12 Series That I Won't Finish (And Some I Still Might...But Might Not)

Mike talks about a handful of series that he already has or he's going to go ahead and call it quits on.
Microphone used in these videos: amzn.to/3IpFSAX
Camera used in these videos: amzn.to/3IqqdBv
Want to send Mike something? You can do so to the below address:
Mike K.
15201 Mason Rd
Suite 169
Cypress, TX 77433
Support Mike on Patreon: / mikesbookreviews
Join Mike's server on Discord / discord
Visit Mike's Amazon Wishlist: amzn.to/2zpHooW
Follow Mike on Goodreads: / mikesbookreviews
Follow Mike on Twitter: / zepp1978
Like Mike's Book Reviews on Facebook / mikesbookreviews
Follow Mike on Instagram / zepp1978
Follow Mike on TikTok / zepp1978
0:00 Introduction & Rules
1:27 Series I Won't Finish
19:29 Series I'm Undecided on Still
------------------------------------------------------
Theme music provided by Infraction
/ @infraction
Music used: Epic (No Copyright Music)
infractionroyaltyfreemusic.ba...
Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 3.0(CC BY 3.0)
creativecommons.org/licenses/...
------------------------------------------------------
#MikesBookReviews #DNF #WillNotFinish

[@mikesbookreviews]

Hi bookworms! I know a video like this will get some folks heated, but as always these are only my opinion and some things that just weren't working from me. It definitely isn't meant as a slander for some of your favorite series. Thanks for watching!

[@angelaholmes8888]

Oh don't worry not every book series is meant for everyone

[@darthenclave6946]

Scott Lynch fans are gonna lynch you Mike!! 🤣

[@michaelraemisch1605]

thanks for your series! (BTW agree w/ Shadow and Bone comment!)

[@DarkHorseDanny]

"That one kid that had all the potential but ended up in juvy somehow." That would be a perfect opening sentence to a book 😂

[@karamarie6781]

So what are you waiting for??? … WRITE IT BEFORE SOMEONE ELSE DOES!!!

[@joninparadox]

It's been years, but Rise of Endymion was for a very long time my favorite book ever. Endymion is jarring because it jumps in time so much, but the forth book really brings everything together very well. There's just no one else like Dan Simmons in sci-fi, it's such a small part of his bibliography, but he really shines in the genre. Give the Endymion duology a chance.

[@chrisw6164]

Yes, the second Endymion book is much better than the first.

[@tkannen]

Oh man, don’t give up on Dan Simmons. The Hyperion Cantos, and Ilium too, I found very satisfying.

[@kurtbeck3400]

Agreed, Ilium was great imo.

[@Morfeusm]

Drood was great too!

[@paulthomassen5007]

Loved ilium and olympos as well. Sci fi without real humans, it's great. And the reference and homage to great classic writers and poets in his books is great.

[@Fuzreads]

Oh man, Carion Comfort and The Terror are fantastic too. The Terror is probably one of the more interesting books I've ever read

[@BookTimeWithRyan]

Mike don’t walk away from Endymion!!!! The final book is HUGE! It sums it all up. If you don’t finish it you won’t truly understand Hyperion either. The final book is key to it all!

[@thecaffeinatedbookwyrm3051]

Mike: "No, it's not Kingkiller. I can't not complete Kingkiller because he can't complete Kingkiller." Me: ((spits coffee out my nose))

[@archlectoryarvi2873]

These little roasts are why I'm still subscribed 😂

[@shalonsmith1337]

Oof. It hurt a little bit. But not untrue.

[@lydiamulligan8277]

Seriously though. That burn was epic!

[@Kaustic714]

Endymion hits like a truck at the end. Gave the finality I needed for the series. Love that Dan Simmons world. But all good Mike still got love for you lol. We still got the First Law in common! :D

[@blacknwhitecookie8967]

I believe age plays a major role in deciding what you'll continue reading. I'm pushing 50 & have done the same thing with many series I grew up with. You start feeling & hearing that age old adage, "Too many books, too little time" so you really have to start being selective. Your mental filter is also more refined; what you found to be scary, funny, exciting or amazing, 20 years ago...it won't be 20 years later. Totally understand your decisions, great video.

[@tomsativa]

Off topic of the vid but ty for getting into Drizzt my man! Motivated me to pick up some of those I haven't read. Currently reading Timeless and I'm loving it

[@karamarie6781]

OMG! I felt I was too old for The Inheritance series, and I wanted to love it for years! Just kept trying and it never clicked for me. True, I am 55. However, I love other young fantasy series, but this (sadly) didn’t catch me.💕💕

[@travisslade6860]

I read the entire Witcher series like 4 times now. Those books are such a great mix of medieval politics, interesting creatures and lore and fantastically grey characters! Time of Contempt IS indeed the slower book. It ramps way up after that. Give it a chance. It’s so good.

[@dash4800]

I read the first one and loved it. But the second one has parts that have made me repeatedly put it down. Specifically the relationship parts with yennefer. To me that stuff just drags everything to a halt and seems to be written so much worse than the rest of the book. I wish we could juat be done with that stuff and just keep the rest. I'm crossing my fingers that it finishes strong and the 3rd book is better.

