Thank you Olly! I completely agree with your decision to add Matt Shaw to to your list. The garbage he spews out on pages and his immature, cruel behavior directed toward content creators is so pathetic…..
I agree with what you said about some extreme authors almost daring you to read their book. I love horror, but don’t jive with someone being gross just to be gross.
No, but a one-star review when you've not read it shouldn't be allowed. Just as Amazon now has a 'verified purchase' feature for their reviews, GR should stop people rating books they've not read.
@@BigDog366 Where do you get this fan fiction that she never read the book? She tried, it wasn't working, she Dnf'd it, that's telling all in itself. I see nothing wrong with rating something that sucked and you couldn't get through it and that happens to everyone. I get that you get the best feel for the book if you finish, but that's a personal choice. She's not breaking any laws here. Also the idea that you can only review a book on Amazon that you bought on Amazon is absurd.
Hey Olly, i just wanted to say thank you for your open criticism of Matt Shaw. What he did was misogynistic and wrong, and his words and actions should be held to the light for all to see. I always feel grateful to see people speaking up about it. We appreciate you, Olly!
@@ering2467 She reads extreme horror, she's not bashing the genre. Matt was one author amongst others in a video about books she didn't enjoy/like/dnfd, and he's the only one who completely lost his marbles and posted FB videos about it then wrote a book dedicated to her. Some of his friends are now saying that only authors and people in the publishing industry should be allowed to write book reviews. AHHAHAhahahha ... yeah... bonkers.
@@Blue-xk8vq wait, what? Only authors and publishers reviewing? That makes no sense. They would all be positive to up sales. Whoever thinks that is a good idea isn’t very bright. I think this is a classic case of authors needing to stay out of readers spaces. She didn’t bash the genre as a whole hole, but she did say that there was something wrong with people who don’t have any triggers.
I also read it when I was 15. Which was odd because at that time I was on an Edgar Rice Burroughs/Robert E. Howard binge, but my dad recommended it so I dug into it, got hooked and ended up really enjoying it. @@gronskeibooks
I've never disagreed with you more than on this Watership Down take, I found that book to be so engrossing and I'll never forget the character of Bigwig, and the way the religious stories they tell mirror what's going on in the present was so well done in my opinion.
@@CriminOllyBlog I love the book, but maybe you should try the 1978 film to see if it remixes the magic in a palatable way for you - it's pretty faithful and has John Hurt as Hazel.
@@MagusMarquillin- Ah yes, the movie that launched a million childhood traumas. :) It IS very good, but if you see it too early (I was eight), the nightmares are likely to stick with you for YEARS. Brutal.
Your list included more than I thought it would as I thought it would focus on mystery/horror sort of authors. I like how you worded that they aren't for you, but you aren't judging anyone who likes them. Great video!
I KNEW Matt Shaw would be one of these. I've only read one of his books (Cumshot), earlier this year.... it was so fucking gross. To the point where it made me question if the Author himself is okay in the head... total edgelord.
I haven't read any of these books except for Watership Down and A Court of Thorns and Roses. I struggled a bit with Watership at first, but the more I dug into it, the more I enjoyed. Conversely, I absolutely hated ACoTaR 😆A friend of mine tried to get me to read the sequels because she said they got better, but I couldn't get past the first 20 pages. It's interesting how differently people approach the same piece of art 😊
It's interesting how we occasionally come across a book that everyone else seems to love, but which doesn't connect with us at all. The two that spring to mind for me are House of Leaves by Mark Danielewski, which I've seen some people say is the scariest book they've ever read but which I just found tedious and pretentious, and Nothing But Blackened Teeth by Cassandra Khaw, which I thought was so over-written that it just killed any sense of tension or involvement in the story.
Omgosh, yes to both! I felt “House of Leaves” was not scary… it was too busy trying to be “original and weird” to ever be scary. I read “Nothing but Blackened Teeth” two days ago. Some of the writing was very vivid, but almost too purple to be scary. I also hated all the characters. It is hard to feel scared when one is rooting for the ghost to kill everyone.
Ha! I actually liked both of those, but I do get a lot of comments from people on my House of Leaves video saying it's a load of old twaddle (which is hard to argue with, even if you like the book!)
I agree. With me it’s the book Frankenstein. It’s on so many peoples top 10 list etc. I finally listened to the audio version and for me it was a major bore. Maybe some of the last 5% was interesting.
I like Scalzi's humor but the Kaiju Preservation Society didn't work that well for me either. He did however write it in only 2 months, after he had a problem with his planned release for the year and it does read rushed. If you ever try to give him another chance, I'd say try "Locked-in" it's a sci fi crime novel about an FBI agent who's been paralyzed by a virulent type of flu and operates a robot (think Full Metal Alchemist) around. It's funny and discusses the culture and fellowship within disability groups.
Varied list of suspects. I enjoyed the audiobook as read by Wil Wheaton of The Kaiju Preservation Society. Wheaton's performance was very good and seamed together a lot of rough tonal shifts.
I've not read Watership Down by Richard Adams, but I did read and enjoy Shardik. It's been decades since I read it, so I don't remember what I liked about it,but it was enjoyable for my teenage self.
I’ve spoken to you here and on discord about my hate for Matt Shaw and I’ve read about 4 or 5 of his books all being the Game series. I get that there is a market out there for “extreme gross just for the sake of being gross” and sometimes it works but with Matt Shaw’s books, it doesn’t, my biggest issue is that although some of the concepts are interesting there is little to no substance when it comes to character development, I’ve never felt any connection to any one of his characters to the point where I hate them enough to want them tortured or like them and hope they survive. I still think that the toughest part of Matt’s books is the grammatical, typing and plot errors. He gave away a massive spoiler in one book by mixing character names up. Haven’t read a single one of his books where there weren’t errors. To be fair I’m a self professed queen of typos and autocorrections so I don’t really have a leg to stand on in that respect (but then I don’t make a living writing and self publishing novels. I had to pause your video to read up about this meltdown he had and I’m appalled. If I was ever inclined to read another of his books before, I certainly am not now. Also going to actively seek out the reviewer so I can follow her.
Wow Olly, did you take this list from my brain?? While I haven’t read Matt Whatshisname, I did hear about that drama and felt quite icky about it. I hope you also are reading good stuff, and wearing cool watches. 😎
Hello Olly, I really enjoy your channel and find that, while I may not always agree with your every assessment, I appreciate how you don't just dismiss authors and books out of hand; often times giving them a better chance than they probably diserve. Like in this video: You gave these authors a go, decided they weren't your thing, and said, So long, and please take your smelly fish with you when you go. I did a similar thing with Anne Rice. Loved the early vampire novels, but, over time, I just fell out of love with her flowery prose, homoerotic obsessiveness, and convoluted plotting. After Tale of the Body Thief, I had to let go. I can't speak to the other authors you named, but I really encourage you to reconsider Richard Adams. I have no opinion on Watership Down, as I have not read it, but both Shardik and its sequel, Maia, are masterclass novels that excel at world-building, plotting, characterisation, and stuff happens and just keeps rolling along. There are no talking animals, but there is a bear worshipping society, sexual slavery, war, intrigues, etc. They are both very much fantasy, but magic is not a thing, and there are no elves, dwarves, pixies, dragons, and the like. Maybe fantastical is a more apt word for these books than is fantasy. And I'll bet even odds that authors like Jeff Vandermeer, China Mieville, and Jeffrey Ford have at least one of these books sitting on their bookshelves next to Dune, The Books of the New Sun, and Gormenghast. Since you already own Shardik, please just read the prologue, at least. For me, the strength of the prologue or first chapter is what usually carries me through the whole rest of the book. I mean, I totally get it if Watership Down soured you so much on Richard Adams that you just can't conceive that he'd have written anything else worth your time to know, but I just about promise that Shardik is a whole other animal, altogether. Honestly, just read the prologue, then you will either put it down and think me off my meds, or you will dive right on into the Beklan Empire and thank me for planning your trip. Again, love your channel. Respectfully, Bunny D
I got the Midnight Library as a gift for a friend (having not read it), then tried to read it myself and hated it. Turns out they did too but were too polite to say 😂
Thanks for this video, Olly! 😊 I enjoy reading horror, but I’m not into extreme horror or torture porn. I respect your opinion and will steer clear of Matt Shaw. I have only read The Midnight Library by Matt Haig, and I’m one of the readers who enjoyed it. 😂 I have never read Watership Down, but I have seen the film. I’m sure I can skip reading it. I’ve never heard of John Scalzi or read anything by Sarah J. Maas. I appreciate your explanations as to why you are no longer reading these authors.
