What fantasy series do you just "not get?"

[Nick]

*A Song of Ice and Fire*: I couldn't get past the first book. It was so slow and plodding. I think it's the TV show that has made this series accessible. I can't remember people raving over the books before the show started.
I never finished *The Wheel of Time*. I trudged through the first 8-10 books, but even recently, when I tried to reread the series (now that it is complete), I couldn't get through the first one. Maybe I just don't get the allure of setting-heavy books. I like to read a story, not a travelogue. Both ASOIAF and WOT are short on coherent plot and long on description and backstory.

*The Sword of Truth* ended badly, but I enjoyed most of the series until Goodkind started beating the dead horse of Ayn Rand. This series is the poster child for how NOT to work with theme. When two different characters spouted the same 2-page speech on personal responsibility in the same book (or maybe it was different books?), I lost it. Show Don't Tell.

[Lee]

DeAnn wrote: "Oh, and I have to say that original Thomas Covenant series was okay until the total BS ending, where the main character just dissolves! I was so pissed off at Stephen Donaldson that I wanted to str..."

I hadn't planned to read this series but I have to point out that this is a big fat spoiler for anyone who hasn't read it yet but planned on it.

[James]

I'm amazed that I'm only the second person to throw out Terry Brook's Shannara series. I swear, I've tried to read The Sword of Shannara 3 or 4 times but I can never get past the first 50-100 pages. I just get tired of how much it rips off from Tolkein and how flat all of the characters feel. It's funny when someone says "well, wait until you get to the end!" If an author has so little regard for my time as to wait until the end of the book to make it interesting, why should I waste my time on his work?

I'm sad to see all the references to Gene Wolfe. Maybe the Solar Cycle was easier for me to get into because I came to it after reading his other works and with the understanding that Gene Wolfe likes to use unreliable narrators, so I was already trying to figure out how much of what I was reading was colored by the narrator and how much was real. Anyway, I realize his work isn't for everybody :)

Another series I've never understood is the Valdemar series by Mercedes Lackey. Her writing is definitely readable, but the plots and characters have always bored me to tears. Same goes for Katherine Kurtz' Deryni novels. For all that I am a huge fan of anything that references or draws upon Welsh, Celtic, or Gaelic history or mythology, I just could never get into those books.

[S.J.]

Tastes are all individual and there are always going to be people that both love and dislike any author's work. Personally, I adored some of the series mentioned in this thread: Wheel of Time and anything Tolkein in particular. I'm also a huge Brandon Sanderson fan. I can't think of anything I've ever read by him that I didn't absolutely love. For me enjoyment comes less from the writing style and more from the story. I don't like outrageous or disturbing violence in what I read though so I abandoned Goodkind and GRRM pretty early on. The other series I really did not "get" was one that hasn't been mentioned yet: Robin Hobb's Soldier Son Trilogy. I have never been so depressed after reading a story as I was after wading through that one. I found it so depressing that I haven't been able to bring myself to read any of Robin Hobb's other works, in spite of the fact that I'm told they are excellent by many people.

[David]

Good job we're all different. Goodkind's "Sword of Truth" series is one of my favourites.

[L.G.]

James wrote: "I'm amazed that I'm only the second person to throw out Terry Brook's Shannara series. I swear, I've tried to read The Sword of Shannara 3 or 4 times but I can never get past the first 50-100 pages..."

You know, I've always enjoyed Lackey's writing. That is to say, I think she writes well. But like yourself, I find the characters and plots often wanting. Interestingly enough, I had the reverse problem with Anne McCaffrey. There is a book that the pair have written together The Ship Who Searched that actually manages to combine their strengths while negating most of their weaknesses (they work rather well together).

[Femmy]

S.J. wrote: "The other series I really did not "get" was one that hasn't been mentioned yet: Robin Hobb's Soldier Son Trilogy. I have never been so depressed after reading a story as I was after wading through that one. I found it so depressing that I haven't been able to bring myself to read any of Robin Hobb's other works, in spite of the fact that I'm told they are excellent by many people."

S.J., I love Hobb, but I absolutely hate the Soldier Son Trilogy. I don't think they're characteristic of her other works at all. You should definitely try them.

[Scott]

S.J. wrote: "Tastes are all individual and there are always going to be people that both love and dislike any author's work. Personally, I adored some of the series mentioned in this thread: Wheel of Time and a..."

