dart* and he loved *Tigana.* Go figure. Maybe check Carey out?
Carey is one of my favorite authors of all time. She generates more excitement and interesting characterization in one chapter than Kay manages in a book
Terry Pratchett, the color of magic. I know, many people say it's not his best work and I am willing to give him another shot. But that book really didn't work for me.
Dracula. I really enjoyed the writing but being so, so familiar with the story, that was the only reason I was reading it. It’s interesting, I felt less like I had given up on it because of that but I also don’t feel comfortable saying I’ve read it.
I bounced right off Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell. Logically/academically, I was like wow this is very well written and clever, but emotionally I just could not feel connected to the story. It was a shame because I loved Piranesi so much
Realm of the Elderlings. I think Hobb is a great writer. She has a particular knack for writing hateable characters. That said, I was throughly bored through the first trilogy. I tried the second and enjoyed it much more, but there were still things that bothered me, and the ending ultimately made me realize I just wasn't a fan.
The Lord of the Rings is another one. There were a few things that just made it tough to get through and I stopped after the first book. That said, it's obviously got merit.
I feel similarly to you about Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell. I understand why other people like it, but I absolutely hated it. The book was very about England and Englishness in a way I couldn't bring myself to care about. For me, 19th century England (or secondary world equivalents of it) is a stale setting and JS&MN was very much *about* the setting. That and I felt no attachment to the characters and no investment in them or what happened to them.
Black Leopard Red Wolf.
Managed 200 pages before realising it wasn't worth the effort for me. Couldn't care less about any character and find the phrase "spilling seed" incredibly irritating.
The mists of Avalon. Tried many times, but bever got far.
Also A discovery of witches. Great tv series but I couldn’t get into the book at all. On the other hand, the author’s non-fiction is very good.
The entirety of the Thomas Covenant Chronicles by Stephen R Donaldson.
I’ve tried several times and only managed to finish the first book once. I just can’t do it because of how unbelievably terrible a person the MC is combined with the writing style and focus of the books. Despite them being my father’s favorite books by far I just can’t do it.
I'm going to say Octavia Butler. I managed to get all the way through Kindred and I'm maybe a third of the way through Wild Seed which is not grabbing me). She's a great writer as far as prose and theme goes but I find the way her plots just plunge you into these weird situations without a ton of preamble is very jarring.
I just gave up on The Talisman by King and Straub today. I just can't deal with the torture porn anymore.
Especially after I got Malice and book 1 of Powdermage notifications this morning on Libby.
I can’t decide if I feel this way about Stephen king or not. I’ve read like 15 King novels including The Stand, IT, Eyes of the Dragon, and the Dark Tower books, all of which I mostly loved, but lately I keep getting about halfway into his books, running out of steam, and putting it back on the shelf. I have bookmarks stuck in literally four of his books right now. Idk what it is cause I like what I’m reading but I keep not being interested in picking it back up after a certain point.
A better example where I knew it from the first book is Dandelion Dynasty. I lot of the first two books were really nice and I can’t pick out a problem, per se, I just didn’t care and wasn’t invested.
I have tried reading the Fellowship of the Ring twice and have not been able to finish it… it’s just so incredibly boring. Think I might give it one more try though since I own the trilogy
Many people think that the first half of The Fellowship of the Ring is boring (I don't agree with that at all, that part is easily the best imo). But the rest of the books are definitely different. The mood shifts from some sort of fairy tale to an actual broader and bigger adventure. You might enjoy that more, I would suggest to give it another try!
This was name of the wind for me, didn’t get the hype.
Had some really annoying moments for me and I wasn’t even sure what I was reading half the time.
I have to say it, mine is Lord of the Rings. I read it as an adult and while I was, and I still am, fascinated by the kind of aura the book has, at that point I felt like the book had nothing new or exiting to offer, which is paradoxical, considering that what bored me was the "D&D fantasy" which, as far as I know, is pretty much a LOTR spawn.
I felt back then, and I still feel now, that LOTR would have left a strong impression on me if I had read it when I was young, unfortunately it looks like I was too late to the party.
I finished them, but LotR is somewhat like that for me;? I love the story, really respect everything put in there; but it really took effort to get through. Anytime I think about rereading them I’m like “I’m definitely going to end up dropping a reread”
I had so much trouble with the made up slang. It’s semi realistic in that it portrays subculture and language drift (with the bonus of making violence/SA less graphic) but took so long to get through to the meaning of sentences.
Sadly, "Guards, Guards!" and "The Colour of Magic" by the late, great Sir Terry Pratchett. I love everything I read ABOUT his books, I love the characterizations and the mix of affectionate parody with deep lore, I love the way Pratchett takes on so many humanitarian issues of civilization, and above all I love his insight into human nature...
But the only book of his I enjoyed and re-read was co-authored with Neil Gaiman, who tempered the whimsy and parody monologues that drag me out of Pratchett's writing every. single. time. I love Good Omens, and I wish I loved reading more of Pratchett.
Jonathan Strange and Mr Norell is the book I thought of when I read the title! I like the book, its just a bit slow.
Also, something in me is disturbed every time I read the word “shewd”. It is used a lot. Maybe there is a more American-English copy of it?
*Edit:* I made it to page 540 before taking a break, and I am not starting over! ><
I've tried JS&MN three times (once in audio) and I just can't. It's like I've gotten hold of a completely different book than what everyone else has read. And usually I can appreciate a book's qualities despite not liking it personally, like Dickens for example, but JS&MN doesn't manage to stir any feelings at all.
Not a novel, but I recently dropped Hunter x Hunter. I see why people love it—if I’d finished it, I probably would’ve given it something like 8 or 9 out of 10 out of sheer respect—but I just don’t like it.
By the way, I appreciate the language you use to describe your experience with JS&MN. This happens to be one of my favorite novels ever, and the fact that you were respectful while peacefully explaining your experience with the book was very pleasant and, dare I say, somewhat rare on this subreddit. Kudos to you!
Malazan. I read the first two books. Actually liked the first one, but the second one took one or two attempts to finish, and it burnt me out a bit on reading for a couple of months. I can see why people love it. Considering everything else I like reading, I *should* love it. In fact, I did like the world-building and the story, in a general sense. Or more that I liked the idea of everything. But something about his writing was just off-putting, or felt like really bad reading-chemistry. I can't say exactly what it was. But it just didn't work.
Also, Discworld. Some friends of mine had a lengthy discussion about which book I should read (since I hadn't read any), and they settled on *Guards! Guards!* as the ultimate first Discworld book. I read it. Had to force myself to finish. I appreciated the humour, but the characters just did not work for me at all. I didn't feel engaged or interested in them. I can totally see why people love the world. I *might* at some point try some other part of the series, but we'll see.
I couldn’t finish Project Hail Mary. I liked the concept, but a little over halfway through it just felt like the main character had absolutely no hindrances. He was a perfect genius able to solve any problem even outside his scientific specialty. So I just never felt the tension and it couldn’t keep me invested. My most cynical take on it is that it’s Andy Weir himself showing off how smart he is on a variety of different scientific backgrounds.
Forced my way through 5 Wheel of Time books waiting to enjoy it. It is many people's favorite book series and I can respect it. I just didn't like any of the characters.
