"Classic" books/series/authors that you just don't connect with

[RHWright]

It occured to me while reading another thread, that sometimes—despite popularity and/or critical acclaim—not every book connects with every reader. What some consider a classic must-read, others can't be bothered with.

You may read the whole thing, pick it up and put it down and never finish, or just read the synopsis and a little bit and not see what the whole fuss is about.

So, fess up, call 'em out—what "classics" just aren't so for you?

On the fantasy side, for me, it's David Eddings whole Belgeriad/Malloreon/etc.

On the sci-fi side: Bujold's Vorkosigan books.

I'll admit, though, there have been times—years later—when I'll go back and pick up a book again and finally get into it. Case in point: A Game of Thrones.

[infael]

Foundation!! Those books were a real snoozer!! Could never figure out how it beat out The Hobbit for the Hugo.

[ABthree]

Diana Gabaldon, hands down! 

Most people I know just LOVE the Outlander series; I couldn't get through the first book.  In fact, if it had been a DTB and not on my trusty Nook, I wouldn't have stopped at not reading it.  I would have thrown it against the wall, too!

[MacMcK1957]

The Thomas Covenant books by Stephen Donaldson.  Just never could get how anybody enjoyed reading them.  Three books of whining self-pity by one of the most unlikeable protagonists I've ever read, and apparently some people liked it enough that there was another trilogy.  And then 20 years later he revived it again for more.  No, thank you.

[Omnigeek]

I never understood all the fuss over Ray Bradbury's "The Martian Chronicles" or Kurt Vonnegut's "Slaughterhouse Five".  In both cases, the writing seemed to me to be disjointed and pointless -- the first Foundation trilogy moved slowly but at least it told a story (and a rather grand one if you waited to let the storyline play out).  In fantasy, the whole Harry Potter series is ... nice ... but I don't understand how they became such a phenomenon before the movies came out.  I can understand how the movies added to the popularity -- if anything, they are richer and better than the books (which is a rarity) -- but the Potter books themselves seem (to me) to be trite and bland.  On the whole I found the Shannara and Prydain series to be much richer and better written.

[Dresh]

Anne McCaffrey, Pern anything... ugh

[dalnewt]

I don't know if this counts, but I could never get through 

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass (Barnes & Noble Classics Series) as a child and/or tween.  

Something tells me I should have tried when I was older and stoned. 

[Shrike]

Dune. I tried to read it about 4 times. Actually got through about 200 pages once, but stopped due to boredom. I know many consider it to be one of the best science fiction novels ever, but I just couldn't get into it.

[Christycard]

For me, it's Terry Brooks.  I tried and tried the Shannara series, and I just could not get through the first book.  I had the same problem with David Eddings.  And Mercedes Lackey...  Hm.  I may be sensing a trend...

About 15 years ago I tried reading Dune and COULD NOT get through it to save my life.  Picked it up on a whim about a month ago and breezed through.  I'm on the third book of the series now.  *shrug*  Go figure.  Maybe 15 years from now I should try Terry Brooks again...

[wstewart]

The Thomas Covenant series.  By the end of the first trilogy, I was hoping the leprosy would win and it didn't get better for me in the second.

LoTR and the Hobbit.  They just never grabbed me.  It might be the drier style of writing that I didn't care for on these.

Bill

[RHWright]

And, I will admit I've yet to finish the Wheel of Time series. Got through books 1 & 2, but just haven't been motivated to continue. Probably have to re-read them before I do.

And I'm only in the middle of Game of Thrones. Haven't torn through that series either. Honestly don't know if I will go past book 1. It's good, but the cr*p he puts the characters through—don't know how much of that I can find entertaining.

As I've mentioned elsewhere, not a big Terry Goodkind fan.

[dulcinea3]

I love the Shannara series, so I bought the Word & Void trilogy, but I couldn't get past the first book.  It was so different in tone and setting.

I do like many of the series that others have mentioned: LotR, Shannara, Pern, Thomas Covenant (I can see, though, why many might be turned off - Covenant is the very personification of a deeply flawed and reluctant hero), Foundation.

[Bradinator1]

I'm with Dulcinea, Shannara was great, Word and Void is ...well...depressing! Really dark and nothing good ever happens to them.

Almost anything by Asimov, always came off as "look at how smart I am!"

Game of Thrones book 1 was real good, book 2 eh, fair to middling, after that it's meandering junk for me, can't imagine what would entice me to read Dance With Dragons. Ick.

Anything with a vampire in it. They're everywhere!! Really tired of them.

I love Glen Cook, but 1 book in his Garrett PI series, I loathed. Petty Pewter Gods. All the other books I highly recommend, this one stunk. Ugh.

[Shrike]

I also couldn't get through Wheel of Time. I got through 6 books, I think, and then they started to get boring. Way too much detail about things I didn't care about.

[Sovereign_Queen]

The hubby is a giant "John Carter of Mars" fan, but I just can't get into them. 

~Suzi

[paulgoatallen]

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Sovereign_Queen wrote:

The hubby is a giant "John Carter of Mars" fan, but I just can't get into them. 

~Suzi

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I loved the John Carter stories – maybe it's a "guy" thing....

[MADIS]

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paulgoatallen wrote:

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Sovereign_Queen wrote:

The hubby is a giant "John Carter of Mars" fan, but I just can't get into them. 

~Suzi

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I loved the John Carter stories – maybe it's a "guy" thing....

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Are these the books that they are doing a movie of starring Taylor Kitsch?  If that is the case then they won't be a guy thing anymore.  He is BEAUTIFUL.

[HoosierJoe]

When I was a young man in the 70's, the new wave of Ellison, Zelazny, Ballard, Brunner, Malzberg,  etc was first on the scene.

Dune was the BIG, BIG best seller.  Arthur C. Clarke was right up there also with Rendevous with Rama.  I could never finish either of them.  They both just seemed to drag on and on.

A friend of mine was a big Harlan Ellison fan.  I could never get into it.  He was too much of the "angry young man".

[MacMcK1957]

Anyone interested in the John Carter series, I just downloaded the five-books-in-one set for 99 cents. Click here.  You can get them individually from Gutenberg for free, but I don't mind spending the buck to get them downloaded in one piece.  It only comes to 1/25 of a cent per page.

[Lychii]

I love most of fantasy and sci-fi, but there are two notable exclusions:

Tolkien: I just couldn't drag my mind through LOTR, I found it so insanely stuffy and boring.

Douglas Adams: I've read Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, but just barely. The book is supposed to be clever or funny or something, but I just found it awkward and weird in a bad way.