Novel series that you can't stand.

[Kahuna Burger]

[BTW, I don't like Austen at all. You just have to accept that a work can be good, a masterpiece even, and just not be to your tastes.]

just to sidenote, but I don't.

Seriously, I gave up a long time ago accepting that someone else could tell me what good writing was and I just had to accept their judgement because they lived before me. I never had to read austen, so I'll make no specific comments there, but I've read pure dreck by so called masters, and I accept nothing as a masterpeice on other's say so...

That doesn't mean that I can't think something is well written, acted, whatever without liking it - I will readily give credit for a well done job even when the job was not to my taste - but people who try to tell me "this is good. read it and learn to think of it as good because thats what cultured people think" is looking for some serious mockery.

On the topic at hand EVERY DAMN THING BY PEIRS ANTHONY!!!!!!!! Ugh! that man has enough idea for one and a half books and then he has to drag it into a 6 part series. The only one I read that ended even close to potential was Incarnations of Immortality - and by the time I finished those I was old enough to start realizing what a sexually screwed up puppy that guy is...

Kahuna Burger

 

[Mallus]

That doesn't mean that I can't think something is well written, acted, whatever without liking it - I will readily give credit for a well done job even when the job was not to my taste - but people who try to tell me "this is good. read it and learn to think of it as good because thats what cultured people think" is looking for some serious mockery.

Sure, treating lit. as some kind of cultural capital/status symbol is nasty thing to do. "Do you like my new Lexus, and by the way I love the poetry of Ezra Pound"...

What I'm saying is that I readily accept that I miss things when I read/view/interact with art {to be fair, I miss things when I drive, light red lights}. I don't care for anyone to tell me I have to find value in a work, but I love to know what others find valuable, or more importantly the process by which they arrive at their aesthetic judgements.

Here's a question though: You give credit where its due, do you ever/often look back and change you mind? And if so, is it because of external influence?

And Piers Anthony does, in fact, quite objectively bite. Except for the Apprentice Adept trilogy, which is clever and charming.

 

[mojo1701]

And I wasn't bashing you. I'm just a snarky guy twice you age who is bored at work on a Friday.

Thanks. I didn't mean that, though.

What do you like to read, BTW? At 16 I was all about Dune and Thomas Covenant...

Ehh... I'm still reading the Pianist, but I usually read Star Wars novels, and any other Sci-Fi like that. Although I wanna finish the Pianist, I'm trying to borrow the books Rebel Dream and Rebel Stand books of the New Jedi Order series. I'm not saying I read a lot, and I don't visit my library often (their selection for books in series is terrible. For Example, I tried finding the Thrawn Trilogy books, but I only found #1 and #3. There's not a lot of NJO books there , but luckily I did buy the New Jedi Order Sourcebook for my SWRPG campaign) but I read more than most of my friends.

[edit: Pizza... lovely pizza. And beer... lovely beer.... err, not that I'm suggesting you should grab a beer. There are laws against that...]

Hey, I'm Canadian. What's more Canadian than beer, eh?. Besides, Canada Day's comin' up in a few days. Nothin' more Canadian than a 2-4 (no, wait, now they have them in 2-8s) of Molson and fireworks?

Edit: Smilie didn't work when i said the Library didn't have NJO books. I 'ed, but now I .

 

[Kahuna Burger]

Here's a question though: You give credit where its due, do you ever/often look back and change you mind? And if so, is it because of external influence?

hrm... when I change my opinion about something its usually a lowering of that opinion... and yes, other people helping me put something I liked for shallow reasons in better perspective does sometimes effect that...

It is pretty rare that I just don't like something and start to after talking to someone about it...

Kahuna Burger

 

[ASH]

I find that asking what one hates is silly because its all about personal perception.
For instance my husband tryed to convince me that Pokeman is one of the best all time video games ever, and he has never played it.
So I am telling you all what I do like and what I do not like. And why I belive alot of you are wrong as hell.