[@iWizard]

Great video. I feel the same about Shannara. It meant something to me once, and I’m grateful for it, but I can’t see ever reading it again.

[@Drigo924]

I'm a few chapters into The Bands of Mourning and I am really enjoying it and the whole Wax and Wayne series as a whole. It might be due to the fact that I'm not generally a critical reader. I usually just take a book at face value and base my enjoyment on how I felt while reading it. I went into it straight after Era 1 and that had me a bit worried as I heard many people saying that it already didn't live up to Era 1 so going into Era 2 directly after Era 1 made Era 2's flaws even more apparent. Luckily I have not had any issues with enjoying it so far, I flew through book 2 even faster than book 1 I think. I am definitely not against not finishing books, I've done it a few times already. Obviously everyone is different, my opinions might be changed by the end of book 3, who knows. Great video as always, always interested in your thoughts!

[@sergioaccioly5219]

You should go back to the Hyperion Cantos. The Endymion duology is very different from the first two in the series, but it's just as intelligent a read and just as intriguing. And these books answer a lot of the questions you didn't know you had reading the beginning. Don't worry about the Shrike, it's not like he starts patrolling the streets looking for Kids to save. It's more of why he was created in the first place.

[@lostcharge]

Completely agree with you on Bobiverse! I remember reading the first one and then realizing I literally don’t care about the rest of the story. As for Wax & Wayne, I know it’s just a super decisive series. I really love it but I totally get why people don’t care for it. And it seems like you wouldn’t need to read Wax & Wayne to go to the next Mistborn series, whenever that comes out. So you can continue to enjoy the “mainline” Mistborn books if they seem interesting down the line :)

[@Ulmo90]

I agree with you on Endymion and I'm not very eager to add the Broken Earth and the Poppy war books to my tbr after hearing yours and some other booktubers thoughts. I finished the Inheritance cycle, the Lock Lamora and the Lighbringer series and liked them all quite a lot. One of the series I might not continue with is a Darker shade of magic

[@Michelle___xoxoxoxo]

I always love these types of videos. I don't think it's necessary to agree on every book/series, like *at all*, because I like some of these series; but it's strangely validating when someone dislikes the same books as me (Shadow and Bone). 😆

[@wardo1602]

Thanks for the video! This is so healthy!! Nothing destroys the joy of reading more than slogging through books you don't enjoy just because they are part of a series. Reading freedom! For me, it's Malazan after reading the first three. Just not very fun, and I can't see pushing through the other 7 now. Regarding yours, I'd say Witcher is still worth it if you can get past Time of Contempt. Not a Top 10 series of all time for me, but not everything can be. Also, Endymion is good in a completely different way, and I don't even consider it part of the same series as Hyperion.

[@Geronimoshideout]

I did the same with the Malazan series. When i started book four and realised that Erikson was introducing new characters that was enough for me. At the same time i feelt that i had no idea what was going on in the previous plotlines. Great worldbuilding, but i can hardly remember any of the characters.

[@jenniferjones2863]

You’ll get some more of them working together in the 3rd book in the Millenium series. You also get to find out about Lisbeth’s past. I thought the 3rd book was better than the 2nd, and almost as good as the 1st.

[@fjuran1]

I can see your points on many of these series, many I have fought through to finish, and some as well, such as the Bobiverse, just couldn't begin book 2. I read Brett series through, and should have been shortened to three books, may have worked. I have the Weeks series complete in hardcover and still have not made the plunge, now I wonder if i ever will? I read the Simmons books years ago, and can say that the second duology does not even get close to Hyperion and the Fall of Hyperion.

[@mona891]

I love the intro lol and the cup added to it

[@miriam-thebookhunter5393]

Interesting video! I think I've been very lucky with my reading choices ever since I started reading again. I have a couple of series that I probably will never finish because they were way too dark for me. I do like dark fantasy, but those two felt like the characters were being cruel just to shock the readers and some scenes made me feel very uncomfortable.

[@mikouf9691]

Before you even started, my first thought was the Demon Cycle. I loved The Warded Man so much. That made the 2nd book a bigger disappointment. But I knew if I DNFd and later wanted to read book 3, I would have to reread book 2. Since I was not okay with that, I forced myself to finish the 2nd book. The last section, when we got back to Arden helped, but not enough to overcome my dislike of the book. By report, book 3 seemed to have the same problems that I found in book 2, and a bunch of new problems, so I called it quits. A Song of Ice and Fire. I loved the 1st 3, thought the 4th was okay and DNFd book 5. The only way I would go back to it is if GRRM managed to complete it and reviews convinced me the ending was worth it. Arc of a Scythe was another recent one. I loved the 1st 2, but couldn't finish the 3rd. And Vampire Chronicles. The 1st 3 were the best, 4th was good. After book 5, I lost the desire to continue.

[@Rendref]

Not finishing Endymion is a mistake, imo. Those are great, creative books. But I loved The Fall of Hyperion. Which is still different from Endymion anyway.