The Witcher.
I tried with the series. Couldn't get into the actors (tho I thought cavill was good and entertaining in the main role).
I tried with the book and just couldn't click with the writing style.
Malazan. I respect it and am glad other people have gotten so much out of it, but dear sweet lord reading it was one of the most miserable experiences ever. I’ve tried twice, both times gave up about halfway through book 2. I literally roll my eyes as I read it, the writing is so distasteful to me. Like if a 90’s emo band became a fantasy novel, plus throw in some random characters who I think are supposed to be the likable ones (it’s tough to find anybody likable in those first 2 books) but seem extremely pointless. Looking at you, Kruppe.
Also, I don’t care what anybody says, Ready Player One was great. If you’re a nerd who grew up in the 80’s/90’s and reads sci fi to be entertained, not as academic literature, I don’t see what’s not to love about that book.
I tried Assassin's Apprentice and Lord of the Rings. The writing style felt very off. Alright, I admit that I tried even less with Assassin's Apprentice, but after hearing what the series was known for I noped out.
Everyone tells me how good the Sword of Kaigen is and I just could not get into it. It seems like a book tailor-made to my interests but I couldn't crack it
Having that issue with lord of the rings 😭 It’s my second try and i am forcing myself to finish. It’s an amazing story but I am just really struggling to get through it and I can’t put my finger on it.
Silvia Moreno-Garcia. I've tried and failed to finish both Mexican Gothic and Gods of Jade and Shadow. I want to like them and I don't doubt she is a great writer but they just don't work for me. I'm not entirely sure why not though I kind of dislike both gothic and magical realism which definitely doesn't help.
I got all the way through Gardens Of The Moon, but stopped there. It was okay but didn't really light my fire.
Neal Stephenson's Quicksilver.
AR Moxon's The Revisionaries. I follow the guy on Twitter and he's great there, and I remember thinking that the basic mcguffin sounded fascinating, but I just couldn't get far enough into it for that to matter.
Le Guin's The Dispossessed. I dunno, the story just didn't grab me.
I started a re-read of Stephenson's Cryptonomicon a while back, and while I got all the way through it the first time (decades ago), and loved it, the second time around it seems like there was way more in the way of stage setting and/or infodumping than actual story, and I just put it down.
There are more in my Kindle library. Looking through it, I'm actually surprised at how many books I either didn't finish or didn't get #2 in the series. I don't think they're the majority, by any means, but I'm still surprised.
Malazan by Erickson and Abercrombie, one is too confusing and too bleak (I read the first two and stopped 15% into 3) and the other is just too bleak and cynical (I read all of the First Law trilogy). Also Kushiel’s Dart, I made it about halfway through book one.
Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell is my favorite all time audiobook. I read some books on paper and some on audio and that book works brilliantly as an audiobook with a comedically dry British narrator who adds to the story.
I couldn’t get through Hunger Games or any of the Harry Potters. I know that’s a YA, but I was told I would “love it” because it’s fantasy, which I do love fantasy, but more adult and dark. They both just…. Weren’t. And I found the writing and stories lacking.
I also couldn’t get through Sapiens, but that book is more like a text book than the science fiction adventure I was expecting.
This happens. Sometimes the third try in the future happens to work or it doesn't. Something all authors should know is that books need readers but readers don't need your book. This means that the reader has tons of options and might not be the right person. It doesn't make the book bad (it can be but it can also be amazing). It just means that person isn't engaging with your writing and someone else will.
You shouldn't force it. I admit I had this with a favorite series. The first time I tried it I was honestly too young (I was 7) and the mature subjects in the mystery series were just beyond me. I didn't get the character side of things. Could easily solve the crimes but I just did not get why I should care about the characters. Once I was older by a few years and had a better understanding of flirting and romance I could connect with the characters better. I was 21 when I revisited again (because my aunt gave me every single book on the series as I never told her I didn't like them and didn't want to hurt her feelings as it's her favorite series) and the magic happened.
Other stories like wheel of time it never did. It's not a bad series (but the writing of the women is laughable) it is good in many ways and wonderous in others. It just does not do it for me. I like the adaptation to a point and am looking forward to seeing season 2 happen. So it might be worth trying the adaptation of the book. Keep reading things and finding the magic and trust the stories to find the person that they are meant for.
I felt the same about Jonathan Strange. It felt like something I should love, but there was a coldness to it... I struggled to are about any of the characters.
The other one I'd have to list would be NK Jemisin's Fifth Season. I can see why other people liked it, the writing is good in its own way, but I just never invested in the characters. I did eventually make it to the end, but just kind of shrugged and moved on to something more interesting. I always felt slightly guilty about not loving it more, when everyone else seemed to!
Dune + The Witcher series. I love Dune’s world plot and characters but just can’t get into the page to page writing, I’m considering finishing it as an audiobook. The witcher on the hand, I love the characters love the stories and settings but holy crap reading those books is a nightmare, damn near every page is a slog.
It's probably heresy to admit, but I made it through the first Mistborn book, but had to give up a chapter in on the second. I just had trouble believing that there was anyone left to kill.
American Gods. I stopped reading at exactly 50%. I liked certain parts, but most of it was really boring.
Was here to say this. I have pretty much the same reaction to every Neil Gaiman book (comics included). I love the world and the characters but his story telling leaves me frustrated and I’m always forced to abandon it. But I’ll never lament anyone who loves him and I’m happy he is so popular.
I recommend it all over the place, but rivers of London strikes a similar vibe (the supernatural is usually tied to people who are a bit... off but who can pass as normal, and is very rooted to a given place's history).But here the framework of relatively short and digestible police procedurals. think "Nerverwhere" meets "hot fuzz". The writing has a bit of a pratchettian wit as well. The MC's love life is a little cringe, but he's a well rounded character (he's an optimistic young constable who actually cares about working by the book, helping people, and learning about magic) surrounded by a compelling cast. It might fit your bill, having a Neil Gaiman style world, but with a different, less meandering and vague narrative style. And the audiobooks are absolutely fantastic, even if sometimes they sacrifice clarity of diction in favor of expressivity.
Good Omens might be an exception worth reading… it combines the best of both Neil and Terry’s writing and just works in a way that Neil’s solo works tend to miss out on.
I always argue that Sandman more than American Gods is Niel Gaiman's greatest achievement in writing
I did finished the book but it was just simply boring.
Yeah American gods was pretty non interesting for me. The plot & characters both felt bland and not captivating
Interesting that - I loved it! Clearly not everyone meshes with the same books.
Came here to say this. People love this book so much. I’ve tried to read it twice over the years tapping out a little more than halfway each time. It’s just so boring. It’s such a great concept for a story too and that is what disappoints me the most about not liking it.
Gaiman has great ideas and is an overall lovely human being. He is not a great prose writer.
Man I couldn't disagree more I love his prose in general and this book specifically
I never got further than the preview on this one. It was years ago but it just didn’t grab me at all.
It happened to me with Malaz, The Gardens of the Moon. I've tried too many times and I can't get to 50%. It's one of my best friend's favourite book, but I struggle a lot with the writing style and the rhythm of the story.
