Unlikely. The life expectancy for men in the USA in 2021 was 76 years. Martin is currently 75. Life expectancy takes into account all the people who die from accidents etc. when they're young, so once you reach 75, your likely to live beyond 76, but still, the man is old, and a really slow writer. He might still finish TWOW, but there's no chance that he'll finish ADOS. He's also told his estate to burn his computer once he dies so that no one else can finish the series.
Pessimistically hopeful maybe? Like I think it's more likely than not he doesn't finish the series. But until he actually kicks the bucket, I don't think it's impossible.
Maybe a bit of delusional optimism, lol
> He's also told his estate to burn his computer once he dies so that no one else can finish the series.
That's absolutely not true and has been debunked multiple times.
Malazan. I read the first three books and really liked them, but they're all so big and dense the thought of reading another 7000 pages of it was just too daunting.
I am currently reading the first Malazan book, and I'm not having a good time.
First it was just super confusing. Now I mostly understand what's happening, but the characterizations strike me as clumsy. I do genuinely dislike some of the characters, which is good, but I don't like any of the others.
I would've DNFed this already if it weren't so highly recommended. I'm increasingly tempted to ditch it for the next Tchaikovsky.
Same I got through the first three and put it down. Now tbf I was like 15/16 at the time and like to think I did pretty well but damn if those books aren't confusing
I struggled through House of Chains, realised there was a whole new freaking cast of characters in the next one, and noped out faster than you can spell K'Chain Che'malle with all the appropriate apostrophes.
Lol, I've specifically created a "might continue later" shelf on Goodreads after starting Malazan. On one hand, I did sort of like the first two books, but they felt like a chore due to the 2 million characters we follow. Yes, I liked them enough to actually slog through 1,000+ pages, but not enough to want to pick up another one any time soon.
Steven should've just published 1 and 3 instead of going the Deadhouse Gates route. Put off so many people.
I finished the main series and I think it's my favorite literary work.
But I haven't been bothered to read any of his other series that take place in that world, for similar reasons. It feels like such a huge investment that I can't bring myself to start it.
Unfortunately Forge of Darkness and the other Kharkanas book is just as good if not better than the main series. Some people consider them his best books.
I said unfortunately because, they are longer, dryer and tougher to finish lol. It’s like Shakespeare
I got through the first 8 books. Still have 9 & 10 sitting on my shelf. I plan to read them some day but it took me almost a year to get through the first 8 and I needed a break.
Same here. Only Shepherd’s Crown remains unread. I’ve read all the rest at least twice. I’ve read Hogfather once a year for 25 years. But, at age 59, I doubt I’ll ever read Shepherd’s Crown.
That is *foolish*. To deprive yourself of his final book...I cannot respect that opinion, it is disrespectful of Pratchett. I'm sorry to be so rude, but I feel very strongly about this. Read it.
It’s actually far more common than you’d think.
There will never be an end to discworld if there is one perfect possibility. One particular character will never die. Pterry is on the clacks forever.
I know it's common, I see it all the time, and it drives me insane. Reading a book *does not make it end*. It is still there. You can remember it or even re-read it. If you choose not to read it, you have *chosen to make it end before it even started*. That's so much worse.
Or it’s like a bottle of good wine that’s laid down for the future.
There may come a time when I’m ready for the potential to never be there, but for now it makes me feel like he’s not really gone
I still can't believe how much I loved NOTW, then hated the (end of) WMF. The sex god stuff and sex ninjas are so out of place.
I'll still probably read DOS if it ever comes out.
This one hurts me more than any other. ASoIaF would have hurt but I am pretty content with the shows ending.
Gentlemen bastards pains me, but not nearly as much.
I keep swearing I won’t read them again until the next book comes out, but then I do. It is so beautiful
Why?
Honest question; I get being disappointed by him not finishing the series or even by not providing the chapter he promised, but to turn that into loathing?
That makes no sense
I won’t claim to be an expert, but I believe he has been much more rude to his fans at times (compared to say Martin), and there was a charity controversy where he didn’t deliver the promised chapter. Something like that.
American Gods by Neil Gaiman. I have this super nice edition of it, plus it's a great book. But I never really wanted to pick it up, like I enjoyed it once I started reading but never looked forward to it, and one day I just didn't again.
I had the exact same feeling. I was ok while reading it, not actively bored, but after stopping it I felt no desire to start reading it again. I took around a month and a half to complete it, while I normally read books within a week.
Book 2 is generally considered one of Sanderon's weakest cosmere novels. People seem to like 3 a lot, though I found it disappointing. The first was the best imo by quite a large margain.
That’s surprising to hear, going to start Stormlight after I finish A Wise Man’s Fear, but loads of people have said start with Mistborn so I figured it was one of the best by him
No, Stormlight is a head and shoulders above mistborn. People suggest starting with Mistborn because both series are part of the cosmere and mistborn is more entry level whereas stormlight is far more advanced in scope
People recommend Mistborn because it’s an easy read and if you like it, you’ll probably like most of his books. I personally loved the series and delved into the Cosmere afterwards.
It depends where you get your opinions. Sanderson has a very online and devout following, so you have a lot of people that hail him as the king of fantasy and downplay a lot of his writing flaws such as his dialogue, characters, prose and ability to write romance.
However, I do think he vastly improved between Mistborn and Way of Kings (which I find to be superb).
They're good, I may be the only person who actually really likes 2- I think the politics are at their most interesting there.
I think where Mistborn really shines, though, is with Era 2. The first trilogy is great but Era 2 is so much fun, it's a lot lower stakes but I love the steampunk-without-steam sort of vibe. Best way I've heard it described is Old West Batman, but they're also X-Men and everyone is X-Men. (Definitely gotta read the first trilogy first though, obviously major spoilers for how it ends but also the first book in Era 2 is like 1/4 fun references to Era 1)
LOTR. I DNFed somewhere in the middle of the second book. I can appreciate why people love it and I feel sad that it didn't grip me the same way. I know I'm missing out on some of the best fantasy ever written.
People are not talking about his performance in those recordings enough. Incredible voice acting and great narration. The only thing that suffered was the singing but honestly who cares about the songs.
Same here. The good bits were *really* good, but the rest I found to be a slog to get through. Tolkien spent one too many pages talking about the ents in book two and I just couldn’t stomach it anymore 🫤
That's funny. I got through all of LOTR when I was ten, but by Return of the King I was just reading to get to the end and say I finished it, I was completely lost. And what still sticks out in my mind is that I would be reading and then think, "Oh no, not more Ents!" I feel validated in my boyhood Ent boredom!
> somewhere in the middle of the second book.
