Ever regret reading a book?

[Tapewolf]

Unrelatedly, I have never liked the argument re: suspension of disbelief. If you're nitpicking a fiction novel for inaccuracies you're reading the wrong material.

If I wrote a straight-up action novel set on present-day earth and had a scene where a character managed to stay submerged for three hours or so without drowning, would you not think "WTF?"
That's not an example of what he did, but it's that basic level of 'wrongness' where it fails.  

An example of what he did do was have the characters simply march happily into Guantanamo Bay to rescue a terrorist.  Using an aircraft that broke Newtonian mechanics on a primary school level, and was for some reason not shot down even though it was unidentified.

Heck, I bought the thing hoping for something slightly fantastical - Wilbur Smith's Warlock was a random pick that turned out to be awesome (it was definitely magic-oriented).  What this one did was just... just flat out bad.  Honestly, if it was written for pre-teens I might have been able to let it slide, but the language and violence indicated it was definitely aimed at adults.

I've got a fair few books and in my time I've read hundreds, if not thousands.  But this is one of the only ones I'd like to un-read.

[Cogidubnus]

Les Miserables. I read the very, very short version of this when I was a kid, and enjoyed it. I saw the musical on Broadway, and came damn close to crying. But if you plan on reading the Victor Hugo novel and are thinking it starts out with Valjean and Javert and prison and excitement, be warned: it is akin to reading Dracula without knowing that the excitement comes later. It starts out with the bishop who gives Valjean the silver, tells his entire history, and bores thrill-readers to tears. If you can slow yourself down while reading it, and appreciate it, good for you. If not, learn how. It's a vital skill when reading classics that I finally mastered while reading The Scarlet Letter, and was vital to my enjoyment of Frankenstein the year after that.

I have to say that I loved Les Meserables, and I actually felt like it was the beginning that was the best part - without spoiling too much, I felt like by the middle and the end, Hugo had already told one story and was moving on to tell a closely related, but different story for the rest of the novel, somewhat making the whole thing feel stretched.

[Angel]

Les Miserables. I read the very, very short version of this when I was a kid, and enjoyed it. I saw the musical on Broadway, and came damn close to crying. But if you plan on reading the Victor Hugo novel and are thinking it starts out with Valjean and Javert and prison and excitement, be warned: it is akin to reading Dracula without knowing that the excitement comes later. It starts out with the bishop who gives Valjean the silver, tells his entire history, and bores thrill-readers to tears. If you can slow yourself down while reading it, and appreciate it, good for you. If not, learn how. It's a vital skill when reading classics that I finally mastered while reading The Scarlet Letter, and was vital to my enjoyment of Frankenstein the year after that.

I have to say that I loved Les Meserables, and I actually felt like it was the beginning that was the best part - without spoiling too much, I felt like by the middle and the end, Hugo had already told one story and was moving on to tell a closely related, but different story for the rest of the novel, somewhat making the whole thing feel stretched.

As I said, I didn't hate it; I just wish I had known how it started so I wouldn't have been so impatient to get to Valjean's story, and that of Cosette and Marius. I've never completely hated any book; even The Old Man and the Sea started out well, no matter how much the middle part bored me. I didn't really get that far in Les Miserables, having other things to do and not enough free time to slow myself down like I should have to enjoy it. I might try reading it again someday. A friend of mine who loves the musical said the book is just as good, once you get into it.

[Darkmoon]

I have to agree with the people that hate the Anita Blake series. The first 3 or 4 books were okay (although a bit of a mess from a writing perspective), but they do just devolve into vampire porn (which, for anyone that was actually interested in the mysteries, was a big disappointment).

Worse, though: it's not even interesting vampire porn.

[Janus Whitefurr]

If I wrote a straight-up action novel set on present-day earth and had a scene where a character managed to stay submerged for three hours or so without drowning, would you not think "WTF?"
That's not an example of what he did, but it's that basic level of 'wrongness' where it fails.  

An example of what he did do was have the characters simply march happily into Guantanamo Bay to rescue a terrorist.  Using an aircraft that broke Newtonian mechanics on a primary school level, and was for some reason not shot down even though it was unidentified.

Since you're playing with hypotheticals at the top here? I would imagine that he found underwater air pockets perhaps. Or found some sneaky way to come up for air - a popular version of that is the old "breathing through a reed" trick. Either way, perfectly feasible if you consider the options.

And this is where I think you should probably stop reading Reilly's books, then. I mean... let's be frank. Not everyone reads fiction (be it science/fantasy or not) and thinks to nitpick at scientific laws not being correct. That's the whole point of the 'fantastical' thing, it doesn't necessarily have to obey the real world. So what if it couldn't work in real life? It's the whole point of fantasy.

If we really want to argue this further, I suggest we go to PM. If you want to let it lie, that's okay too. We're just two different people with vastly different opinions. 

[thegayhare]

It's odd when talking with my therapist we often stray into the relm of science fiction and fantasy novels.  While we both have the same exact opinion on the anita blake novels (interesting concept that devolved into bad vampire porn) and have almost Identical taste in books over all we differ on a few other things  mainly Terry pratchett... He thinks Pratchett is boring... to me thats almost sacrilege.

why do I bring this up... well I just find it fascinating how people even people with such similer intrests can veiw something differentially

[Eibborn]

STEINBECK.

