Confessions of a GRR Martin Avoider...

[Werthead]

I agree with owlcroft. I tried to read "St. George," and came across some ridiculous phrase like "I have already bedded the wench," laughed and put the book back on the shelf.

I would suggest that that he does not meaningfully engage with our cultural moment in a fresh and vivid way, nor does he re-engage our past. This does not mean that SFF cannot do such things, but only the work of George R R Martin fails on such an account.

These statements appear to be contradictary. In your first post you say you implied that you had read only a small piece of writing standing in the bookshop. The latter implies that you had read the entire sequence and was able to assess the book's literary themes and impact in a meangingful manner.

If we examine A Song of Ice and Fire in greater detail, it is noted that the book does indeed engage with our cultural moment (topics such as terrorism and the ineptitude of politics to deal with economic and cultural crises are prevalent) and also re-engages with the past (the entire series is a re-appraisal of the romantic, chivalric legends and their exposure as exaggerations, if not outright lies). The series fundamentally concerns itself with the morality of power and those who want it, or have it thrust upon them, or desire it but have no aptitude for it. This also ties in with notions of responsibility, consequence and expediency.

But the fact remains that in a hundred years, someone who mentions the author or his works will be greeted by "Huh? Who? What?"

A questionable use of the word 'fact'. Facts traditionally can withstand repeated challenges and be proven beyond any reasonable doubt at any time. Unless you have mastered the art of time travel, I would submit that your 'fact' is very much 'an opinion'. An opinion which interestingly is strongly reminiscent of those expressed about (at the very least) Charles Dickens and J.R.R. Tolkien by their contemporaries. I recall the critic in the early 1960s who smugly proclaimed satisfaction that The Lord of the Rings never achieved much and now languished in obscurity, shortly before he was proven spectacularly wrong.

[KatG]

I'm away for a bit and then find you people are really, really bad at answering a simple question. I resisted my husband's urging to read Stephen Brust's Jhereg novel/series because I wasn't that interested in reading about an assassin. Well, at the time I wasn't. I've in general read many assassin books but I wasn't in the mood. But eventually I tried it as he kept buying the series. I loved it. Unfortunately, I was unable to return the favor -- I thought he'd love Cook's Garrett P.I. series because it's comic fantasy suspense -- right up his alley. He didn't like it that much. However, when Game of Thrones came on the air, he fell in love and then plowed through all the Martin books and loved them.

See, that wasn't so hard.

[Larry]

Uh, I've become bad at avoiding discussions here and I had to be linked here on Twitter in order to visit here for the first time since April. Does this count?

In terms of literature, it rarely happens, but I think the last such case was reading Helen Oyeyemi. I think I went about a year or two from first being suggested that I read her to actually reading her latest, Mr. Fox, and then later two more of her novels. Need to track down her second novel and then I'll be caught up.

[GoodEyeSniper]

...it's just not what I'm looking for as I really want to "like" the characters in my series and I wasn't getting that aspect from GoT.

I hear this a lot from fantasy fans. I'm the opposite. I almost always want a character with his fair share of unattractive flaws. Not flaws like, "Oh, I'm not nearly powerful enough to save my entire kingdom. Whoops! I just got lucky and did anyways!" but someone who is perverted, or addicted, or downright just a crappy person. :P

Leave it to Martin to have one of the more hated "enemies" in the first book, turn into one of the most enthralling characters in the latter books.

[KatG]

GoodEye, you're off topic. The topic of the thread is, is there a book you resisted reading for awhile and then found out you loved? Those who wish to discuss Mr. Martin's work can do so in the George Martin sub-forum:

http://www.sffworld.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=24

[Teresa Edgerton]

This sort of thing usually happens with me when I've read one of a writer's earlier books and particularly disliked it. I conclude that I really, really don't like the way that writer writes and ..."avoid" is almost too weak a word ... I practically shrink from the idea of picking up any of their subsequent books.

Years later, for some reason or another, I am lured into reading their most recent book. And I think it's wonderful. I go back and read some of their earlier work, even re-reading whatever it was that I so disliked the first time, and it turns out to be what you mentioned, Kat: I wasn't in the mood before, but being in the mood now, I think that book is wonderful, too.

I've been avoiding Mary Gentle's books for years, because I didn't like the first two that I read (and they were books I really, really wanted to like, which made them doubly disappointing), but this week I read her newest -- The Black Opera -- and now I'm eager to get my hands on some of her other books.

[Finagle]

Anyone else have confessions to make? (About books, I mean. I'm not your priest.) (About books, I mean. I'm not your priest.)