That being said, The hobbit was written to be a story for the good ole professers kids. So if it sounds kind of childish, it is supposed to be. The trilogy is hard to read but I have found it rewarding, not bad at all. Yes dry, but not like Sence and Sencability dry.

Harry Potter, especially the first few, are ment to be kids books. This is not something new. They have always been kids books. You can not judge it on an adult reading level, well you can but that is like being in a wrestling match with a 4 year old, its not fair.
These books are just as sillly as the Chronicles of Narnia series, Also kids books. Probably loved by many on these boards. Muggle is a silly word kids can read and understand easily. So dont fault it because its reading level is below yours, fault it because you dont like the story, which is hard to do honestly. They really are good books. Especailly if you look at book sales, and that is really what defines a book. Especially in our world!

Let me just be one to say that although Jordan is long winded and is making his books drag out to the point to where even die hard fans are hating them, his books are not that bad.
Yes they are getting that way, but i would rather have him take a few more books to tye ever thing up than have them done in one crappy quick book. I would just like him to do it already. By the time he is done my infant will be able to read them. Especially if he writes some prequils in between.

Let me just say that Wies and Hickman are wonderful writers, and ever Dragonlance novel they wrote toghther is much much better than any Forgotten Relms book written. I have met them both, and find there books as much like DnD in written form as you could find.
ANY Dragonlance novel that they did not write together pretty much blows goats.

I never read Dune, I may try one day!

I hate Ann Rice books, I find the plots to be a bit to much for my liking. I guess I am not much for Vampire stuff anyway. Or any thing Science fiction for that matter. Just not intersted.

Stephen King books can be dissapointing. But they are in a Cathulu nature that can also be creepy. I find his writing style jarring though.

I LOVE George R R Martin. May I say that I have thrown his books and hated his characters much more than in any book ever. I have noticed that no one else has said anything bad about him so, I will assume he is liked by one and all.

I just also want to point out that Hacking is something that is done. It will always be done. I cant think of a single thing in my life that has not been a reproduction of something else. Even bugs bunny is a hacked concept.
there is nothing wrong with reusing new ideas, if you can make them interesting and new in there own right, I will not fault an author for reusing a concept. Just as I will not fault my self for likeing said, recycled concept.
I will read just about anything and take some thing from it. What I will not do is think any book below me. If I dont like a book I seldom blame the author, especailly if its a best seller. I blame my perception of the book, or my mind set when reading it. Maybe I just an not so conceded to think that the author had my complete tastes in mind when writing it and if a single word is not up to my standards of writing excelence I will deem it un readable.

Let me just say that the Lord of the Rings trilogy has an amazing message behind it that could change your life. Its really great work, both on a level of writting ability and story ability. Very few authors, if any, can achieve the level of master that he acheived with that series. And that is a fact, he is the grandfather of Fantasy, this board would probably not be here if he did not write those books. I give him the utmost respect!

 

[mojo1701]

Harry Potter, especially the first few, are ment to be kids books. This is not something new. They have always been kids books. You can not judge it on an adult reading level, well you can but that is like being in a wrestling match with a 4 year old, its not fair.

The new ones aren't necessarily meant for children as much. The last few will probably be directed at teenagers, since the readers (and the characters) are growing up.

These books are just as sillly as the Chronicles of Narnia series, Also kids books.

However, I believe the Chronicles of Narnia were written as Christian allegory.

Muggle is a silly word kids can read and understand easily.

I think it's an official word now, too. In the Oxford Dictionary of the English Language.

So dont fault it because its reading level is below yours, fault it because you dont like the story, which is hard to do honestly. They really are good books. Especailly if you look at book sales, and that is really what defines a book. Especially in our world!

It's not the reading level or anything like what you mentioned that bothers me. It's the marketing. They've made it almost as marketed as Star Wars. Coming from a movie I would expect, but not from a book. However, since it became so popular, I see why.

I just also want to point out that Hacking is something that is done. It will always be done. I cant think of a single thing in my life that has not been a reproduction of something else. Even bugs bunny is a hacked concept.

