Novel series that you can't stand.

[Dark Jezter]

Okay, this thread is the opposite of the "Your favorite novel series" thread. The purpose of this one is for readers to vent: What novel series do you hate, but everybody else seems to love?

For me, I'd say Wheel of Time by Robert Jordan. Good grief, someone had better tell Robert Jordan that sometimes less is more. I'm all for verbose descriptions and deep characters, but these books take it to the extreme; Jordan will write whole strings of chapters where absolutely nothing of import happens, just long, rambling descriptions. I'm a fast reader, and can usually read a 1000-page book in three or four days, but it took me a month to read The Eye of the World.

And speaking of the characters, I can't really think of any I care about. Rand is a reluctant hero to a degree of extreme annoyance, and it's hard to like a character who spends all his time whining about how he dosen't want to be a hero. And then there are the women in the books... generally unpleasent folk who spend all their time sniffing and turning up their noses at each other. The only character I liked was Mat.

Okay, now that's off my chest... I'll let other people get to their most hated novels.

 

[S'mon]

When I find something I don't like, I generally stop reading it. I couldn't get more than 2 pages into Dragons of Autumn Twilight, for instance. I guess for a series, it would have to be RE Salvatore's Forgotten Realms novels, which started well with The Crystal Shard (I think it was written before the TSR ethics code came in, so it has some mild nastiness in it) then went progressively down hill. I still read a whole bunch of them (up to, I think, The Legacy) before I gave up.

I haven't yet penetrated Gene Wolfe's Book of the Long Sun (New Sun is great), but I'll try again one of these days.

CJ Cherryh's Chronicles of Morgaine - great characterisation and atmosphere, but almost nothing ever happens. I had the sexist thought that maybe this was a standard fault of female writers, but then I reread LeGuin's 'The Furthest Shore' again, and was blown away (again)...

 

[KenM]

TSR having a "code of ethics", now thats funny. But I know I will get flamed for this, but the book series I can't stand is Lord of the Rings. I love the movies, but the books are just so long, drawn out. JRRT had no idea how to do plot devlopment or how to prgress the story. He describes the characters going around EVERY hill, road, ect.. Then for some reason that has no relation to the main plot, the characters sing for many pages, to show the language(s) He devolped. Also, some major plot things that should have been explained more, are not(IE, between FoTR and TTT the orcs attack, no place does JRRT describe the action, its just mentioned in passing the the orcs attacked the, that is a MAJOR plot happening). Someone else said "you read LOTR to find out about the world, the languages, the story is the backround". I felt like I was reading a textbook, if I want to read a textbook to learn, I will read a textbook to learn, if I want to read a fantasy adventure novel, thats what I expect, not a textbook.

 

[Frostmarrow]

For the record: I just hate the Belgariad or whatever that novel series was called. Such a waste to feature a great character like Polgara in such utter meaningless tripe.

 

[Saba Taru]

Hrm...

JRRT had no idea how to do plot devlopment or how to prgress the story. He describes the characters going around EVERY hill, road, ect.. Then for some reason that has no relation to the main plot, the characters sing for many pages, to show the language(s) He devolped. Also, so major plot things that should have been explained more, are not(IE, between FoTR and TTT the orcs attack, no place does JRRT describe the action, its just mentioned in passing the the orcs attacked the, that is a MAJOR plot happening). Someone else said "you read LOTR to find out about the world, the languages, the story is the backround". I felt like I was reading a textbook, if I want to read a textbook to learn, I will read a textbook to learn, if I want to read a fantasy adventure novel, thats what I expect, not a textbook.

I used to feel the same way about those books. After college (the first time) and during a medieval lit class (for yet another degree), I finally pieced together exactly what JRRT was trying to accomplish and what he'd modeled his work on. I have to give him credit for that stroke of genius (even while acknowledging the fact that his books are difficult to read for "modern" audiences and seem to go nowhere in a hurry), and I'd highly recommend that even if you find the books distasteful, that you take a look at the literature it was based on. You might find a hidden appreciation for his accomplishment even if the stories themselves hold no value for you.

Back on topic, Robert Jordan's stuff annoyed the crap out of me. I read the first book and part of the second (at the insistance of my husband who loved the series) before I finally gave up. I'm also loathe to even look at the Redwall books, and the Xanth series after about book 12 got to be too much, and the iconic D&D novels (don't get me started on that one...). So many serial novels start out so well and then just die, but I'm not bitter...

 

[Dinkeldog]

Asimov's Foundation books bore the snot out of me. I also haven't been able to complete the second book of Song of Ice and Fire.

 

[Cthulhu's Librarian]

Add my vote to Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time. I've tried to read the first book 4 times, but can't get beyond 300 pages. Nothing really ever happens, but everything is described to the smallest detail, and the dialogue is AWFUL. I've got friends who rave about the series, about the story, the world, but all I can see is alot of description about whining characters who mean absolutly nothing to me. And occasionally a female character who is written like a man but is described as "she", so you know its a woman. Sorry, but I just don't get them. But to give credit, Tor Books has done a fantastic job of marketing the books (have to say that, my fiance used to work in Tor's marketing department, and I saw the amount of work that went into it ).


(edit spelling)

 

[buzzard]

It's almost too easy to bash Jordan, but I'll still echo the thought that even moreso than Dickens this man feels like he's being paid by the word.

Other series of dreck... well I generally don't make it through a whole series if the first one sucks. However I guess the Metapsychic rebellion series by Julian May would have to be a big dissapointment to me. The Pleistocene Exile was a spectacular series. Those books are so good I re-read them every year. Then she went on to write was was essentially the prequel. The first ones detailing contact with the psychic aliens were OK, but then she got to writing the meat of what was to be the set of the rebellion. These came in three books. Jack the Bodyless, Diamond Mask, and Magnificat. The first two were OK. Things moved along, and the created world was pretty cool. Then she wrote the last one. Since we all knew there was to be a big war based on human psychics wanting to break with galactic civilization, you'd figure it would have to be a heck for a war. Feh. It was a pathetic excuse for a war. Casualties were caused by accident. The bad guys were defeated by some stupid jiggery-pokery. The whole description in the book was less than 50 pages(less than that probably, but I won't be re-reading it).

After reading bits and pieces about the rebellion during the first series, you come in with great expectations about the scale of the war. She ends up writing it as a tempest in a teapot.

I highly reccomend her original series. Just leave it at that.

buzzard

 

[KenM]

Alot of people not liking Jordan's Wheel of Time. Think He might get the hint and finish the thing? I', glad I never could get into that series.

 

[Arken]

Alot of people not liking Jordan's Wheel of Time. Think He might get the hint and finish the thing? I', glad I never could get into that series.

LOL will never happen! Remember:

'The wheel of time turns, ages come and pass...blah, blah, blah...There are neither beginnings nor endings to the turning of The Wheel of Time.'

It's like a threat! and every one of them starts like that!

Though I read them (I started so i'll finish) add my vote to the 'anti Wheel of Time' list. They're just not that well written and we're agreed on the characterisation particularly for the women going around raising their eyebrows and making shew-like comments at all and sundry.