I felt the same way with The Shadow of the Gods. I can see why people enjoy it but I was not invested in any of the characters therefore had no interest to find out what happened to any of them. I recently talked about series and if the first book doesn’t have me excited or desperate to find out what happens next I won’t continue on to the second one at all.
I just started Lonesome Dove. It's kind of in a category with Shogun and Pillars of the Earth of non-fantasy, just classically well-loved by everybody. Haven't read Shogun yet but loved Pillars and loving LD.
Age of Ash is incredible with one of the creepiest ideas for a high fantasy villain. It's sequel is well written but it's all other characters and not really a direct sequel, it just happens in the same city.
For me, a long book has to be really good to justify the amount of time required to read it. I liked Pillars of the Earth and Shogun but they turned me off reading any books over 300 pages for a while. I forced myself to read three of the Dune sequels. They aren't as good as Dune but they aren't horrible. This summer I finished the John Gwynne series that begins with Malice and then read Shadow of the Gods and Hunger of the Gods. I am trying to finish series that I started before I forget too many details, so I will read the third book eventually. Right now I need a break from that type of story. My other biggest hesitation is the Malazan series because there are so many books and they are so long.
@@jenm8357 i definitely understand being hesitant of Malazan. It’s either a love it or hate it type of story. Readers who only like it struggle through.
I’m here for these honest thoughts!🙌🏻 I’ve only read Guards! Guards! From discworld so far and I did enjoy it, but I’m not desperate to read the rest. It’s one of those “I’ll get there when I get there” series
Sometimes you just gotta be brutally honest with yourself hahah. I am honestly kinda with you on Bloodsworn, and I have been seeing so many people sharing that the last book is almost FULL action, which just does not appeal to me aaah I am nervous!
For what it's worth I liked Blade of Dream much more than Age of Ash. Daniel Abraham's book ones are great in retrospect as you progress through the various series
I’m going through the Expanse right now, and the books are really uneven. When they’re good, they’re great, but otherwise they can be a bit of a slog. Overall, I am enjoying the series, but there’s been two books so far that I really struggled with. Also, re: Dune. I stopped midway through God Emperor. The first book is great. The second completes the story well. And then they just go off the rails. Plus, because they’re so much shorter, they feel disjointed and frustrating. And it’s sad because Dubé was so GOOD!
There is a dearth of these types of vids on booktube and I’m so here for this burst of negativity!! I enjoyed 16 Ways ok but that series has also been languishing for years for me. As is Dune after I didn’t like Messiah. Also, as a fellow Shogun lover, I don’t see how anything else in that saga could come close to living up to it. I hope I don’t end up feeling similar about these others!
I don't DNF a ton of books, but I have definitely decided not to continue some really popular series before. I've definitely fallen into the trap of thinking that things will get better for me because everyone else loves the subsequent books and have ended up regretting doing that. It probably doesn't do a series any favors to continue it when it's not your thing anyway.
Life's too short to waste time reading something you don't have an interest in. Unfortunate to hear about Raising Steam though. And you're the first one on Booktube I've seen not gushing rainbows about Gwynne (I know you say you like his stuff, but if you don't care about the 2nd series and don't care about this one . . .), so at least I have some company, lol.
I think with Gwynne it is battle fatigue syndrome. I enjoyed the first two books of Blood & Bone but dnf’d the third. I am nervous that Fury of the Gods will be similar. The last book of the The Last War is a struggle too by Mike Shackle with battle, after battle, after battle…
@heidi6281 That's it! I've been wondering why I love the first book so much, but kinda hated the third. It seemed like that's all we were doing. I still love that first book but man... that series went downhill for me.
I agree with the Prattchet books. When it comes to the last few books I don't think Terry wrote them. You see he had Alzhiemer and I truly belive that after going postal they are written by a ghost writer. They also get really dark. Going postal is the last Prattchet I own. Dune series is hard. I really wanted to read them but I just found it hard work! I gave up entirely and I know I won't be going back to them.
I read the first three books in the expanse Loved book 1 Book 2 was meh boring garbage Book 3 the start i loved and then it became just anpther religious boring meh book Dont get me wrong i love religion and politics in fantasy but when it cones to science fiction with such a big world in the expanse we dont see any of it in the expanse The world feels so big but the story feels so small for me
I was also skeptical that Taipan could come close to the brilliance of Shogun..... but it somehow did. Just a wonderful story start to finish. Gai-jin on the other hand, I wouldn't bother with that one, very long, boring, and ultimately unsatisfying.