Really loved this video! You always have a very articulate way of speaking and expressing your opinions, and I couldn't agree more with what you said about Matt Shaw.
Watership Down is a modern classic, praised by most crirics, then, at the time of publication in 1972, and today. Its a great novel. That's your only choice here that shocks me. A beter book to try instead of Shardik would be his The Plague Dogs, if you ever decide to give Adams a second chance.
I’ve never read Watership Down but I did read Adams’s The Girl In a Swing and, although I was overwhelmed at first by the minutiae of details he shared about pottery, the book really took hold of me when the eerie and supernatural elements appeared. So much so that I know count it among my favorite horror novels.
I bought a couple Matt Shaw books out of curiosity but haven’t opened them… He made a statement regarding his exchange with the critic, but it wasn’t a particularly convincing one. Thanks for the interesting video watched the whole thing. Just finished Tampa. Cheers bud!
I've read five of Haig's books and enjoyed him and I gave The Midnight Library 5 stars on Goodreads, which I don't do often. Scalzi: I read Lock In, which was ok, but probably not good enough for me to read another of his books.
Thanks for the heads' up on Matt Haig. My sister-in-law was recommending The Midnight Library to me just this weekend. Then she also said Stephen King is a hack who writes to a formula (but couldn't name books of his she had read), so flags went up. And my taste definitely aligns more to yours than hers. I disagree with you on Watership Down though. Yet I've also had Shardik on my 'to read' list for years and haven't picked it up. So maybe subconsciously I agree with you
Hi, new here after your channel was recommended 😊 The Kaiju Preservation Society sounds a bit like Guillermo Del Toros Pacific Rim but with humour. I'm torn now as I love kaiju fiction, I may have to look it up and see what else is recommended as a result.
I appreciate your honesty here. I haven’t read anything from these authors, but have heard loads about them. It’s always fascinating to hear a different take on popular books. 😁
I think it's good to talk about the books we haven't likes sometimes. BookTube is overwhelmingly a positive place (which is great!) but we can't all love every book
Ugh, hated Watership Down and DNF'd it. Some authors I have no plans to revisit because I hated their books are Chuck Palahniuk, Cassandra Khaw and John Updike.
Never heard of the 5th author but I've heard you talk (and disparage) the others. I've only read Watership Down (as part of your read along) and quite liked it. I shouldn't have, it has everything I hate about fiction (overly long, boring in parts), but I liked it. In fact I live my life in a similar vein to BigWig. 🤭🤭
I have both of those Matt Haig books and haven’t read either, mainly cos my daughter agreed with you 😊. I read Watership Down as a kid and found it unnecessarily long. Not tried the others.
I've actually read all the authors mentioned which I'm happy I have as it's a good point of reference to your comments. Can't agree more with author #1. 100% correct! Also just wanted to say how much I enjoy your content, its intelligent and still kind and always resonates with me. Always fun to watch when I tune into my YT subs. Big thanks :)
I'm one of those people who went into Watership with just enough skepticism to enjoy it, but I think of Adams as a one hit wonder. I have Old Man's Forever War sitting on my Kindle. Also have Redshirts. Checked to see if I had Midnight Library and found Humans instead. Weird. I must have read a good review for it, but I could have sworn I never heard of it. Life is short and I own a lot of books, but I still plan to read these...someday.
Colleen Hoover is someone I'll never read again and do not understand the hype about. I've read 3 of her books and the main characters put me off so much...
I agree, ice only read Verity and that was enough for me to say NOPE! She's so overhyped I don't like how she romantises DV etc. I won't be reading this author again 😅
So proud to see you stand up for Hailey and not back down even when his trolls popped up in your comments. Time and again we see authors invading reader spaces and getting butthurt when their work isn’t praised. Readers don’t owe authors anything especially glowing reviews.
Pretty shocked about Watership Down. But different strokes for different folks! And agree about extreme horror. Seems like some writers use the extreme as a crutch for bolstering bad writing.
All the drama around Matt Shaw made more curious about his work more than anything else. Trigger warnings in a genre called extreme horror fiction always amuses me to no end. As stated by @duncanralston5112 she did claim to be a mental health worker, I worry for some individuals that may be relying on an individual that throws undesirables under the bus. I'll have to seek out some of work, especially as I may go the same route with self publishing, it'll be a point of reference.
It's not a claim, she is a mental health worker and also a survivor. What I've seen from her videos she also reads extreme horror, In 2021 I read a book that she enjoyed and reviewed recently which was Dead Inside by Chandler Morrison and whoa, she can def handle extreme horror, that one was done well even if it made me question myself when I gave it 4 stars lol.
Hi, Olly. Good to see you are back on your feet. I thought I was in a minority with regards to my thoughts on The Midnight Library, as sooo(!) many people recommended it to me. I started by listening to the audiobook, but quickly gave in as the narrator's voice lacked emotion and depth - almost monotone. It took me three more attempts over the course of a year to actually finish the paperback. It started out mildly fascinating but ended up boring me. As for Watership Down, I loved it. I also enjoyed Plague Dogs by the same author. This being said, I was around twelve years of age when I read both of these, so I wonder how they'd stack up now? 11:57
the only author from this list I have heard about is Sarah J Maas and I it would never occur to me to read any of their books (unless someone gives it to me or something)
Very interested to see who these authors are - let’s go!! !!! - Just finished this video review & the only book you listed among the authors you will not read again - I only recognized one title, which is Watership Down. All of the other authors I’ve never heard of them so I was glad to see that all of these authors are people that I have not read, but I am pretty sure I have reviewed Watership Down in my past many years. 🤔🤔🤔 Thx for your review. 👍
It was Shardik that made me decide not to read Adams. Couldn’t get through the first few chapters. You’re going to take some heat for Scalzi :) I have to be in the mood for his books. If I want something light and fluffy, I’ll read one of his and enjoy it. I think the Locked In ones were the only 4-5 star reads for me, but I do enjoy his others when I’m in the mood. Peter Hamilton is an author I may not read again. I thought his books are/were brilliant, but there’s a strong undercurrent of adolescent ick when he writes his women characters. It was so consistent through all the books I finally gave up partway into one of his duologies despite the grand scope.
Yeah lots of people seem to like him (and have told me so!) Hamilton is someone I've tried to read a few times - I have loads of his books (both on kindle and paper copies)
Good video! Nice to know that I have good company in the minority of people who hated The Midnight Library! 😂 It was too saccharine for my taste. There's a trend with contemporary mainstream books to be super pandering that I'm too cynical for. I'm finishing up Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus, which was given such rave reviews, and I'm not a fan. It's too on-the-nose and black-and-white, almost as if the author is condescending to the reader. As for ACOTAR, I also loved the first book and was disappointed by the second. I have the third and I am so hesitant to read it. Almost everyone I've talked to thinks the first is the weakest book, which is kind of surprising to me as I thought Book 1 had a clear, focused storyline (also, I love Beauty and the Beast retellings), but Book 2 was all over the place and felt more like the author's wish fulfillment fantasy than anything else.
@@Blue-xk8vq Yes, I haven't read Gunslinger yet, but I've amassed a long list of other writings and films that tie into it as I read through Stephen King's whole body of work chronologically. I'll post what else I've heard ties in if you like.
@@Blue-xk8vq Ah, then I think you've already encountered the big nod to Shardik in book 3, so I suppose you can read it anytime now. Then there's Kings own books - any of them might tie in which is why I'm reading the lot to be overly safe, but the big ones are: Salem's Lot, Insomnia, (read those two before you read book 5), the Stand, Eyes of the dragon, IT, Hearts in Atlantis, Talisman & Black house AFAIK, here's what he drew from otherwise: The Few Dollars trilogy of films (maybe loose aesthetic inspiration) The Magnificent Seven (1960 film) Star Wars The 1855 poem "Childe Roland to the Dark Tower Came" by Robert Browning The 1922, much longer poem "The Wasteland" by T.S. Elliot "Le Morte D'Arthur" by Thomas Mallory (maybe a close derivative Athrurian telling would work) The Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum Tolkien (I'm not sure if this is meant to be this general, but I presume it means the Lord of the Rings) H.P. Lovecraft (just in general I think) The Neverending Story by Michael Ende Shardik by Richard Adams Death Lands by Jack Adrien NOS4A2 by Joe Hill (yeah, his son wrote this after the last DT novel, but I believe he tied it in) Happy reading! 😇 P.S. I'm not certain on the size of each one's importance, or how obvious they're part is, the point is to be somewhat surprised, but I know the poems, and Shardik, are big ones.