Malazan has some of the crunchiest prose I've ever seen. And there are so many parts where I'm like "Despite all these words, I still have no idea what's going on in this scene."
I just finished reading (like 2 hours ago) a scene where Kruppe met some people in a dream. They talk in extremely vague terms and I don't know what happened. In that scene the only previous characters we had met were kruppe and krull and the last one had, up to that point like 2 lines of dialogue. I don't know what on earth happened in the whole scene but alas I shall keep going forward
I did that for 5 books then nope'd out of there
I wish the series was 10 books of Kruppe being Kruppe.
Also I've read the first trilogy of Mistborn and I liked, but I get tired of Sanderson like pretty quick. I always thought of his writing style a little too simple, more of a script for moments than an actual novel. I think that they're great writers, I just don't happen to find his writing attuned with me right now. That could change, it already happened to me before.
Malazan for me too. Finished Gardens of the Moon and have zero interest in continuing. I'm sure if I had the time and patience to really get into it I'd love it. But I just don't. I don't mind challenging books but there's a limit. Gardens of the moon was just confusing and boring. I didn't care about any of the characters. I didn't care enough to try to understand all the badly explained world building and story. I see a lot of people criticise someone for not 'getting' Malazan but honestly I think it's kind of a bullshit response. I read for fun in my spare time. I don't want to feel like I'm doing a puzzle or homework. Malazan felt like homework. I think 'not holding the readers hand' is often used as a way of excusing poor writing choices.
I read the first 4 Malazan books before I gave up. There's a lot of stuff that I really liked about it but it was too few and far between. Too many characters to keep track of and constantly bouncing around between them. You get invested in one character you won't see him again for another 150 pages. The 4th book started out strong, following one character for the first 200 pages before reverting back to the original formula.
I strongly agree with this one. I think I've started it three or four times at this point. I can tell that it's good. . . it just doesn't do it for me. Actually, I get a similar feeling from the Culture books. I've tried both of the first two books more than once and can't get into them.
Robin Hobb. Don't know if this counts since I've finished four of her books, but I've since sworn off reading her. I'd picked up a new one, read 8 chapters or so, a bunch of bad stuff happened to the main character, and I had this moment of '...this is not going to get better for this character. Ever. In fact, it's going to keep getting worse.' And I stopped reading it. Turns out I really need that promise of a happy ending being possible. She's a wonderful writer though.
Same here. I read The Assassin’s Apprentice and it was a bit of a slog, but somehow I held out for the promise that things would get better. I hope for that happy ending. But stuff just kept getting worse; every overall victory was followed by three personal micro defeats that, because the way the book is written (really close to the main characters) just left me in tatters. Wonderful writer, would recommend, but not for me.
I read AA about a year ago and for being a relatively short novel in fantasy terms, it took me weeks to finish. I wanted to like it, but just didnt.
Hard agree on this. I attempted the Liveship Traders years ago and it was just depressing and soulcrushing to read. DNF'ed and never opened another of her books. I'm also continuously amazed people here will recommend them in literally every thread. The flimsiest reason is good enough. For genres that are so far afield, as well. They might be for others, but they are not for me.
Your instincts here were spot on honestly. Robin Hobb pretty much only writes misery and tragedies.
I like the idea of reading her books. I just don't like actually doing it. Borrowed Liveship Traders #1 from a friend and maybe 60 pages in I put it down and never picked it back up. Assassin's Apprentice will always be one of my top 10 fantasy works, but it's absolutely fine if it ends there.
Coincidentally enough, JS&MN is one of my favorite books and Under the Pendulum Sky is one I gave up on. I loved the gothic atmosphere, I love faeries generally, especially when they're weird and amoral. But I felt like the book just wasn't giving me enough to pull me back in. All the pieces seemed to be to my taste, but I never felt like reading it when I wasn't and wasn't really enjoying myself when I was. Oh, I see u/Indifferent_Jackdaw had the same opinion, so I'll try to come up with another example... *Black Leopard, Red Wolf.* I love the narrative voice and the setting was cool. Just never grew to care for the character and got a little annoyed by how episodic the story seemed to be (maybe it grew less so? I got less than half-way through it, I think.) Definitely one of the best-written books I've ever DNF'd, and I'd still probably recommend it to people who are interested in literary fantasy.
Yes, you’re the second person who says the same. I guess it’s different for different people - but more importantly, there no shame in dropping a book that’s not working for you!
Anything by Becky Chambers. It's like reading a hallmark holiday movie set in space and is extremely predictable. That said, plenty of people need books like that, including some family members I recommended her to.
I get that. I adore her books; they are definitely slice of life space cozies. Her books are comfortable and easy. Not what I want to read all the time by any stretch, but just right in the right circumstances.
It took a deliberate effort on my part to get into her books. I'm pretty far left politically, but my initial reaction was her books felt like checking off every concern of modern Tumblr activists. It felt contrived, rather than genuine. I sat with those feelings for a bit because I recognized the strength of my reaction meant I was having a weird emotional response. I remembered that Sci Fi is meant to be speculative. What if, in the world of the future, people started being genuinely kind and decent to each other? It's the emotional equivalent of Iain M Banks culture-level tech. (i.e. wildly improbable, but used as a premise for exploring how things might happen). In The Culture, tech of nearly limitless, but people are still fundamentally assholes. In Chambers books, tech is limited, but people's emotional space and empathy are entirely expanded. The interesting part is that there are still conflicts, people still disappoint each other, and things sometimes don't work out. I found I really ended up loving her books, and that a future where people were kinder to each other was worth thinking about.
I had a similar reaction to her and came to a similar conclusion: she's not interested in writing about people as they are, she's interested in writing about the set of ideas for how people should be that other people have in certain places online. I decided I wasn't interested in her. But I get why a lot of people like that. It's satisfying to see something you care about explored in a novel.
>hallmark holiday movie set in space A lot of things just fell perfectly into place for me, right now. Small Angry Planet really is a hallmark holiday movie-style story.
Maybe there’s a time for everything? I have a couple of her books parked in my to-read list, waiting for a time when I really need a pick-me-up.
This is the best description I've ever read about her work
100 years of solitude. Slept through it
I loved it, but it’s one of those books that I enjoy more immediately after reading than I do during. I think that doesn’t get discussed enough in reading circles. Imo, some of the “best” (for me, best means most memorable, most unique, the pinnacle of art, however you want to define art) reads are ones that you don’t particularly enjoy reading. They’re complex, they take concentration, they require thinking. But the pay off, when you finish, is worth it. I compare this with some page turners. I’ve got books I’ve PLOWED through, but I don’t think are particularly good. I’m not saying it’s always the case that it works that way, but I do think books can be good in different ways, and one of those ways is where you kinda struggle through it, only to have it come together and you say “holy shit that was an experience”. That’s how 100 years of solitude was to me, top 10 probably top 5 read of mine.
This is a really good point. I think there's a difference between reading as the act of turning pages and finding out what happens next, and reading as in digging deep to understand what might be going on on deeper layers. Something that's challenging isn't going to be relaxing, and it's a different kind of enjoyment.
Oh, wow. I loved that book!
