Which authors/books do you dislike the most.?

[FizbansTalking_Hat]

This is always a fun question, who is the worst of the worst in your opinion, who do you dislike, a book that you can't get through, something you've been through but really just felt that you wasted your money on afterwards...?

I have to go with Robert Jordan and Terry Goodkind for the following reasons.

Robert Jordan had a cool idea in the begining, then we got to book 5 and nothing had changed, the same old boring thing, and no one ever dies, no surprises, no changes.....and here we are like a billion years later and its book 11 and still very few deaths, then what does Jordan and/or his Publishers do (Don't know who has the real power, who to blame, him or his publishers), they decided to release a prequel, a prequel adapted from 2 short stories already issued in Legends I & II, its a 3 book prequel and he hasn't even finished the main series, ughghgh........I deplore and detest such wasted talent, the ideas were fresh in the begining and then it just got boring.

Terry Goodkind also had a nice idea in the begiing and then I got to book 4 or 5 and the story changed, it was no longer about hte characters or the story about this grand and "noble truth" I have no problem with writers using their faith, ideals, morals into a book, that is going to happen, in fact all writers put a bit of themselves into the story, but this so called "truth" just got more and more boring, the story focuses on the philosophy and truth of life and etc.. in the latter books and it just got boring for me, I've tried really hard to appreciate the series and get into it but it just doesn't work for me.

Ah well, those are my htoughts on the two authors I dislike the most, there a ton others I could list but I wanted to put the ones I dislliked the most there. I'll list a few others below and put them under the Un-Honarable Mention.

Un-Honarable Mention:

David Eddings (Yuck, childish junior high fantasy.)
Terry Pratchett (I know, many people adore and love this, and he is established and has a large fan base but its too weird and light hearted for me.)
Mercedes Lackey (Too romantic for my likes, and I couldn't get through a lot of her stuff.)
Piers Anthony (Just couldn't force myself through the books, I've tried 2 or 3, YUCK)

Well thats it, cheers, don't eat my head off if I dislike something you love and adore, we're all entitled to our opinions. Cheers.

[Worm of Despite]

I agree with everything you said! You're the first one, too! *gives you a button*

[Byrn]

Piers Anthony is a hack. I totally agree with you there.

But Pratchett and Jordan, I have to disagree.

Read the Fifth Elephant or Night Watch and tell me Pratchett is light hearted. Plus Pratchett is to Fantasy as Adams is to Sci-Fi.

Jordan may have lost his focus, but that is why he's writing the prequels to get himself centered and back on track.

[I'm Murrin]

Robert Jordan ... we got to book 5... and no one ever dies, no surprises, no changes.

Did you just skip past 'Choices' and 'Fading Words', or what?
Anyway, you have to consider that Wheel of Time is a lighter fantasy, not really meant to have any tragedy, nothing like Martin or anyone like that. I just enjoy it for what it is.

[variol son]

Read the Fifth Elephant or Night Watch and tell me Pratchett is light hearted.

True that. I love the way that Terry Pratchett looks at an oft discussed topic, such as revolution, from the point of view of the Joe Ordinary on the street who only wants to feed his family and provide a roof over their heads, but also is astute enough to know that the answer is never that easy.

Night Watch was simply amazing, in my opinion. Over the past three months I have been reading the Discworld novels in order of publication (I only have six left) and I have noticed that with each successive book, the series becomes darker, deeper, and includes much more social commentary, most of which is very insightful.

On top of that, it's still always funny to go on an adventure with Rincewind and the Luggage, or Granny Weatherwax and Nanny Ogg, or Death and Susan Sto Helit, or Sam Vimes and the Watch.

Sum sui generis
Vs

[FizbansTalking_Hat]

Did you just skip past 'Choices' and 'Fading Words', or what?Anyway, you have to consider that Wheel of Time is a lighter fantasy, not really meant to have any tragedy, nothing like Martin or anyone like that. I just enjoy it for what it is.

I was just oversimplyfying for the sake of making my point. And the point is, I dislike his style and the story, it just got a bit boring. I guess it's just not for me. To each their own, cheers.

[danlo]

Well I pretty much agree with most of what Fiz said. And I know Fiz won't like this but I was a major fan of Running With The Demon and was very excited about the Knight of the Realm concept, until Brooks crucified it with two absolutely horrible sequels. Well book two wasn't bad, if you really held out hope-but Angelfire East has to be the worst book I've ever read.