[@phronze1]

All the Endymion hate has me waiting, but I loved the first two so much, I’ll eventually get to ‘em

[@neondemon5137]

Same. Of the whole list Endymion needs to be experienced. He chose... Poorly.

[@Metal772]

Agreed, would recommend finishing this series.

[@BookTimeWithRyan]

100% agree!!! You are missing so much by not finishing it. It is one of a few series that REALLY affected me (that last book).

[@JamesI88]

endymion was a favorite of mine

[@GeekofMordor]

The Legends original Thrawn trilogy is truly a work of art. Hard to repeat. Evident from the new Thrawn books

[@sernoddicusthegallant6986]

The witcher isnt my favourite book series but Id definetely say its worth finishing if youve already finished Blood of Elves, because its half way through time of contempt that things really start getting interesting and Baptism of Fire is tied for my favourite in the series. I will admit they then slow down again until halfway through the last book but remember these are still pretty short books so its not a challenge to get through.

[@jakeremmert6643]

Hey Mike! Somewhat related comment since you're talking about continuing series or not, but would you recommend reading the entire Dune series (the 6 Frank Herbert books only) or just the first one since I've heard it was originally planned as a standalone? I haven't read any of them yet but want to start soon (it will actually be my first foray into scifi!) and I'm debating on just buying the first book to see how I like it, or just going ahead and grabbing the whole series since the boxed set is a much better value in terms of dollars per book. Thanks!!

[@adoniscreed4031]

I just finished Mistborn Era 2 today and its my favourite bit of the cosmere so far (I havent read Stormlight yet but have read everything else)... But I also really love Elantris so our tastes when it comes to the Cosmere are the completely opposite hahaha

[@lostcharge]

Finally, someone else who agrees with me that the Era 2 stuff is fav I’m reading Way of Kings at the moment and while it’s really good, I just love the cowboy western setting of Era 2 and the fun shinanigans. Need to read the 3rd book, saving it for a rainy day at the moment. But I can’t get enough of the cast of Wax & Wayne.

[@andrewlavigne44]

Endymion feels very much inspired by Simmons seeing T2 or something. There's even a more advanced new evil Shrike to go with the Shrike being good now. Also has a chapter that's like 15 pages of the mechanics of how climbing gear works for no apparent reason. My main reaction was "Huh?" really more than good or bad. I do however think the short story in his collection that's an epilogue to all of it is pretty good.

[@jonathangilbert7808]

I am one of the rare folks who liked the progression from the first Mystborn cycle to the next. I just feel like having things carried through many generations later is really compelling. Also, The Bobiverse was great. I listened to it on Audible and the narrator is the same guy who does Hail Mary for Andy Weir, so maybe that's what did it for me, but I enjoyed them like addictive junk food if that makes sense.

[@Yesica1993]

I'm tired of series in general. It's such a pain to get invested in a world/characters and then get burned a few books in for whatever reason. Maybe I'm just old and don't want to invest so much time when there are other books I want to get to as well. Why can't authors write standalones? Or at least switch it up once in a while? Do publishers these days always require series? Is it solely about the money? I have no idea. I don't know if you've done a standalone recommendation video or if someone else has done one, but that would be helpful. I can't be the only one burned out here.

[@philipelmore6705]

Look up Talion: Revenant by Michael A. Stackpole. Fantastic stand alone fantasy novel.

[@dlackosrb]

Interesting, I'm the opposite. Never read standalons only series, the longer the better :). Probably same season I don't watch movies but love to binge tv shows.

[@kendawley5107]

There are so many series out there that are incomplete that it has eroded my love for them. Looking at you George and Scott. I walked away from fantasy for so long that it almost impossible to get back into it.

[@weregretohio7728]

Yeah it's tough. There are no series I have willingly quit at this point. It's just the commitment that is the problem. Even the classic series I haven't managed to complete quite yet. Problem with me is that I try to mix it up rather than reading an entire series in one go. So I intend to go back to a series, but it can take months or years while I'm off starting new series or reading standalones.

[@ErikGuin]

Absolutely! Ive been feeling the same way. Id rather read a larger standalone than invest into a new series. Totally agree with you.

[@abnushagnasty805]

Time of Contempt actually explodes into action about halfway through. I highly recommend that you give it another chance….if you can. Otherwise I understand why you stopped because it was a bit of a slow burn there in the first half.

[@ducky36F]

I remember when I first read Witcher I thought Blood of Elves was the slow one funnily 😂

[@michaelc1626]

I stopped with the books basically after Geralt reunited with Ciri and Yennifer because after that, it ground to a halt to give you pages and pages and pages of boring political narration that I just couldn't get through

[@abnushagnasty805]

@@michaelc1626 Yeah to be honest, tower of the swallow and lady of the lake were my least favorite books out of the entire series for that very reason. Those two books had a lot of chapters that felt like more of a filler with boring history lessons and conversations about politics. But I still enjoyed the series as a whole because of how good the previous books were (at least to me).