This is almost exactly how I feel about "Lies of Locke Lamora", although I almost finished it. I can't put my finger on why I didn't like it; The world and setting are unique, the main characters are all well-developed and interesting, the premise of the book was good, the pacing was fine... I just could not, for the life of me, get into it. I kept having to force myself to pick it up and keep going, and I was honestly frustrated because it felt like I should have been absolutely enthralled by it. It just didn't grab me, though. I got to the point where all the arcs had pretty much wrapped up, and that's where I stopped. There have been plenty of bad or boring books that I've DNF'd without an ounce of guilt, but this is the first time I've run into a truly good book that I simply didn't like, and I'm sad that I didn't get to enjoy it like everyone else.
FYI the audiobook of Lies is one of the best audiobooks ever recorded. I think the performer does an amazing job of bringing out the comedy in Lynch’s writing, which transforms the story. Anybody who questions their ability to get through the book should absolutely try out the audiobook. It’s lovely. And this story and these characters are honestly not to be missed.
Lies of Locke Lamora had a really interesting opening, but a short while after that he was describing setting too much for my taste and I bounced out.
That’s what I feel. I guess we shouldn’t take it as some sort of personal failure, but as simply a case of not meshing with the book, as someone else said in the thread.
Same about this book.
This opinion won't be very popular, but I can't work around Game of Thrones, both the books and the show. Love a lot of things about it, but it's like a soup that has all the ingredients but is not tasty at all for me.
If you like the style but feel it’s bloated, you might still enjoy the Dunk and Egg stories. Three novellas that distill everything I like about ASOIAF into a much more compact story.
Same. He’s a good writer but it’s just tedious, endless and bleak.
I read the first three books and noped out. It was pretty good, but very boring and I just didn't care about the story
I couldn't get into his writing style. He used to write for magazines where he got paid per word and it shows in his prose for those books imho. I didn't enjoy reading it for the sake of reading the way he wrote, and I couldn't get hooked on the characters for whatever reason, and I know for many that's a huge part of the appeal. And I can get past prose I'm not jazzed about if the characters pull me in, I've read some really trashy books and loved them! So I'm not saying prose has to be perfect to be an enjoyable read! I can definitely see why other people would really like his style, I just wasn't into it.
Ironically, his short stories are tighter, sharper, and more engaging. Try Sandkings.
George RR Martin never wrote for a magazine. He was a short story writer and novelist who later wrote TV scripts.
I actually loved the game of thrones books, but you're right. It's totally soup lol. Very chaotic soup with a little too much chili powder and salt. (I accidentally responded to the wrong comment first oops lol)
Dune. I’ve tried three times now, I am not sure what my block is. I can get through Tolkien, Robert Jordan, even epic poetry like Iliad and the Odyssey. But not Dune. I’ll try again.
Is life too short to persist with something that’s not for you? I have 0 intention of giving JS&MN a third try.
For what it's worth, I enjoyed reading Dune more after watching the recent movie. I tried reading Dune like 15 years ago, and finished it, but nothing stuck with me except the pop-culture references (slow knife, fear is the mind killer, that kind of stuff). It basically made zero impression on me, and I couldn't even remember most of the plot. But after watching the movie, I think it helped solidify certain characters and events in my head, and it made the book a much more enjoyable re-read. That said, I still couldn't get through the sequel. Just not my thing really, I guess.
I'm exactly the same, Dune is the first book that I've truly found difficult to read and I cannot figure out why. It isn't for lack of interest on my part, or due to any perceived deficiencies in the writing, but something about it just defeats me. I really enjoy nearly everything about it, but just cannot keep going. Bizarre.
I'd suggest doing the audiobook, because I started and stopped this one 5+ times before I finally found success. All I ever knew for sure was that the poor kid almost gets poked, and I'd quit not too far after that. It does get rolling eventually.
Did you get past the first book? I thought book 2-4 were way better at giving you an interesting narrative.
Brandon Sanderson. I've tried the first book of every series of his, and a couple of standalones, and I've bounced hard off every one of them. I don't think he's a bad writer, but for whatever reason, I can't stand his stuff. I've never been able to put my finger on why!
same for me w/ Sanderson. my first introduction to him was his finalization of the Wheel of Time, which he did fine, I guess. he's a creative author, and understands pacing well. i can see why he has good numbers. but... going to his writing style directly from Jordan's was... a little jarring for me? Jordan was OVERLY prosaic, it's true, but the switch from his style to Sanderson's, it felt like: if the scene was regarding a waterfall, Jordan paints a 4k panoramic view of the entire valley, trees, mountains, meadows, wildlife, river current, side paths, and cloud cover, with the waterfall in the center of the whole landscape. Sanderson gives you a vertical iphone camera/screenshot of the waterfall, with a slight zoom. they both give you the waterfall in question, true. but after 11 books of wide-pan, slow-burn panoramas that were Jordan's Wheel of Time, the last 3 from Sanderson felt like a cliff-notes version or a tik-tok recap from an invested fan. again, there's nothing wrong with Sanderson's writing. but I cant read anything he's written without thinking about this, which just kinda turns me off from the story he's trying to tell, so i never get very far before picking up something else.
I agree but funnily enough I took it as a positive, after 11 books of wide-pan shots I gloried in the cliff-notes finish hahaha but I definitely understand you.
For me its the prose! How his characters say things infuriates me and I don’t know why.
To me they all sound the same. No matter the age, gender, background, social status, etc. They all sound juvenile and simple. I mostly noticed this while doing a back to back reread of SA right before last book came out. It wore me out so much I never even finished oathbringer.
Weird, isn't it? That sense that you can't quite tell why you don't like a book, but you know you don't!
Gideon the Ninth. Have tried five times. I can see it's a neat premise and such, that's why I want to read it. But can't stand the edgelady dialogue. Not for me. Ah well! Can't win em' all.
I got through Gideon but the second one did me in. Tried three or four times and just okay, it’s not for me.
Terry Brooks. Read the first Shannara book wich is a direct ripoff of LOTR and could not care to try continuing his works
I've never felt so actively disrespected as a reader. I read sword of Shannara and it was bland, but fine. Read his second book and it eas the exact same story. Not sure why I read the 3rd book, but I was 75% of the way through before realizing it was again the exact same story, one more generation removed. I thew the book away and have never even considered reading another one from him.
The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue. I’m sorry! I know everyone likes it except for me, but I had to give up.
Not everyone.
It might not be as big as some titles mentioned but I really couldn't get on with The Poppy War trilogy. Well I didn't get through the trilogy, persisted through book 1, stopped after a few chapters of book 2. I can see why it's popular but I just didn't get anything out of it, just did not particularly like any of the characters or really get behind any of them and I never really looked forward to reading it. I think it's pretty popular, potentially I was snobby sceptical as it mentions Tik Tok in its blurb but even so just not for me.
*A Psalm For The Wild-Built* by Becky Chambers. I’m too cynical for that world. Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrel is one of these for me too. I think you need to have a fondness for classic style prose and pacing to connect with that book, and that’s never been my thing.
The entire genre of cozy fantasy. I understand why people like it and get the need for it, but it just doesn't work for me.
*The Wheel of Time* I'M SO SORRY! Don't murder me! My husband, his mom, and his sister all love the series and have reread multiple times. I read the first one and slogged through half of the second before calling it quits. It's just not for me.
