I know that I might catch some heat here, but for me it’s George RR Martin’s Game of Thrones. I know it became a popular series and admittedly, I wanted to give the book a shot first before checking out the show.
For some reason, I couldn’t vibe with the author’s writing style. I think I struggled with his execution more than anything.
Opposite of my experience with GoT was Scorpica by G.R. Macallister. This book has a lot of similar aspects to GoT but there are differences too that I liked. Scorpia is a fantasy book where women dominate all aspects of society and are divided into factions. However, girls stop being born and society is must grapple with this “drought.” Each book expands the story from the viewpoint of a member of the respective faction — if GoT met Divergent is how I would liken the series against another popular read.
I felt the book was immersive not only in the world that the author created but also the depth given to each character. Warriors, diplomats, scholars, healers, and magicians make up the factions along with class divides between the rich and poor within each class. There is also elements of action and adventure that keep me wanting to read the series chapter after chapter.
I know that people are going to have their opinions, but lets keep the thread on topic, regardless of whether a series is still ongoing or has yet to conclude.
by HoustonWeHveAPblm
10 Comments
Well you’re in luck. No one is going to finish ASOIF (Game of Thrones) so you are in good company!
I could not continue Game of Thrones after the first book. I also gave up on the Wheel of Time around book 3 or 4.
Somebody in one of my other groups mentioned Sherrilyn Kenyon, I had forgotten about her books, I read so so many of them but they got so repetitive with more and more torture porn.
Game of Thrones for me, too. So, so many long, samey-sounding names to keep track of, so many arcs going on that it can take a hundred pages to get back to the character I actually care about, and the promise that 95% of the people I was reading about were going to die, just killed any desire for me to continue.
Then the show came out, couldn’t bring myself to care about that either. And considering the books will never be finished and the show ended on a flop, I don’t think I made a bad decision.
GoT, LOTR – I just couldn’t get into them and I very much wanted to. I think it took me a year to finish Fellowship of the Ring and that was forcing myself. I forced myself to finish the Hunger Games original trilogy. The writing just kept getting worse, but I wanted to see what happened. The first book, though, was excellent.
Maggie Stiefvater’s two connected series, the raven cycle and whatever she called the second one. Mostly because by the time the first book series was wrapping up, I was moving on from YA in general, but also her writing peaked with the second book. Reviews for her second trilogy put me off even trying, since it seems she completely forgot what made the first series so charming.
I dropped The Vampire Chronicles early on because, again, it peaked early. And also Anne Rice was deeply annoying to me as a person. I enjoy the tv adaption, though, so I’m hoping that does well longterm as opposed to the show.
Then there’s just a bunch of series where when I picked up the first book, I didn’t realize it was a series (either because the book wasn’t labeled or because, at the time, it wasn’t a series), and I had no interest in really reading a serialized version of that specific story. Sometimes because the first book worked well enough as a standalone and sometimes because I just didn’t enjoy it.
Harry Potter. I knew a bunch of people who were into it when I was in college. I ended up going with them to a midnight release party for the 5th book. When they found out I hadn’t read any of them, I was quickly loaned the first four to read so I could catch up, read the fifth, and be able to discuss it with them. I made it about halfway thru the 3rd book before I gave in and quit. It just didn’t hold my interest at all. 🤷
I could not get into Lord of the Rings or The Hobbit. I’ve tried multiple times, just doesn’t appeal to me. I think it’s too much fantasy for me, I don’t do fantasy well.
I adore overly long messes like ASOIAF but I honestly can get why people don’t like it.
I started Wheel of Time when they came out. I loved the first book but thought they were getting a little repetitive so I was glad when Book 3 came out and I’d be done…and then there was Book 4. So I thought okay, I can do one more, and I slogged through it but the end wasn’t the end because oh wait, it’s going to “run even longer, possibly even 10” (paraphrase) and that’s when I threw in the towel.
I also could not stick with Game of Thrones. I think at the time I did not have the time/attention for it and, like you, was not crazy about Martin’s style. I ultimately decided it was not worth my time when I realized how long he had dragged out finishing the series.
Ironically enough I am now obsessed with The Expanse, and one of the authors is Martin’s assistant.