[@mythrium]

Interesting list! I can see why The Witcher series could be a let down, I was also disappointed with The Time of Contempt as I feel we didn't see much of Geralt as it was more focus on Ciri. But still plan to continue it. Also really like your mug and t-shirt they are awesome 🙂

[@dericmederos1514]

my main issue with the english translations is that they feel off. Lots of the magic of the prose in Polish is lost in translations to english so I barely finished book 1

[@mr_yoru5834]

I want to like Kingkiller Chronicles so much because I appreciate what it's going for, but I'm struggling to finish book two because it just feels like not a lot is happening for the amount of text I'm reading. It has a few high points, but the lows are *low*.

[@RICHIEV333]

I felt the same way about Thrawn, I was spending credits on them from audible. The reader Mark Thompson is excellent and I think I made it through the second book, and just stopped listening. I didn't really decide not to listen to the third book, I just did not have the urge to continue... Too bad because the older books (Heir to the Empire... etc) were so good.

[@Sulucion6Tone]

You listed about 8 books i had in cue to start reading soon.. Staring at them on my shelf now.. haha

[@JacksonOwex]

The mug alone deserves a like!!!

[@Alaedious]

I used to love The Narnian Chronicles as a child, but those days have flown!

[@farhad_s]

Two DNFs for me that might shock you are Red Rising (read the first 2), and Memory Sorrow and Thorn. Both are series I'm pretty sure I'll return to though. With Memory Sorrow and Thorn, it was mostly Malazan fatigue where I gave up / delayed a lot of other series to plough through Reaper's Gale, Toll the Hounds and Dust of Dreams. Only heard good things about Crippled God, so can't wait to finish Malazan. Other than those two, Murderbot was an easy DNF, just didn't click for me. Revelation Space was another one I gave up after the first two books.

[@Abunchaponys]

I loved red rising. Haven’t read book 4 yet though.

[@farhad_s]

@@Abunchaponys The feedback on Red Rising is almost entirely positive. Sometimes you read the right book at the wrong time, maybe that's what happened to me. I think I'll just go back and reread the first couple of books before I continue with the series.

[@zacharyfeller4187]

I 100% agree with you about Mistborn era 2 and the broken empire. I didn't think any of the characters worked for me on era 2 and i have 0 desire to go back to it. In terms of era 2, i loved alloy of law (i thought it was charming and funny) but shadows and bands just didn't feel the same.

[@NamasteBbooktube]

Very interesting video. You should try to find alternatives for Demon Cycle, a series with scary demons in them. As many of your viewers are also horror readers they may be interested in spooky fantasy series

[@omaramat4813]

Felt the same with Witcher inTime of Contempt, and to stay ahead of netflix read Baptism of fire, it reinvigorated the series for me. Maybe Malazan will end up in an updated video a couple of years from now.

[@Jeff-fr4ts]

I can read inheritance now because it’s a friendly stroll down memory lane. Now that I’m older I can see the cracks and issues with the series. Into the sea of stars is great though check it out!

[@ducky36F]

I like Poppy War but I was always kinda surprised you did haha. I think the problem with the New Star Wars canon books, including the Thrawn ones, is that it feels like nothing big is allowed to happen in them so they don't confuse people who watch the movies and the shows. You will never get the moments and the character growth you got in EU in them, so it gets a bit like, why am I bothering?

[@ushkdavid]

I read lighbringet series but not sure what you are referring to when That happened?

[@WordsinTime]

I loved Endymion, but I’m not sure I would recommend it for you Mike because the series moves further away from what Hyperion was, and I know you preferred Hyperion to The Fall of Hyperion.

[@alynam82]

I've been grieving for months since you've decided to hang up the Hyperion Cantos hat, but I'm glad it didn't get the official 🪓 chop. Not so much because of how much I, myself, enjoyed it, but because Endymion is a book that I feel that you would enjoy. This is a perfect character book, and to give up would be to never know Aenea, Raul Endymion, A. Bettik, and their experience with Consul' Ship.

[@arte0021]

Endymion was okay but the Rise of Endymion was one of the worst books ive ever read.

[@alynam82]

@@arte0021 I enjoyed Endymion moreso than Rise of, but still had a blast with both. In fact I thought the ending in Rise of Endymion was a bit emotional, and was such a great way to wrap up the series. But even still, it just shows how divisive the series can be for folks. I can see why people wouldn't like it. The futuristic Christianity, for example, can be a bit much

[@arte0021]

@@alynam82 the Christianity wasnt really a problem for me. It was the main characters, Aenea especially . She reminded me a lot of these hippie new age spiritual gurus that i cant stand. Though at least i got some satisfaction when she was horribly killed at the end😂😂.The book just has a very cult- ish feel to it after they arrive on the Buddhist planet. I just hated the main characters so much that i started rooting for the religious bad guys even though im anti religious. Also at the end the whole concept of privacy was basically destroyed since people could read each others thoughts now. Didnt make much sense why thats a good thing. The book actually was good at first but really went downhill after the female robot thing was destroyed. a huge shame considering that the Hyperion duology were actually some of my favorite sci fi.