The Pearl and Of Mice and Men are among the worst books I've ever finished. I couldn't just drop them as I so very much desired because it was for school.

[Tapewolf]

If we really want to argue this further, I suggest we go to PM. If you want to let it lie, that's okay too. We're just two different people with vastly different opinions. 

We'll let it lie, I think.  As you say, it doesn't look like we're going to be able to reconcile our opinions easily 

It may well be that his other books are okay, but as an introduction to the author, it really left me with a bad taste in my mouth.  I'd be interested to know what you make of it if you do pick the thing up yourself.

[Kipiru]

As strange as it may seem- the Narnia saga(first two books to be exact). I started reading them after I saw the movie, thinking the book has to be better. I was wrong- the book was worse. First time this had happened to me, for the book to be inferior to the movie. Big downer.

[Tapewolf]

As strange as it may seem- the Narnia saga(first two books to be exact). I started reading them after I saw the movie, thinking the book has to be better. I was wrong- the book was worse.

What utterly ruined Narnia for me was the last book.  It was so horribly depressing.

[Darkmoon]

As strange as it may seem- the Narnia saga(first two books to be exact). I started reading them after I saw the movie, thinking the book has to be better. I was wrong- the book was worse.

What utterly ruined Narnia for me was the last book.  It was so horribly depressing.

It was. In ways, it was a lot like the 5th book of the Hitchhiker's Guide.

I haven't read the Narnia books in forever. I was young enough when I did that the flaws weren't apparent. Of course, if I read them now, it would be from the jaded angle of "what in this book is a Christian metaphor?" and I probably wouldn't enjoy them nearly as much as I did back then...

[Mao]

The Narnia books were great for me when I was a young christian youth growing up and still vastly unaware of the living world around me.  I'm pretty sure if I went back now and re-read them I'd be looking at them more as a rather poor programming tool to be used on young minds.  So I won't go back.  I loved them as a child and would like to remember them as a great story that I felt good about reading at the time.

[Sunblink]

As strange as it may seem- the Narnia saga(first two books to be exact). I started reading them after I saw the movie, thinking the book has to be better. I was wrong- the book was worse.

What utterly ruined Narnia for me was the last book.  It was so horribly depressing.

I haven't read the Narnia books, but I do have them in my closet. I saw the two movies; I loved the Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, but I disliked Prince Caspian after a long period of contemplation.

I like to pretend that Prince Caspian doesn't exist.

[Janus Whitefurr]

*makes a mental note to skim the father's Reilly collection in the future.*

On the topic of disliked books once more, I have no real complaints about the way he writes - perhaps I simply don't enjoy the plot - but George R.R Martin's work is... ugh. Some people might enjoy it, but when he crushes good character after good character in the name of brutal (fantasy) realism... aiigh.

[Vidar]

I'm surpirsed no-one mentioned the predictable lump of novella-trash that is the Da Vinci Code. The only reason this tripe sold as well as it did is because the religious made a big fuss about it.
It's largely un-exciting fiction in which only the lives of the protagonists lie somewhat in the balance at certain plot-conveniant points. There are no interesting plot-twists, since all of them are easily predicted about 5 pages into the book, and if you make it haf-way through, you will be rooting for anyone who wants to kill the protagonists so that it will finally be over.
Also, if I ever have to read paragraph after paragraph about a "smart-car" ever again, I will gauge my eyes out.

Edit: Oops Zina did at the first page. Me tired. Me brain not worky good.

[VSMIT]

Actually, Zina did.  Bottom of the first page.

[PellaFera]

I actually adored Da Vanci Code, although I'll be damned if I can remember why...it was probably the language involved.  Also, on the issue of Narnia, I read the entire series in senior year way too fast, so I rather adored it, but I do think I'll avoid re-reading the series anytime soon, although I will confess to finding the ending quite uplifting, in spite of not being Christian.

[superluser]

Once I found out that the DaVinci Code was based on the Holy Blood, Holy Grail nonsense, it became the book I loved to hate.  It's really fun to watch the people who still believe the HBHG hoax.

[llearch n'n'daCorna]

... it would be from the jaded angle of "what in this book is a Christian metaphor?"

What wasn't would be a harder test. Anyone for a Narnia drinking game? ;-]

[Mao]

Oh oh, that might preserve my love for the Narnia series.  If nothing else it'll give me warm and fuzzy feelings while reading it.  I'll go get some scotch...

[Vidar]

... it would be from the jaded angle of "what in this book is a Christian metaphor?"

What wasn't would be a harder test. Anyone for a Narnia drinking game? ;-]

That depends. If the game is "whenever something that isn't a Christian metaphor in on screen, drink a pint of Jack Daniel's", you will end up stone cold sober. However, if the game is "sip some low alcohol beer whenever a Christian metaphor is on screen", then prepare the body bags. No-one could survive that!

