Matt's fantasy book review recommended your channel and I really enjoy your perspective! I think it would be interesting to see a collab between you two. Maybe about Malazan...
Thanks for stopping by! Matt’s and my reading tastes align so much it’s almost uncanny, and I’ve been loving his channel-a collab would be great! I’m pretty new to booktube and haven’t dipped into collabs yet, but I definitely want to!
@@dinocollins720 that would be a great number too (also a huge fan of nice even numbers) -- I'll need to work in plenty of novellas and urban fantasies alongside the big boys to get there, but it's doable I think
I mean, I didn't hate Skullsworn as much as you did, but I also totally agree with everything you said. Your visceral hatred amuses me to no end, hope it was cathartic to get all that off your chest hahahah. Cradle was also one of my disappointments of the year and I haven't continued on after book 5, but I haven't officially given up on the series yet. Hearing you say that it gets better after book 6 does kinda rekindle my interest in it again, I might just reread the whole thing when the final book is finally released and to a good ol' binge read. And Sullivan is one of my favourite authors, so this pains my heart hahahah. Fair enough though, I can definitely see where you are coming from with your critiques. LotFE and Riyria Revelations are some of my all-time faves and I am dying to get to The Rise and Fall, his stories are just pure comfort to me. Great video, loved hearing your thoughts on all of these 🤪
When I'm looking for more of a comfort series read I think I'll still turn to LotFE -- I did love RR dearly and don't often come across anything else with that same comforting-yet-high-stakes feel, which I kind of miss. I'm actually glad you didn't dislike Skullsworn as much as I did -- it's just so unpleasant when you're reading something for hours on end and it's providing no enrichment to your life. And it was cathartic to vent about it for sure, so thanks for indulging me and enjoying it. And yeah, if you made it through Cradle bk 5 and still have some little urge to continue on, you should at least give bk 6 a try (I would totally advise against rereading the first 5 though if you can get away with just finding summaries of the previous ones) -- I don't know if Wight improved somehow or the specific plot of bk 6 is what did it, but we finally get real character development for the first time and it made all the difference in the world for me. The books also get bigger, and I feel like he started providing more description and context for things, and just generally slowed the whole storytelling down from the crazy pace it was at before with a lot of sound and fury that signified nothing. Bks 6-10 almost felt like a different series to me with how different my experience was from the first 5.
@@BooksWithBenghisKahn I highly recommend The Beast Hunters by Christer Lende for those same RR vibes!! And interesting to hear your experience with Cradle. I feel like I will have to do a reread anyway though, because I barely remember anything from book 2-5 due to feeling so apathetic about the story. You are giving me high hopes for the later books, so thanks for sharing all that!!
@@esmayrosalyne ooo thanks for the rec on something I've never heard about before! And at least those first bunch of Cradle books are super short to get through
A few of these on my TBR for 2023 so that's a bit worrying, hahah! Particularly Esslemont's Malazan books. Came here from Matt's recent First Binding review.
Sorry about that! I wouldn't worry about the Esslemont books though, as they all get wildly different reactions from every Malazan fan, and I do think that even the ones that didn't work for me have some good aspects or powerful writing in certain ways that just didn't connect for one reason or another. Thanks for stopping by!
Thanks! So far I’ve liked 5 out of 6 Expanse books, so not a bad hit rate at all even if one kind of misfired. And Cradle is such a wacky series-you may quickly bounce off of it hard, or fall in love with it, or like me kind of just be confused for a while until halfway through the series I found myself enjoying things.
I love your hatred for Skullsworn, obviously I totally agree. Sorry to hear about Novels of Malazan and Riyria Chronicles, hopefully I have a better experience when I eventually get to them 😂
it might help to have lower expectations than I did going into those, too. Also, not to beat a dead horse here, but also to beat a dead horse here: the whole reason for the book existing, the death cult trial, MAKES NO FREAKIN SENSE!!!
Very enjoyable video Ben ! I also preordered Lost Binding and didn’t like it. How would you suggest people read Gemmel if publication order isn’t the best way ? Do you suggest people new to Cornwell read his earlier work before Warlord chronicles?