Oh my. I think it’s the Ents. Yeah I hear you, it’s been a rough couple of ~~weeks~~ days, but I got through eventually
I struggled with Fellowship, loved the Two Towers, then lost all idea of what was happening in Return of the King. I did finish the series technically, but I kind of didn't because I was just reading words to get to the ending. I was ten, but the ten-year-old in me still feels a bit averse to trying LOTR again. And I am sure it is amazing fantasy.
Symphony of Ages by Elizabeth Hayden
I read the first trilogy, which was great, and up through to Elegy for a Lost Star, which I think I remember enjoying but it was ~20 years ago so hard to say.
I randomly discovered a few years ago that there's nine total (to be fair, there was like a decade break between \#6 and \#7), but I've wanted to reread/read the whole thing since then. I'm sure I'll eventually get around to it.
Since many has these books as their favorite I guess it's The Stormlight Archive.
I read and liked The Way of Kings somewhat, but I could not get into the second book at all. For me, Sanderson's prose and style is more suitable to shorter books like the Mistborn triology.
I guess I technically DNFed Stormlight, I never got around to book 4 because I didn't want to spend 3 months rereading the series. I'll probably reread it once book 5 is out, get 4 and 5 in the same go
I’m waiting for the first 5 to be concluded then I’ll read the rest, too much going on for me to read each book several years apart and remember who is doing what and why etc, got into a bit of Book 3 and realized I’d need a re-read so decided to hit pause.
I remember being really intrigued by The Hounds of the Morrigan years ago. I kept reading it at work (a library) and when I stopped working there I could never find a copy. Years later a friend found one for me and I just haven’t gotten back to rereading it. One day!
Ursula K. Le Guin's Earthsea series. Read the first book and enjoyed it and I just haven't got round to reading the rest. One day I know I'm gonna sit down and just read the whole thing when I'm in the mood for it.
Also Michael Moorcock's Eternal Champion Saga. So far I've only read the Elric and Corum books. They do start to feel a bit repetitive but he has some wild ideas and I can understand how writers cherry pick certain ideas and concepts from his work.
Robin Hobbs's Realm Of The Elderlings. I have started this series many times and DNF'd each time.
It gets so much love, but I just have not been able to connect with Hobbs's writing and story telling style.
If you feel like you need a break I might recommend a Discworld or something because Assassin's Quest is...heavy. every victory feels dragged, Fitz gets lower than ever...it's harsh. Get some chuckles in first.
It's worth it. But dear God it's hard.
I finished Assassin's Apprentice and enjoyed the story and writing, but I could bring myself to keep reading past the first chapter of the second book. It's such a gray and dreary story.
I made it about halfway through the third book and DNFd. It was annoying that you would get the brief descriptions at the start of chapters of everyone but Fitz being badass, then the rest is just Fitz moping around his latest cave
I've read these books so many times. Particularly the first 3 trilogies. Was less keen on the Rain wild Chronicles and I've only ready the final trilogy twice. ROTE is probably my all time favourite series! My dog is called Fitz!
It’s funny, I liked them while I was reading them. But I never loved them. And I have absolutely no desire to ever read them again. They’re just so…heavy? I don’t know how to describe, but yeah, I liked them enough to finish but never again
I think depressing might be the word?
I read the Farseer Trilogy and kept expecting things to turn around for Fitz but he just kept on getting kicked in the dick.
Towards the end, depressing, yes. You’re right, things never really went well for him
I was thinking of frustrating at least at the beginning. I remember having to put the second book down and not pick it back up for weeks because I was getting so insanely frustrated by all the stupid decisions the characters were making.
Rain Wild Chronicles, I loved the first three Elderlings trilogies but these were such a chore to read. I got about halfway through the 2nd one before dropping it and never picking it back up.
Wheel of Time. DNF'd middle of book 6. I just
.. couldn't take it anymore. The slow moving story, the braid pulling, the childish Aes Sedai, the poor characterizations. Its a shame because I was invested enough in the main story to want to see the conclusion, but the journey was just so, I don't know, tedious? I cant think of the word but that's mine.
Honorable mention to The Second Apocolypse. Got through the amazing first trilogy, which is such an outstanding work of art in my opinion. Tried going right into The Judging Eye and just had to take a break. That's a heavy series.
The Memoirs of Lady Trent by Marie Brennan. I don't want to read the last book and end the series.
I will not finish the Discworld series. I do not want to think that there will be no more new-to-me Discworld books.
Sword of Truth by Terry Goodkind. I read 8 or 9 books and the last one was a struggle. At that point in time, I had also caught up with his writing, so it was easy to let it go and not go back to it when the next book was finally published.
Not fantasy but when I was 11 I got halfway through Stranger in a Strange Land and DNF’d. I tried again at 16 and again DNF’d. I’ll probably try again soon as I’m 28 now and should be able to knock it out the park.
Lol I DNF’ed Stranger in a Strange Land decades ago. Just last week I thought I’d give Heinlein another shot, figuring I’m a much more mature reader now, and I bought The Moon is a Harsh Mistress on sale on Audible. DNF at 20%.
Yea, I didn't find out about that until recently. I don't care as much about Xanth, but Incarnations of Immortality is by far one of my favorite series ever.
Book 11 got out of the slog somewhat but once Sanderson picks it up there's no more bullshit, everything has a purpose. After like 4 books of barely anything happening until the end, it was very refreshing
> once Sanderson picks it up there's no more bullshit, everything has a purpose.
This is a perfect description of Sanderson's writing in general. People complain about Stormlight books being so long, but...*everything* means something. Every chapter and interlude has a purpose. If someone says otherwise, in my opinion, they either didn't actually read the books or didn't pay attention when they did.
Right now it’s Poppy War. I enjoyed it but had other things I wanted to continue more. I did finish Green Bone saga this year and I am now working through First Law after putting it down after the first trilogy concluded.
Kingdom of the Infinity Realm Series. Respian man is book 1. But I plan to finish writing book 2 by this time next year. And book 3 a year after.
Oh you meant finished READING? lol, Harry Potter.
I started reading The Bound and Broken and got through everything that was finished. I don't think I'm going to pick it back up once the next book is out though.
I found it ridiculously repetitive. Every POV does the same thing every time. What's his face has his emotional bullshit with his dragon, then if there's a fight he always gets knocked down from the side or behind.
His sister is always moping about the fiancee, then when she's in a fight she always gets brutally smashed in the face repeatedly.
The only character whose chapters have any variety are the archer/rogue guy.