If i see a fantasy book with a really cheesy cover, I will not buy it. I know that sounds terrible but i just cant. The old cliché about never judging a book by its cover, well sometimes i do.

[chokipokilo]

I've never had a meal where the experience of the first bites can be altered by finishing the last.

I've never listened to a piece of music that was out of key in its original performance/recording by the original artist.

Edit: And I just realized there was a third page.

[Ornery Wyvern]

Hmm, let's see confessions, I just cannot understand the appeal of Michael Moorcock's Elric series - and have not sampled any of his other works because of this. I bought an Elric anthology by Fantasy Masterworks and forced myself to grind through the first four stories, I really wanted to enjoy the work of such a prolific author. It has been a while, but I believe I found it endlessly melodramatic, poorly characterized, and tiresome to read. The stories were "The Dreaming City", "While the Gods Laugh", "The Stealer of Souls", and "Kings in Darkness".

[Serestrial]

My inner critic is horribly sexist.

I don't really like female authors. I know it's horrible and wrong and etc...I just rarely seem to enjoy works from a female mind. They always seem to center around the wrong things, to pursue the wrong story lines...it just loses me. There are exceptions, of course. Robin Hobb. Kate Elliot. J.V. Jones. Janny Wurts. But I'm always *surprised* when I enjoy a story written by a female author.

[Rob B]

Don't judge a book by it's cover, right? Well, I have, and I do, and I probably always will.
...
Anyone else have confessions to make? (About books, I mean. I'm not your priest.)

Yup, I avoided reading ANYTHING by Baen for many years because of their 'unique' (though successful) approach to cover-design. Bujold, Weber, Van Name are three authors who have had covers that do anything but appeal to me, but the pages between those covers do quite the opposite.

[phil_geo]

My wife bought me Best Served Cold right when it came out and I read it, but it didn't really click with me. I didn't find any of the characters likeable, and hence never picked up any of the other books by Abercrombie. When The Heroes was offered for $1.99 on special a year or so ago, I bought it and it quickly became one of my all-time favorites. I then got the First Law trilogy and loved every single one to the point where I am making my wife read them.

[HeclaBull]

I used to have that problem until I read Aaronovitch's The Folly series (Rivers of London, Moon Over Soho, and Whispers Underground). They are fantastic. Funny, witty, sexy, and very entertaining. I'm not going out and buying a bunch of urban fantasy, but now I'll give it a shot rather than dismiss it out of hand.

I suppose as the OP found, you never know until you try it.

I already have a lot of books piled up to read but I'll give this author a try soon, I'll try something new that I normally wouldn't have bothered with on my own if someone recommends it.

My wife bought me Best Served Cold right when it came out and I read it, but it didn't really click with me. I didn't find any of the characters likeable, and hence never picked up any of the other books by Abercrombie. When The Heroes was offered for $1.99 on special a year or so ago, I bought it and it quickly became one of my all-time favorites. I then got the First Law trilogy and loved every single one to the point where I am making my wife read them.

Have you reread Best Served Cold since reading his other books and, if so, has your opinion changed on it?

[phil_geo]

Have you reread Best Served Cold since reading his other books and, if so, has your opinion changed on it?

Funny you should ask, I actually went back and reread the section at Cardotti's House of Leisure just to see exactly what happened to Gorst. Of course it turns out he is not even mentioned, but there is a poignant scene with the king that has almost no meaning if you haven't read the other books.

Seeing Shivers' evolution in complete random order was quite interesting based on how I read the books. I almost think it was better that way, but I guess there's no way of knowing. So no, I haven't gone back and reread it but I think I probably will at some point and I'm guessing I will like it a bit more.

[chris777]

This has happened to me in the opposite way. I was really looking forward to "Coldfire Trilogy" and "Wizard of Earthsea", but was severely disappointed by the poor writing of Coldfire, and the writing style of LeGuin.

I could also say that Vlad Taltos series is applicable. But for different reasons. It's the book that got me started reading. A friend at work suggested it at a time I didn't much like reading for pleasure, and didn't think I would like a book. And it, more or less, changed my life.

On the flip side this has happened a lot with TV shows. When I was into Anime, Bleach started off terrible and I almost quit, but stuck with it and it became my favorite Anime. Haven't watched Anime in years though. Also Trailer Park Boys and Aqua Teen Hunger Force. All seemed terrible, didn't want to watch. Even started off badly for me, but became one of my favorites after getting used to the themes.