[@JacksonOwex]

Now I'm worried about Thrawn! I have at least one, but I think two, of the newer books but haven't gotten around to reading them just yet(I don't read enough)! I didn't ever read the originals, but I have read things about Thrawn so I have a general idea of what the books did, so maybe that will help whether of not I enjoy the new books.

[@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy]

Catching this one late, but I'll say that I'm like you in that, while I'm not a book DNFer, I'm a series DNFer, usually after feeling lukewarm about the first book. Not every read or series is going to work for every reader. Cheers, Mike!

[@Mahalleinir]

You should have thrown Malazan in there as a troll

[@skyanaugustus3513]

Good video, man. By the way, I don't think that it would be worth it if you read the rest of the KingKiller Chronicles even if he finishes the series because my God, that second book was a meandering slog and was sheer pain. Apologies, to the fans. Also, while I did like the Poppy War Trilogy overall, the ending to that series left a bitter taste in my mouth so these are some pretty logical and reasonable reasons for not wanting to continue the numerous series.

[@rlee1332]

I made the grievous error of continuing Dune past the Frank Herbert books. I'm may go and do Sandworms of Dune to finish it off at some point...but I sort of doubt it.

[@FreeLatveria]

Oh no. I am about to start Hunters of Dune soon because I want to see this whole thing end. Especially because I didn't even like Frank Herbert's last two books so I am hoping maybe I will like Hunters/Sandworms more than others.

[@RealMadridAbsolutely]

Except for the Star Wars, Inheritance Paolini series, Vampire Chronicles, Millennium Books and Shadow and Bone, I have finished/would finish all the others you mentioned. I hope you reconsider. I am unsure about Shanarra.

[@JolienReads]

Hah Mike, oh no, the first two series you mentioned are BOTH on my shelves and on the schedule for next year 😅 I feel like I will love the first book so at least there's that... I like the Poppy War but I do think that the series goes slowly downhill so if you start disliking it, I think it's best to not continue. I don't like Mistborn Era 2 but I have a complete opposite opinion than you haha, I liked each next book in the series just a liiiiittle bit more than the last one, which is why I will be reading the final book. I think I'll just think it's fine but at this point I want closure.

[@ErikGuin]

Thank god..... i aways felt like i was the only one who not only didnt enjoy name of the wind, but i also dnf'd it. Kvothe is just not interesting to me! Its been awhile Mike. Unfortunately, I had some health issues for a bit, but now I'm finally able to get back into things I enjoy like reading and watchin' Mike's Book Reviews lol!😆 The channel has blown up brother... congratulations!!!

[@itsaduck]

Im so glad im not the only one who felt the same way about the Demon Cycle series! Loved books 1 and 2 and the characters it focused on. Book 3 i had NO INTEREST in the character so it was a proper slog to get through with all the weird creepy sex stuff. Then book for i just stopped after 100 or so pages.

[@TheRodasboss]

I agree with a few of mike's opinions. I also found Lies of Lock Lamora just okay. Alloy of law was my favorite so far of mistborn era 2 but i really like the others and i will finish it Broken Empire is a little tough to read. The brutality of it can be a little much. That dog torture scene still haunts my nightmares

[@walternate2914]

I’ll never finish the King Killer Chronicles, A Song of Ice and Fire, or the Gentleman Bastards-not because I didn’t like them. But because those series will never be finished.

[@lsdeann_3293]

Ahhhhh, I loved the Millennium series. A video on it probably won't get you any views here, but you should read the rest of it anyway!!

[@leowise206]

Thanks for your videos! I am sorry to mention this I am not sure if you are aware of this, but Ms Rice passed away half a year ago.

[@brightyell0wgun]

I felt the same way about Rin in the Poppy War! I listened to the first two books of the series on Audible and I have the third book on there. I'll probably listen to it eventually, but I just had to take a long break from the series. And I've been on the fence about wanting to read The Lies of Locke Lamora, and now I just really don't feel like reading it at all haha maybe one day? Far far in the future?

[@chocolatemonk]

It won't get better the older you get. It is truly bad YA, Lies of Lock that is

[@1DARBY1]

I love the bobiverse the last book wasn't the best but still enjoy it. Maybe because I listened to the audiobook. I've tried to finish the demon cycle twice I love the first 2 books but I can't carry on after book 3 or 4

[@fithfath3615]

Hi Mike, I read Blood Of Elves in the Witcher Series and thought it was the most boring book I'd read in years. A real shame as I had high hopes. Also a bummer as I'd bought the next 2 books in the series at the same time. (I can't ever see me reading them). As a side note I read the Hunger Games trilogy just to see if the books would be better than the films (as is usually the case) and boy was that a big disappointment. Have you ever finished a series of books and wished you hadn't bothered? (Maybe an idea for a video?)