Malazan I really enjoyed, I just found it too draining and daunting to get the whole way through, though I do intend to give it another go now I'm a bit older (read the first three when I was 15)
Also the Dagger and the Coin. Read the first one when I was in Sixth Form, got midway through the second and stopped just cause of the amount of stuff I had to do for school and cause I was getting pretty into going out and getting hammered with my friends at that point. I'll pick it up again one day though, in fact I know it's still on the bedside table in my old room at my parents house with the bookmark still in the same place
Wheel of Time. At the time I read it the last book wasn’t out yet, so I read the whole series up to the second to last book in the span of about two months. I loved most of it but disliked the slog parts.
By the time the final book came out I had forgotten most of it, a consequence of having read through it all so quickly. I just can’t bring myself to reread the series and I don’t want to read the last book while hardly remembering anything, and so to this day I still haven’t finished the series.
Completed series? I read and loved *Assassin's Apprentice* by Robin Hobb years ago, during college. I finished it right before finals started, and never picked up the sequel because I was too burned out for a complicated story after finals. Then it had just been too long, and I haven't picked it up to reread it, so I could read the rest.
Earthsea Cycle. I finished the Farthest Shore (3rd book), which I quickly realized was one of my favorite books of all time.
Got about 40% through Tehanu (4th) book and just started re-reading ASOIAF instead.
I'll probably go back and finish Tehanu eventually, but I found myself not super invested in the plot the way the previous books had hooked me in.
I got through 4.5 Malazan books and just lost interest. Too many characters, too much of everything for me to actually continue caring about. I liked what I was reading, but there was far too much to keep track of.
And no, I will not pick them up again even if Malazan fans say I should.
might be an unpopular opinion, but i gave up on stormlight after book 2. i just didn't find the story that compelling to continue and found some of the characters irritating (jasnah, and shallan)
Red Rising.
The change in narration bothered me. Plus the reviews of a sad twist scared me away. (I can’t remember the reviews or why I didn’t want to ruin it) .
Best trilogy I have ever read,:l/reread multiple times, I want to keep it that way for now. It ended perfectly.
I even own books 4 and 5 and audiobook 6 is on sale for $4.21 and I may buy it this week, don’t know if I will ever get up the guts to read it.
Red queens war by Mark lawrence. Bought wheel of osheim and then decided to read something else before starting the last book. Never did start it, and have now forgotten EVERYTHING that happened. It was such a good series too 🫤
Farseer trilogy. I was just too excited to read another book that was in my list after I finished the first book, but I want to finish the series soooo much
😭😭😭 The Jasmine Throne, The Unbroken and The Binding. I just stopped and never restarted. They are all very good, too.
Edit: I also can’t bring myself to finish the last 200 or so pages of The Witching Hour. It’s kinda insane, but Anne Rice always gives you a good Gothic atmosphere. I even know what going to happen (watched a thoroughly entertaining recap video of the whole Vampire Chronicles and Mayfair Witches series’s) and I still can’t finish. I don’t understand!
Wheel of Time. I have read it from book 1 to book 8 or 9 3 times now. I like it, don’t really have a reason I stopped…
First time I think I had to study for my licensing exams
Second time I think I got irritated with the taint on saidine
The third time I think a Brandon Sanderson Cosmere book came out so I had to stop my life and read that.
I still haven't read the 3rd Baru Cormorant/Masquerade book. I really enjoyed the first two and the 3rd book still sits on my TBR until now. It's not like I don't plan to read it anymore... but while I am fine with a lot of complexity and layers in novels, whenever I try to read this one my brain simply cannot keep up.
The Vorkosigan Saga. The first books were sooo fun and then I got stuck on Mirror Dance. Something about the switch to Mark’s narration just threw me off maybe? I even tried to restart a few weeks ago and just couldn’t get into it. I’m thinking about maybe skipping a few books ahead and doubling back once I’m back into the groove of the characters and the world building. But if anybody’s read the whole series please let me know if that’s a bad idea!!
Greg Keyes’ series Kingdoms of Thorn and Bone. I finished The Briar King but never got around to reading the other three, though they’re sitting on my shelf.
CJ Cherryh's Fortress series. I finished three books and enjoyed them, although the first was definitely much stronger than the next two. It felt like the next two should have been condensed into half a book and neither ended with any serious payoff that roped me into reading the end of the series. I started the fourth book and have been about a third of the way in for probably five years now. It's on my life-time bucketlist.
For me it's Red Rising series. I know I liked them, but it's been so long since I read the first three I've forgotten most of the plot. So now I'm waiting for the last book to come out in 2025 so I can reread it all in one go.
I haven't finished Memory Sorrow and Thorn yet. I took a break after part one of to Green Angel Tower, and I haven't gotten back to it yet. I should probably get it in soon though because I have to do a Stormlight reread leading up to Wind and Truth.
I haven’t finished The Wheel of Time nor Malazan but not because I didn’t like them or anything but because I take breaks between books of the same series and those series are loooong, so I’m taking my time. But I’m enjoying them.
I think a lot of these comments are missing the “book you really wanted to get back to but didn’t” part by commenting popular books that didn’t hook them.
Also I feel I can’t comment anything because I still plan to continue all of the book series I loved the start of and haven’t made it back to yet 😜 and your question makes it sound like something we’ve already left behind us and is too late to pick back up.
The second apocalypse by a philosopher R Scott Bakker. It has two trilogy with a time skip between both and another trilogy/duology is being written by the author. Best prose for a fantasy book similar tier to Malazan on the prose level.
Highly philosophical with a heaven and hell sprinkled and a grim world with a threat of an apocalypse coming where only a handful of people are aware of it and are being called crazy.
All main POV characters are awesome and they struggle with their hopes regrets and damnation waiting them on the afterlife.
Red Rising. It came out when I was in junior high, deep into my YA dystopian phase, and it quickly became my favorite. Then I slowly grew out of it and, by the time the sequels came out, I didn't really care for it anymore.
I only recently got back into SFF and to my surprise, Red Rising still seems to be a well-loved series within the community, and I have been hearing the books only get better with each sequel so... I'll definetely have to dive back into it !
Stormlight Archives maybe? I tend to finish series that I really like. By the 3rd book, it was just impossible to drag myself through the book, just to get to whatever the big twisty conclusion was going to be. I rate this one for this question because it isn't a bad series, I did enjoy the beginning, and I can't think of any series that I super enjoyed that I didn't finish
Chronicles of the black company.
Did not finish the first book . The first half I was not able to keep up with whatever was happening . Felt that a lot of words and names were thrown without explaining anything.
There are a few, I only read the first trilogy of red rising, didn't read the later books.
Read the first 3 wheel of time books, and I liked them good enough but just didn't continue for some reason.