A series I'm unsure about continuing is Bernard Cornwell's Last Kingdom. Loved the show (especially the first few series) but I've read the first 3 and thought they were just really good. Cornwell's been pretty hit or miss with me since I read (and loved) Warlord Chronicles but despised Grail Quest. Sharpe sounds like it'll be more my jam since the Napoleonic Wars interest me more than Dark Age Britain anyway.
I try reading The Expanse book 1 last week, but I DNF'ed it at 16%... For Children of Dune, the second part of the book is a lot better... The actual plot basically start at the 50% mark... I've also just started Pillar of the Earth and I agree with you about Tom. I just want to slap him ! I also agree with your on Shadows of the gods...
I pretty much liked the first six books of The Expanse, and Book Six seemed like a good end to the series. But when I saw there was like a 20 year time jump, starting with Book Seven, I put the series down, at least for awhile.
No worries, Mr. Andrew- tastes can change over time, and it is best to read that which you love!!! 💖 If you choose to put Children of Dune and The Pillars of the Earth series on Pango Books, I will happily purchase them!?!?! 🎉 Keep the fantabulous content coming and until next time, delightful Mr. Andrew!!!!! 🌃🪅🌌
War for the Rose Throne is a series I've lost interest in. The books are good and I enjoy them while reading them but post reading, I never think about them again.
I did the same thing with Collapsing Empire. Bought the book not realizing what it was 😆 I think you need to read one and let me know if it’s good! ANDREW! The Expanse is a fun fluff read! Leviathan was more serious but I loved the series as a whole!!! I read MotG … it was ok but “gods” turned me offf so it colored my opinion. I don’t like the influx of so many “god” books. Age of Ash … haven’t read it … So 🤷🏼♀️ I loved the Siege trilogy. Very good writing, 4-5 stars. They’re vibe books. If you don’t like it or the lives experienced … you shouldn’t continue! I’m hit/miss with Discworld! I’ve never read Gemmel. AC Cobble … never heard of him really. Dune … I want a 3 book read of this series!! I’ve only read Dune. These would be Moood Reads for me. Shogun …. Great book!! I might read the others. They’re fat books! Break them up. They would be scheduled type books like I did with book one. Pillars 🤷🏼♀️ never read it. My first book by him that I tried is from The Century Trilogy & liked it. I like the prose & might continue that one! Bloodsworn … haven’t even thought about this trilogy. I started Malice but wasn’t vibing at all and only made it 10% in … it’s only an NFN for now. I’ll need to mood read it. I’m sure it’s good. Great video!
I'm stuck where you are with Dune. Messiah was such a let down. I was hoping we'd open up the story and get to see other planets and witness Paul be the dark messiah. Instead we got a Shakespearian royal court play. I want to buy that Paul is the bad guy so I can seem like an "intellectual", but you gotta show it to me. You can't just write a couple lines like "oh yeah by the way the Jihad has killed people" but lets focus on Paul arguing philosophy with a guild navigator.
Thanks for normalizing not wasting time on books and series that aren’t hitting for you. Too many books, too little time to choke down stuff you aren’t enjoying. Lol at Hunger of Gods having a whole POV you don’t remember 😂. That’s happened to be before.
@@KindlesandKicks appreciate you Darko! Lol 😂 there are so many books vying for my attention that if I don’t prioritize I’ll never get through my backlog
I’m not into Dune at all. Hated the old movie and found the 1st new movie very boring and quite forgettable. Don’t get the hype. Won’t be reading that series. Also the hobbit was slightly okay but am struggling with continuing that series as well. I never want to take a ride on the hype train😂
So you love Dune, but unhauled the Folio Dune because you can't have an edition of book one a series, if you don't have the complete set? Even if book one stands alone very well? 🤨 I take it it's a space concern, and you already had a Dune series set, but personally I don't mind (too much) having mismatched sets (comes with thrifting), or multiple copies of a book I LOVE. I really hoping I'll love all six Dunes like I loved the first, though I've tried twice to marathon them and got pulled into other worlds after the first. So far I haven't had to deal with a popular series ambivalence/hate, save for the Wheel of Time, which I loved until Fires of Heaven which made me stall hard (25 years ago). At this point it might be quite welcome to really dislike a series I've been collecting, since that means I can free up shelf space! I have all of WOT in paperbacks, but I don't know if I'll ever get through it, or even unhaul it (or half of it) if "the slog" is again too much. LOL, what a hobby.