[@civoreb]

Im on book 3 of Lightbringer. If it is as bad as you say for the next 2, I am a little worried. 😬

[@redman0901]

I liked bobverse just for the simple fact that I hadn't seen it done before I like original ideas, even if they're not great, and shit tons of 80's references kind of did it for me, they where just a fun set of books to read. I liked the scott lynch books, I'm not gonna say I was super in love with them, but I liked the concepts behind it, I think his intent in moving around so much was to create a surprise drama at the end, of which he did in all 3 books thus far. I don't always love someone's writting style, but I can enjoy different ideas with books. It's like the magic 2.0 series, not super excited about the series, but it's got somewhat of a unique concept to it, that makes me like it. I can forgive plotholes and odd writing styles in favor of unique ideas.

[@Allods132]

For Mistborn Era 2 Im kinda split. I loved Alloy of Law cause of the interesting villains and new concepts. Shadows of Self was fine but just drawn out. I havent gotten to Bands of Mourning yet cause I put it off due to lacking interest behind other stuff but I still think Ill finish them when Lost Metal is out unless that one absolutely bombs.

[@brianrogers4344]

I agree with many of these, but I'm surprised about Millenium. For me, the books kept getting better and better. Book 1 did feel a bit like a standalone, though. I'll be interested to see if Cradle gets added to this list. I bailed on that pretty early.

[@KcannyTBO]

I have a hard time DNFing things but one that comes to my mind as something that I don't think I'll ever finish is His Dark Materials by Phillip Pullman. I don't know if it's an age thing but I found Lyra to be so annoying I literally haven't been able to get past the 70% mark of The Golden Compass. I really wanted to like the series cause people speak very highly of it but it just didn't click for me. Maybe later on? Who knows haha. I also didn't go past the first book in The Broken Empire, I just really didn't care what happened to anyone in that series so my attention wandered more often than not. It also felt like the first book closed good enough for me so I left it there.

[@phronze1]

I DNF’d the bobiverse too! I was so surprised, because I was expecting to love it. Everyone else seems to love it, but it felt like a student script from film school. Full of references for the sake of references, sarcastic dialogue and for the first time in decades, it made me sick of nerds.

[@alexthiebaut2195]

I too feel cheated, I think a lot of honest people got tricked into reading this toilet paper series thanks to its aggressive marketing.

[@jakehensley1210]

I liked that graphic at the beginning

[@WhatCassRead]

I agree with you on Lightbringer and I have only made it through Book 3.

[@lukelever8794]

Completely agree on the poppy war books. Characters were just unlikeable, I had to force myself to finish it which is not ideal.. I'm just curious and the plot twist in the lightbringer series that let you down

[@laurac56]

So did you remove these books from your collection (other than the ones you said you might go back to)? You need the shelf space!

[@Michael-ee4uz]

Man, I wish I never finished Lightbringer. So much wasted time. Good choice.

[@darrickbowe3238]

so true, i very much disliked the last book. I did think the first two were great though.

[@mandyhuybregts3235]

I did not finish Wheel of Time. I didn't even get too 100 pages i guess hahaa. I did finish the Eragon books. On a later age. I think when i was 25 or so. I was sad i didn't read them earlier. But i do understand you when you say some books are great when you grow up, but they don't grab you later on. I had it with some of my favorite childhood books. And i do feel a bit sad about that :(

[@briteskin]

Only series I can think of off top of my head for sure will likely never finish is The Southern Vampire Mysteries by Charlaine Harris. Like the tv adaption, True Blood. I don't see myself ever finishing them. The Tarl Cabot Saga/The Counter-Earth Chronicles/Books of Gor was something I never thought I could complete but the age of e-books has made it possible. I am finding though actual story is lacking with a old school comic book like approach of seeming to treat every book like it could be someone's first read. The same repeated world building is a constant and understandable with how books were kept in print but when you have just over 200 pages it doesn't allow much else to happen. The e-books always seem to go on sale though and work good as taking a break from other things so maybe will get through the 20 something books I have yet to read. They are popcorn books so if I finish it I finish it.

[@andreamiller3578]

The first few Sookie Stackhouse books were fun. Harris said she always knew how the books would end. But the problem is that she didn't really make it believable for many, many fans. I found the last few books tired and definitely thought the last book was awful. I would have OK with the ending if she had set it up better, but she didn't. She's very dismissive of the wrath that followed that book's release, but they have legit complaints. She's a good mystery writer. I don't know what happened with that fantasy series, but it ended with a whimper for sure.

[@NKopp714]

I'm not going to finish Tamsyn Muir's "Gideon the Ninth" series. The first book was amazing, but the second one used a lot of 2nd person narrative. I just couldn't do it. I've heard from others that as an audiobook it is really good, but I am not into audiobooks at this point. Maybe I'll pick it up later, but it seems really unlikely.

[@outintheuniverse97]

I enjoyed Gideon the ninth so decided to read Harrow the ninth but couldn't get through the first chapter.

[@cinxschannel9937]

Emperor of Thorns was actually the best one of the trilogy for me, with book 2 the least best. I wanted to know what actually happened in that world, can they fix it. I was not disappointed by that, but that was more important than the characters or their likeness.

[@HopeThisIsntSOPARela]

I don't want to pick apart the entire Bobiverse but one aspect of it that I found interesting was the god like power the main character has in relation to the other species. At one point *soft spoiler* he makes a bot that allows himself to appear like the alien species so that he can interact with them as equals.

