Good Books with a Slow Start?

[Treladon]

There are several threads here about action-packed or fast-paced books, but does anyone know of any really good books that start slow? What kept you hooked through the beginning?

[DivaDiane]

I love slow-paced books. I love Ursula K. LeGuin’s books for that reason. And other reasons. I just read The Dazzle of Day by Molly Gloss, which is a beautifully languorous book. The prose is so chewy. You can linger over a sentence and it only improves the experience.

[Treladon]

DivaDiane wrote: "I love slow-paced books. I love Ursula K. LeGuin’s books for that reason. And other reasons. I just read The Dazzle of Day by Molly Gloss, which is a beautifully languorous book. The prose is so ch..."

Okay! I have read the Wizard of Earthsea but none of her others. Hadn't heard of Molly Gloss. Thanks!

[DivaDiane]

I would recommend starting with The Lathe of Heaven, by UKL. The “series” of Hainish novels and stories can be read in any order. The stories are fantastic, and The Left Hand of Darkness, The Dispossessed and The Telling are the most involved novels and absolute classics (well the first 2 are, but I adore The Telling almost more).

[Treladon]

DivaDiane wrote: "I would recommend starting with The Lathe of Heaven, by UKL. The “series” of Hainish novels and stories can be read in any order. The stories are fantastic, and The Left Hand of Darkness, The Dispo..."

Thanks! Will do!

[Mike]

'The Scar' by China Mieville. The beginning was so dense and difficult to get through I nearly put it down. Glad I didn't. It turned into an engrossing tale. Loved it by the end.

[Andres]

I've always felt like The Name of the Wind had a slow start. Not only slow but confusing as well. Then as if by magic, once you hit the academy the book really takes off. I'm not sure what kept me reading. Most likely I had nothing else to read at the time but I'm glad I stuck with it. It became a favorite of mine.


Another is A Game of Thrones The intro of each family and every house plus their lineage was very slow IMO. It was so bad for me but everyone kept recommending I read it so I finally told myself, I'm going to read this first book and if I don't like it, I'm giving away this box of 4 books. So I set off to read it as though I were prepping to tell my peers why I loathed the book so but when Ned and Jeffrey take stage, well, I'm now into the series 5 books later lol.

[G.R.]

Andres wrote: "I've always felt like The Name of the Wind had a slow start. Not only slow but confusing as well. Then as if by magic, once you hit the academy the book really takes off. I'm not sure..."

I would agree with you about The Name of the Wind, although I love the story and particularly the prose, but I would disagree with you about A Game of Thrones. I felt each chapter ended with its own hook that kept drawing me further in.

I'm reading a quartet (on the last book) that I've mentioned in a few different threads in other groups. The Books of Babel by Josiah Bancroft. The first book, Senlin Ascends, starts off very slowly as you are introduced to the Tower of Babel. It's essentially a steampunk fantasy in that there are sabers but also pistols and airships and other fascinating machinations. Each 'ringdom' of the Tower has its own unique culture/society. And Bancroft's writing is excellent, full of clever phrasing and observations on the human condition. I highly recommend it. (I think my family is getting tired of me recommending it to them!)

[MadProfessah]

Peter Hamilton’s huge space opera epics (like the NIGHTS DAWN trilogy) often are slow beginners. There’s a lot of set up and then it takes off, whoosh!

Same with Alastair Reynolds’s REVELATION SPACE trilogy…

[Adrian]

The Book Thief had a pretty dreadful start - broke just about every rule in Writing 101.

But after 40 - odd pages it became utterly gripping. One of the best books I've read in the last 20 years.

[Randy]

You pretty much describe all of the Stephen King books I've read -- Pet Sematary, The Shining, Bag of Bones, etc. He spends a lot of time setting up the plot dominoes so when he flicks the first one, they tumble fast.

[Rebecca]

I would also add Assassin's Apprentice, while there is movement (perhaps some would call it action) in the plot, its meandering and slow going at the beginning as the MC grows up.