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Tuesday, November 19, 2013

Duds. Or let the Rant Begin

Today and Thursday, I give you the two famous books that did nothing for me.

Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card is pure D Sci-Fi. It begins with Ender who the military picks for a special project and put through a training exercise for young cadets. He is only six but from the start, manipulation by his superiors causes him to grow up fast. The world is fighting a terrible enemy, and they look to Ender to be the one who turns the tide in the war. They don’t have time for niceties.

Although I grew up adoring sci-fi, I never found the time to read Ender’s Game until this year. I read Mr. Card’s Memory of Earth series. Loved them. But this tome didn’t rock my boat like I expected. The storyline was great, the ending unexpected, lots of conflict and twists along the way. But it didn’t hold my interest and I found myself skipping whole paragraphs.

I really think it was more to do with Mr. Card’s writing style. To me, it was choppy. Hard. Skimmed the surface of the better story beneath the waves.

And that, my children is the definition of the word, “subjective”. This book is too well loved for it to be anything else other than not jiving with my nature.


Got a famous book that didn’t trip your trigger?

9 comments:

Charity Bradford said...

Interesting, very, very interesting. I have to admit that I couldn't even read "American Gods" by Neil Gaiman. I hear everyone loved it, but it just wasn't for me. I think I gave it a chapter or two and the language bothered me as well as the god who had sex with a man to "eat" him through her vagina. I guess I just didn't get it, but after that I put it down and never regretted walking away.

Huntress said...

The Ocean at the End of the Lane was excellent. Try that one. Stardust is good too.

But on the other side of the fence, I couldn't finish Neverwhere.

American Gods is supposedly the be-all, end-all of good books, the one that people point to as a high point in our industry.

Strange how some books are so wonderful for some folks and such blah for others. Btw, I would probably put the book down at that scene also.

Charity Bradford said...

The Graveyard Book is my daughter's all time favorite. I should read that one too.

It's weird, but I even felt uncomfortable saying why I didn't finish the book. There just wasn't any nice way of saying it.

Robin said...

I really loved the book Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert, but I couldn't make it through the pseudo-sequel Committed: A Skeptic Makes Peach With Marriage. It had none of the flavor and intimacy of the first book. I felt like I was reading someone's book report with a few personal touches thrown in. Very disappointing. After she spent a solid chapter on analyzing the mating rituals of this "tribe" she found in another country I was done.

Liz A. said...

I know what you mean about beloved books being meh sometimes. I can't think of any for me offhand, but I know they exist.

Aldrea Alien said...

I feel that way about A Game of Thrones (and Harry Potter for a while). It sounded perfect for me, but I got a few chapters in before putting it down.
It's been a number of years since then and, unlike HP which grew on me, I don't think I'll grow to like the series anytime soon.

mshatch said...

I LOVED Ender's Game. Enough to have read it more than once. And the only Neil Gaiman book I read and liked was The Graveyard Book. I wanted a sequel! American Gods and Neverwhere did zip for me.

Huntress said...

@Robin
I am familiar with the movie and didn't know it was a book. I might try it now. (but I'll skip the sequel, LOL)

@Liz
That's my problem. I can think of several famous books that I didn't like or were 'okay' books.

@Aldrea
Game of Thrones kept me reading but I basically forgot them after I read the last page. When Dance of Dragons was released, the cost was way out of line so I didn't buy it until recently after the price had dropped. Now with anything written by Jim Butcher, well now, the cost doesn't stop me.

@marcy
Picture a dog at the end of a leash snarling and me teasing it. *still laughing*
I re-read Enders too just to see if I liked it better the second time. Um. No.

fairbetty said...

Oh god, I hated Stardust. But I love American Gods and Ocean at the End of the Lane.
Hated Stardust... hate hate hated...

I also love Ender and the whole series. Orson Scott Card def jives with my nature.