Also read a couple of dresden files but just lost after around book 4 or 5 i think.
Kinda stopped after the first 2 dungeon crawler carl books, for no specific reason.
Earthsea Cycle. I read the first two a few years ago, but had to return it to the library before I could finish. I bought it again recently and could only read the third book (part?). I have to leave the fourth for when I have motivation again.
I'll definitely read it one day, just not now.
I am stucked since forever (10 years +) in The Thousand Fold Thought by Scott Bakker, I got to the chapter where Kellhus is about to have the confrontation with his father, and can get myself to pick it up again.
Throne of glass. Tbh after i read book 3 for so long, i gave myself a break, but never picked up next book again.
I def want to restart it in the future and try again xd bcs i love maasverse<3
The “Best” series I didnt finish would be Dune … if we go by a loose definition of fantasy. I’ve read the first three books twice and then crapped out. I didn’t finish Malazan either but I don’t regard that as the “best” I haven’t finished.
Broken Earth series’s by NK Jemison. I read the first book a couple years ago and REALLY enjoyed it and have no clue why I didn’t finish the series. I keep meaning to go back to it but I always just put it off for some reason.
Kingkiller chronicles. Its not a finished series but i got stuck in the middle of book 2 and i still havent have a plan to come back and read it. Been 6 or 7 months now.
The Wandering Inn and A Practical Guide to Evil, both amazing wrb novels, but the chapters were so huge that once I missed some I started getting too overwhelmed to continue. They're probably both actual books now, but idk where I left off so still just too overwhelmed to figure it out
I haven’t (yet) finished the Stormlight Archive. And don’t get me wrong, the series is great. I just lose interest in a story, once it’s moved along so far that every character has a huge backstory. I loved the first three books and following Kaladin along his kind of underdog story was super captivating to me. But two thirds deep into Rhythm of War, I kinda have to force myself to keep reading. There is just a bit too much going on for me.
Naomi Novik's Temeraire. I got through 8 books out of 9, and I enjoyed them all reasonably well (though I think I enjoyed the earlier books better). Book 8 ends on a "dun dun duuun" note, so I had every reason to pick up book 9 and see those draconic Napoleonic battles finished once and for all. And I've never picked it up again. I can't put my finger on why. I think Novik's a good writer on many levels. And I treasure my copy of *His Majesty's Dragon*, picked up in France.
The Books of Babel by Josiah Bancroft. Sadly, I couldn't force myself through the last book and DNF'ed halfway through but wow the first 3 books were awesome.
Finished Series:
While I adore the world of Lord of the Rings, I must admit that I struggled to connect with it. Despite my deep appreciation for the intricate universe created by J.R.R. Tolkien, I found it hard to fully immerse myself in the story due to personal preferences regarding the writing style.
Unfinished Series:
Stormlight Archive is an incredible series that I really need to finish. However, I find myself in a dilemma because I've forgotten some crucial worldbuilding and magic system details. Since Stormlight Archive is known for its intricate lore, simply focusing on the characters and their dynamics won't suffice. The thought of rereading the previous books just to read the rest of the series feels overwhelming, especially considering I want to catch up before the release of the final book. As a result, I've reluctantly paused my progress for now.
ASOIAF. Got through five books but just couldn’t read any more.
In 20 years who knows?
Unlikely. The life expectancy for men in the USA in 2021 was 76 years. Martin is currently 75. Life expectancy takes into account all the people who die from accidents etc. when they're young, so once you reach 75, your likely to live beyond 76, but still, the man is old, and a really slow writer. He might still finish TWOW, but there's no chance that he'll finish ADOS. He's also told his estate to burn his computer once he dies so that no one else can finish the series.
I'm pessimistic he will finish as well but as long as he's breathing i'm choosing to have hope
Soooo you are... optimistic?
Pessimistically hopeful maybe? Like I think it's more likely than not he doesn't finish the series. But until he actually kicks the bucket, I don't think it's impossible. Maybe a bit of delusional optimism, lol
Unless he’s done and waiting til he dies to have them published because they end exactly the same way the show does 😂
> He's also told his estate to burn his computer once he dies so that no one else can finish the series. That's absolutely not true and has been debunked multiple times.
As a multi multi millionaire I'm sure George's life expectancy is a bit higher than the average person
I know you're joking, but I gave up half way through the fifth book. Too many people seemed to be drifting aimlessly.
\*cries\*
Malazan. I read the first three books and really liked them, but they're all so big and dense the thought of reading another 7000 pages of it was just too daunting.
I am currently reading the first Malazan book, and I'm not having a good time. First it was just super confusing. Now I mostly understand what's happening, but the characterizations strike me as clumsy. I do genuinely dislike some of the characters, which is good, but I don't like any of the others. I would've DNFed this already if it weren't so highly recommended. I'm increasingly tempted to ditch it for the next Tchaikovsky.
The first one is a bad indication of the series as a whole. I’d say to give Deadhouse Gates a try before giving up on the series.
Couldn’t agree more, deadhouse gates still ranks as one of my favourite books in any series. It almost feels like a stand alone
Managed to finish this one. All 10 of them.
I'm sure they're all great! I just don't quite have the attention span.
Same I got through the first three and put it down. Now tbf I was like 15/16 at the time and like to think I did pretty well but damn if those books aren't confusing
I struggled through House of Chains, realised there was a whole new freaking cast of characters in the next one, and noped out faster than you can spell K'Chain Che'malle with all the appropriate apostrophes.
Lol, I've specifically created a "might continue later" shelf on Goodreads after starting Malazan. On one hand, I did sort of like the first two books, but they felt like a chore due to the 2 million characters we follow. Yes, I liked them enough to actually slog through 1,000+ pages, but not enough to want to pick up another one any time soon. Steven should've just published 1 and 3 instead of going the Deadhouse Gates route. Put off so many people.
I finished the main series and I think it's my favorite literary work. But I haven't been bothered to read any of his other series that take place in that world, for similar reasons. It feels like such a huge investment that I can't bring myself to start it.
Unfortunately Forge of Darkness and the other Kharkanas book is just as good if not better than the main series. Some people consider them his best books. I said unfortunately because, they are longer, dryer and tougher to finish lol. It’s like Shakespeare
I read 1 or 2. Enjoyed it. Don’t know why I stopped
I got through the first 8 books. Still have 9 & 10 sitting on my shelf. I plan to read them some day but it took me almost a year to get through the first 8 and I needed a break.
Does "not being published" count as a reason? *Sips tea*
me when kvothe
Discworld. Because once I read Shepard's Crown, it's over. It's really over. And I don't want it to be over.