[Lord Mhoram]

I own book 1 of the WOT and just couldn't stand the cliches... From what I hear I'm not missing anything.

[FizbansTalking_Hat]

Well I pretty much agree with most of what Fiz said. And I know Fiz won't like this but I was a major fan of Running With The Demon and was very excited about the Knight of the Realm concept, until Brooks crucified it with two absolutely horrible sequels. Well book two wasn't bad, if you really held out hope-but Angelfire East has to be the worst book I've ever read.

I'm a fan of Terry Brooks, but I am in no way a die hard fan. To be honest, the majority of my posting at the TBForum is non Shannara related, I go there cuz I have a few friends there, adn we discuss other authors and general topics in nature.

So I didn't take offense at your comments. I enjoy a few of his series, but his style isn't anywhere near Donaldson, Martin, or any of the big guns in epic fantasy. Cheers.

[Encryptic]

About the only author I really dislike is Terry Goodkind. How this guy ever got such unmitigated crap published is beyond me. I think I must have been suffering from temporary insanity that led me to read up to Temple of the Winds before I gave up in disgust....

The other authors mentioned thus far actually have a few redeeming qualities, mostly because their older stuff was actually pretty good compared to what they're doing now.

[Roland of Gilead]

I'd probably go with Anne McCaffrey - if she ever had talent, it's in the past. Her novelette in Legends II read like the worst fan fiction. Absolutely embarrassing after reading the contributions of Martin and Hobb.

I was once a Piers Anthony fan, but his work became derivative, repetitive, and often silly. There's nothing more disgusting than self-parody.

I liked David Eddings' Belgariad, but Eddings sold out for big bucks and wrote the five-book instant replay - The Malloreon. I defy anyone to tell me how these books differed from the first five. Same characters, same plot, same increasingly irritating humorous banter, same freakin' locales, even.

So that would be my fantasy trio, off the top of my head. For single novel, I would go with Clifford Simak's abysmal Fellowship of the Talisman. Even the title is lame - I'm not much of a fan of Simak's sf writings, either, but they are infinitely superior to his pathetic attempt at epic fantasy.

And a tiny correction, Fiz, in no way meant to infer that I'm a Jordan fan. But he didn't have a story in Legends II, only in the first Legends anthology.

[Edinburghemma]

I've said it before, I'll say it again: Alexander Besher. Makes all the above seem like literary greats. Honest.

[Roland of Gilead]

I've never heard of Alexander Besher. What did he write?

I have a much worse author, too - Dave Van Arnum. His Lord of Blood, written in the early seventies and published by the since-defunct Lancer Books, is hands-down the worst fantasy novel I've ever read.

But I figured only old fogeys like myself would have ever even heard of the guy.

[Edinburghemma]

Alexander Besher wrote Mir, Rim and Chi. Read 'em (or 1) and weep.

[Roland of Gilead]

Just out of curiosity, I looked up the synopsis of Rim at amazon, and the plot sounds like a direct rip-off of Tad Williams' Otherland. So apparently in addition to his bad writing faults, he's a plagiarist as well.

[variol son]

I have often considered starting to read The Wheel of Time, but I always choose not to as it looks like it may ever end.

Sum sui generis
Vs

[duchess of malfi]

That's my problem with Jordan in a nutshell. Many huge books in his series and no end in sight.

[Byrn]

I can see an ending in three more books. Jordan hopes he'll end it in 2. There is much left to be done, but he can do it in three at the most.

[Cail84]

Fiz you and i have similar tastes and such. The ones you named are the worst of the worst for me.

I consider Jordan a money grubing hack, after reading his latest i give up on the series, it was a worthless bunch of pages of DRIVEL. Nothing ever gets solitfied, no one dies as you mentioned. Someone said that people dont need to die, since it is a lighter fantasy.. Well when you compare Martin to almost anyone else they are lighter fantasy. Killing off your characters is however a most to make you story believeable and more intriging. Without it, you get exactly what Jordan is, to much wasted space describing peoples belt buckles and cliched male and female characters. I dont think he could write a good female character if his life depended on it.

Terry Goodkind is still good, He has just turned himself into MR. MORALS.

Eddings, just plain IS HORRIBLE, i would rather read harry potter.

Janny Wurts, is one everyone has failed to mention. Her War of Light and Shadow, was just god AWFUL. She should stick to painting and thats it.
Cail

[Loredoctor]

There is so much crap, but we still have gems.