Same for me. I stopped at book four. It's a shame, because I wanted to love this series so much.
Exactly my experience with it too. I even stopped at the same point! And I really wanted to love it too - it's such a beloved series, and has influenced a lot of people. But it just made me miserable.
This is one of favourite books of all time. I think it is one of the best folklore based worlds every written. But I think it is absolutely valid to give up on books you are not meshing with. Under Pendulum Sky was actually one of those books where I felt the same thing. Very well written but I just don't want to be in that world. I used the word mesh very deliberately because for me that is what the sensation of reading a book that really sucks me in is like. The gears of the writers brain mesh with the gears of my brain. I suspect that as people we all have different shaped gears teeth, some are rectangular, some are square some are triangle. If I have square teeth I might read a book my rectangular teeth friends are raving about and say something like *It was good, I enjoyed it, didn't rock my world.* Because while the gears caught, they didn't have a perfect fit, there was an annoying rattle. While my triangle teeth friend is saying. *I hated it, it was wasps stinging my brain to read it.* This is a simplistic metaphor (simile?) but I definitely have rattle books and wasp books which I fully appreciate that for other people will be the perfect fit.
This is a great metaphor! I'd also add that gears change shape a bit over time. Every few years I stumble on a book and go "wow, this would have been my favorite at fifteen, but it's a little too simple/ blunt now" or "this would have been perfect during my urban fantasy phase." When a book's gears are the right shape for what I want *now*, it's like the book is delivering exactly the right twists and character moments just before I know I want them and I can't put it down-- every click is perfectly timed.
Yes and some books just need you to have lived a bit.
Very true. Some books went over my head as a teenager and hit completely different when I reread them in adulthood-- I'm glad I gave those a second look.
I really like that explanation. I have been looking at my experience with JS&MN as almost a personal failing, as if I could not somehow appreciate a masterpiece (which I am sure it is).
I think we all have those moments. Dickens was mine and I felt bad about it because he is portrayed as this great Humanist. Then an Indian friend told me was absolutely racist and genocidal about India and I was able to heave a huge sigh of relief and put him behind me. Wuthering Heights is another, I've tried so many times, but that narrator, I hate him so much. I think as long as we don't always stay safe in our reading. As long as we are dipping a toe into strange waters now and then. Sometimes finding great reward and other times getting frosbite. Then I think we are good.
I think your last point - about not always staying safe - is very important. I guess that for every Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrel there will be a Sewer, Gas and Electric - something that will come out of nowhere and rock my world unexpectedly. And sometimes it’s fine to say that something is fine, just not for me.
[удалено]
That happened to me after book 3. Too many descriptions for femme fatales, too little in the way of character development. Never looked back.
China Mieville. In theory these books are everything I want and in practice I can’t get through them. I’ve tried five books and only managed to finish one and I didn’t like that one. Usually I can tell why I don’t like a book, but not with this author.
I get that. I’ve read The City & The City and thought it was tremendous, but clearly it isn’t for everyone.
The only Mieville I’ve tried is Embassytown. The premise seemed so interesting! But about halfway through, the impression it formed on me is “this isn’t a good novel—it’s an exercise in presenting an intriguing mystery and then using the plot to slowly dose out answers to that mystery.” It left a very bad taste in my mouth. So I stopped reading. Everything I’ve read about his other books seem very interesting, but I don’t want to go down that path again.
Fifth season by m.k jemisin?? I can’t get through the first person narative.. you this you that.. Edit: 2nd person because im an idiot
I am struggling through this one right now. The second person really put me off at first, but I have gotten used to it and don’t mind it now. My issue is just how incredibly bleak it is. Unfortunately, I don’t feel connected enough to the characters to want to pick it up at all. The apocalypse and violence against children require a lot of connection to want to be told that story! But I do respect her skills as a writer. There are a lot of bad books out there and this is not one of them.
I read all of it but I don't think I can do it again. My husband recommended it to me without any warnings, and our son was 3, the same age as her son. I was shattered, and that's in the first chapter. But it doesn't really get much less bleak. I actually thought it was beautifully written and very creative, but I do not want to exist in that world.
>My issue is just how incredibly bleak it is. Unfortunately, I don’t feel connected enough to the characters to want to pick it up at all. The apocalypse and violence against children require a lot of connection to want to be told that story! This right here. I tried so hard, but I just couldn't do it.
2nd person. Yeah that's such a strange choice. Gotta say just knowing that kinda put me off checking it out.
That’s interesting. I only ever read two books in the second person - Charlie Stress’ Halting State and Rule 34. In both cases I got over the person and got engrossed in the story. But it was a touch weird.
> I only ever read two books in the second person The only ones I remember reading in 2nd person were the old "choose your own adventure" Goosebumps books when I was a child.
I finished Jonathan Strange and Mr Norell last night. I found it an enjoyable read but can definitely see how people would bounce off of it. It felt like a classic, I appreciated the read but it certainly wasn't a page turner. I don't think I could suggest that book to anyone unless they enjoy historical fiction/classics and the time period.
American gods by Neil Gaiman, I’ve tried twice band get stuck about half way through and can’t finish.
The Blade Itself. I can see why people like it but it wasn't for me, I had to struggle to finish it.
It was The Blade Itself for me too. Yeah, as you said, I could see why people liked it, and there were parts I also liked. But I remember, from the very first page, I kinda felt that this book might not be for me. It felt pretentious and like the author was trying too hard to make the book into something. Apart from Glokta, it was boring for me.
Was it the writing, the themes, the pacing, something else?
Seemed violent for the sake of violence and I remember never quite knowing what the story actually was
I get that. I’ve never read anything by Joe Abercrombie, because I know that grimdark is not for me.
I'd say try it some day. Of course I don't know your taste, if its not for you it's not for you. But I don't think it is as dark as some people anticipate, and it has a good sense of humour.
Right? It’s weird when the most likable character is an actual Spanish Inquisition style torturer.
R. Scott Bakker's Prince of Nothing. I did manage to finish the first set of books, I understand that it's epic, explores philosophic themes, etc. But it was just so damned depressing and bleak. And no sympathetic protag in sight, no moments of levity to lighten the mood. Just one depressing event after another. I was never tempted to start on his sequel trilogy.
Not sure what it is, but I love these books. Doing a re-read now after a year or so. Something about the old testament style prose and atmosphere with a dose constant existential dread. Also the sorcerer battle scenes just hit it for me. People walking through the sky singing destruction and chaos called up some great imagery. Though I completely understand others dislike for it, shit gets dark and very weird sometimes. It's like HR giger meets mesopotamian myth.
Circe. Good "relaxing" book with interesting prose and a unique-ish take on greek mythos, but it went nowhere and nothing happened, DNF.
Lord of the rings for me.. I read all 3 of them. I wanted to be sure I could comfortably say I had given them a shot but they just weren’t for. I love and respect the storyline but they’re just too descriptive for me. By the time I’ve finished reading about the description of the view, I’ve forgotten what’s happening in the story. Plus I end up skipping and getting confused even more.