Such a depressing read. I absolutely hated that series but please give her other books a try because she is quite an amazing writer and her other series are much much (did I say much) much better.

[Donna]

The Name of the Wind (The Kingkiller Chronicle #1)
by Patrick Rothfuss. I really, really wanted to love this series. It has so many 5 star reviews that I ordered the first two books right away. I'm sorry to say that I couldn't get past page 170 in the first one. I just didn't care for the main character. Both books (along with 79 others) were destroyed in super storm Sandy and I can honestly say that I didn't shed one tear over those 2. I also couldn't get into the Wheel of Time series. I got to book 4 and just put it down. I didn't care anymore about the characters. A friend of mine loved them, so I kept at it until book 4 and just couldn't do it.

[DavidO]

Donna wrote: "I also couldn't get into the Wheel of Time series. I got to book 4 and just put it down. I didn't care anymore about the characters. A friend of mine loved them, so I kept at it until book 4 and just couldn't do it."

You'd probably like it more if you were a teenage boy when you started the series. The first 6 books seem aimed at that market. The next 4 are aimed at people who like drinking tea while discussing politics. The last 3 are aimed readers of fantasy of any age.

[DavidO]

James wrote: "I'm amazed that I'm only the second person to throw out Terry Brook's Shannara series. I swear, I've tried to read The Sword of Shannara 3 or 4 times but I can never get past the first 50-100 pages..."

I read it before I read Tolkien, strangely enough, and I was also a teenage boy. I believe that's the market. If you've read Tolkien and are looking for a plot that's more than just cool and violent, you probably aren't the target market.

[Betelgeuze]

The Mistborn trilogy by Brandon Sanderson. I liked the first book, so I bought the next two and wish I hadn't. The 2nd book was just ok, but the third was awful imo. The ending was one of the worst that I've ever read, what a disappointment: (view spoiler)[Turning a character into a god to solve the problem, is one of the lamest endings one can come up with (hide spoiler)] I vastly prefer fantasy in which the heroes triumph by virtue of their humanity.

[Leonardo]

Betelgeuze wrote: "The Mistborn trilogy by Brandon Sanderson. I liked the first book, so I bought the next two and wish I hadn't. The 2nd book was just ok, but the third was awful imo. The ending was one of the worst..."

I agree.The third book was a bit grotesque and the ending completely weird to me. Brilliant,yes, but not an enjoyable read,
Too...metaphysical. Anime-ish.

[A.L.]

I couldn't get into Chronicles of the Black Company - too little character and world building for me.

[Doug]

I agree on mist born. I stopped.partway into book two.

Black company... The concept of writing from the point of view of a mercenary company scribe is one of those ideas I wish I had first. The execution left much to be desired.

[S.J.]

I know, I know Scott and Femmy. I really should give them a try at some point. I've heard that the Farseer trilogy and Wildrains Chronicles in particular are excellent. If I ever get through my to-read list I'll have to add them.

[Luke]

I have two series that I didn't really "not get" so much as I downright disliked/hated them. aSoIaF continues to severely disappoint me, and I've hated Harry Potter ever since I read the first book as a teen.

[James]

I'll definitely add onto the Sword of Truth pile. Too much of Goodkind trying to shove his views down your throat. Plus the characters were very boring (with the exception of Nicci). Also, Goodkind writes like the reader didn't read the previous book in the series. He repeats the same things over and over again.

I also didn't get the Fionavar Tapestry. I heard a lot of good things about it, but I couldn't bring myself to care about any of the characters or anything that happened.

The last one I'll mention is Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn. The story is interesting enough, but it is definitely crawling towards the end game and not much interesting is happening until then.

[Jaqui]

Adding my vote for Malazan. I made it halfway through the second book and realized that my pleasure reading felt more like punishment. As for all the other series mentioned so far, I either haven't read them (ie: Wheel of Time) or enjoyed them (ie: LotR, Mistborn...)

I liked the first set of the Shannara books, by Terry Brooks, but I read those as a teenager. Haven't even tried the newer parts of the series.

[Luke]

I read the Shannara books when I was young as well. For me they were much too dry and slow moving back then. I'd have to re-read them to see what I think now, but I have a multitude of other books to read before that.

[Paul]

I'll agree about Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn. The last book, especially, was bloated to say the least. There were times when characters would do something that made no sense only because the author wanted to get them into trouble to add one more actions scene. The ending was just abominable.