Hi Olly. Off topic, but ive been wondering for a while and think you are a good person to shed some light on this. I read a lot of crime novels. It's definitely my favourite genre. A lot of the crime books i read are ones with particularly gruesome or sadistic murders - for example Chris Carter's books featuring the Ultra-Violence Homicide Squad detevtice Robert Hunter. I rarely have any issues with the violence and sadism depicted in detective novels - the more gruesome the nthe better! Yet i struggle with the violence depicted in a lot of of horror novels, even when the violence is less extreme or less explicit than that in a lot of crime fiction. I would absolutely love tonhear your thoughts on this, if you ever want to do a video on this topic. Have a great day, amazing content as always! You are easily my favourite book tuber.
That’s an interesting question! I think there are probably two reasons - first the violence in crime novels tends to be after the fact - we see the results of the violence rather than the act itself. Secondly, crime tends to focus on the detective and the villain, it’s about the investigative process rather than the horror of the crimes. Horror tends to be about the victims, so the reader experiences the terror/pain in a much more immediate way. Hope that makes sense, and so glad you’re enjoying the channel!
Thank you for reminding me about Chris Carter's Robert Hunter series. I've read them all up to #7 and given them all five stars. I see more are out so I'm off to buy them! I feel a reread of the first seven might be necessary because I have no memory of what they're about!
As a Godzilla fan I Loathed Kaiju P S he didn't have a clue what he was talking about. Gojira came out in 1954 so I gave KPS -1954☆. Also agree about Matt Haig (and never wanted to try the other Matt)
Scalzi is great and your recall of Old Mans War is way off, but that’s cool. Weird to single him out like this. Same for Midnight Library - I get not liking it, but hating on its a little like being mean to a cute little bunny. Certainly you didn’t ask, but love your content and you’ve lead me to some cool books - so I hope to see more “read this” content vs this stuff.
Yeah I had confused Old Man's War and The Forever War (which I loved). Glad you're enjoying the channel, and rest assured that 95% of my content is positive!
Just out of curiosity, the Kaiju Preservation Society sounds very close to the premise of the Pacific Rim movies - but Wikipedia states that the screenplay for Pacific Rim '"was written by Travis Beacham and ( Guillermo) del Toro from a story by Beacham. The film is set in the future, when Earth is at war with the Kaiju,[a] colossal sea monsters which have emerged from an interdimensional portal on the bottom of the Pacific Ocean". Some coincidence ?!
I do love a bit of Matt Haig! Also Watership Down! Love that! Oh dear Olly - I’m sure there are authors we must agree on. 🙈John Scalzi is one actually - I’m not a fan either! 😂 I had the same experience with Sarah J Mass - fun in the beginning but god awful as it went on and I dnf’d the fourth book! Defo one for the fans! Also that series is fairy porn and couldn’t believe the level of spice in it when it claims to be YA! 🧚🍆😂 ok- so we agree on a few things! 😁
I just picked up a nice copy ($1.00) of The Midnight Library in a book haul a couple of days ago, lol. But I knew from reviews that it's twee/trite etc... Just wanted to see for myself. I'm actually more interested in the format (short chapters & "Howl" etc) than the story. I fully expect to be rolling my eyes as I read.
I was gifted Midnight Library and it was saccharine and patronising. Ive got Reasons to Stay Alive (also a gift) and the hardback is pretty but I am not keen to read it. Matt Haig feels like toxic positivity for children or young adults. I read Kaiju Preservation Society and it was just okay. I will give Scalzi another chance. I know the rest of these are not for me without needing to try. Thanks for the list!😊
I remember mostly enjoying The Old Man’s War, but throughly disliking the ending. He also wrote a homage to Star Trek novel which wouldn’t interest me in a 1,000 years. I’m not saying I would never read another book by the author, but I can’t think of a good reason why I should.
Like your list. I gave Midnight Library 3 stars, and I won't say I won't read Matt Haig's books, but I am also not looking for them. Sarah J Maas I liked her very first series, Throne of Glass. To me she was a bit of a one hit wonder, in that everything after either felt the same or over the top to shock kind of thing. Watership Down I tried to read but also found it too boring. Always thought my kids might like it, but they didn't. I can't say that I really have a list like yours. I tend to avoid certain kinds of books which are usually by certain authors. I think maybe Ernest Hemingway may fall on that list though, but I have only tried one of his books and I am going to give him another go before I decide. As for Matt Shaw: his behaviour was not ok, not as a human being, much less a writer who should have just ignored other people's opinions about his work (there will always be haters and always be fans; focus on the fans people!).
Glad you liked the list! I never did try the Throne of Glass books, although. did have a copt of the first one I think. And yeah, Shaw's behaviour was awful
I’m not surprised by Watership Down as I did find it a bit… dulling. However, it did provoke the right feelings. I think you’re not supposed to be able to see the rabbits as distinctly individual - at least that’s my impression
Appreciate you calling out Shaw. His behaviour was abusive and his attack on a reviewer was misogynistic. Also agree on SJM. Enjoyed the first ACOTAR book and became bored as the series went on, until she finally landed on my dnr list... if for nothing else, for her incessent repetious vocabulary.
I did indeed do that. And I loved The Forever War, so I'm wondering now if that's why I thought for a while that I liked Old Man's War (I think I read them around the same time)
I wanted to like Richard Adams works because I like what they stand for, but both Watership Down and The Plague Dogs didn't work for me. It was mostly due to the writing style (and some other aspects). Watership Down was also well-meant 3 stars because I wasn't into the story. 🥺
Scalzi doesn't work for me either! His writing is very tell don't show, and I cannot for the life of me get into it. I've felt weird DNFing all his books when I've seen people only rave about his stories, so I'm glad to hear I am not alone!
I'll not encourage sales for a cruel writer. I'll not lose a moment's sleep skipping the ones on your list. On a happier note... I've completed my story I wish to submit to your GarbAugust Anthology. It is in the hands of my beta readers! I should be able to send it your way within 2 weeks! 😊
I was reading Twilight and the character Bella thought, "I knew, that he knew, that I knew, that he knew.." It went further but I didn't. I don't know the nature of the U.K.'s culture. I have lived the American experience. As an adult, I met people who said high school was the best part of their life. For many, high school was a war zone, and you didn't graduate but escaped to be a refugee. High school is bad for boys, but girls fall further and land harder. We were told, "When we leave high school, every day will be better." This was true, but with millennials, childhood culture has extended for decades. Girls who went through the public school system lived a life of daily harassment, isolation, and physical violence. The school was like a prison for which you committed no crime, and graduating was being released from that prison. That was true, but not anymore. The small-mindedness of high school mentality lives on. If a woman dares to rise up beyond the torment of high school, she is beaten down by those who label you, "Not like other other women." Women who refuse the role of being in a second-class system are again isolated and harassed. That's what's wrong with Young Adult fiction. It's a high school nightmare that lives on forever.
I liked the premise of Scalzi's Lock In, but couldn't finish it. I found the dialogue I read to be terrible (but maybe he intended it to be cliched or it was intended to be humorous and i just misread it).
I am afraid you got the The Old Man's War completely wrong 😅 Old men are being sent to war and given new young bodies to fight. I did not like that the main character is pretty much a super man but I really enjoyed the rest of the book.
Yeah I'd got it muddled up with The Forever War by Joe Haldeman (which I really liked!). I think that explains why my memory of it didn't match my Goodreads review!
Yep ... read "The Midnight Library" a few months back, and it's probably the worst book I read this year lol Fell super flat for me, although I liked the overall concept. The execution was terrible, very on the nose and just repetitive. So far, I've not encountered an author I would not read again ever, but there are some I will never read a book in the first place. Colleen Hoover is probably the biggest example xD
The first auther that I think of that I will probable not read again is Erle Stanley Gardner he wrote the Parry Mason series. The thing was he got paid by the word so he always used Mason's full name and I think he did the same for moat of the characters and drove me nuts when I read two of his books. The other might be the Nick Carter spy series I bought a few and read two. They are not bad for short pulp books but I have read better and it doesn't help that you know every woman he sleeps with will die and or be a baddie.