@@MagusMarquillin it’s an interesting hobby indeed lol 😂 I can’t explain the reasoning behind it but that’s just the way my brain works. If I’m not gonna complete the set and I have one already then I get rid of it. It may not make sense but it is what it is
Raising Steam is the weakest of all Discworld books. It's very obvious he was running on fumes. Repeating the same tropes and ideas in the other Moist before it.
I felt the same way with The Shadow of the Gods. I can see why people enjoy it but I was not invested in any of the characters therefore had no interest to find out what happened to any of them. I recently talked about series and if the first book doesn’t have me excited or desperate to find out what happens next I won’t continue on to the second one at all.
@@marianneguevara8279 glad to hear I am not alone :) I will try book 2 eventually but it’s just never been a priority for me
Same!! Almost finished book one, I didn’t even care enough to read the last 20% 😐
I just started Lonesome Dove. It's kind of in a category with Shogun and Pillars of the Earth of non-fantasy, just classically well-loved by everybody. Haven't read Shogun yet but loved Pillars and loving LD.
@@T2Darlantan I hope you enjoy it. LD wasn’t for me either 😂
I got 100 pages in and lost interest. But did enjoy all of Pillers.
LD is a masterpiece I never was interested in Westerns but I read LD and the rest of the books in the series and fell absolutely in love with them.
You know I’m here to support you reading stuff you’re excited about!
@@ToriTalks2 I always appreciate you my friend
I hear you about Dune. I’ve read the series up until Children of Dune. I’ll get back to it eventually.
@@PentoPaper I’ll get back to it eventually
Age of Ash is incredible with one of the creepiest ideas for a high fantasy villain. It's sequel is well written but it's all other characters and not really a direct sequel, it just happens in the same city.
@@Montie-Adkins that’s good to know!
For me, a long book has to be really good to justify the amount of time required to read it. I liked Pillars of the Earth and Shogun but they turned me off reading any books over 300 pages for a while. I forced myself to read three of the Dune sequels. They aren't as good as Dune but they aren't horrible. This summer I finished the John Gwynne series that begins with Malice and then read Shadow of the Gods and Hunger of the Gods. I am trying to finish series that I started before I forget too many details, so I will read the third book eventually. Right now I need a break from that type of story. My other biggest hesitation is the Malazan series because there are so many books and they are so long.
@@jenm8357 i definitely understand being hesitant of Malazan. It’s either a love it or hate it type of story. Readers who only like it struggle through.
The honesty is actually refreshing. I found u by clicking this vid lol
Cheers! I am glad you enjoyed the video
I’m here for these honest thoughts!🙌🏻
I’ve only read Guards! Guards! From discworld so far and I did enjoy it, but I’m not desperate to read the rest. It’s one of those “I’ll get there when I get there” series
@@MaedBetweenthePages discworld is one of series that you read when it calls to you
Yes!!! I needed a rant today 🤣 thank you 🤣 good for you for cleaning out those shelves 🥳
@@FineReads I am happy to oblige 😂
❤❤
@@MrRorosuri ❤️
I need 10% more negativity and 5% more cowbell.
@@someothercharacter I will see what I can do
Sometimes you just gotta be brutally honest with yourself hahah. I am honestly kinda with you on Bloodsworn, and I have been seeing so many people sharing that the last book is almost FULL action, which just does not appeal to me aaah I am nervous!
@@esmayrosalyne that makes me super nervous that it’s all action…..
For what it's worth I liked Blade of Dream much more than Age of Ash. Daniel Abraham's book ones are great in retrospect as you progress through the various series
@@thatsci-firogue good to know!
I have heard the same issue with Dune that is why I stopped after the original. No need to be disappointed
@@Already-Overbooked a good policy I think. It’s definitely one you can one and done
I’m going through the Expanse right now, and the books are really uneven. When they’re good, they’re great, but otherwise they can be a bit of a slog. Overall, I am enjoying the series, but there’s been two books so far that I really struggled with.
Also, re: Dune. I stopped midway through God Emperor. The first book is great. The second completes the story well. And then they just go off the rails. Plus, because they’re so much shorter, they feel disjointed and frustrating. And it’s sad because Dubé was so GOOD!
@@Mister_Sosotris Uneven is a great way to describe The Expanse
There is a dearth of these types of vids on booktube and I’m so here for this burst of negativity!! I enjoyed 16 Ways ok but that series has also been languishing for years for me. As is Dune after I didn’t like Messiah. Also, as a fellow Shogun lover, I don’t see how anything else in that saga could come close to living up to it.
I hope I don’t end up feeling similar about these others!