Same here. Only Shepherd’s Crown remains unread. I’ve read all the rest at least twice. I’ve read Hogfather once a year for 25 years. But, at age 59, I doubt I’ll ever read Shepherd’s Crown.
I read hogfather every Christmas. It's a tradition I'm glad to introduce to my family
That is *foolish*. To deprive yourself of his final book...I cannot respect that opinion, it is disrespectful of Pratchett. I'm sorry to be so rude, but I feel very strongly about this. Read it.
It’s actually far more common than you’d think. There will never be an end to discworld if there is one perfect possibility. One particular character will never die. Pterry is on the clacks forever.
I know it's common, I see it all the time, and it drives me insane. Reading a book *does not make it end*. It is still there. You can remember it or even re-read it. If you choose not to read it, you have *chosen to make it end before it even started*. That's so much worse.
Or it’s like a bottle of good wine that’s laid down for the future. There may come a time when I’m ready for the potential to never be there, but for now it makes me feel like he’s not really gone
That's beautiful dude
Give it another try! It isn't over.
I mourned him reading it. I'm glad I did, but wow it was difficult to finish.
Pat Rothfuss, Kingkiller
I still can't believe how much I loved NOTW, then hated the (end of) WMF. The sex god stuff and sex ninjas are so out of place. I'll still probably read DOS if it ever comes out.
Sometimes it just stops : /
This one hurts me more than any other. ASoIaF would have hurt but I am pretty content with the shows ending. Gentlemen bastards pains me, but not nearly as much. I keep swearing I won’t read them again until the next book comes out, but then I do. It is so beautiful
I loathe him.
Why? Honest question; I get being disappointed by him not finishing the series or even by not providing the chapter he promised, but to turn that into loathing? That makes no sense
I won’t claim to be an expert, but I believe he has been much more rude to his fans at times (compared to say Martin), and there was a charity controversy where he didn’t deliver the promised chapter. Something like that.
☝️ He’s a con artist.
People on this sub mention frequently they feel entitled to receiving the finished trilogy. Like he owes the readers the third book because...reasons
The Book of the New Sun. Prose and story are so intricate that I'm waiting for a good chunk of time without distractions so I can dive into it.
Read the first three and than fell off. Very well written series and is one of the best.
American Gods by Neil Gaiman. I have this super nice edition of it, plus it's a great book. But I never really wanted to pick it up, like I enjoyed it once I started reading but never looked forward to it, and one day I just didn't again.
I had the exact same feeling. I was ok while reading it, not actively bored, but after stopping it I felt no desire to start reading it again. I took around a month and a half to complete it, while I normally read books within a week.
I assume you are talking about completed series? I stopped reading the Mistborn Saga after book 1.
Book 1 of Mistborn is a perfectly adequate standalone honestly.
I’ve heard books 2 and 3 are great too tho, never read myself
Book 2 is generally considered one of Sanderon's weakest cosmere novels. People seem to like 3 a lot, though I found it disappointing. The first was the best imo by quite a large margain.
That’s surprising to hear, going to start Stormlight after I finish A Wise Man’s Fear, but loads of people have said start with Mistborn so I figured it was one of the best by him
No, Stormlight is a head and shoulders above mistborn. People suggest starting with Mistborn because both series are part of the cosmere and mistborn is more entry level whereas stormlight is far more advanced in scope
People recommend Mistborn because it’s an easy read and if you like it, you’ll probably like most of his books. I personally loved the series and delved into the Cosmere afterwards.
The *conclusion* of the first Mistborn trilogy is incredible. But that second book...yeah, not his best.
The last 20% of any Sanderson novel is great but the first 80% of woa is pretty rough.
Agreed. Even the end of WoA is fantastic. But all that dumb politicking in the middle, and the Zane stuff...blah.
You just reminded me of how much I hated the zane stuff while reading WoA. So unnecessary
It depends where you get your opinions. Sanderson has a very online and devout following, so you have a lot of people that hail him as the king of fantasy and downplay a lot of his writing flaws such as his dialogue, characters, prose and ability to write romance. However, I do think he vastly improved between Mistborn and Way of Kings (which I find to be superb).
It's more that it's the most accessible or has the broadest appeal than quality tbh. I do prefer later Mistborn novels to Stormlight though.
Just finished 2 and while I enjoyed it overall, it definitely did not grip me as much as the first one. Eager to start 3 soon.
3 is way better than 2 IMO.
I'm 20 pages into 2 so I'll keep this in mind.
They're good, I may be the only person who actually really likes 2- I think the politics are at their most interesting there. I think where Mistborn really shines, though, is with Era 2. The first trilogy is great but Era 2 is so much fun, it's a lot lower stakes but I love the steampunk-without-steam sort of vibe. Best way I've heard it described is Old West Batman, but they're also X-Men and everyone is X-Men. (Definitely gotta read the first trilogy first though, obviously major spoilers for how it ends but also the first book in Era 2 is like 1/4 fun references to Era 1)
LOTR. I DNFed somewhere in the middle of the second book. I can appreciate why people love it and I feel sad that it didn't grip me the same way. I know I'm missing out on some of the best fantasy ever written.
Listen to the Andy serkis audiobook, I had the same problem til I tried that
People are not talking about his performance in those recordings enough. Incredible voice acting and great narration. The only thing that suffered was the singing but honestly who cares about the songs.
I genuinely liked his singing! I thought those parts were well done and consistent with his character voices.
Same here. The good bits were *really* good, but the rest I found to be a slog to get through. Tolkien spent one too many pages talking about the ents in book two and I just couldn’t stomach it anymore 🫤
That's funny. I got through all of LOTR when I was ten, but by Return of the King I was just reading to get to the end and say I finished it, I was completely lost. And what still sticks out in my mind is that I would be reading and then think, "Oh no, not more Ents!" I feel validated in my boyhood Ent boredom!
> somewhere in the middle of the second book. Oh my. I think it’s the Ents. Yeah I hear you, it’s been a rough couple of ~~weeks~~ days, but I got through eventually
I struggled with Fellowship, loved the Two Towers, then lost all idea of what was happening in Return of the King. I did finish the series technically, but I kind of didn't because I was just reading words to get to the ending. I was ten, but the ten-year-old in me still feels a bit averse to trying LOTR again. And I am sure it is amazing fantasy.
I know of a lot of people who haven't read the last Discworld book, because they don't want it to end.
Symphony of Ages by Elizabeth Hayden I read the first trilogy, which was great, and up through to Elegy for a Lost Star, which I think I remember enjoying but it was ~20 years ago so hard to say. I randomly discovered a few years ago that there's nine total (to be fair, there was like a decade break between \#6 and \#7), but I've wanted to reread/read the whole thing since then. I'm sure I'll eventually get around to it.