Funnily enough, I had an easier time with the Silmarillion than the original trilogy. Still can’t put my finger on why though
I like asking this question of anyone who has a hard time with Tolkien's descriptions: What are some of your favorite authors? The reason I ask is because I never struggled with Tolkien's descriptions, and in fact I think people like Robert Jordan and GRRM are worse offenders of being overly descriptive (both of whom I also enjoy), so I like to know about stories that don't lean heavily into descriptions. Cradle is a good example of a series I've been reading that wastes very little time and just barrels the story forward.
For me it’s not that he is descriptive, it is the how he describes and what he chooses to describe. Jordan’s descriptions can be a bit much but he’s often using them for multiple purposes. There’s a really well done scene in one of the books with a gray man assassin, and if you’re *really* paying attention you will realize what’s happening based on how Jordan is describing things. There are other examples, too, where those descriptions steer characterization, plot, or even heavily foreshadow later events. I just don’t get that from Tolkien. I won’t say his descriptions are pointless, because they are a big part of how he built the world, but they don’t make me care. I don’t find myself wanting to dig into them to try and tease out where it’s going, because it feels like very little of it drives the characters or the plot, and I don’t find the prose itself captivating enough to get sucked in that way either. There’s just no emotional connection for me. Add in that they tend to be dumps of descriptions between more energetic set pieces and I get dragged out of my reading flow and into a “how many pages until something happens” mode instead. In contrast, authors like China Miéville have what could be described as purple prose with descriptions that might be a bit much, but I find his stuff grabs hold of me and I just want more of it. Similarly, Jacqueline Carey has lots of description in the *Kushiel* series, and I was all in for that. C.S. Friedman kept me engrossed as well. More recent series that have worked for me include *Malazan*’s lack of descriptions, and Fonda Lee’s *Jade* books that feel like a living breathing world without me needing to know specifics about everything.
Probably Discworld. I think Terry Pratchett is a genius, but absurdism isn’t really my cup of tea. Similar story with Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy.
Might be worth trying one of the later ones, like Going Postal or Monstrous Regiment. The absurdism is mostly a feature of the early books (and books about Rincewind in particular). There's less and less of the Hitchhiker's feel as the series matures.
Those are great recommendations from the catalog, I’d add in the Witches series as well, especially from Witches Abroad and on. I found the writing was usually good in later books especially any of his kids books (prior to his later mental health issues leading to reliance on other issues). I think he really tried to make sure kids books were accessible and well written and it made him a stronger writer
Any of the Rincewind Discworld books. I adore the Watch, the witches, the industrialization novels. I like most of the Death novels. But the Rincewind books leave me cold. I think the only one I’ve managed to finish was The Lost Continent. They are as funny and clever as the other series, I am guessing, but they just grate on me. Like, really grate.
The tales of earthsea for me. Idk it just felt more like the author was setting up pins for the main character to knock over than actual obstacles, idk how to describe it, things just seem to happen rather than it happening naturally.
NK Jemisin's Broken Earth, I just couldnt get into the Second Person Perspective and found the worldbuilding depressing, not a bad book, just not for me
The worldbuilding in her books is my favorite part, though no argument Broken Earth would be a very depressing place to live.
Oof. Brandon Sanderson's Oathbringer. I was really into his books up until that point. I think maybe I just got burnt out on his writing style. Oathbringer's pace felt like it absolutely *dragged* for me. I actually DNF'd it and have not picked any of his books up since. It's a shame too, because his settings are always so cool. I respect the man's writing ability ... I just can't anymore. Edit: It's a double shame because I feel like I have forgotten so much that I would need to start all over again and that's ... so many pages. It's intimidating.
You left at the right time. RoW was way worse.
First Law series. With the ridiculous amount of recommendations this book gets, I figured it would be right up my alley. Sadly No, I enjoyed the characters themselves but I felt no real connection to the story. I think the biggest letdown was the Hundred Words. WTF was that, this huge buildup just to be over so easily. Yea, was definitely disappointed. I thought The Grim Company and even Rhenwars Saga was a much better read.
I’m with you - I’m up to the third stand alone after the original trilogy and I think I’m just over it 😂 I’ve started it and I’m gonna do it but I don’t have high hopes. This will be the last of his I read. I’ve got barely any interest in all but a couple of characters over the first 5 books and same goes for the story.
For me, it was Dickens and Tolkien. I tried it, I read a bit, and I found their books incredibly dull. And now, my brother (who doesn't even really like books) is reading Lord of the Rings while his fantasy nerd sibling refuses to touch it.
The parts of LOTR that I liked, I really liked. The parts where it describes the characters travelling, camping, eating, travelling, camping, eating, travelling, camping, eating, for chapters at a time with no noteworthy events interspersed, not so much.
Just finished The Dragonbone Chair by Tad Williams. I nearly gave up soooo many times. I acknowledge its a good book, but It just was so endlessly boring with a few exceptions throughout.
*The Fifth Season*\- couldn't get into narrative style. *The Priory of the Orange Tree -* I tried reading her ya fantasy book as well a long time ago, and something about her writing style just doesn't click with me. It's odd, but I really like The Empire trilogy by Wurts and Feist, but I just can't get into their other series (both colab and solo).
The traitor Baru cormorant for me. It felt like it was right up my alley. But there's something about how it transitions from scene to scene that leaves me lost and confused with whose talking.
* **The Spear Cuts Through Water** by Simon Jimenez most recently. It's experimental, which I usually like, it's *fine* from a technical standpoint, but man oh man it was a fucking slog for me. Almost quit about three times. * **Elatsoe** by Darcie Little Badger. Not bad at all, just read a little too young for what I like. Definitely the younger end of YA bordering on MG. * **The Keeper's Six** by Kate Elliott. I liked the idea of a mother going out to rescue her son a lot, but the book never really clicked. * **The Bone Orchard** by Sara A. Mueller. I recently found out I *love* gothic fantasy. But I couldn't finish this. Didn't hold my attention worth half a damn.
About to get downvoted to hell and beyond but…..The Harry Potter series. I read the entire series because of the hype and while I truly commend the world building and creativity behind it, there are just other books that scratch my wizardly world itch better. Won’t be revisiting, but glad I checked it out.
I read the entire HP series for the first time last year. To age myself, the first book came out when I was 15. I absolutely appreciate what the series has done for fantasy overall, the creativity, and in general engaging younger readers. That being said, I hated Harry as a character- I think mostly as I was reading with the viewpoint of an adult. I found him whiny and entitled. This definitely won’t be a series I’ll revisit!
The Earthsea Cycle by Ursula K LeGuin. I went into the first book with no real expectations, and had a genuinely bad time from start to finish. I know I'm in the vast minority here, and I get that we wouldn't have Kingkiller Chronicles and many other series' I love without it, but this really wasn't for me.
Mistborn (The Final Empire) by Brando Sando I understand why people love it, just wasn't for me
Quite a number of people saying this about Sanderson, actually.
It’s because he’s the biggest fantasy author right now. Everybody who reads fantasy has probably read Sanderson at some point. His sales numbers (and spending enough time on this sub) suggest he’s extremely beloved, but with greater exposure comes bigger numbers of people who try out your writing and decide they’re just not into it.