@@BooksWithBenghisKahn it seems we have similar experiences with these series. Good to know I’m not alone
I finished Pillars of the Earth out of spite. Take my recommendation and drop it now! It only gets worse as it goes on
@@idk_username_here I am getting it out of my collection ASAP
The next book, Lord Emperor Dune, is peak Dune if you can push through CoD.
Edit: God Emperor Dune.
@@raswartz noted
I don't DNF a ton of books, but I have definitely decided not to continue some really popular series before. I've definitely fallen into the trap of thinking that things will get better for me because everyone else loves the subsequent books and have ended up regretting doing that. It probably doesn't do a series any favors to continue it when it's not your thing anyway.
@@derekb.4292 I 100% agree
Life's too short to waste time reading something you don't have an interest in. Unfortunate to hear about Raising Steam though. And you're the first one on Booktube I've seen not gushing rainbows about Gwynne (I know you say you like his stuff, but if you don't care about the 2nd series and don't care about this one . . .), so at least I have some company, lol.
@@OnlyTheBestFantasyNovels I LOVE his initial FATF books but ever since then it been a struggle to love them. I’m just not invested
I think with Gwynne it is battle fatigue syndrome. I enjoyed the first two books of Blood & Bone but dnf’d the third. I am nervous that Fury of the Gods will be similar. The last book of the The Last War is a struggle too by Mike Shackle with battle, after battle, after battle…
@@heidi6281 that's definitely one explanation!
@ I am not a big fan of constant battle in books…
@heidi6281 That's it! I've been wondering why I love the first book so much, but kinda hated the third. It seemed like that's all we were doing. I still love that first book but man... that series went downhill for me.
I agree with the Prattchet books. When it comes to the last few books I don't think Terry wrote them. You see he had Alzhiemer and I truly belive that after going postal they are written by a ghost writer. They also get really dark. Going postal is the last Prattchet I own.
Dune series is hard. I really wanted to read them but I just found it hard work! I gave up entirely and I know I won't be going back to them.
@@newhorizons1 I know he definitely had help completing his last few but making money was a MARKED step down from going postal
I read the first three books in the expanse
Loved book 1
Book 2 was meh boring garbage
Book 3 the start i loved and then it became just anpther religious boring meh book
Dont get me wrong i love religion and politics in fantasy but when it cones to science fiction with such a big world in the expanse we dont see any of it in the expanse
The world feels so big but the story feels so small for me
@@JohnDoe-xf9ly I’m kind of the same way although while I liked book 1 I found the dialogue to be clunky also
I was also skeptical that Taipan could come close to the brilliance of Shogun..... but it somehow did. Just a wonderful story start to finish. Gai-jin on the other hand, I wouldn't bother with that one, very long, boring, and ultimately unsatisfying.
@@rosshamm9460 good to know!
A series I'm unsure about continuing is Bernard Cornwell's Last Kingdom. Loved the show (especially the first few series) but I've read the first 3 and thought they were just really good. Cornwell's been pretty hit or miss with me since I read (and loved) Warlord Chronicles but despised Grail Quest.
Sharpe sounds like it'll be more my jam since the Napoleonic Wars interest me more than Dark Age Britain anyway.
@@thatsci-firogue i wasn’t a huge fan of Sharpe’s characterization and tapped out fairly early
I try reading The Expanse book 1 last week, but I DNF'ed it at 16%...
For Children of Dune, the second part of the book is a lot better... The actual plot basically start at the 50% mark...
I've also just started Pillar of the Earth and I agree with you about Tom. I just want to slap him !
I also agree with your on Shadows of the gods...
@@LeslivresdeTontonJu I am hearing that we agree :). Thanks for watching!
There will be some books u will continue…. Happy reading to you!! 🎉
@@safinan8008 thank you Safina! Happy reading to you as well
I pretty much liked the first six books of The Expanse, and Book Six seemed like a good end to the series. But when I saw there was like a 20 year time jump, starting with Book Seven, I put the series down, at least for awhile.
I am glad you enjoyed your time with the series :)
The last arc is the best IMO, the 8th novel Tiamat's Wrath is a big step above every other in the series. So good.
Cool.
No worries, Mr. Andrew- tastes can change over time, and it is best to read that which you love!!! 💖 If you choose to put Children of Dune and The Pillars of the Earth series on Pango Books, I will happily purchase them!?!?! 🎉 Keep the fantabulous content coming and until next time, delightful Mr. Andrew!!!!! 🌃🪅🌌
Very true! The books were listed and purchased already. Thank you for watching 🎉I appreciate your enthusiasm and interacting in the comments 😊
War for the Rose Throne is a series I've lost interest in. The books are good and I enjoy them while reading them but post reading, I never think about them again.