Thanks! That's the risk we run by being the first readers for a new book/author pre-ordering a new book like the First Binding, and I'm ok if that doesn't work out occasionally. It's fun to try something that doesn't have a reputation yet and to support a new author. You can definitely definitely start Cornwell with the Warlord Chronicles! It's an incredible trilogy that's disconnected from everything else he wrote, and from right in the middle of his writing career when he was on an unbelievable roll of quality. His earlier stuff is mostly Sharpe, and Sharpe's reading order must be chronological anyway, which means you'd start with Sharpe's Tiger that got published after Warlord. I haven't tried the Starbuck, Grail Quest, or Last Kingdom series yet, but the first two don't get a lot of love and are probably best left for last. Having only read 2 Gemmell books, it's tough for me to say where the ideal place would be. He has so many standalones and a bunch of series/sub-series, I would just look for ones that seem most interesting. If you do read Drenai, I would either start with Legend and then go to the Druss prequels (like Gemmall actually intended when his real second novel was a Druss prequel that the publisher shot down), or read it chronologically.
I'm happy I didn't join that Unhewn Throne readalong, what a disaster that ended up becoming lol My most disappointing books are; *Fantasy* Farseer 3: Assassin's Quest - A book so sloggy I thought I was reading a WoT book. Stormlight Archive 3: Oathbringer - Considering I DNFd it I guess it counts as a disappointment. The Black Company - Glen Cook - I just didn't care for the short story approach. *Historical-Fiction* Grail Quest 3: Heretic - I liked Book 1 fine enough. Book 2 I mostly liked but some stuff irked me and I was pissed off by Book 3. Hell will freeze over before I read the 4th book. *Horror* The Call of Cthulhu - HP Lovecraft - Honestly I could've put any of the 3 Lovecraft stories i read on this but given how hyped and revered this one is, it was also the most disappointing. I was underwhelmed throughout and not scared once. *Sci-Fi* Starship Troopers - Robert A Heinlein - The films better.
Yikes I think I’m going to steer clear of the Grail Quest books so my experiences with Cornwell remain mostly fond. I also loved the over the top satire feel of the Starship Troopers film, so I may have the same reaction as you I think if I ever read the book which I do have a copy of. I also thought Assassin’s Quest was a bit of a slog with a strange end as well-I’m hoping Liveship Traders and the other Fitz books don’t have the same kind of feel. Sorry to hear about Black Company, and I also don’t love the idea of a short story collection sewn together like with the first Foundation book, so I’ll probably give it at least 2 books to get the feel of the true novels. Also I haven’t tried any Lovecraft and you’re not making me wanna start. You made a very good life decision avoiding Unhewnn Throne!!
Interesting picks there @The Rogue, some of them quite controversial which tell me that you're not afraid to let a bandwagon pass and judge honestly. Do you have a goodreads account where you rate and review your books? I'd like to check them out and compare with mine.
Yeah I will probably never read a Staveley book after everything I heard from Allen's read a long. Listening to you describe Skullsworn is hilarious though. 😂 The only book on this list I've read is Soulsmith. It was so mid I still haven't read Blackflame yet and it's been like six months, but I will continue eventually. Encouraging to hear that Blackflame was a step up for you. I haven't read those early Gemmell books, but I would be shocked if you didn't love Troy. My 10 Most Disappointing Books: - The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires by Grady Hendrix (I hate this book with the fiery passion of a thousand suns, I hate this book the way you hate Skullsworn, worst book I have ever read in my life 💩) - Godblind by Anna Stephens - Dark Matter by Blake Crouch - Tricked by Kevin Hearne - Starsight by Brandon Sanderson - The Girl Who Could Move Shit With Her Mind by Jackson Ford - Sojourn by R.A. Salvatore - Blood Song by Anthony Ryan - The Fortress of the Pearl by Michael Moorcock - Way of the Wolf by E.E. Knight
Been meaning to read Godblind for awhile now, what about it didn't work for you? I've barely touched any Grimdark since finishing R Scott Bakker's Second Apocalypse
Glad I could entertain! Oooof a bunch of your list is on my tbr, but some aren’t like anything by Anthony Ryan and they’ll stay that way. I thought that title by Jackson Ford was a joke until I googled it 😅
@@thatsci-firogueBasically not a single thing about it worked for me, but I also happened to pick it up at a time when I was completely sick of medieval grimdark fantasy (still am) and IMO Godblind was all the cliches I was tired of and had read 100 times, just written worse than average. I'll just copy and paste my Goodreads review, it is a bit salty: I'm so over low magic grimdark fantasy set in fake medieval Europe. I'm done with it. I'm taking an extended break from this genre. I don't see myself reading another one of these for at least a year. This book is probably good if that's what you're looking for, but I had already been feeling fatigue for this genre and this was the straw that broke the camel's back. Also, it has way too many POVs than is necessary, and the chapters are way too short. At first, I thought it was interesting that the author would have so many POVs and give them each such short chapters. Like, okay, that could possibly be an interesting artistic choice, but there's no actual reason for it and it quickly becomes ridiculous and obnoxious that you're introducing a 9th POV in a book that is less than 400 pages and giving each of them chapters that are only 2 - 4 pages long on average. That is not enough time to give a shit about anyone or anything going on. At least not for me. The most irritating thing for me about this book, though, is the boring, generic, cookie-cutter setting. I just couldn't care less. The characters (who are uninteresting and lack depth) are just doing basic medieval fantasy things like traveling through some woods, getting in sword fights that aren't engaging or well written, eating at Inns and hitting on bar maids, conspiring and backstabbing but not enough time is given to the machinations to care, soldiers doing military things in camps and playing cards in their free time. It's all just so fucking basic, uninspired, and lame! It's been 10 months since I read it and true to my word I still have zero interest in 14th century European grimdark books. lol. However, if those tropes are what you're all about right now then there is a possibility you could like it.