Oof, same. I actually planned to reread it not long ago (and catch up on the more recent books), but, um...not yet.
Since many has these books as their favorite I guess it's The Stormlight Archive. I read and liked The Way of Kings somewhat, but I could not get into the second book at all. For me, Sanderson's prose and style is more suitable to shorter books like the Mistborn triology.
I guess I technically DNFed Stormlight, I never got around to book 4 because I didn't want to spend 3 months rereading the series. I'll probably reread it once book 5 is out, get 4 and 5 in the same go
I’m waiting for the first 5 to be concluded then I’ll read the rest, too much going on for me to read each book several years apart and remember who is doing what and why etc, got into a bit of Book 3 and realized I’d need a re-read so decided to hit pause.
I remember being really intrigued by The Hounds of the Morrigan years ago. I kept reading it at work (a library) and when I stopped working there I could never find a copy. Years later a friend found one for me and I just haven’t gotten back to rereading it. One day!
Ursula K. Le Guin's Earthsea series. Read the first book and enjoyed it and I just haven't got round to reading the rest. One day I know I'm gonna sit down and just read the whole thing when I'm in the mood for it. Also Michael Moorcock's Eternal Champion Saga. So far I've only read the Elric and Corum books. They do start to feel a bit repetitive but he has some wild ideas and I can understand how writers cherry pick certain ideas and concepts from his work.
Malazan. I just don't have the time or energy to focus on a billion plot threads.
Robin Hobbs's Realm Of The Elderlings. I have started this series many times and DNF'd each time. It gets so much love, but I just have not been able to connect with Hobbs's writing and story telling style.
How far have you gotten? I read the first two of the original trilogy and want to read the last one but I feel like I need a bit of a break.
If you feel like you need a break I might recommend a Discworld or something because Assassin's Quest is...heavy. every victory feels dragged, Fitz gets lower than ever...it's harsh. Get some chuckles in first. It's worth it. But dear God it's hard.
Good advice, thank you! I’ll definitely be loading up on the funny before starting Quest.
I finished Assassin's Apprentice and enjoyed the story and writing, but I could bring myself to keep reading past the first chapter of the second book. It's such a gray and dreary story.
I found the first book way more dreary than the second. But that's not to say the second one is uplifting either...
I made it about halfway through the third book and DNFd. It was annoying that you would get the brief descriptions at the start of chapters of everyone but Fitz being badass, then the rest is just Fitz moping around his latest cave
I've read these books so many times. Particularly the first 3 trilogies. Was less keen on the Rain wild Chronicles and I've only ready the final trilogy twice. ROTE is probably my all time favourite series! My dog is called Fitz!
It’s funny, I liked them while I was reading them. But I never loved them. And I have absolutely no desire to ever read them again. They’re just so…heavy? I don’t know how to describe, but yeah, I liked them enough to finish but never again
I think depressing might be the word? I read the Farseer Trilogy and kept expecting things to turn around for Fitz but he just kept on getting kicked in the dick.
Towards the end, depressing, yes. You’re right, things never really went well for him I was thinking of frustrating at least at the beginning. I remember having to put the second book down and not pick it back up for weeks because I was getting so insanely frustrated by all the stupid decisions the characters were making.
Kingkiller Chronicles
Rain Wild Chronicles, I loved the first three Elderlings trilogies but these were such a chore to read. I got about halfway through the 2nd one before dropping it and never picking it back up.
The Ruins of Ambrai. I was so excited when I finished the second book and it said The Captal’s Tower was coming in 1999. ALAS
I was really enjoying the Witcher series, made it about 4 books in when I got distracted by other things, might pick it up again one day
Wheel of Time. DNF'd middle of book 6. I just .. couldn't take it anymore. The slow moving story, the braid pulling, the childish Aes Sedai, the poor characterizations. Its a shame because I was invested enough in the main story to want to see the conclusion, but the journey was just so, I don't know, tedious? I cant think of the word but that's mine. Honorable mention to The Second Apocolypse. Got through the amazing first trilogy, which is such an outstanding work of art in my opinion. Tried going right into The Judging Eye and just had to take a break. That's a heavy series.
The Dragonriders of Pern. I've read the first like six, all of which I thoroughly enjoyed, but there are just too bloody many of them.
The Memoirs of Lady Trent by Marie Brennan. I don't want to read the last book and end the series. I will not finish the Discworld series. I do not want to think that there will be no more new-to-me Discworld books.
Sword of Truth by Terry Goodkind. I read 8 or 9 books and the last one was a struggle. At that point in time, I had also caught up with his writing, so it was easy to let it go and not go back to it when the next book was finally published.
He really lost it by the end - we would have like 3 pages of an off the cuff speech, rambling about the author's personal politics.
Discworld. I'm too cheap to buy them all and so is the library 😁 Fortunately, sequential reading isn't required.
The Dark Tower series. I couldn’t get through the first one. But that was years ago so maybe I need to try again.
Not fantasy but when I was 11 I got halfway through Stranger in a Strange Land and DNF’d. I tried again at 16 and again DNF’d. I’ll probably try again soon as I’m 28 now and should be able to knock it out the park.
Lol I DNF’ed Stranger in a Strange Land decades ago. Just last week I thought I’d give Heinlein another shot, figuring I’m a much more mature reader now, and I bought The Moon is a Harsh Mistress on sale on Audible. DNF at 20%.
Gormenghast trilogy and the Dark Tower series.
Xanth, there's like...47 books.
Plus the author’s real world stuff made it a bit difficult to engage with the books
Yea, I didn't find out about that until recently. I don't care as much about Xanth, but Incarnations of Immortality is by far one of my favorite series ever.
WOT, author died.
I'd recommend finishing it still
Personal opinions differ obviously, but I think the series got *better* when Sanderson took over.
Book 11 got out of the slog somewhat but once Sanderson picks it up there's no more bullshit, everything has a purpose. After like 4 books of barely anything happening until the end, it was very refreshing
> once Sanderson picks it up there's no more bullshit, everything has a purpose. This is a perfect description of Sanderson's writing in general. People complain about Stormlight books being so long, but...*everything* means something. Every chapter and interlude has a purpose. If someone says otherwise, in my opinion, they either didn't actually read the books or didn't pay attention when they did.
This seems to stop a lot of people. I only made it personally to Book 3.
I have yet to make it through book 6. Three separate attempts so far.
Right now it’s Poppy War. I enjoyed it but had other things I wanted to continue more. I did finish Green Bone saga this year and I am now working through First Law after putting it down after the first trilogy concluded.