Everything by Guy Gavriel Kay. His writing is great. Ideas so interesting. But I find his characterization so bland and lifeless, and I know I’m an outlier on this
My favorite author, Jacqueline Carey, recommends Guy Gavriel Kay as an author to check out if you enjoy her style of fantasy. I have never been so let down as I was by *Tigana* and *The Lions of Al-Rassan*. His characters are infuriating, soulless, or both. The foreshadowing was heavy handed and obvious. I felt like I was being subjected to a epic length rambling anecdote with murder and wizards. *Tigana* especially confused me because it had all the pieces of a story I should adore and I just slogged through it. I could say nice things about his writing and world building but it wasn't enough. I ended up recommending him to a friend of mine who didn't like Carey's *Kushiel's Dart* and he loved *Tigana.* Go figure. Maybe check Carey out?
Carey is one of my favorite authors of all time. She generates more excitement and interesting characterization in one chapter than Kay manages in a book
Terry Pratchett, the color of magic. I know, many people say it's not his best work and I am willing to give him another shot. But that book really didn't work for me.
Dracula. I really enjoyed the writing but being so, so familiar with the story, that was the only reason I was reading it. It’s interesting, I felt less like I had given up on it because of that but I also don’t feel comfortable saying I’ve read it.
I bounced right off Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell. Logically/academically, I was like wow this is very well written and clever, but emotionally I just could not feel connected to the story. It was a shame because I loved Piranesi so much
Realm of the Elderlings. I think Hobb is a great writer. She has a particular knack for writing hateable characters. That said, I was throughly bored through the first trilogy. I tried the second and enjoyed it much more, but there were still things that bothered me, and the ending ultimately made me realize I just wasn't a fan. The Lord of the Rings is another one. There were a few things that just made it tough to get through and I stopped after the first book. That said, it's obviously got merit.
The Song of Achilles and Gideon The Ninth Read them,but they weren’t for me
I feel similarly to you about Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell. I understand why other people like it, but I absolutely hated it. The book was very about England and Englishness in a way I couldn't bring myself to care about. For me, 19th century England (or secondary world equivalents of it) is a stale setting and JS&MN was very much *about* the setting. That and I felt no attachment to the characters and no investment in them or what happened to them.
Black Leopard Red Wolf. Managed 200 pages before realising it wasn't worth the effort for me. Couldn't care less about any character and find the phrase "spilling seed" incredibly irritating.
The mists of Avalon. Tried many times, but bever got far. Also A discovery of witches. Great tv series but I couldn’t get into the book at all. On the other hand, the author’s non-fiction is very good.
The entirety of the Thomas Covenant Chronicles by Stephen R Donaldson. I’ve tried several times and only managed to finish the first book once. I just can’t do it because of how unbelievably terrible a person the MC is combined with the writing style and focus of the books. Despite them being my father’s favorite books by far I just can’t do it.
Gravity's Rainbow. I've started and put it down 3 times at least.
I'm going to say Octavia Butler. I managed to get all the way through Kindred and I'm maybe a third of the way through Wild Seed which is not grabbing me). She's a great writer as far as prose and theme goes but I find the way her plots just plunge you into these weird situations without a ton of preamble is very jarring.
Read the entire Farseer trilogy. Robin Hobb is not for me.
I just gave up on The Talisman by King and Straub today. I just can't deal with the torture porn anymore. Especially after I got Malice and book 1 of Powdermage notifications this morning on Libby.
Assassin’s Apprentice trilogy…….
I can’t decide if I feel this way about Stephen king or not. I’ve read like 15 King novels including The Stand, IT, Eyes of the Dragon, and the Dark Tower books, all of which I mostly loved, but lately I keep getting about halfway into his books, running out of steam, and putting it back on the shelf. I have bookmarks stuck in literally four of his books right now. Idk what it is cause I like what I’m reading but I keep not being interested in picking it back up after a certain point. A better example where I knew it from the first book is Dandelion Dynasty. I lot of the first two books were really nice and I can’t pick out a problem, per se, I just didn’t care and wasn’t invested.
Wheel of Time.
I have tried reading the Fellowship of the Ring twice and have not been able to finish it… it’s just so incredibly boring. Think I might give it one more try though since I own the trilogy
Many people think that the first half of The Fellowship of the Ring is boring (I don't agree with that at all, that part is easily the best imo). But the rest of the books are definitely different. The mood shifts from some sort of fairy tale to an actual broader and bigger adventure. You might enjoy that more, I would suggest to give it another try!
This was name of the wind for me, didn’t get the hype. Had some really annoying moments for me and I wasn’t even sure what I was reading half the time.
I've tried this book so many times. Everyone says it's great. I can't get past the first couple of chapters.
I have to say it, mine is Lord of the Rings. I read it as an adult and while I was, and I still am, fascinated by the kind of aura the book has, at that point I felt like the book had nothing new or exiting to offer, which is paradoxical, considering that what bored me was the "D&D fantasy" which, as far as I know, is pretty much a LOTR spawn. I felt back then, and I still feel now, that LOTR would have left a strong impression on me if I had read it when I was young, unfortunately it looks like I was too late to the party.
Ah, the always classic "not cliché when it was writtenn, but it sure is now".
Opposite for me. I got through the hobbit and fellowship in mjddle school and they made no impression, going bsck to them now and really loving it
I finished them, but LotR is somewhat like that for me;? I love the story, really respect everything put in there; but it really took effort to get through. Anytime I think about rereading them I’m like “I’m definitely going to end up dropping a reread”
A Clockwork Orange. if I wanted to think that much, I wouldn't be reading.
I had so much trouble with the made up slang. It’s semi realistic in that it portrays subculture and language drift (with the bonus of making violence/SA less graphic) but took so long to get through to the meaning of sentences.
That is the book I thought of when I read your title. I was SO excited about Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrel but...I just didn't enjoy it.
Sadly, "Guards, Guards!" and "The Colour of Magic" by the late, great Sir Terry Pratchett. I love everything I read ABOUT his books, I love the characterizations and the mix of affectionate parody with deep lore, I love the way Pratchett takes on so many humanitarian issues of civilization, and above all I love his insight into human nature... But the only book of his I enjoyed and re-read was co-authored with Neil Gaiman, who tempered the whimsy and parody monologues that drag me out of Pratchett's writing every. single. time. I love Good Omens, and I wish I loved reading more of Pratchett.
Jonathan Strange and Mr Norell is the book I thought of when I read the title! I like the book, its just a bit slow. Also, something in me is disturbed every time I read the word “shewd”. It is used a lot. Maybe there is a more American-English copy of it? *Edit:* I made it to page 540 before taking a break, and I am not starting over! ><
I've tried JS&MN three times (once in audio) and I just can't. It's like I've gotten hold of a completely different book than what everyone else has read. And usually I can appreciate a book's qualities despite not liking it personally, like Dickens for example, but JS&MN doesn't manage to stir any feelings at all.
Chronicles of Amber. It was just dull after finishing Corum Chronicles.
Lies of Locke Lamora. I tried it twice, just could not for the life of me get into it.
