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<blockquote data-quote="Blue" data-source="post: 8668451" data-attributes="member: 20564">I'm reading two different books and getting into them very differently.&nbsp; I'm about a quarter of the way through each.I'm reading The Three-Body Problem by Liu Cixin.&nbsp; It's a Hugo winner and I've been recommended it from several directions, but I'm finding it very hard to care about the main character.&nbsp; The whole plot so far seems to be more intellectual and not moving me at all on the emotional level.I'm also reading The Traitor Baru Cormorant by Seth Dickinson.&nbsp; This has had the opposite effect.&nbsp; I was immediately drawn in by the main character, enjoyed the world building (though it's not particularly fresh, it is flavorful and supports the story well), and I care about what happens.&nbsp; The main character has strengths and flaws and does things that work and things that don't and others in the book have agency, not just the protagonist and an antagonist.&nbsp; I'm not sure I can identify a singular antagonist or cabal of them to be told the truth.The first book is translated, so there might be cultural subtleties and tropes I'm missing.&nbsp; Both have solid prose, there's no exquisitely crafted wordsmithing from either pulling me in.&nbsp; (Patrick Rothfuss, get off your backside!)It really is the emotional connection - caring about the PoV character and the plot.I'm going to keep soldiering on with Three-Body Problem - it's not bad, just not as engaging.&nbsp; But it has far to go before I pick it up with as much relish as Baru.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Blue, post: 8668451, member: 20564"] I'm reading two different books and getting into them very differently. I'm about a quarter of the way through each. I'm reading [U]The Three-Body Problem[/U] by Liu Cixin. It's a Hugo winner and I've been recommended it from several directions, but I'm finding it very hard to care about the main character. The whole plot so far seems to be more intellectual and not moving me at all on the emotional level. I'm also reading [U]The Traitor Baru Cormorant[/U] by Seth Dickinson. This has had the opposite effect. I was immediately drawn in by the main character, enjoyed the world building (though it's not particularly fresh, it is flavorful and supports the story well), and I care about what happens. The main character has strengths and flaws and does things that work and things that don't and others in the book have agency, not just the protagonist and an antagonist. I'm not sure I can identify a singular antagonist or cabal of them to be told the truth. The first book is translated, so there might be cultural subtleties and tropes I'm missing. Both have solid prose, there's no exquisitely crafted wordsmithing from either pulling me in. (Patrick Rothfuss, get off your backside!) It really is the emotional connection - caring about the PoV character and the plot. I'm going to keep soldiering on with Three-Body Problem - it's not bad, just not as engaging. But it has far to go before I pick it up with as much relish as Baru. [/QUOTE]

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