I had a couple of Matt Shaw books on my bookshelf waiting to be read, but I have gotten rid of them recently after his disgusting behaviour. I also didn't get out of Midnight Library what some others did, I found it boring and surface level (for me), so I moved The Humans further down my TBR. Edit to add: Sarah J Maas is constantly mismarketed as YA, In my opinion, she writes NA (or just adult if you don't use the term NA).
Apparently you are not missing much with Richard Adams. Watership down was brilliant but not Shardik (according to a few people I've spoken to). But plague dogs wasn't bad.
I did a book report on Watership Down in sixth grade back in the late 70s 😊. The Midnight Library was terrible but I loved The Humans. My problem with Haig is that it's the same theme every time. I was one and done with Mo Hayder. Too gross!
One author I refuse to read due to who he is is Nicholas Sparks. A colleague at work loves his novels and gave me one for a birthday gift (the Last Song) and granted I enjoyed the book for what it was, then I discovered what an absolute trashy human being he is and I swore never to pick up or purchase another book of his.
Wonderful video. Too bad you didn’t like The Kaiju Preservation Society. That was the book that made me a Scalzi fan, though the humor was cringey. That being said, Scalzi’s public persona is a bit fractious. So I think it’s good that you take him down a peg here. 😜
@CriminOllyBlog I read a couple of his that were ok, if somewhat formulaic. The one that did it for me was where the president's heartbeat was connected to a nuclear bomb, or some such. Every chapter ended on a cliffhanger only to be immediately resolved by some unlikely turn of events. Didn't finish it.
I think you confused Old Man's War with Joe Haldeman's Forever War. Old Man's War was about old people that get new, young green bodies and sent to fight in space but can never return to earth.
The 5 authors off my list: 1. Colleen Hoover 2. Colleen Hoover 3. Colleen Hoover 4. Colleen Hoover 5. Colleen Hoover Having said that, referring to Colleen Hoover as an "author" is a stretch. "Gossip Columnist" would even be a compliment, but a little closer to reality
Matt Haig in my opinion is overrated, in my opinion, i read Midnight Library too and was unimpressed. I read that Lessons in Chemistry book that everyone raved about and i was bored! SJ Maas has such a fanatical following, i did read her when she first started getting popular and now i cannot be bothered with her books.
Well you did it this time Olly, lol. You got the comment section on fire 😂. No punches thrown from me, just an agreement about SJM. Here books are bleh.
@@CriminOllyBlog Oh yeah the movie, I think my brain "forgot" most of it to protect itself lol. I actually really love rabbits, had one as a pet for a while and have plenty running in my backyard especially in the warmer months. Also just wanted to say that I'm really enjoying the comment section for this video, I keep popping back in to see more comments and opinions. Love when a good video creates this in the bookish community. I'm reading Holly by SK now and your review was phenomenal as well. Glad I found your channel!
I have been reading a few more "extreme" titles lately, think I'll give Matt Shaw a skip. I want an engaging, well-written story not just gross stuff. Lol I loved Watership Down as a kid. 😂
Definitely not reading Matt Shaw anymore. I can sometimes deal with a person being a lousy writer (which Matt is) but if they're a jerk I'm not giving 'em a dime. I also won't read Kelli Owen again, partially because she's a terrible writer, but also there's the "lousy human being" factor. I won't read Kristopher Rufty anymore, not due to anything personal, but I read two of his books and they were silly and dumb and just not my kind of thing. I also won't read Mique Watson again, again, not for any personal animus (he seems like an okay guy) but because he put out a really bad self-published thing and I got tricked into buying it by a bunch of paid-off reviews. He'll likely improve as a writer (he'll just have to) but I won't be able to trust reviews anymore to find out. And I'm not sure I'll be able to make myself read any more William W. Johnstone or Joseph Rosenberger books. They were both lousy human beings, but they're dead so that's not a factor (I don't know if I'd read Matt Shaw after he dies, but if he'll accommodate me and kick the bucket I promise to give it a shot ;) ), but they're just both so awful, even though they're prolific. I might read 'em just to make fun of 'em in a review, but there's not much other reason to read 'em. I'll also avoid Alan Moore. He's probably the worst, most over-rated sack of word-puke anywhere. He's only really famous for killing characters better writers than him created. I also didn't like Watership Down as much as I was supposed to. I really wanted to, but, nope, not my thing. I don't think Adams was a bad writer, but I just didn't like the story much. Same thing with Dune. I'd heard such great things, went out and bought a leather-bound copy to give myself the best possible chance of liking it, and... nope, freakin' hated it. I respect his skill as a world-builder and stuff, but, just not good.
Ive only tried two of these. I could get into Watership Down nor Shardik and always felt deficient for it. Scalzi, im no fan of. He feels like a terminally online meme author to me. Red Shirts for example, which he pumped out long after that particular Star Trek cliche was playes out. I know lots of people like him though.
Thank you Olly! I completely agree with your decision to add Matt Shaw to to your list. The garbage he spews out on pages and his immature, cruel behavior directed toward content creators is so pathetic…..
Yeah it’s really childish
I agree with what you said about some extreme authors almost daring you to read their book. I love horror, but don’t jive with someone being gross just to be gross.
I can't stand it when authors get butthurt because someone doesn't like their book. Are they seriously holding out for universal adoration?
Art must never be critiqued lol, seriously, I agree. Also how can they grow if everyone loves everything.
Yeah it's just ridiculous
No, but a one-star review when you've not read it shouldn't be allowed. Just as Amazon now has a 'verified purchase' feature for their reviews, GR should stop people rating books they've not read.
@@BigDog366 Where do you get this fan fiction that she never read the book? She tried, it wasn't working, she Dnf'd it, that's telling all in itself. I see nothing wrong with rating something that sucked and you couldn't get through it and that happens to everyone. I get that you get the best feel for the book if you finish, but that's a personal choice. She's not breaking any laws here.
Also the idea that you can only review a book on Amazon that you bought on Amazon is absurd.
@@kaiju_k5042 This was in reference to the book he dedicated to her. Not the choose your own adventure one.
Hey Olly, i just wanted to say thank you for your open criticism of Matt Shaw. What he did was misogynistic and wrong, and his words and actions should be held to the light for all to see. I always feel grateful to see people speaking up about it. We appreciate you, Olly!
@@ering2467 She reads extreme horror, she's not bashing the genre. Matt was one author amongst others in a video about books she didn't enjoy/like/dnfd, and he's the only one who completely lost his marbles and posted FB videos about it then wrote a book dedicated to her. Some of his friends are now saying that only authors and people in the publishing industry should be allowed to write book reviews. AHHAHAhahahha ... yeah... bonkers.
@@Blue-xk8vq wait, what? Only authors and publishers reviewing? That makes no sense. They would all be positive to up sales. Whoever thinks that is a good idea isn’t very bright. I think this is a classic case of authors needing to stay out of readers spaces. She didn’t bash the genre as a whole hole, but she did say that there was something wrong with people who don’t have any triggers.
Aww, I loved Watership Down. I went in with very low expectations and was surprised by how hooked I got on the characters' adventures.
That was a great story! Never read anything else by him though....
i loved it too, but i read it when i was 15... i wonder how i'd like it 29 years later??
I also read it when I was 15. Which was odd because at that time I was on an Edgar Rice Burroughs/Robert E. Howard binge, but my dad recommended it so I dug into it, got hooked and ended up really enjoying it. @@gronskeibooks
I've never disagreed with you more than on this Watership Down take, I found that book to be so engrossing and I'll never forget the character of Bigwig, and the way the religious stories they tell mirror what's going on in the present was so well done in my opinion.
Yeah a lot of people really love it, but the magic others see in it was completely lost on me.
@@CriminOllyBlog Completely fair! It's fun to see how people respond so differently to specific works.
@@CriminOllyBlog I love the book, but maybe you should try the 1978 film to see if it remixes the magic in a palatable way for you - it's pretty faithful and has John Hurt as Hazel.
@@MagusMarquillin- Ah yes, the movie that launched a million childhood traumas. :) It IS very good, but if you see it too early (I was eight), the nightmares are likely to stick with you for YEARS. Brutal.
My review of "Octopus" suggested that there were better tentacles in the seafood menu of my local Italian restaurant.
Your list included more than I thought it would as I thought it would focus on mystery/horror sort of authors. I like how you worded that they aren't for you, but you aren't judging anyone who likes them. Great video!
Thank you! Glad you enjoyed it
I KNEW Matt Shaw would be one of these. I've only read one of his books (Cumshot), earlier this year.... it was so fucking gross. To the point where it made me question if the Author himself is okay in the head... total edgelord.