[llearch n'n'daCorna]

I know, low alcohol beer is just lethal... ;-]

[Toric]

The Awakening, by Kate Chopin. It's supposed to be proto-feminist. I understand that, I just can't stand the protagonist. A mother of two, with a husband who quite obviously loves her but [emo]just doesn't understand her [/emo], has to deal with the imprisonment of being a stay-at-home-mother in the late 1800's. She almost has an affair, actually does have an affair with another man, and eventually takes a vacation by herself, swims naked out into the ocean until she's exhausted, and drowns..... and these are supposed to be viewed as good things. Great Expectations is the one book I regret never finishing. The Awakening is the one book I regret finishing.

[Kipiru]

Once I found out that the DaVinci Code was based on the Holy Blood, Holy Grail nonsense, it became the book I loved to hate.  It's really fun to watch the people who still believe the HBHG hoax.

Whether HBHG is a hoax is a topic better left for another discusion( I actually think there is some truth behind it all), but learning that the DaVinci Code was a brutal rewrite of that with added minor action elements is what really ruined Dan Brown's book for me. Without the whole Grail revelation the DaVinci Code is absolutely lousy as a thriller.

[Brunhidden]

the most beautiful girl in the world- required reading at school and made me physically ill, gave me nightmares, and for a week it was hard for me to eat. anorexia is just plain creepy

lord of the flies- a decent book that was killed by having a literary teacher dissect it to a pulp and repeatedly asking us to find symbolism in everything. gee, idunno, maybe they all had diahrea because the only thing to eat was fruit, and it was not in fact symbolism of their expulsive behavior left unchecked.


i know of faustus, i also know that its such an oooooolllllddd story that figuring out who wrote it is like picking who wrote 'cinderella', you only find someone who published a specific version, ive heard of versions far more enjoyable and make a lot more sense. for example reading the brothers grimm is an education as to how much things have changed, its just weird to read the way they talk about things and how bizzare their humor was.... also the limbs raining down like confetti

[Gareeku]

Unrelatedly, I have never liked the argument re: suspension of disbelief. If you're nitpicking a fiction novel for inaccuracies you're reading the wrong material.

Quoted for truth.

Also, Wuthering Heights. Wtf. Seriously. I want my 3 months of studying that piece of pure boredom back.

[Ryudo Lee]

lord of the flies- a decent book that was killed by having a literary teacher dissect it to a pulp and repeatedly asking us to find symbolism in everything. gee, idunno, maybe they all had diahrea because the only thing to eat was fruit, and it was not in fact symbolism of their expulsive behavior left unchecked.

I had an english teacher that did the same exact thing.  She even went so far as to get us to make board games from the book.  Then she wondered why we all became overly bored with the book.

[thegayhare]

anyone ever read something called "Chess with a Dragon?"
It's a bizzare mishmash of criss crossing storylines and confusing races.

I know a bunch of people like this book but it's just not for me I guess

[Brunhidden]

anyone ever read something called "Chess with a Dragon?"
It's a bizzare mishmash of criss crossing storylines and confusing races.

I know a bunch of people like this book but it's just not for me I guess

is it anything like the dragon knight books? i recall them including 'the dragon, the earl, and the troll' and some other titles all of which started with 'the dragon'.

books in my file of 'i read one chapter and sent it back to the lybrary'. some of them are kind of ludicrous, often trying put rules to magic and thus making some kind of horrible spazum that they hope will replace good writing with a magical computer program. in the dragon knight books i think this took the form of a character transported from our world to another dimension, where he for no real reason is a dragon, and there is some kind of magic system where by transporting to this world he brought new magic, which is allotted out to people based on merit.... how did i find this out in under one chapter? someone TALKED TO THE SKY and received an answer about how much magic they were allowed, bonus due to them bringing so much new magic to their world..... yeah, the covers snapped closed there, although earlier in the book it had talked about hobgoblins that live in chimneys who were normally benign but randomly went on insane binges, the main character solves this by giving the hobgoblin a name- hob1, and the hobgoblin rewards him by opening some kind of instant chimney based delivery system, which shows me this seems to follow a childs logic from the early 80s given a swollen head by the fact someone published six of their books




its books like this i prefer to avoid

[llearch n'n'daCorna]

anyone ever read something called "Chess with a Dragon?"
It's a bizzare mishmash of criss crossing storylines and confusing races.

I know a bunch of people like this book but it's just not for me I guess

"...swore for ten minutes without repeating himself once, in fifteen languages, including Pascal. He could also break chairs, tables, and other furniture with surprising strength and agility."


Pascal is a programming language. Being able to swear in that is a gift.

Having said that, while I enjoyed the story, I will admit it's aimed at younger adults; it's not expected to stand up to anyone with a serious idea of what physics or biology works like.


And no, Brun, it's not. Chess With A Dragon is a novella at best, and is mostly a series of smart-alec jokes. The Dragon Knight books are much longer, and don't have as many twisted ideas in them. Some smart points, but not much more than that.

Whilst I enjoyed both of them, I don't know that I'd recommend them to anyone else, since my sense of humour is not your average. In fact, it's probably three standard deviations away from average...