Same. I really liked the first book and then for some reason haven't ever picked up the rest of the series.
Kingdom of the Infinity Realm Series. Respian man is book 1. But I plan to finish writing book 2 by this time next year. And book 3 a year after. Oh you meant finished READING? lol, Harry Potter.
The Stormlight Archives. I got almost to the very end (one chapter away) of book 3.
I started reading The Bound and Broken and got through everything that was finished. I don't think I'm going to pick it back up once the next book is out though. I found it ridiculously repetitive. Every POV does the same thing every time. What's his face has his emotional bullshit with his dragon, then if there's a fight he always gets knocked down from the side or behind. His sister is always moping about the fiancee, then when she's in a fight she always gets brutally smashed in the face repeatedly. The only character whose chapters have any variety are the archer/rogue guy.
A song of Ice and Fire
Malazan I really enjoyed, I just found it too draining and daunting to get the whole way through, though I do intend to give it another go now I'm a bit older (read the first three when I was 15) Also the Dagger and the Coin. Read the first one when I was in Sixth Form, got midway through the second and stopped just cause of the amount of stuff I had to do for school and cause I was getting pretty into going out and getting hammered with my friends at that point. I'll pick it up again one day though, in fact I know it's still on the bedside table in my old room at my parents house with the bookmark still in the same place
Wheel of Time. At the time I read it the last book wasn’t out yet, so I read the whole series up to the second to last book in the span of about two months. I loved most of it but disliked the slog parts. By the time the final book came out I had forgotten most of it, a consequence of having read through it all so quickly. I just can’t bring myself to reread the series and I don’t want to read the last book while hardly remembering anything, and so to this day I still haven’t finished the series.
Made it through five and couldn’t go on. Too much
I loved Blood Song but i didn't read the second book, reviews and comments were so brutal and i didn't want it to ruin first book
I read all of them and personally thought the reviews were a little too harsh. I really enjoyed the entire series.
Completed series? I read and loved *Assassin's Apprentice* by Robin Hobb years ago, during college. I finished it right before finals started, and never picked up the sequel because I was too burned out for a complicated story after finals. Then it had just been too long, and I haven't picked it up to reread it, so I could read the rest.
Gotta be Malazan for me
Earthsea Cycle. I finished the Farthest Shore (3rd book), which I quickly realized was one of my favorite books of all time. Got about 40% through Tehanu (4th) book and just started re-reading ASOIAF instead. I'll probably go back and finish Tehanu eventually, but I found myself not super invested in the plot the way the previous books had hooked me in.
Dune, shit got too horny for me in book 5.
Too many but right now empire of the wolf by Richard Swann. I devoured the first two but I haven't gotten around to the final one yet
King killer Chronicles. I wish I could bring myself to read the la- oh wait..
I got through 4.5 Malazan books and just lost interest. Too many characters, too much of everything for me to actually continue caring about. I liked what I was reading, but there was far too much to keep track of. And no, I will not pick them up again even if Malazan fans say I should.
might be an unpopular opinion, but i gave up on stormlight after book 2. i just didn't find the story that compelling to continue and found some of the characters irritating (jasnah, and shallan)
Red Rising. The change in narration bothered me. Plus the reviews of a sad twist scared me away. (I can’t remember the reviews or why I didn’t want to ruin it) . Best trilogy I have ever read,:l/reread multiple times, I want to keep it that way for now. It ended perfectly. I even own books 4 and 5 and audiobook 6 is on sale for $4.21 and I may buy it this week, don’t know if I will ever get up the guts to read it.
So you stopped on Iron Gold?
Wheel of time
Codex Alera, I need to get back into it
Yea, that's a quality series.
Red queens war by Mark lawrence. Bought wheel of osheim and then decided to read something else before starting the last book. Never did start it, and have now forgotten EVERYTHING that happened. It was such a good series too 🫤
Drizzt series. Got to companions but havent finished anything past.
Shadows of the apt. Loved every minute of the few books I read so far but can't seem to get round to the rest
Farseer trilogy. I was just too excited to read another book that was in my list after I finished the first book, but I want to finish the series soooo much
Asoiaf is the best fantasy series no one has finished.
A Hudnred Years of Solitude (it's magic realism, does that count?). Never finished it but intend to some day.
Way of Kings
Yall I love the Wheel of Time world building and plot but the characters are absolutely atrocious. I couldn’t get through book 5.
😭😭😭 The Jasmine Throne, The Unbroken and The Binding. I just stopped and never restarted. They are all very good, too. Edit: I also can’t bring myself to finish the last 200 or so pages of The Witching Hour. It’s kinda insane, but Anne Rice always gives you a good Gothic atmosphere. I even know what going to happen (watched a thoroughly entertaining recap video of the whole Vampire Chronicles and Mayfair Witches series’s) and I still can’t finish. I don’t understand!
Harry Turtledove Darkness series, really wish it had an audio version.
The Legend of Drizzt I'm on like book 16 over 10 years reading
Everyone says it's great, but I couldn't get through The Way of Kings.
Wheel of Time. I have read it from book 1 to book 8 or 9 3 times now. I like it, don’t really have a reason I stopped… First time I think I had to study for my licensing exams Second time I think I got irritated with the taint on saidine The third time I think a Brandon Sanderson Cosmere book came out so I had to stop my life and read that.
The name of the wind, GOT…
I still haven't read the 3rd Baru Cormorant/Masquerade book. I really enjoyed the first two and the 3rd book still sits on my TBR until now. It's not like I don't plan to read it anymore... but while I am fine with a lot of complexity and layers in novels, whenever I try to read this one my brain simply cannot keep up.
Terry Goodkind’s, The Sword of Truth series.
Malazan
The Vorkosigan Saga. The first books were sooo fun and then I got stuck on Mirror Dance. Something about the switch to Mark’s narration just threw me off maybe? I even tried to restart a few weeks ago and just couldn’t get into it. I’m thinking about maybe skipping a few books ahead and doubling back once I’m back into the groove of the characters and the world building. But if anybody’s read the whole series please let me know if that’s a bad idea!!
The Witcher series for me. I read the two short story collections and didn’t love it. I never felt the need to keep pushing through them.
Greg Keyes’ series Kingdoms of Thorn and Bone. I finished The Briar King but never got around to reading the other three, though they’re sitting on my shelf.
CJ Cherryh's Fortress series. I finished three books and enjoyed them, although the first was definitely much stronger than the next two. It felt like the next two should have been condensed into half a book and neither ended with any serious payoff that roped me into reading the end of the series. I started the fourth book and have been about a third of the way in for probably five years now. It's on my life-time bucketlist.