Yeah edgelord really does some it up
Clearly he's not ok in the head. Kinda wanna ask how it's so gross but at the same time I don't want to know
Great video. I love how respectful you are. 🤎
Thank you!
I haven't read any of these books except for Watership Down and A Court of Thorns and Roses. I struggled a bit with Watership at first, but the more I dug into it, the more I enjoyed. Conversely, I absolutely hated ACoTaR 😆A friend of mine tried to get me to read the sequels because she said they got better, but I couldn't get past the first 20 pages. It's interesting how differently people approach the same piece of art 😊
omg! I read "Octopus" by Matt Shaw as well! My first foray into extreme horror, and it was almost my last.
It's interesting how we occasionally come across a book that everyone else seems to love, but which doesn't connect with us at all. The two that spring to mind for me are House of Leaves by Mark Danielewski, which I've seen some people say is the scariest book they've ever read but which I just found tedious and pretentious, and Nothing But Blackened Teeth by Cassandra Khaw, which I thought was so over-written that it just killed any sense of tension or involvement in the story.
Omgosh, yes to both! I felt “House of Leaves” was not scary… it was too busy trying to be “original and weird” to ever be scary. I read “Nothing but Blackened Teeth” two days ago. Some of the writing was very vivid, but almost too purple to be scary. I also hated all the characters. It is hard to feel scared when one is rooting for the ghost to kill everyone.
Ha! I actually liked both of those, but I do get a lot of comments from people on my House of Leaves video saying it's a load of old twaddle (which is hard to argue with, even if you like the book!)
I agree. With me it’s the book Frankenstein. It’s on so many peoples top 10 list etc. I finally listened to the audio version and for me it was a major bore. Maybe some of the last 5% was interesting.
I have just read John Scalzi's new book, Starter Villain, and I loved it. Not read anything else by him though.
I like Scalzi's humor but the Kaiju Preservation Society didn't work that well for me either. He did however write it in only 2 months, after he had a problem with his planned release for the year and it does read rushed. If you ever try to give him another chance, I'd say try "Locked-in" it's a sci fi crime novel about an FBI agent who's been paralyzed by a virulent type of flu and operates a robot (think Full Metal Alchemist) around. It's funny and discusses the culture and fellowship within disability groups.
All very valid reasons, especially with that first author, though I'm not familiar with Matt Shaw, that is very immature of him.
Varied list of suspects. I enjoyed the audiobook as read by Wil Wheaton of The Kaiju Preservation Society. Wheaton's performance was very good and seamed together a lot of rough tonal shifts.
I read it for a book club and I really liked. I wound up finishing it early so I forgot to go to the meeting😅
I've not read Watership Down by Richard Adams, but I did read and enjoy Shardik. It's been decades since I read it, so I don't remember what I liked about it,but it was enjoyable for my teenage self.
Hey, there’s still hope for Tolstoy! 😅
I’ve spoken to you here and on discord about my hate for Matt Shaw and I’ve read about 4 or 5 of his books all being the Game series. I get that there is a market out there for “extreme gross just for the sake of being gross” and sometimes it works but with Matt Shaw’s books, it doesn’t, my biggest issue is that although some of the concepts are interesting there is little to no substance when it comes to character development, I’ve never felt any connection to any one of his characters to the point where I hate them enough to want them tortured or like them and hope they survive.
I still think that the toughest part of Matt’s books is the grammatical, typing and plot errors.
He gave away a massive spoiler in one book by mixing character names up. Haven’t read a single one of his books where there weren’t errors. To be fair I’m a self professed queen of typos and autocorrections so I don’t really have a leg to stand on in that respect (but then I don’t make a living writing and self publishing novels.
I had to pause your video to read up about this meltdown he had and I’m appalled. If I was ever inclined to read another of his books before, I certainly am not now. Also going to actively seek out the reviewer so I can follow her.
Wow Olly, did you take this list from my brain?? While I haven’t read Matt Whatshisname, I did hear about that drama and felt quite icky about it. I hope you also are reading good stuff, and wearing cool watches. 😎
I am doing both! Thank you
I'm tempted to do a similar video but one of my choices would be so controversial I'd probably be drummed off BookTube and marched right out of town.
I left 2 off mine for that reason
@@CriminOllyBlog Ha super curious to what they were. I like some of the authors you mention but totally understand where you're coming from.
Thank you, Olly❤ You are appreciated
You are so welcome
Hello Olly,
I really enjoy your channel and find that, while I may not always agree with your every assessment, I appreciate how you don't just dismiss authors and books out of hand; often times giving them a better chance than they probably diserve. Like in this video: You gave these authors a go, decided they weren't your thing, and said, So long, and please take your smelly fish with you when you go. I did a similar thing with Anne Rice. Loved the early vampire novels, but, over time, I just fell out of love with her flowery prose, homoerotic obsessiveness, and convoluted plotting. After Tale of the Body Thief, I had to let go.
I can't speak to the other authors you named, but I really encourage you to reconsider Richard Adams. I have no opinion on Watership Down, as I have not read it, but both Shardik and its sequel, Maia, are masterclass novels that excel at world-building, plotting, characterisation, and stuff happens and just keeps rolling along. There are no talking animals, but there is a bear worshipping society, sexual slavery, war, intrigues, etc. They are both very much fantasy, but magic is not a thing, and there are no elves, dwarves, pixies, dragons, and the like. Maybe fantastical is a more apt word for these books than is fantasy. And I'll bet even odds that authors like Jeff Vandermeer, China Mieville, and Jeffrey Ford have at least one of these books sitting on their bookshelves next to Dune, The Books of the New Sun, and Gormenghast. Since you already own Shardik, please just read the prologue, at least. For me, the strength of the prologue or first chapter is what usually carries me through the whole rest of the book. I mean, I totally get it if Watership Down soured you so much on Richard Adams that you just can't conceive that he'd have written anything else worth your time to know, but I just about promise that Shardik is a whole other animal, altogether. Honestly, just read the prologue, then you will either put it down and think me off my meds, or you will dive right on into the Beklan Empire and thank me for planning your trip.
Again, love your channel.
Respectfully,
Bunny D
Thank you! So glad you're enjoying the channel.
Your point on Shardik is noted. I'll give it a go sometime :)
Bunny Dracula is such an awesome name. I love it
I got the Midnight Library as a gift for a friend (having not read it), then tried to read it myself and hated it. Turns out they did too but were too polite to say 😂
😂😂😂 at least it all worked out well in the end, with you both hating The Midnight Library
Thanks for this video, Olly! 😊 I enjoy reading horror, but I’m not into extreme horror or torture porn. I respect your opinion and will steer clear of Matt Shaw. I have only read The Midnight Library by Matt Haig, and I’m one of the readers who enjoyed it. 😂 I have never read Watership Down, but I have seen the film. I’m sure I can skip reading it. I’ve never heard of John Scalzi or read anything by Sarah J. Maas. I appreciate your explanations as to why you are no longer reading these authors.
i knew i could trust you after you said Matt Shaw lol
😂😂😂😂😂
Really loved this video! You always have a very articulate way of speaking and expressing your opinions, and I couldn't agree more with what you said about Matt Shaw.
Thank you so much. That’s very kind of you to say
Great video Olly! I'm intrigued to read some of these now haha 😅
Watership Down is a modern classic, praised by most crirics, then, at the time of publication in 1972, and today. Its a great novel. That's your only choice here that shocks me. A beter book to try instead of Shardik would be his The Plague Dogs, if you ever decide to give Adams a second chance.
Well sure, but just because a book is a recognised classic, doesn’t mean it will work for every reader
The Plague Dogs is one of the most heartbreaking books ever written, I read it 40 years ago and I'm still traumatised by it.
@@CriminOllyBlogyou might prefer The Girl in the Swing, very different to the others.
@@giddygrub7176 a few people have recommended that one
I’ve never read Watership Down but I did read Adams’s The Girl In a Swing and, although I was overwhelmed at first by the minutiae of details he shared about pottery, the book really took hold of me when the eerie and supernatural elements appeared. So much so that I know count it among my favorite horror novels.
Someone else has mentioned that one before, it wasn't one I'd heard of by him
I too read Girl on a Swing and loved it . Read it many times actually. But like Olly, I didn't like Watership Down.
New subscriber here! just found your channel. love your approach!
Thank you so much!
