Beyond Reality discussion

What's a popular book that absolutely does NOT live up to the hype? Why didn't it work for you?

Oh goodness. I have so many on my dnf shelf.

A Beautiful Mind I vaguely remember the movie and being interested in the 'real' story. But the book begins with an intro. that tells all, then explains his parents, then his grandparents... I just don't have that kind of patience anymore.

The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue (Tried for the Time Travel group) Lots of pages, and fine print hard on my old eyes. And too much like the book I just finished, Time Traveler's Wife, maybe. I want Science Fiction one of these months! All this poignancy, hard choices, challenged love affairs, etc., it's getting old month after month. So, yeah, I fell asleep at p. 84, and don't really want to pick it up again.

Neverwhere dnf p. 92 even though it was for group read. Nothing's really actually happening yet. I'm not invested in any of the characters, and I don't see any real themes coming. Yes, beautiful writing, clever world-building, sure... but bleak, gruesome, and nasty. So, not for me.

Well, most recently it was Dungeon Crawler Carl. I love gaming, I love SF, I love the novels it clearly references, but wow, that one fell flat for me. It is a combo of my not liking the whole LitRPG format, it being to derivative and uninspired in its worldbuilding and it playing to the lowest common denominator for its audience. Dull and juvenile.

Annie Bot is another one that people seem to love. I felt deeply uncomfortable reading it because it just reeks of "This author needed to get therapy before writing this book" to me. I hate how condescending that sounds in an online comment, but it was my honest reaction to it.

Hyperion. I just cannot with that book and people who love it. It's the epitome of everything I grew to hate about SF in the 1980s and 1990s that led me to sour on SF as a genre for years. The hollow veneer of cleverness and erudition, the creepy obsessions of bigoted white Western men that don't register as creepy to too many people, the lackluster, unsatisfying storytelling. I'm embarrassed as a SF lover that this is considered by so many to be the best SF novel ever.

CJ wrote: "Well, most recently it was Dungeon Crawler Carl. I love gaming, I love SF, I love the novels it clearly references, but wow, that one fell flat for me. It is a combo of my not liking the whole LitRPG format, it being to derivative and uninspired in its worldbuilding and it playing to the lowest common denominator for its audience. Dull and juvenile. "

LitRPG and Progression Fantasy are two newer sub genres that I have been too terrified to try.

I once had a discussion with a coworker trying to figure out what they actually are. I was given a line about how its so appealing because you just get stronger and beat the next bad guy, then get stronger again and beat the next bad guy. And basically repeat until, I don't know, they become gods or something.

I remember my response was something along the lines of, so whoever is the biggest bully wins?

From what I have heard, they sound like "end game" MMORPGs mixed with their cringy video game tie in books.
For those who don't know, end game MMOs are basically fight big bad guys, get loot drops which get better gear. Get enough better gear you can start fighting next tier bad guys who drop better loot. And its basically a rinse and repeat from there.

Anyway, I do intend to eventually try some one of these days so I can can give them a fair chance. I'm just having a really hard time getting a motivation to do so.

Back to the question. I mention this one every single time we talk about disappointments and bad books.
Perdido Street Station
I chose to read that book because I was reading so many people saying just how amazing it was. There were like 6 people telling me I absolutely had to read it. And I payed $10 for the ebook in 2009 (was expensive) because it was supposed to be well worth it. And then it fell flat on its face.

I think if I had just randomly picked up the book and tried it I might have just come away with an eh. But given all of the hype that surrounded it, what I ended up feeling was more of a rage due to the fact that the entire thing insulted my intelligence so incredibly badly.

For me it was A Court of Thorns and Roses. The series has been getting SO much buzz the past few years that I finally decided it was time to try it, and it was just...meh. I didn't hate it, but I certainly didn't see what all the fuss was about. I wonder if the folks who loved it are not usually fantasy readers, because I found absolutely nothing new, it was just the same old tropes and wish fulfillment.

For me, it was C.J Cheeryh Forienger series
I tried to read it and just not see what everyone else saw.

I must be an awfully uncritical reader. While not every book lives up to its hype (usually because the hype is pretty unrealistic), I rarely feel let down or disappointed.

