Great books that disappointed you

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Well, you have to look at things in perspective. Both LotR and Dune were fairly impressive at the time they were written (in terms of quality, if not necessarily the ideas). Now, if somebody grew up with modern fantasy/sci-fi, I can understand them not seeing so much in these books (ditto for the Jane Austen novels).

The amount of hype one hears probably matters, too. Is much easier to be disappointed if you start a book with great expectations.

Myself, I think both LotR and Dune are great. Hitchhiker's I did not like.

 

Eddings gets boring, indeed. I liked the Elenium at first, because of the darker atmosphere. The Crystal Rose was a letdown (A blue magic stone? Again?), and the Tamuli are just ridiculous.

Two of his books, I like to re-read, though: 'The Redemption of Althalus', which has nothing to do with the previous series, and 'Belgarath the Sorcerer', because it is the most witty book Eddings ever wrote.

 

I can't believe that anyone could say they were disappointed by The Lord of the Rings. That is still the greatest book ever written (in my ever so humble opinion).

What about Wuthering Heights? There's a supposedly great book that I could not make any sense of (but maybe that's my limitation and not the book's).

 

I'm not sure about Wuthering Heights. Is it anything like Withering Heights? In either case, I haven't read it.
You didn't like it because you couldn't understand it? Where have I heard that before and got lambasted for saying it *COUGH* Erikson! *COUGH* .

 

Ah, touche, Barmy. Nice one. That is why I commented that the limitation was probably my intellect rather than the book, which may well actually be brilliant.

But I would also add that I don't understand half of what Erikson writes either.

 

Moby Dick: The complete and unabridged version was perhaps the most boring book I've ever laid my eyes on. Even now whenever I try to reread it I am amazed that I managed to get as far as the cows that gave fish tasting milk.

Silmarillion: I think I got to the world/earth being created or something. By then I was so bored to tears that I've never gone back.

Dune: By the time the lead's sister got into the act the series already looked irredeamable. Once his kids came into the picture I threw the book away.

 

The Silmarillion rules, but Moby Dick looks far too daunting for me to ever attempt it. Sorry, Falstaff.

 

I liked Wuthering Heights. Did I grasp the deeper meaning? How I am supposed to know ! But I definitely liked it, who can not fall in love with Cathy. Besides as I bought Wuthering Heights, there were several editions on the shelf and I took the one who's cover pleased my aesthetic sense the most. Which was great, because I dropped the book accidently on the train and it's cover woke the interest of the girl that was so nice to pick it up. From there to the actual book and it's content and she got the chance to realize that I actually am the sensitive and romantic person that, funnily enough, a cursory superficial glance wouldn't reveal me to be. Lucky me, even luckier her.

Wuthering Heights is a ****ing great book!

 

I really disliked the LoTR series... so unbelievably boring. You don't need pages upon pages describing a person's nose. Just tell the story...

I dropped it halfway through Two Towers, because I couldn't take it anymore.

 

I think you must have been reading some sort of fake pirated edition of The Lord of the Rings because I don't remember that part at all.

 

hobbit was slow at the start but it got good towards the end, Ian Irvine, A Tale of the three worlds draggs and the plot gose around in circles.

 

was it just me or did anyone else find Stephen Donaldson's covenant books underwhelming to the point of tedium?

or how about War and Peace? - or anything by Tolstoy for that matter...

 

I like Tolstoi, Dostroijevski on the otherhand I don't get at all. Other dissapointments, Terry Brooks, Terry Pratchet, Stephen Donaldson. Love the Hitchiker tough, it's hillarious.

 

Funnily enough, I've never read a book or series of books that dissapointed me. Although these days I stay out of Harry Potter on principle.
Although I did read about a page of Catcher in the Rye before I put it bak on the shelf, never to so much as look at it again.

 

Hmmm...I seem to disagree with everyone in here except regarding Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy.

I adore Lord of the Rings, all of Jane Austen, The Bronte sisters, and love Catcher in the Rye.

And the Sillmarillion isn't really literature. It's a collection of Tolkiens many 'myths' forming Middle Earth that together were published posthumously. It's not a novel.
Oh, and I love the Harry Potter books- how unique of me.

I should read Dune eventually, when I finish a few other books.

 

The Mabinogion.
Ancient welsh tales of legend & myth, supposedly relating to King Arthur. Alas, they didn't know how to tell a tale in those days, and the stories tend to be long lists of quests or names. (A begat B, begat C, begat D) - stretching to 4 or 5 pages.
I guess this is what bards were actually about, keeping lists so rich people could brag about them.

 

I have to echo BTA, "Stranger in a strange land". I loathe that book. I generally finish every book that I start. I tried. I really tried. It was painful. Two thirds of the way through I couldn't take it any more. Only my respect for books has kept me from throwing it in the garbage.