I bought a couple Matt Shaw books out of curiosity but haven’t opened them… He made a statement regarding his exchange with the critic, but it wasn’t a particularly convincing one. Thanks for the interesting video watched the whole thing. Just finished Tampa. Cheers bud!
LOVE Richard Adams-totally understand your thoughts. And I myself had trouble keeping up with all the rabbits. lol
There were just so many of them! I guess that's rabbits for you
I've read five of Haig's books and enjoyed him and I gave The Midnight Library 5 stars on Goodreads, which I don't do often. Scalzi: I read Lock In, which was ok, but probably not good enough for me to read another of his books.
That's cool, we're all different!
Thanks for the heads' up on Matt Haig. My sister-in-law was recommending The Midnight Library to me just this weekend. Then she also said Stephen King is a hack who writes to a formula (but couldn't name books of his she had read), so flags went up. And my taste definitely aligns more to yours than hers.
I disagree with you on Watership Down though. Yet I've also had Shardik on my 'to read' list for years and haven't picked it up. So maybe subconsciously I agree with you
Hi, new here after your channel was recommended 😊 The Kaiju Preservation Society sounds a bit like Guillermo Del Toros Pacific Rim but with humour. I'm torn now as I love kaiju fiction, I may have to look it up and see what else is recommended as a result.
I appreciate your honesty here. I haven’t read anything from these authors, but have heard loads about them. It’s always fascinating to hear a different take on popular books. 😁
I think it's good to talk about the books we haven't likes sometimes. BookTube is overwhelmingly a positive place (which is great!) but we can't all love every book
Your plot description of 'Old Mans War' sounded alot like Joe Haldemans 'The forever war'.
You’re not the only person who spotted that huge blunder! I did like The Forever War though 😂
Indeed. My first thought too. The sad thing about the Forever War is that its sequel was such a disappointment.
Ugh, hated Watership Down and DNF'd it. Some authors I have no plans to revisit because I hated their books are Chuck Palahniuk, Cassandra Khaw and John Updike.
Early Palahniuk was really good.
Thank you 🙏🏽
No problem 😊
Never heard of the 5th author but I've heard you talk (and disparage) the others. I've only read Watership Down (as part of your read along) and quite liked it. I shouldn't have, it has everything I hate about fiction (overly long, boring in parts), but I liked it. In fact I live my life in a similar vein to BigWig. 🤭🤭
I really can't believe you liked WD!
@@CriminOllyBlog The author was in the military. I think the book is an allegory for trench warfare 😉
I have both of those Matt Haig books and haven’t read either, mainly cos my daughter agreed with you 😊. I read Watership Down as a kid and found it unnecessarily long. Not tried the others.
Your daughter has taste!
I've actually read all the authors mentioned which I'm happy I have as it's a good point of reference to your comments. Can't agree more with author #1. 100% correct! Also just wanted to say how much I enjoy your content, its intelligent and still kind and always resonates with me. Always fun to watch when I tune into my YT subs. Big thanks :)
I'm one of those people who went into Watership with just enough skepticism to enjoy it, but I think of Adams as a one hit wonder. I have Old Man's Forever War sitting on my Kindle. Also have Redshirts. Checked to see if I had Midnight Library and found Humans instead. Weird. I must have read a good review for it, but I could have sworn I never heard of it. Life is short and I own a lot of books, but I still plan to read these...someday.
I quite enjoyed Old Man's War, but I have to laugh at how you remembered it fondly because you were remembering a different book. 😆
LOL yes people have pointed out that I was actually describing about The Forever War by Joe Haldeman (which I really liked)
Colleen Hoover is someone I'll never read again and do not understand the hype about. I've read 3 of her books and the main characters put me off so much...
Everything I've seen about her on YT suggests complete awfulness.
I agree, ice only read Verity and that was enough for me to say NOPE! She's so overhyped I don't like how she romantises DV etc. I won't be reading this author again 😅
So proud to see you stand up for Hailey and not back down even when his trolls popped up in your comments. Time and again we see authors invading reader spaces and getting butthurt when their work isn’t praised. Readers don’t owe authors anything especially glowing reviews.
Thank you - I really think his behaviour was awful
@@ering2467 He dedicated a book to her, called her a trout, compared her to a nzi and the said F U on the cover lol. Sounds like a charming guy!
Pretty shocked about Watership Down. But different strokes for different folks! And agree about extreme horror. Seems like some writers use the extreme as a crutch for bolstering bad writing.
I think the problem with extreme horror is that it’s often more about being as shocking as possible than anything else
All the drama around Matt Shaw made more curious about his work more than anything else. Trigger warnings in a genre called extreme horror fiction always amuses me to no end. As stated by @duncanralston5112 she did claim to be a mental health worker, I worry for some individuals that may be relying on an individual that throws undesirables under the bus. I'll have to seek out some of work, especially as I may go the same route with self publishing, it'll be a point of reference.
He’s definitely found a niche and become pretty successful in that niche
It's not a claim, she is a mental health worker and also a survivor. What I've seen from her videos she also reads extreme horror, In 2021 I read a book that she enjoyed and reviewed recently which was Dead Inside by Chandler Morrison and whoa, she can def handle extreme horror, that one was done well even if it made me question myself when I gave it 4 stars lol.
@@Blue-xk8vq Dead Inside is definitely extreme
@@CriminOllyBlog I just watched your review of it, didn't realized you read it when I made my comment. Well done as always :)
@@Blue-xk8vq thank you!
Hi, Olly. Good to see you are back on your feet. I thought I was in a minority with regards to my thoughts on The Midnight Library, as sooo(!) many people recommended it to me. I started by listening to the audiobook, but quickly gave in as the narrator's voice lacked emotion and depth - almost monotone. It took me three more attempts over the course of a year to actually finish the paperback. It started out mildly fascinating but ended up boring me.
As for Watership Down, I loved it. I also enjoyed Plague Dogs by the same author. This being said, I was around twelve years of age when I read both of these, so I wonder how they'd stack up now?
11:57
the only author from this list I have heard about is Sarah J Maas and I it would never occur to me to read any of their books (unless someone gives it to me or something)
Very interested to see who these authors are - let’s go!! !!! - Just finished this video review & the only book you listed among the authors you will not read again - I only recognized one title, which is Watership Down. All of the other authors I’ve never heard of them so I was glad to see that all of these authors are people that I have not read, but I am pretty sure I have reviewed Watership Down in my past many years. 🤔🤔🤔 Thx for your review. 👍
It was Shardik that made me decide not to read Adams. Couldn’t get through the first few chapters.
You’re going to take some heat for Scalzi :)
I have to be in the mood for his books. If I want something light and fluffy, I’ll read one of his and enjoy it. I think the Locked In ones were the only 4-5 star reads for me, but I do enjoy his others when I’m in the mood.
Peter Hamilton is an author I may not read again. I thought his books are/were brilliant, but there’s a strong undercurrent of adolescent ick when he writes his women characters. It was so consistent through all the books I finally gave up partway into one of his duologies despite the grand scope.
Yeah lots of people seem to like him (and have told me so!)
Hamilton is someone I've tried to read a few times - I have loads of his books (both on kindle and paper copies)
lol, the understatement implicit in that statement (ie told me so) :D
Good video! Nice to know that I have good company in the minority of people who hated The Midnight Library! 😂
It was too saccharine for my taste. There's a trend with contemporary mainstream books to be super pandering that I'm too cynical for. I'm finishing up Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus, which was given such rave reviews, and I'm not a fan. It's too on-the-nose and black-and-white, almost as if the author is condescending to the reader.
As for ACOTAR, I also loved the first book and was disappointed by the second. I have the third and I am so hesitant to read it. Almost everyone I've talked to thinks the first is the weakest book, which is kind of surprising to me as I thought Book 1 had a clear, focused storyline (also, I love Beauty and the Beast retellings), but Book 2 was all over the place and felt more like the author's wish fulfillment fantasy than anything else.
Agree re ACOTAR - I thought the series got progressively worse (and more pointless)
You have to read Shardik though, it ties into the Dark Tower!
Ha ha that is the reason I bought a copy of it in the first place 😂
Wow really? I bought it ages ago, will pick it up. Thanks!
@@Blue-xk8vq Yes, I haven't read Gunslinger yet, but I've amassed a long list of other writings and films that tie into it as I read through Stephen King's whole body of work chronologically. I'll post what else I've heard ties in if you like.
