[Blackfish]

In reading through these forums I constantly run across posts where people say that they found a particular book too boring, complicated, slow, etc... these posts are usually in reference to books which I myself enjoyed. It got me to wondering about how much a book's appreciation is based on how old you are when you read it.
When I myself first started out reading fantasy, it was authors such as Piers Anthony, Terry Brooks, David Eddings, Wies & Hickman that I first started out with. This was around age 14-17.
Much of today's more popular fantasy has grown extremely complex in terms of plot, number of characters, and world building. It occurs to me that if I had tried to tackle a series such as ASoIaF or Carey's 'Dart' series when I was 15 or 16, I might have been bored to tears with the lack of action or magic.
Now that I'm in my late 20s I find that I have a much greater appreciation for complexity and longer plot development, which makes me tend to look back on my first fantasy authors as things I wouldn't want to read now.
While I'm certainly not suggesting the placement of a 'recommended age range' on any book, I wonder how many people would benefit from waiting a few years to pick up a certain book or series. I know we all like to think we are wise beyond our years, but the fact of the matter is that as you mature, your tastes change. Any thoughts?

[Rob B]

Excellent point/post Blackfish.

When I was in middle-school and early highschool I read Dean Koontz and Stephen King like there was no tomorrow. Since then, I still appreciate King but Koontz is just rather repetitive. Also enjoyed Weis & Hickman, but don't know how that would stand the test of time.

Hell, even a year or two makes a difference. I tried reading Moorcock's Elric books a couple of times before getting into them after a year or two.

Same with Gene Wolfe's Book of the Long Sun I hated it when I first read the initial book, but re-read it recently and really, really liked it.

So yes, tastes change, people mature in their perceptions of what is good, but some favorites die hard (S. King).

[Hemingway]

I believe in some cases your analysis to be extremely accurate. Although for me personally I began reading Stephen King when I was in the fifth grade(and am now 21), and I can deal with slow stories that take a while to unravel. I think the slow stories that get to me though, are the monotonous tales that dawdle in areas where it does nothing to further a story in plot or characterization.
As you have pointed to one scenario in particular, (Martin's series) I found the characters did little to garner any interest, I couldn't sympathize with them, the dialogue seemed a little thrown together and pretentious, and his stories skip around so quickly I don't get a chance to appreciate a characters personality, or get a real feel for them.
I think it's about patience. (which some may misconstrue as maturity, though some may argue this is a trait further developed through maturity).

[jfclark]

I don't think any of us can help reacting differently to books now than we did when we were much younger. When I was a kid, I read The Lord of the Rings repeatedly, and what captivated me was the scope of the world and the triumphant plotlines. The longer stretches of descriptive prose I found a little tiresome.

Now, when I read the books, it's precisely Tolkien's prose, his use and indescribably deep knoweldge of the language, that I relish most. I am still fond of the things that made me love the book when I was younger, but I think as we grow older our scope of appreciation grows.

Another point to note is that much of fantasy is more or less targeted at particular age groups. Eddings, for instance, and Jordan, too, most likely are writing for the "young adult" age range. That's not to say that older or younger readers can't appreciate their writing, but only to note that certain authors will write to an audience. Which means that our appreciation of a given book might be a reflection of whether or not we're in the author's intended age range.

[Twelve]

Blackfish,
I know that for me what you say is right. It still happens to me now, that I find myself enjoying something that I simply could not ingest even five years ago.

It's a nice feeling.

12

[e-Morgana]

I've said it before, but I'll say it again........

I don't think it's AGE so much as EXPERIENCE that causes our tastes to evolve.

I didn't start reading fantasy until relatively late in life (early 30's). :D I really enjoyed the likes of Eddings etc when I was first starting out, but have found that I look for different things now. I personally think it's a kinid of natural progression which begins when you start reading the genre seriously - not really to do with age much at all.

[Blackfish]

hmmm, excellent point Morgana. I made the mistaken assumption that just about everybody started reading fantasy when they were young.

However, I think the problem is the same regardless of age that some people who are reading fantasy tend to start with the more difficult material, which may cause them to dislike it. I believe the problem is probably more prevalent with younger folk, but can apply to anyone. Trying to walk before they can crawl is the only way I can think to put it.

[ezchaos]

Somebody on this forum once said that back in the 70's and 80's there weren't that many fantasy authors to choose from like there are now. I have to agree. I'm 31 years old, and like Blackfish, some of my first fantasy I read was by Eddings, Feist, Piers Anthony, Terry Brooks, etc. That was about all there was to read back in the 80's when I was a teenager.
Sometime in the early 90's I remember just getting tired of reading books by these authors. I think I got sick of their writing styles the most. They just didn't do it for me anymore.

[Lucky Joe]

I don't think it's AGE so much as EXPERIENCE that causes our tastes to evolve.

I have to agree with you e-Morgana, I started with Eddings and Brooks and loved them, though now I don't enjoy them nearly as much. At the same time when I first started reading I also read Donaldson's Thomas Covenent and don't have any particularly good memories of the series, having said that now that I'm a bit older and more experienced I've recently been thinking about to returning to Donaldson to give Covenent a second go. - mainly due to the high opinion so many people around here seem to have of him.- ;)

[Meraxes]

If you equate age with wisdom and worldly knowledge, then yes, it most certainly does affect the way I view books I read - not only fantasy, but any book. In fact, it affects everything I see, do, or hear as well - obviously. But I think the line is a little more definitive with a genre like fantasy because it is SO black and white in most cases (note I said most). The older one gets, the mroe one realizes LIFE is not black and white, therefore books that captivated a person in childhood fail to intrigue them in adulthood. At least, that has how it has been with myself.

M