Disappointing Authors

[Majimaune]

I'm in the same mind. I didnt like Rakkety Tam that much. His books are getting darker. Flesh-eating lizards and stuff like that.

 

[Noldor_returned]

I first tried Redwall...something about it just didn't rest well...it didn't capture my attention.

 

[Majimaune]

Thats because you tried the wrong book. You tried Redwall. You should've tried Martin the Warrior of Mossflower or something like that.

 

[Halasían]

I was also disappointed in George R. R. Martin--wanted to like him, couldn't stay engaged in his books.

I agree. My sentiments exactly. With so many people of whom I respect saying his Ice & Fire is such a good book series, I made several attempts to read Game of Thrones. I finally gave up for good.

 

[Noldor_returned]

I think I may throw another name in the mix. David Belgaraid was...not up to standard. People raved about him. I raged back saying he should not give up his day job.

 

[Majimaune]

Hang on...Who?

Paowini was majorly disappointing after all the hype for him.

 

[Violanthe]

I agree. My sentiments exactly. With so many people of whom I respect saying his Ice & Fire is such a good book series, I made several attempts to read Game of Thrones. I finally gave up for good.

I'm curious, what precisely turned you off to SOIAF?

 

[Rhiannon]

I'm not Halasian (I don't think I am, anyway--but stranger things have happened), but my problem with SOIAF was the pacing. It was very difficult for me to stay engaged with the book--and I really did want to, I liked the characters, the universe, and the writing, although I wasn't into the crushing unhappiness as much--when the third-person perspective changed with every chapter. And it didn't just change often, it changed between a vast cast of characters and a vast array of plot-lines and every chapter ended with a cliff-hanger, but to you wouldn't come back to that character for another sixty pages, and by then, after being in the heads of three other characters and seeing their cliffhangers, I could remember what exactly happened to Character A, so I would have to flip back. It made reading it a chore, because you had to process so much stuff just to stay on top of what was going on. But because of the leaps from character to character, you would go long stretches without making progress in the individual plot lines.

It was very frustrating for me as a reader--I just don't process books that way. When I read fantasy, unless my interest is academic and I'm being intentionally detached, I really want to be able to immerse myself and feel enveloped in a different world. Reading SOIAF felt too much like work.

 

[Violanthe]

I can see how that would be a problem. There were a lot of characters that annoyed me, and I'd end up skimming their chapters to get to a character that I liked.

 

[Starbrow]

I'm reading Game of Thrones right now. I had gotten before I read these reviews. I don't mind the changing points of view so much, but it's not a fun read. "Crushing unhappiness" as Rhiannon says. While I'm reading, I'm thinking to myself, "I don't want to read anymore." Yet, I can't put it down. At least it keeps me interested in what is happening to the different characters.

 

[Eledhwen]

I also did not enjoy Phillip Pullman's His Dark Materials trilogy (though I'll be fascinated to find out how it translates to film). The quality of his writing was sound enough; but the story was unpleasant. I have just finished reading the 'Funny Harry Potter Quotes' thread on this forum; I think you'd be hard put to make one for the PP trilogy - dark and heavy.

I also didn't enjoy the Raymond Feist book I read (claiming to transcend Tolkien!!!) as the 'world' in which it was set was not well realised (no 'bigger picture' outside the storyline) and the main character was dull company.

To Rhiannon, re Narnia: read The Magician's Nephew to find out about the talking animals' sizes.

 

[Violanthe]

I'll also be interested to see how the film version of Pullman's series turns out.

 

[Halasían]

Apologies to Vio for not responding here, or visiting ARWZ in quite some time.

Rhiannon summed up the basic issues I have with SOIAF. It would lose me from chapter to chapter and character to character. I would plow along, and as Starbrow said, "I don't want to read anymore." & I would put the book down and not have a desire to pick it up again because of how much work it was to read. I may have found a way to get through it though. I am in the brocess of making a deal with a guy on another message board who is the 12th person to try and talk me into reading it. He will read The Black Company (which most people hate), & I will read SOIAF. We will quiz each other to make sure the other actualy read it, so Vio, your method of picking chapters and characters wont work.

I guess I am at a loss as to how one can enjoy reading a book if one has to skim chapters to get to ones to like. Again, it doesn't sound enjoyable to me at all.

 

[Violanthe]

That is the danger. There are a lot of characters I really didn't care much about. But when I read the most recent ASOIAF I remedied this problem by skimming the less interesting chapters.

 

[Starflower]

I quite liked George R R Martin - in the beginning. Now, I have finished A Feast of Crows and it's getting a bit much. So many things happen in the books to all the characters, it is getting a bit mindnumbing. It would have been better I think to compress the story into fewer books.

Was taken by Christopher Paolini's first book, Eragon, thought it a pretty story of a boy and his dragon. But then I read the second one and was VERY disappointed, it was just ... awful.

Also, was somewhat disappointed in Terry Pratchett's latest (gasp), Making Money. Although he is my all-tim favourite author, I just didn't find the book half as funny as the previous ones.

 

[Eledhwen]

It could be that these authors are getting too rich and comfortable to produce the stuff they once did. Thankfully Rowling did not suffer this malady; and possibly Paolini only had one book in him.

 

[Majimaune]

and possibly Paolini only had one book in him.

And which one was that?

 

[Eledhwen]

And which one was that?

Heh heh, you're cruel, Majimaune. Truth is, I haven't read any of his books and I didn't see the film either (I'm fussy, and the reviews weren't good); but his first book did make his fortune, so I will have to give him that one.

 

[Majimaune]

I try to be cruel to Paolini, I, you could say dislike but it probably wouldn't be strong enough. In personal opinion the second book of his was marginally better. Good story line for both just not written well.

 

[HLGStrider]

I think it would be hard to start publishing a story before you have at least a good portion of the last book written out, though I know a lot of authors with long series have obviously started publishing the first book as soon as it was finished despite that there are sequels, part threes, and even more than that.

In my own writing I have found that the first book can go incredibly well, the second book is shorter, the third book shorter still. Most published authors seem to have the opposite going on. The first book is often the shortest in their series.

In Paolini's case his first book established a problem and a hero, gave the hero a weapon, and let him have some minor victories. Pretty typical. Then in the next book it was as if he wanted to see how much he could make go wrong for the characters. Again, this isn't that unusual, but I think he may have overdone it, and perhaps now he is finding a hard time wrapping up ALL the threads into one coherent book. Perhaps it would've been better for him not to publicize this so widely as a trillogy. There is no reason a four part saga wouldn't be as acceptable. After all, as far as the publisher is concerned, more books, more money, right?