@@MagusMarquillin I'm up to the 4th book in the Dark Tower series and so far really enjoying them, and yes please, that's very kind of you :)
@@Blue-xk8vq Ah, then I think you've already encountered the big nod to Shardik in book 3, so I suppose you can read it anytime now.
Then there's Kings own books - any of them might tie in which is why I'm reading the lot to be overly safe, but the big ones are: Salem's Lot, Insomnia, (read those two before you read book 5), the Stand, Eyes of the dragon, IT, Hearts in Atlantis, Talisman & Black house
AFAIK, here's what he drew from otherwise:
The Few Dollars trilogy of films (maybe loose aesthetic inspiration)
The Magnificent Seven (1960 film)
Star Wars
The 1855 poem "Childe Roland to the Dark Tower Came" by Robert Browning
The 1922, much longer poem "The Wasteland" by T.S. Elliot
"Le Morte D'Arthur" by Thomas Mallory (maybe a close derivative Athrurian telling would work)
The Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum
Tolkien (I'm not sure if this is meant to be this general, but I presume it means the Lord of the Rings)
H.P. Lovecraft (just in general I think)
The Neverending Story by Michael Ende
Shardik by Richard Adams
Death Lands by Jack Adrien
NOS4A2 by Joe Hill (yeah, his son wrote this after the last DT novel, but I believe he tied it in)
Happy reading! 😇
P.S. I'm not certain on the size of each one's importance, or how obvious they're part is, the point is to be somewhat surprised, but I know the poems, and Shardik, are big ones.
Hi Olly. Off topic, but ive been wondering for a while and think you are a good person to shed some light on this.
I read a lot of crime novels. It's definitely my favourite genre. A lot of the crime books i read are ones with particularly gruesome or sadistic murders - for example Chris Carter's books featuring the Ultra-Violence Homicide Squad detevtice Robert Hunter.
I rarely have any issues with the violence and sadism depicted in detective novels - the more gruesome the nthe better! Yet i struggle with the violence depicted in a lot of of horror novels, even when the violence is less extreme or less explicit than that in a lot of crime fiction.
I would absolutely love tonhear your thoughts on this, if you ever want to do a video on this topic.
Have a great day, amazing content as always! You are easily my favourite book tuber.
That’s an interesting question! I think there are probably two reasons - first the violence in crime novels tends to be after the fact - we see the results of the violence rather than the act itself.
Secondly, crime tends to focus on the detective and the villain, it’s about the investigative process rather than the horror of the crimes. Horror tends to be about the victims, so the reader experiences the terror/pain in a much more immediate way.
Hope that makes sense, and so glad you’re enjoying the channel!
Thank you for reminding me about Chris Carter's Robert Hunter series. I've read them all up to #7 and given them all five stars. I see more are out so I'm off to buy them! I feel a reread of the first seven might be necessary because I have no memory of what they're about!
As a Godzilla fan I Loathed Kaiju P S he didn't have a clue what he was talking about. Gojira came out in 1954 so I gave KPS -1954☆.
Also agree about Matt Haig (and never wanted to try the other Matt)
Ha - love that rating system!
Scalzi is great and your recall of Old Mans War is way off, but that’s cool. Weird to single him out like this. Same for Midnight Library - I get not liking it, but hating on its a little like being mean to a cute little bunny. Certainly you didn’t ask, but love your content and you’ve lead me to some cool books - so I hope to see more “read this” content vs this stuff.
Yeah I had confused Old Man's War and The Forever War (which I loved).
Glad you're enjoying the channel, and rest assured that 95% of my content is positive!
Just out of curiosity, the Kaiju Preservation Society sounds very close to the premise of the Pacific Rim movies - but Wikipedia states that the screenplay for Pacific Rim '"was written by Travis Beacham and ( Guillermo) del Toro from a story by Beacham. The film is set in the future, when Earth is at war with the Kaiju,[a] colossal sea monsters which have emerged from an interdimensional portal on the bottom of the Pacific Ocean". Some coincidence ?!
I think there are some similarities on paper, but they don't feel that similar in practice. The book is much more low key than Pacific Rim
I do love a bit of Matt Haig! Also Watership Down! Love that! Oh dear Olly - I’m sure there are authors we must agree on. 🙈John Scalzi is one actually - I’m not a fan either! 😂 I had the same experience with Sarah J Mass - fun in the beginning but god awful as it went on and I dnf’d the fourth book! Defo one for the fans! Also that series is fairy porn and couldn’t believe the level of spice in it when it claims to be YA! 🧚🍆😂 ok- so we agree on a few things! 😁
I’m old enough to remember when my friends were reading Watership Down and my fundamentalist Christian friends were outraged by the rabbit sex.😂😂😂😂😂
I don’t remember any sex at all beyond the rabbits needing to get females to continue their warren. It wasn’t exactly steamy, lol.
@@snood4743
I’ve never read it, but it definitely seemed steamy to my friends in East Texas in 1980😂😂
LOL that's brilliant
I just picked up a nice copy ($1.00) of The Midnight Library in a book haul a couple of days ago, lol. But I knew from reviews that it's twee/trite etc... Just wanted to see for myself. I'm actually more interested in the format (short chapters & "Howl" etc) than the story. I fully expect to be rolling my eyes as I read.
I was gifted Midnight Library and it was saccharine and patronising. Ive got Reasons to Stay Alive (also a gift) and the hardback is pretty but I am not keen to read it. Matt Haig feels like toxic positivity for children or young adults.
I read Kaiju Preservation Society and it was just okay. I will give Scalzi another chance.
I know the rest of these are not for me without needing to try.
Thanks for the list!😊
That's a pretty accurate assessment of Haig I think
I remember mostly enjoying The Old Man’s War, but throughly disliking the ending. He also wrote a homage to Star Trek novel which wouldn’t interest me in a 1,000 years. I’m not saying I would never read another book by the author, but I can’t think of a good reason why I should.
Watership Down is slow but I liked that about it!
Like your list. I gave Midnight Library 3 stars, and I won't say I won't read Matt Haig's books, but I am also not looking for them. Sarah J Maas I liked her very first series, Throne of Glass. To me she was a bit of a one hit wonder, in that everything after either felt the same or over the top to shock kind of thing. Watership Down I tried to read but also found it too boring. Always thought my kids might like it, but they didn't. I can't say that I really have a list like yours. I tend to avoid certain kinds of books which are usually by certain authors. I think maybe Ernest Hemingway may fall on that list though, but I have only tried one of his books and I am going to give him another go before I decide.
As for Matt Shaw: his behaviour was not ok, not as a human being, much less a writer who should have just ignored other people's opinions about his work (there will always be haters and always be fans; focus on the fans people!).
Glad you liked the list! I never did try the Throne of Glass books, although. did have a copt of the first one I think.
And yeah, Shaw's behaviour was awful
I’m not surprised by Watership Down as I did find it a bit… dulling. However, it did provoke the right feelings. I think you’re not supposed to be able to see the rabbits as distinctly individual - at least that’s my impression
That’s a good point! I hadn’t though about it that way
Appreciate you calling out Shaw. His behaviour was abusive and his attack on a reviewer was misogynistic.
Also agree on SJM. Enjoyed the first ACOTAR book and became bored as the series went on, until she finally landed on my dnr list... if for nothing else, for her incessent repetious vocabulary.
Any chance you mixed up Old Mans War with The Forever War which is a brilliant bit of Sci-Fi.
I did indeed do that. And I loved The Forever War, so I'm wondering now if that's why I thought for a while that I liked Old Man's War (I think I read them around the same time)
I wanted to like Richard Adams works because I like what they stand for, but both Watership Down and The Plague Dogs didn't work for me. It was mostly due to the writing style (and some other aspects). Watership Down was also well-meant 3 stars because I wasn't into the story. 🥺
Yeah agree, I felt bogged down in the prose
I'm glad to see you speaking out against Matt Shaw!
Lightning rarely strikes twice for some authors. It's just the way it is.
Scalzi doesn't work for me either! His writing is very tell don't show, and I cannot for the life of me get into it. I've felt weird DNFing all his books when I've seen people only rave about his stories, so I'm glad to hear I am not alone!
I think every book is different for every reader. Never any shame in DNFing even if everyone else says a book is the best thing since sliced bread
I'll not encourage sales for a cruel writer. I'll not lose a moment's sleep skipping the ones on your list.