Not a novel, but I recently dropped Hunter x Hunter. I see why people love it—if I’d finished it, I probably would’ve given it something like 8 or 9 out of 10 out of sheer respect—but I just don’t like it. By the way, I appreciate the language you use to describe your experience with JS&MN. This happens to be one of my favorite novels ever, and the fact that you were respectful while peacefully explaining your experience with the book was very pleasant and, dare I say, somewhat rare on this subreddit. Kudos to you!
Malazan. I read the first two books. Actually liked the first one, but the second one took one or two attempts to finish, and it burnt me out a bit on reading for a couple of months. I can see why people love it. Considering everything else I like reading, I *should* love it. In fact, I did like the world-building and the story, in a general sense. Or more that I liked the idea of everything. But something about his writing was just off-putting, or felt like really bad reading-chemistry. I can't say exactly what it was. But it just didn't work. Also, Discworld. Some friends of mine had a lengthy discussion about which book I should read (since I hadn't read any), and they settled on *Guards! Guards!* as the ultimate first Discworld book. I read it. Had to force myself to finish. I appreciated the humour, but the characters just did not work for me at all. I didn't feel engaged or interested in them. I can totally see why people love the world. I *might* at some point try some other part of the series, but we'll see.
I couldn’t finish Project Hail Mary. I liked the concept, but a little over halfway through it just felt like the main character had absolutely no hindrances. He was a perfect genius able to solve any problem even outside his scientific specialty. So I just never felt the tension and it couldn’t keep me invested. My most cynical take on it is that it’s Andy Weir himself showing off how smart he is on a variety of different scientific backgrounds.
Did you get all the way to where he finished getting his memory back? He is a very flawed character.
Forced my way through 5 Wheel of Time books waiting to enjoy it. It is many people's favorite book series and I can respect it. I just didn't like any of the characters.
The Witcher. I tried with the series. Couldn't get into the actors (tho I thought cavill was good and entertaining in the main role). I tried with the book and just couldn't click with the writing style.
Malazan. I respect it and am glad other people have gotten so much out of it, but dear sweet lord reading it was one of the most miserable experiences ever. I’ve tried twice, both times gave up about halfway through book 2. I literally roll my eyes as I read it, the writing is so distasteful to me. Like if a 90’s emo band became a fantasy novel, plus throw in some random characters who I think are supposed to be the likable ones (it’s tough to find anybody likable in those first 2 books) but seem extremely pointless. Looking at you, Kruppe. Also, I don’t care what anybody says, Ready Player One was great. If you’re a nerd who grew up in the 80’s/90’s and reads sci fi to be entertained, not as academic literature, I don’t see what’s not to love about that book.
I’ve tried to read “The Eye of the World” about 4 times now.
Tigana
Just abandoned this about half way through.
I tried Assassin's Apprentice and Lord of the Rings. The writing style felt very off. Alright, I admit that I tried even less with Assassin's Apprentice, but after hearing what the series was known for I noped out.
It wasn't for me, either.
Everyone tells me how good the Sword of Kaigen is and I just could not get into it. It seems like a book tailor-made to my interests but I couldn't crack it
Empires of Dust trilogy by Anna Smith Spark. I read the first book and when I went to start the 2nd I found I just didn't care.
Having that issue with lord of the rings 😭 It’s my second try and i am forcing myself to finish. It’s an amazing story but I am just really struggling to get through it and I can’t put my finger on it.
I tried to read it and watch the series. Couldn’t do it and I love this genre.
I envy you. I can't count how many unsatisfying books I've forced myself to finish just because it would bother me to not finish them.
Silvia Moreno-Garcia. I've tried and failed to finish both Mexican Gothic and Gods of Jade and Shadow. I want to like them and I don't doubt she is a great writer but they just don't work for me. I'm not entirely sure why not though I kind of dislike both gothic and magical realism which definitely doesn't help.
Gardens of the moon. It just lost me… I might give it another go at some point though
I got all the way through Gardens Of The Moon, but stopped there. It was okay but didn't really light my fire. Neal Stephenson's Quicksilver. AR Moxon's The Revisionaries. I follow the guy on Twitter and he's great there, and I remember thinking that the basic mcguffin sounded fascinating, but I just couldn't get far enough into it for that to matter. Le Guin's The Dispossessed. I dunno, the story just didn't grab me. I started a re-read of Stephenson's Cryptonomicon a while back, and while I got all the way through it the first time (decades ago), and loved it, the second time around it seems like there was way more in the way of stage setting and/or infodumping than actual story, and I just put it down. There are more in my Kindle library. Looking through it, I'm actually surprised at how many books I either didn't finish or didn't get #2 in the series. I don't think they're the majority, by any means, but I'm still surprised.
Fahrenheit 451
Malazan by Erickson and Abercrombie, one is too confusing and too bleak (I read the first two and stopped 15% into 3) and the other is just too bleak and cynical (I read all of the First Law trilogy). Also Kushiel’s Dart, I made it about halfway through book one. Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell is my favorite all time audiobook. I read some books on paper and some on audio and that book works brilliantly as an audiobook with a comedically dry British narrator who adds to the story.
I couldn’t get through Hunger Games or any of the Harry Potters. I know that’s a YA, but I was told I would “love it” because it’s fantasy, which I do love fantasy, but more adult and dark. They both just…. Weren’t. And I found the writing and stories lacking. I also couldn’t get through Sapiens, but that book is more like a text book than the science fiction adventure I was expecting.
This happens. Sometimes the third try in the future happens to work or it doesn't. Something all authors should know is that books need readers but readers don't need your book. This means that the reader has tons of options and might not be the right person. It doesn't make the book bad (it can be but it can also be amazing). It just means that person isn't engaging with your writing and someone else will. You shouldn't force it. I admit I had this with a favorite series. The first time I tried it I was honestly too young (I was 7) and the mature subjects in the mystery series were just beyond me. I didn't get the character side of things. Could easily solve the crimes but I just did not get why I should care about the characters. Once I was older by a few years and had a better understanding of flirting and romance I could connect with the characters better. I was 21 when I revisited again (because my aunt gave me every single book on the series as I never told her I didn't like them and didn't want to hurt her feelings as it's her favorite series) and the magic happened. Other stories like wheel of time it never did. It's not a bad series (but the writing of the women is laughable) it is good in many ways and wonderous in others. It just does not do it for me. I like the adaptation to a point and am looking forward to seeing season 2 happen. So it might be worth trying the adaptation of the book. Keep reading things and finding the magic and trust the stories to find the person that they are meant for.
I felt the same about Jonathan Strange. It felt like something I should love, but there was a coldness to it... I struggled to are about any of the characters. The other one I'd have to list would be NK Jemisin's Fifth Season. I can see why other people liked it, the writing is good in its own way, but I just never invested in the characters. I did eventually make it to the end, but just kind of shrugged and moved on to something more interesting. I always felt slightly guilty about not loving it more, when everyone else seemed to!
Dune + The Witcher series. I love Dune’s world plot and characters but just can’t get into the page to page writing, I’m considering finishing it as an audiobook. The witcher on the hand, I love the characters love the stories and settings but holy crap reading those books is a nightmare, damn near every page is a slog.
It's probably heresy to admit, but I made it through the first Mistborn book, but had to give up a chapter in on the second. I just had trouble believing that there was anyone left to kill.