I’ll start: Ernest Hemingway.
I have a ton of respect for him, he influenced so many writers and the craft of writing, and he lived a fascinating life. But I just find his books to be so damned *dry*. I love simplicity but I just feel like there’s no voice or soul in any of his books. There’s experiences but I don’t feel any passion or something that moves my heart. I guess his topics just aren’t for me.
What about all of you?
by oh_please_god_no
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Cormac McCarthy. Yes, he’s got an amazing way with words. But it’s just so ruthlessly depressing. I feel like I’d have appreciated his work more if he wrote novellas.
Frank Herbert. His ‘show, don’t tell’ approach to world-building really bugs me. In the “Destination: Void” series it was FOUR BOOKS IN before they actually described what a ‘slapshot’ looked like and what it did (it’s a slap-on stimulant injection, as it turns out). And he just repeats the same psychonaut babble about consciousness, connection, and >!psychic fetuses!<, I feel like he just had one really impactful drug trip and won’t stop talking about it. I can appreciate his contributions to sci-fi, but I’ve read enough of his books to conclusively say I don’t like his writing.
Terry Pratchet. Love the ideas of characters and worlds, the wit (also on social media), but whenever I start reading I just can’t get into the books