[@gerardhynes5825]

I put aside "the restaurant at the end of the universe" to watch you. I'm glad i did. I agree on the Bobiverse series, I'm glad I read "bob" but there wasn't enough there to continue. I picked up a copy of "the Heritage of Shannara" for 4e last week but fear it will not be read. I recently finished the Expanse which I read back to back. This was a mistake as the format became annoying and ruined an otherwise good series. Keep up the good work.

[@TheObsessiveBookseller]

Wow quite a few in common. Brett lost me on book 3 as well, although I DNFed pretty early. I loved the idea for that story, but indeed thought it started to focus on everything but the selling point. I put down Lightbringer in the first book and just wasn't feeling it. I meant to get back to that one, but lord, if it only gets worse why bother? I didn't DNF Poppy War, but did not enjoy book 2 at all. 3 was marginally better. My biggest issue was that the protagonist was just passively letting things happen to her. She was not a catalyst for her own destiny. I read Eragon and Eldest twice trying to gear up to continue. Still never have. I forced myself through the final two Shadow and Bones and was so bored I kept skimming. The only thing I've done from Lawrence is Red Sister. I didn't care for the second book and many have told me the last book doesn't answer anything, so I've no plans to continue. I feel like I should read more Terry Brooks because I have the same gorgeous hardcovers you've got on your shelves, but they way you put it is exactly how I feel - it's too young for me now.

[@RichardNellAuthor]

Definitely felt the same way about Gentleman Bastards. Also, phew, ha.

[@RedFuryBooks]

I watched the live stream but forgot to post my comment/question. Did you enjoy Breaking Bad? I ask because I thought of it when you were talking about The Poppy War and saying you have trouble with an unlikeable protagonist. Because I hated Walter White but loved that show. Just curious! And I’m starting Poppy War in a few weeks and you have me a little nervous lol

[@calebrands4912]

You had me a little worried with The Witcher since I love the first video game and people say that 2 and 3 only get better after that, but I still haven't read the source material. I really want to love the books when I finally get around to reading them, but some of the division among the books has me a little worried that I won't like them.

[@AtomixIGN]

I agree with a lot of that. I did finish emperor of thorns and I did like the way it ended. But it was an mnight ending. Quite liked the next two books in the gentleman bastards. Tarantino is definitely what he was going for and I think achieved. The first one is thieves, the second one is pirates and the third one is politics. He's going up the line of Crooks. I think that would make a really good anime. Meanwhile I think Tarantino is the perfect director/producer for the first law. I love to read and I don't care if anything is actually finished. Journey before destination. So I love web serials. Wandering inn. He who fights with monsters. And I don't know what happened to Chaos Seeds - but when it comes back I'll be there.

[@christine2931]

Shannara has 40 books (Read the first 8 so far... own 24). Vampire Chronicles has 13 plus ties into the 3 Mayfair books (own all 16 have only read 3 1/2 so far).

[@locolima279]

Woo! My faves made it thru this round! Also, I bought SW Heir to the Empire the other day. Is that good Thrawn or bad? Also, read Wamphyri & The Source & I will be happy.

[@darthenclave6946]

The novel "Thrawn" was amazing! The other new Thrawn novels werent as good as it however. Kingkiller is amazing! Gentlemen Bastard Sequence is amazing! Red Seas Under Red Skies and Republic of Theieves weren't quite as great as Lies of Locke Lamora, but they were still great. it's a great trilogy even if Scott Lynch doesn't continue the series.

[@coralmonty2330]

I completely agree about Alloy of Law!

[@peculiarchild4295]