@@trinforeman54 I’m sorry to hear that :(
I did the same thing with Collapsing Empire. Bought the book not realizing what it was 😆 I think you need to read one and let me know if it’s good!
ANDREW! The Expanse is a fun fluff read! Leviathan was more serious but I loved the series as a whole!!! I read MotG … it was ok but “gods” turned me offf so it colored my opinion. I don’t like the influx of so many “god” books. Age of Ash … haven’t read it … So 🤷🏼♀️
I loved the Siege trilogy. Very good writing, 4-5 stars. They’re vibe books. If you don’t like it or the lives experienced … you shouldn’t continue!
I’m hit/miss with Discworld!
I’ve never read Gemmel.
AC Cobble … never heard of him really.
Dune … I want a 3 book read of this series!! I’ve only read Dune. These would be Moood Reads for me.
Shogun …. Great book!! I might read the others. They’re fat books! Break them up. They would be scheduled type books like I did with book one.
Pillars 🤷🏼♀️ never read it. My first book by him that I tried is from The Century Trilogy & liked it. I like the prose & might continue that one!
Bloodsworn … haven’t even thought about this trilogy. I started Malice but wasn’t vibing at all and only made it 10% in … it’s only an NFN for now. I’ll need to mood read it. I’m sure it’s good.
Great video!
@@nancywolf1467 thanks Nancy!
stormlight archive is the only books ive dropped/lost interest in
Fair enough!
I'd keep Children of Dune. Sell the rest. There's so much to read.
@@curtjarrell9710 dune is definitely staying
I'm stuck where you are with Dune. Messiah was such a let down. I was hoping we'd open up the story and get to see other planets and witness Paul be the dark messiah. Instead we got a Shakespearian royal court play. I want to buy that Paul is the bad guy so I can seem like an "intellectual", but you gotta show it to me. You can't just write a couple lines like "oh yeah by the way the Jihad has killed people" but lets focus on Paul arguing philosophy with a guild navigator.
@@zackattack366 these are pretty much my feelings exactly
The Scalzi trilogy was good. So much here to make Allen sad... Read Children of Dune and then you can quit that series.
@@Rogue_VI I plan to quit after children
Thanks for normalizing not wasting time on books and series that aren’t hitting for you. Too many books, too little time to choke down stuff you aren’t enjoying. Lol at Hunger of Gods having a whole POV you don’t remember 😂. That’s happened to be before.
@@KindlesandKicks appreciate you Darko! Lol 😂 there are so many books vying for my attention that if I don’t prioritize I’ll never get through my backlog
Bloodsworn is so incredibly boring.
@@trinforeman54 I haven’t ever prioritized it
I’m not into Dune at all. Hated the old movie and found the 1st new movie very boring and quite forgettable. Don’t get the hype. Won’t be reading that series. Also the hobbit was slightly okay but am struggling with continuing that series as well. I never want to take a ride on the hype train😂
@@treebranch2066 nothing wrong with avoiding the Hype train :)
So you love Dune, but unhauled the Folio Dune because you can't have an edition of book one a series, if you don't have the complete set? Even if book one stands alone very well? 🤨 I take it it's a space concern, and you already had a Dune series set, but personally I don't mind (too much) having mismatched sets (comes with thrifting), or multiple copies of a book I LOVE. I really hoping I'll love all six Dunes like I loved the first, though I've tried twice to marathon them and got pulled into other worlds after the first.
So far I haven't had to deal with a popular series ambivalence/hate, save for the Wheel of Time, which I loved until Fires of Heaven which made me stall hard (25 years ago). At this point it might be quite welcome to really dislike a series I've been collecting, since that means I can free up shelf space! I have all of WOT in paperbacks, but I don't know if I'll ever get through it, or even unhaul it (or half of it) if "the slog" is again too much. LOL, what a hobby.
@@MagusMarquillin it’s an interesting hobby indeed lol 😂 I can’t explain the reasoning behind it but that’s just the way my brain works. If I’m not gonna complete the set and I have one already then I get rid of it. It may not make sense but it is what it is
Raising Steam is the weakest of all Discworld books. It's very obvious he was running on fumes. Repeating the same tropes and ideas in the other Moist before it.
@@brucegrossman3531 That makes me sad
@AndrewsWizardlyReads I was reviewing books at the time for a website. Trust me when I say I tried to be as nice as possible.