[Raisuli]

After about 200 pages of 'Blue Mars' I was struggling to continue. I kept going for another 300 somehow, but the final 200 took me about 2 months to read, in between other novels. I still think I should have got a certificate for 'dedication' from the publisher for not giving up.

This novel needs some serious editing (and a plot).

Runner up is John Brunner's 'Stand on Zanzibar', which is so dense in term of its writing style that I crawled through it over the course of a year.



[This message has been edited by Raisuli (edited May 05, 2002).]

[Tagalie]

Can't think of any SF books that I really had to grit my teeth through.
I've only read Red Mars and thought that was rather ace.

I never let a book defeat me though; if I give up then the book's won, if I make it til the end then I can honestly criticise it and I've won!

Non SF books that nearly killed me with tedium were The Famished Road and Ullyses, which people only ever read to give a smug glow of satisfaction on completion, not for pleasure!

[CrazyReader]

I read Red Mars it, but after that could only get 3/4 through Green Mars. I just couldn't stand it anymore. That was $30 down the drain for that trilogy. Thank goodness there's used book stores I can trade books to.

[Hobbit]

The Light of Other Days by Arthur C Clarke and Stephen Baxter - should've been good, but, er, wasn't. Still can't believe how bad it is - but there are odd flashes of brilliance in there, which is even more annoying...there's many examples I could quote, but the best/worst is an unbelievably awful scene as the last living Russian cosmonaut dies of a heart attack watching as the last Russian spaceship takes off...very badly handled symbolism....aaaagggghh! http://www.sffworld.com/ubb/smile.gif

Brightness Reef by David Brin - bit of a surprise this one as I usually like his stuff lots - haven't faced Infinity's shore or Heaven's Reach as a result.

Joe Haldeman's Forever Peace and Forever Free - nowhere near as good as the Forever War.

Mind you, it did take me three goes (many years ago!) to get into Dune. I knew it was good, but just couldn't get into it (I was about 15). Age (and wisdom, of course! http://www.sffworld.com/ubb/biggrin.gif ) have shown me different.

Hobbit

[fortytwo]

One that springs to mind is Solaris (Stanislaw Lem) I kept picking it up and putting it down and finding lot's of reasons not to read it.Because it was meant to be a classic I persevered but I hated it.
I've got to defend the Red/Green/Blue Mars trilogy ...this series ranks very highly in my mind.The first quarter of Red Mars was difficult for me as I dislike flashbacks as a rule but after that I was hooked.The geological detail I found intriguing and believable.Perhaps not action all the way but still a really interesting series.

[vortexreader]

I've got to defend the Red/Green/Blue Mars trilogy ...this series ranks very highly in my mind.
Me too. I always tell people that the entire series is worth the effort just to get to the final scene, the final paragraph, the final sentence. So beautiful and breathtaking...made the whole series seem so effortless in hindsight.

Recently, I've had a hell of a hard time finishing A Clash of Kings...took me about 5 months to finish!

[Kamakhya]

I have to chime in about the Mars trilogy too. I could not put down Red Mars and Green Mars. However, Blue Mars did not sit well with me. I think it became too extrapolated, and as a result, less believable.

But one of the most tortuous books I've read in recent years was Rainbow Mars by Larry Niven.

Solaris is right up there too.

Quite frankly, I have yet to finish Passage by Connie Willis or Hammerfall by C.J. Cherryh.

Kamakhya

[Cadfael]

I have 2 actually...

Chapter House Dune was very hard work to finish, I was not too sure what was going on... because IMHO... nothing was going on...okay... we had a torid sex sceen at the end... but apart from that... boring!!

The other was Baldur's Gate, by Philip Athens... and this book was dire... I mean... the author should be taken out an shot!!! I only read it because I am into the RPG computer game. It is a source of pride for me that I finished it... I gave him his chance... he won't get another. http://www.sffworld.com/ubb/biggrin.gif

[SusF]

I'd have to go with Brightness Reef by Brin, too. I loved his other Uplift series, but Brightness Reef never did interest me. I tried twice to read it and put it down both times.

I hate when that happens with authors that I love. Has anyone tried Kiln People yet? It looks very interesting. I'll have to reserve it at the library.

Susan

[Raisuli]

Since I started this topic, I just want to say that I was deeply impressed by the ambition of Robinson's Red & Green Mars books. I'd rank them as among the very best SF written. But I do think that Blue Mars is a big miscalculation.

I wasn't criticising 'Stand On Zanzibar' so much as saying that I found it not the easiest book to read, which I'd imagine was intentional on Brunner's part.

Also, I'm struggling with Solaris at the moment too.