Having said that, The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver was a 1 star read for me. I just didn’t see what others thought was so amazing about it. From what I recall, I didn’t like any of the characters & the story didn’t seem to affect me the way it did so many other readers. However, I didn’t feel let down or disappointed. I went into it with an attitude of curiosity, to see what the buzz was all about, but not necessarily expecting great things.

Kathi wrote: "I must be an awfully uncritical reader. While not every book lives up to its hype (usually because the hype is pretty unrealistic), I rarely feel let down or disappointed..."

Same here, I have read some bad stuff but if I can finish it then it was good. Same with movies. When they asked this question I had to really think about it. In all the books I have read that was the only one

Neuromancer by William Gibson. Don't remember why but didn't like it.

Annihilation by Jeff VanderMeer. Thought it was boring.

The Diary of Anne Frank, been awhile but I think I just found her annoying.

The Fellowship of the Ring was so tedious. I liked the movies way better.

Farenheit 451, Brave New World, Frankenstein, Wuthering Heights, The Picture of Dorian Grey. Not sure it is really hype for these books, but they didn't work for me.

Circe by Madeline Miller which was too bad, I really liked her other book The Song of Achilles.

The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss, my review says I thought it was 'dreadfully dull'!

The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafón was too slow, and felt neverending.

Oh, yes, Fellowship of the Ring. I loved The Hobbit but was so bored by the first big book. (I don't know about the movies, tried to watch the first in the theater but kept my eyes closed too much for the acrophobia!)

Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid. Do not bother, read the Lady Astronaut series instead. https://www.goodreads.com/series/1937... I read Atmosphere because I hoped for something similar but it was mostly people whining, and lying to each other and themselves.

I loved Amazon's TV adaptation of her novel Daisy Jones and the Six, so I had hoped for more.

I just realized I had read another of hers and didn't even remember! Maybe in Another Life. Not my fave either.

Here's my reviews because bored now.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Random wrote: "Perdido Street Station"

OMG! I absolutely TRUDGED through that book when it was selected as a monthly read in the Hugo and Nebula group. I was reading it with others who were raving about it while I was wanting to read anything else. I do remember the worldbuilding, though. Fascinating.

Dawn wrote: "Neuromancer by William Gibson. Don't remember why but didn't like it.

Annihilation by Jeff VanderMeer. Thought it was boring.

I remember why I didn't like neuromancer. It was a serious downer. and annihilation. Agree. Boring. and nonsensical. And it started out so well. Maybe if I had read the rest, but there was no way. And now I hear he has written a 4th book in the series.

I think VanderMeer is just not for me. I started another book of his once, and was also fascinated by the worldbuilding, but could not complete it. And now, I don't remember the name, but it was the first of a series.

I have not particularly liked some of the others you guys mention, but no time to discuss now. The ones above are the worst of those mentioned, to me

I liked Atmosphere, but if you go into it expecting anything but a romance you'll be disappointed. I did not like it as much as Reid's other books.

Cheryl wrote: "Oh, yes, Fellowship of the Ring. I loved The Hobbit but was so bored by the first big book. (I don't know about the movies, tried to watch the first in the theater but kept my eyes closed too much ..."
I tired reading this several times as a young teen. Could not get past Bilbo's birthday. I picked up the Hobbit and boom, I then read LOTR and enjoyed it. I reread the series 10 years or so ago and it was a tough read. Good but it was a trudge to get through

I also like The Hobbit. Figured the rest of the story would be good as well, but totally got bogged down in LOTR. I don't expect I'll ever give it another try.

So interesting to read these comments… I found The Hobbit, or There and Back Again a bit simplistic, even when I read it back as a teen, but loved The Lord of the Rings trilogy. And as an adult, I’ve read all 4 books a couple times & loved them all.

Kathi wrote: "So interesting to read these comments… I found The Hobbit, or There and Back Again a bit simplistic, even when I read it back as a teen, but loved The Lord of the Rings trilog..."
Yes, he apparently wrote it for his kids. I think that was the reason for me to follow up with LOTR. I doubt I would have read LOTR if I had not read The Hobbit.

I loved LOTR and Hobbit when I read them as a freshman in college. Although I have not reread them in years, they hold a special place in my heart