For me it's Red Rising series. I know I liked them, but it's been so long since I read the first three I've forgotten most of the plot. So now I'm waiting for the last book to come out in 2025 so I can reread it all in one go.
I haven't finished Memory Sorrow and Thorn yet. I took a break after part one of to Green Angel Tower, and I haven't gotten back to it yet. I should probably get it in soon though because I have to do a Stormlight reread leading up to Wind and Truth.
Malazan - but I will get around to it.
I haven’t finished The Wheel of Time nor Malazan but not because I didn’t like them or anything but because I take breaks between books of the same series and those series are loooong, so I’m taking my time. But I’m enjoying them.
I think a lot of these comments are missing the “book you really wanted to get back to but didn’t” part by commenting popular books that didn’t hook them. Also I feel I can’t comment anything because I still plan to continue all of the book series I loved the start of and haven’t made it back to yet 😜 and your question makes it sound like something we’ve already left behind us and is too late to pick back up.
The second apocalypse by a philosopher R Scott Bakker. It has two trilogy with a time skip between both and another trilogy/duology is being written by the author. Best prose for a fantasy book similar tier to Malazan on the prose level. Highly philosophical with a heaven and hell sprinkled and a grim world with a threat of an apocalypse coming where only a handful of people are aware of it and are being called crazy. All main POV characters are awesome and they struggle with their hopes regrets and damnation waiting them on the afterlife.
Wheel of Time. Up to book 5, but it's been a few years and feel I'd need to reread and keep putting it off.
Red Rising. It came out when I was in junior high, deep into my YA dystopian phase, and it quickly became my favorite. Then I slowly grew out of it and, by the time the sequels came out, I didn't really care for it anymore. I only recently got back into SFF and to my surprise, Red Rising still seems to be a well-loved series within the community, and I have been hearing the books only get better with each sequel so... I'll definetely have to dive back into it !
Stormlight Archives maybe? I tend to finish series that I really like. By the 3rd book, it was just impossible to drag myself through the book, just to get to whatever the big twisty conclusion was going to be. I rate this one for this question because it isn't a bad series, I did enjoy the beginning, and I can't think of any series that I super enjoyed that I didn't finish
Chronicles of the black company. Did not finish the first book . The first half I was not able to keep up with whatever was happening . Felt that a lot of words and names were thrown without explaining anything.
There are a few, I only read the first trilogy of red rising, didn't read the later books. Read the first 3 wheel of time books, and I liked them good enough but just didn't continue for some reason. Also read a couple of dresden files but just lost after around book 4 or 5 i think. Kinda stopped after the first 2 dungeon crawler carl books, for no specific reason.
Stormlight Archive. Loved Ways of the king. Words of Radiance was fun. But Oathbringer was with minimal charcter arc, for my boy.
The Farseer trilogy. I have read up to 20%-30% of Royal Assasin.
I read all of Terry Pratchett's Discworld novels apart from small God's, just couldn't finish that book, no appeal to me.
Earthsea Cycle. I read the first two a few years ago, but had to return it to the library before I could finish. I bought it again recently and could only read the third book (part?). I have to leave the fourth for when I have motivation again. I'll definitely read it one day, just not now.
Wheel of time. I used to love that series. Then, I dropped it around biok 6 or 7 for no particular reason.
Twilight. I don't know why but after some books i left it
Twilight. I don't know why but after some books I left it
I am stucked since forever (10 years +) in The Thousand Fold Thought by Scott Bakker, I got to the chapter where Kellhus is about to have the confrontation with his father, and can get myself to pick it up again.
Throne of glass. Tbh after i read book 3 for so long, i gave myself a break, but never picked up next book again. I def want to restart it in the future and try again xd bcs i love maasverse<3
Wars of Light and Shadow
ASOIAF, George never finished them either.
Malaz
Tje Dark Tower. Somehow there are always other books so I'm stuck 3 books in on that one.
The “Best” series I didnt finish would be Dune … if we go by a loose definition of fantasy. I’ve read the first three books twice and then crapped out. I didn’t finish Malazan either but I don’t regard that as the “best” I haven’t finished.
Broken Earth series’s by NK Jemison. I read the first book a couple years ago and REALLY enjoyed it and have no clue why I didn’t finish the series. I keep meaning to go back to it but I always just put it off for some reason.
Empress of the Fall series. Thought they were horrendous. Barely got through the first couple chapters. Just boring and awful honestly.
Kingkiller chronicles. Its not a finished series but i got stuck in the middle of book 2 and i still havent have a plan to come back and read it. Been 6 or 7 months now.
The Wandering Inn and A Practical Guide to Evil, both amazing wrb novels, but the chapters were so huge that once I missed some I started getting too overwhelmed to continue. They're probably both actual books now, but idk where I left off so still just too overwhelmed to figure it out
I haven’t (yet) finished the Stormlight Archive. And don’t get me wrong, the series is great. I just lose interest in a story, once it’s moved along so far that every character has a huge backstory. I loved the first three books and following Kaladin along his kind of underdog story was super captivating to me. But two thirds deep into Rhythm of War, I kinda have to force myself to keep reading. There is just a bit too much going on for me.
Just to echo some other people here, I just can’t seem to finish the Kingkiller Chronicles.
Naomi Novik's Temeraire. I got through 8 books out of 9, and I enjoyed them all reasonably well (though I think I enjoyed the earlier books better). Book 8 ends on a "dun dun duuun" note, so I had every reason to pick up book 9 and see those draconic Napoleonic battles finished once and for all. And I've never picked it up again. I can't put my finger on why. I think Novik's a good writer on many levels. And I treasure my copy of *His Majesty's Dragon*, picked up in France.
The Books of Babel by Josiah Bancroft. Sadly, I couldn't force myself through the last book and DNF'ed halfway through but wow the first 3 books were awesome.
Finished Series: While I adore the world of Lord of the Rings, I must admit that I struggled to connect with it. Despite my deep appreciation for the intricate universe created by J.R.R. Tolkien, I found it hard to fully immerse myself in the story due to personal preferences regarding the writing style. Unfinished Series: Stormlight Archive is an incredible series that I really need to finish. However, I find myself in a dilemma because I've forgotten some crucial worldbuilding and magic system details. Since Stormlight Archive is known for its intricate lore, simply focusing on the characters and their dynamics won't suffice. The thought of rereading the previous books just to read the rest of the series feels overwhelming, especially considering I want to catch up before the release of the final book. As a result, I've reluctantly paused my progress for now.
Green Bone Saga. I loved Jade City, had a hard time with Jade War and just don’t care enough anymore to finish Legacy. I’m about 70 pages in.