Big comment :) SPOILERS ALERT: For the ones I've read: Demon Cycle- I had mostly the same opinion as you. I did finish book 4 but I did not care about anything after that. The pacing annoyed me and I found myself not caring about anyone (except Roger :)) The poppy War- Exactly the same opinion about the protagonist (still a firm believer that she should have chosen strategy if she wanted to earn everyone's respect- but no apparently choosing the course thought by the madman was a better option (i do understand where she is coming from tho)), only read the first book though. I don't know if i am going to pick up the next ones- my favorite character just got killed (Again!!) The lies of Locke Lamora- Fun fact, I am currently reading the third book!- I think i am going against the apparent consensus on the community but I enjoyed the second book immensely- more than the first one! I felt the story was more interesting and the characters more fleshed out than in the first (even though I would probably read a book about Jean and Locke doing absolutely nothing- I love this two!). The third book is going fine. The fact that the author keeps trying to write romantic relationships, when they are definitely not is strong suit takes a little bit of enjoyment to the experience. Inheritance Cycle- Read it something like....6 years ago? 7? It's very much a beginner fantasy saga, even with enormous books. I really liked Eragon, if it helps. I think It suffers from way too many plots and cliches in the same place, and it's not as bad as i've seen people talking about. Shadow and Bone- Tbh I was the target demography for the Shadow and Bone and I found it really dull. Alina is probably one of the most annoying protagonist I've ever read, Mal has as much personality as a piece of bread and the Darkling suffers from something I call Rhysand-syndrome (do not trouble yourself with this reference- it's only worth the read if you are in a mood for nonsense (which I definitely was at the time lol))-bad boys are sexy or something. I agree on Ben Barnes too :) Broken Empire- I enjoyed it. I don't remember anything except the fact that the protagonist was fun but i had a good time with it. Shannara- Same thing as Broken Empire. I remember I liked the concept and Shea as a character. It probably helped that I had never read Tolkien (and still did not to this day- his writing style annoys the living beings out of me) so I never saw both plots as look-alikes. not sure if there's more, but I do think I only read the first three :) The Witcher- I don't have anything to say about this. I'm not sure I read all the books (that's the thing with translations, who knows if there's more books coming out that did not got translated innit?) but I liked what i read. Sure, I was way too confused about the book structure and I'm meh about Geralt but I liked Ciri and Jaskier and the world is too interesting for me to ignore :). KingKiller chronicles- I read it. That's what I remember. And that's never a good signal lol. But I am mostly on the same boat. If he, for some miracle, puts out the next book i will probably read it. If not, I am fine like that. One series that I will probably not continue is Outlander. The plot lost himself way too long ago and it's not gonna be me the person who is gonna find it. Also Dune- It's just me or there's pacing problems there that no one acknowledges? And finally, the Robin Hoob stuff. I liked the original books, the last books were not my cup of tea. And for some reason, the Fool annoyed me more and more as the time went on. Also, I have opinions about the inclusion and storyline of Bee.

[@tylerblack301]

I don’t know if I’ll finish The Dresden Files. I’ve read through Dead Beat and don’t have the desire to continue. I’m keeping all of my copies just in case I get the itch to go back.

[@jennyjustjenny7634]

The Demon Cycle was the same for me. The first book was awesome, the second was still okay.. but the third.. nope. I didn't finish this but still started reading book 4 and it didn't do it so I just gave up on this series. Let me tell you something: I had a lot of series on pause for looong times. I thought I would never finish some series cause one or two books didn't do it.. But with some series I someday felt the urge to reread the first few books I actually enjoyed and then I just read thw whole series. That is what happened with Throne of Glass. I liked the first 4 books, book 5 was awful for me.. I stopped reading the series. I read the first 4 books 4 times by now and actually will finish the series very soon, only a few pages left. I enjoyed the rest of the series. If it's a book right in the middle I can often push trough, if it's multiple bad books in a row or the second one was really really bad and there's only a third... no I won't finish this. The Witcher is a great series! I needed a long time to read the whole thing. After book two of the main saga I was feeling a little meh and didn't read the series for almost two years.. But I finished it and man, this really is a great series. I enjoy Geralt as a character soo much, but my favorite is the bard whose English name still won't stay in my head. 😅

[@josephhirning2642]

Right now, I'm working on The Dark Tower. So far so good. I've had yet to finish Red Rising, and not really excited about that. I DNF'd the Wheel of Time.

[@cmmosher8035]

I dnfd the Wheel of Time back when they were releasing i recently tried rereading the series and i don't thing i am going to get past book four. At this point i am okay with that.

[@jimave]

I DNF red rising either.

[@loganator00]

Halfway through Lightbringer book 1 right now, and while I'm enjoying it, I think I have other books on my shelf I'd rather read than continue at this time. I have absolutely ZERO desire to continue with the Dune series after reading book 1. Mistborn Era 2 was (to me) a fun ride and I'm looking forward to book 7. But I also tend to love anything Sanderson puts out.

[@cmmosher8035]

I am in my early 40s and i know lifes too short to force myself to finish something i am nir grooving with. On the other hand i will give authors a second chance if they come out with another series ie not a fan of Malice but i am really enjoying Shadow of the Gods.

[@j.s.173]

The ending of the Hyperion series is one of the best moments in sci-fi I have ever read.

[@Alienapoc]

I re-read this series every 4-5 years. It's absolutely the reason I got into books.

[@owned008]

Well you know something's wrong when you're rooting against the protagonist haha; really honest review thank you!

[@theskyisteal8346]

As someone who grew up reading a lot of YA fiction, I have suffered through a *lot* of god-awful books just to finish a series. But if we're talking series I might not finish it's probably Redwall. I love Redwall so, so much and I got so far but now I don't remember which book I was on. It's not that I have a problem with them being formulaic but I just don't want to have to reread three books just to be sure I finished the series.

[@dfrntlvltc5095]

Love Redwall, I read around 15 books with my son before we stopped. Eulalia!!!!

[@B.LEE.DbrianleedurfeeREVIEWS]

But you have all those awesome Shannara omnibus books behind you. What will you do with them??

[@robertegblack]

curious what vampire chronicles book lost you. the first three, obviously, are awesome. i really enjoyed tale of the body thief and parts of memnoch the devil, and then the actual plot ending of that one felt like something you don't continue after. so, it made sense that when she wrote more vampire books--i think the next ones were armand and pandora--they were set in the past, and i couldn't even be bothered to start them.

[@mikesbookreviews]

The Vampire Armand.