Where is it originally from? BTW, I don't remember the exact quote, but Roger Meyers Jr. on the Simpsons (creator of Itchy and Scratchy) said the same thing in the episode where he was being sued by that guy who said that he invented I&S. The speech where he included Chief Wiggum as an example.

I will read just about anything and take some thing from it.

Hey, that was a quote used on my English Exam a few weeks ago!

What I will not do is think any book below me. If I dont like a book I seldom blame the author, especailly if its a best seller. I blame my perception of the book, or my mind set when reading it. Maybe I just an not so conceded to think that the author had my complete tastes in mind when writing it and if a single word is not up to my standards of writing excelence I will deem it un readable.

Unless the person really is an idiot.

Let me just say that the Lord of the Rings trilogy has an amazing message behind it that could change your life. Its really great work, both on a level of writting ability and story ability. Very few authors, if any, can achieve the level of master that he acheived with that series. And that is a fact, he is the grandfather of Fantasy, this board would probably not be here if he did not write those books. I give him the utmost respect!

I think it's the fact that people would rather sit and watch the movie than read the book. I, myself, would recommend reading the book (novelizations of movies, too, since they pick up on things that the movie missed due to editing.

SPOILER?

For example: In Star Trek: Nemesis, they missed the scene where they more or less explain Wesley Crusher being back during the wedding and tell you that his rank in Starfleet is now Lieutenant. Another missed scene is with Picard's new Number One at the end.)

For instance my husband tryed to convince me that Pokeman is one of the best all time video games ever, and he has never played it.

Are we to either assume that he convinced you, or is it because your name is actually Ashley?

 

[KenM]

Let me just say that the Lord of the Rings trilogy has an amazing message behind it that could change your life.

I have to ask, what is the message? That good will triumph over evil? That message is NOT in the LOTR books. In the end, the ring overtakes Frodo, and Gollum and Frodo fight over it. He did not throw the Ring into the fire, it fell in with Gollum. Frodo becomes evil because of the Ring at the end, its one evil overcoming another evil, not good over evil like many readers think.

 

[nikolai]

Hi all,

I've posted a message asking for suggestions of fantasy books that won't scar me here:

http://enworld.cyberstreet.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=54960

Then I found this thread and thought I'd plug it...

My contribution to the debate is Raymond E. Fiest. I picked up Magician largely because it was a fantasy novel in BBC's "Big Read" top 100 books. (Basically just a poll to find the UK's favourite books http://www.bbc.co.uk/arts/bigread/top100.shtml). I've read 200 odd pages and it's dross. I can't stand the writing, and the plot's a complilation of trite fantasy cliches. Stay away from it.

As for Tolkien, I can see why people more into "sword-and-sorcery" won't be able to stand it. Large sections are really slow and what would be key events and battles in that sub-genre Tolkien makes happen off-screen (In case anyone takes this the wrong way: this isn't a criticism, people's tastes aren't right or wrong). However, I like it because of the depth of the world, use of language and the way the plot strands are tied together. No other fantasy books come close to matching this. I also like the use of "evil" - such as the corupting power of the ring - and that the story is actually quite dark and sad. These are very different from a lot of other fantasy - even (especially?) stuff writen by professional Tolkien imitators.

nikolai.

 

[LuYangShih]

Here is yet another vote for the Sword Of Truth series. Very irritating, I stopped reading after the first novel, thankfully. What is worse than that, though, is when a series starts off fabulously and draws you into buying several books after that first one, hoping it will equal the level of enjoyment you found in the first book. For me, that was The Crystal Shard and the Drizzt books. I still love The Crystal Shard, but all the other books were simply not worth it.

 

[jdavis]

I find that asking what one hates is silly because its all about personal perception.
For instance my husband tryed to convince me that Pokeman is one of the best all time video games ever, and he has never played it.

Must...Catch.....Them.....All....... and put them in a blender.

I firmly hold by the books I added to this list being crap (they are out of print so apparently the general public agreed with me too) and I am fine with other people disliking other books, lets face it Tolkien isn't for everyone.