On a happier note... I've completed my story I wish to submit to your GarbAugust Anthology. It is in the hands of my beta readers! I should be able to send it your way within 2 weeks! 😊
I was reading Twilight and the character Bella thought, "I knew, that he knew, that I knew, that he knew.." It went further but I didn't. I don't know the nature of the U.K.'s culture. I have lived the American experience. As an adult, I met people who said high school was the best part of their life. For many, high school was a war zone, and you didn't graduate but escaped to be a refugee. High school is bad for boys, but girls fall further and land harder. We were told, "When we leave high school, every day will be better." This was true, but with millennials, childhood culture has extended for decades. Girls who went through the public school system lived a life of daily harassment, isolation, and physical violence. The school was like a prison for which you committed no crime, and graduating was being released from that prison. That was true, but not anymore. The small-mindedness of high school mentality lives on. If a woman dares to rise up beyond the torment of high school, she is beaten down by those who label you, "Not like other other women." Women who refuse the role of being in a second-class system are again isolated and harassed. That's what's wrong with Young Adult fiction. It's a high school nightmare that lives on forever.
John Scalzi has troll-like humor. It's like an Adam Sander movie.
I liked the premise of Scalzi's Lock In, but couldn't finish it. I found the dialogue I read to be terrible (but maybe he intended it to be cliched or it was intended to be humorous and i just misread it).
I am afraid you got the The Old Man's War completely wrong 😅 Old men are being sent to war and given new young bodies to fight. I did not like that the main character is pretty much a super man but I really enjoyed the rest of the book.
Yeah I'd got it muddled up with The Forever War by Joe Haldeman (which I really liked!). I think that explains why my memory of it didn't match my Goodreads review!
I absolutely agree.
Yep ... read "The Midnight Library" a few months back, and it's probably the worst book I read this year lol Fell super flat for me, although I liked the overall concept. The execution was terrible, very on the nose and just repetitive. So far, I've not encountered an author I would not read again ever, but there are some I will never read a book in the first place. Colleen Hoover is probably the biggest example xD
The first auther that I think of that I will probable not read again is Erle Stanley Gardner he wrote the Parry Mason series. The thing was he got paid by the word so he always used Mason's full name and I think he did the same for moat of the characters and drove me nuts when I read two of his books. The other might be the Nick Carter spy series I bought a few and read two. They are not bad for short pulp books but I have read better and it doesn't help that you know every woman he sleeps with will die and or be a baddie.
I had a couple of Matt Shaw books on my bookshelf waiting to be read, but I have gotten rid of them recently after his disgusting behaviour. I also didn't get out of Midnight Library what some others did, I found it boring and surface level (for me), so I moved The Humans further down my TBR.
Edit to add: Sarah J Maas is constantly mismarketed as YA, In my opinion, she writes NA (or just adult if you don't use the term NA).
Apparently you are not missing much with Richard Adams. Watership down was brilliant but not Shardik (according to a few people I've spoken to). But plague dogs wasn't bad.
I did a book report on Watership Down in sixth grade back in the late 70s 😊. The Midnight Library was terrible but I loved The Humans. My problem with Haig is that it's the same theme every time. I was one and done with Mo Hayder. Too gross!
One author I refuse to read due to who he is is Nicholas Sparks. A colleague at work loves his novels and gave me one for a birthday gift (the Last Song) and granted I enjoyed the book for what it was, then I discovered what an absolute trashy human being he is and I swore never to pick up or purchase another book of his.
Is he now? Ugh shame, never read him but still sucks to hear that.
@@kaiju_k5042 he’s highly homophobic and been accused of racism and antisemitism too.
I didn't know that! Have never been tempted to pick up one of his books and I definitely won't now
@@Kuyjac258 Ugh yikes, thank you so much for your comment, will not be reading him for sure.
Yeah I read The Midnight Library too - it was fine, but will not read anything else by him.
Wonderful video. Too bad you didn’t like The Kaiju Preservation Society. That was the book that made me a Scalzi fan, though the humor was cringey. That being said, Scalzi’s public persona is a bit fractious. So I think it’s good that you take him down a peg here. 😜
I didn’t like the Midnight Library either…so much so that I have zero recollection of what it’s actually about. 😂
Three I will never entertain again are Matthew Reilly, Donna Tartt and Alex Garland.
Haven't read Tartt yet, just curious for your reasons? Thanks :)
I used to really liked Reilly, but I loathed The Secret Runners of NY
@CriminOllyBlog I read a couple of his that were ok, if somewhat formulaic. The one that did it for me was where the president's heartbeat was connected to a nuclear bomb, or some such. Every chapter ended on a cliffhanger only to be immediately resolved by some unlikely turn of events. Didn't finish it.
I said this over on Patreon and I’ll say it here APOLOGY ACCEPTED. 😂😂 - MJ
I think you confused Old Man's War with Joe Haldeman's Forever War. Old Man's War was about old people that get new, young green bodies and sent to fight in space but can never return to earth.
What, no Tolstoy or Dickens?!
Seemed wrong to include them when I’ve not finished a book by them
The 5 authors off my list:
1. Colleen Hoover
2. Colleen Hoover
3. Colleen Hoover
4. Colleen Hoover
5. Colleen Hoover
Having said that, referring to Colleen Hoover as an "author" is a stretch. "Gossip Columnist" would even be a compliment, but a little closer to reality
Richard Adams..Plague Dogs
Matt Haig in my opinion is overrated, in my opinion, i read Midnight Library too and was unimpressed.
I read that Lessons in Chemistry book that everyone raved about and i was bored!
SJ Maas has such a fanatical following, i did read her when she first started getting popular and now i cannot be bothered with her books.
Yeah Maas is huge! And that's great because I think (like Colleen Hoover) she is getting people reading, but she's not for me
Well you did it this time Olly, lol. You got the comment section on fire 😂. No punches thrown from me, just an agreement about SJM. Here books are bleh.
Ha! - well it was probably inevitable, but you've got to do it sometimes
Absolutely hated Watership Down and Kaiju Preservation Society.
Watership Down traumatized me as a kid, one of my dad's favorite stories and I was like whyyyy would you make me read this as a kid lol.
👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
Yeah I think it (and the movie especially) have been the cause of much childhood trauma
@@CriminOllyBlog Oh yeah the movie, I think my brain "forgot" most of it to protect itself lol. I actually really love rabbits, had one as a pet for a while and have plenty running in my backyard especially in the warmer months. Also just wanted to say that I'm really enjoying the comment section for this video, I keep popping back in to see more comments and opinions. Love when a good video creates this in the bookish community. I'm reading Holly by SK now and your review was phenomenal as well. Glad I found your channel!
I have been reading a few more "extreme" titles lately, think I'll give Matt Shaw a skip. I want an engaging, well-written story not just gross stuff. Lol I loved Watership Down as a kid. 😂
Definitely not reading Matt Shaw anymore. I can sometimes deal with a person being a lousy writer (which Matt is) but if they're a jerk I'm not giving 'em a dime. I also won't read Kelli Owen again, partially because she's a terrible writer, but also there's the "lousy human being" factor. I won't read Kristopher Rufty anymore, not due to anything personal, but I read two of his books and they were silly and dumb and just not my kind of thing. I also won't read Mique Watson again, again, not for any personal animus (he seems like an okay guy) but because he put out a really bad self-published thing and I got tricked into buying it by a bunch of paid-off reviews. He'll likely improve as a writer (he'll just have to) but I won't be able to trust reviews anymore to find out. And I'm not sure I'll be able to make myself read any more William W. Johnstone or Joseph Rosenberger books. They were both lousy human beings, but they're dead so that's not a factor (I don't know if I'd read Matt Shaw after he dies, but if he'll accommodate me and kick the bucket I promise to give it a shot ;) ), but they're just both so awful, even though they're prolific. I might read 'em just to make fun of 'em in a review, but there's not much other reason to read 'em. I'll also avoid Alan Moore. He's probably the worst, most over-rated sack of word-puke anywhere. He's only really famous for killing characters better writers than him created.
I also didn't like Watership Down as much as I was supposed to. I really wanted to, but, nope, not my thing. I don't think Adams was a bad writer, but I just didn't like the story much. Same thing with Dune. I'd heard such great things, went out and bought a leather-bound copy to give myself the best possible chance of liking it, and... nope, freakin' hated it. I respect his skill as a world-builder and stuff, but, just not good.
Ive only tried two of these. I could get into Watership Down nor Shardik and always felt deficient for it. Scalzi, im no fan of. He feels like a terminally online meme author to me. Red Shirts for example, which he pumped out long after that particular Star Trek cliche was playes out. I know lots of people like him though.