@@BooksWithBenghisKahn The funny title is what got me to pick it up, along with the premise, because I mean come on that just sounds really fun. But it is all a lie, all a marketing strategy designed to trick people into buying it. What the book should actually be called is The Girl Who Could Kind of Move Shit With Her Mind but Only Does So Occasionally. 🤬😂
@@coleton7048 eeeeek that sounds like an awful bait and switch. Also your Godblind review really doesn't make me wanna pick it up (which is good, cuz I have literally 500 other books I already own that I need to get to)
I didn't do as much reading as I was hoping to this year but I read the entire Binti series by Nnedi Okorafor and was massively underwhelmed. After it had been blurbed by Ursula K. Le Guin of all people I thought I was going to be reading a masterpiece but it was... just so bland.
eek that's never good to go in with huge expectations and be served a big nothing-burger of an experience. I try to ignore blurbs as much as I can, though if it comes from a respected author it can be tough
Here's my disappointing books of 2022 1. Rhythm of war by Brandon Sanderson 2. The war of two queens by Jennifer l armentrout 3. Toll the hounds 4. Reaper's gale 5. The regulators by Stephen king 6. Cell by Stephen king 7. From a Buick 8 by Stephen king 8. The bone orchard 9. Husband material by alexis hall
Had you been really enjoying Malazan up until Reaper's Gale? I was really loving the series, with the Bonehunters being my favorite I think, but then something changed with Reaper's Gale where I started to not be engaged by a few of the storylines (some of them felt repetitive especially around the different Letheri factions). Then I was bored by most of Toll the Hounds, which is by far my least favorite Erikson book. Luckily I got back into the swing of things with Dust of Dreams which i did really enjoy.
@@BooksWithBenghisKahn I stopped enjoying the series after the bonehunters reading reaper's gale and toll the hounds was like a slog for me so I have decided to not continue with the series
hah yeah that's pretty wild -- are you planning to hit any of these books/series at some point soon? I imagine the Expanse and the Malazan Empire are on the tbr? I'll be very interested to see how ICE's books go with you. I would highly advise avoiding the other ones on here for your reading tastes specifically, but if you are so inclined, it never hurts to try something out for yourself and see what you might like....
99 books?! Please tell me you are about to finish at least one more. The Skullsworn commentary was hilarious. I'll stay away from that one for sure. Is it worth reading the Expanse books for someone who has watched the TV series?
Heehee yeah I am definitely going to knock out at least one more book, though I fear it might be two and that would be a shame to miss out on such a nice round hundred. Glad you enjoyed the Skullsworn rant, and I would definitely say the Expanse books are worth it. I think I had a better time with books 1 and 2 than with seasons 1 and 2 (3 goes to the show though). Book 4 I enjoyed more than season 4, and I’ve now gone further with the books and am finding little desire to watch the last 2 seasons of the show. The biggest reason I think to go for the books though is the ending trilogy that the show doesn’t cover.
@@BooksWithBenghisKahn Thanks. I was wondering if I should continue watching the TV show or I should try the books. I thought season 3 was great but I felt season 4 lost a lot of momentum. It sounds like I'll need to give the books a try.
@@MeanBiscuit totally agree season 4 lost momentum-that’s where I stopped watching, somewhere in the middle. Bk 4 has an interesting mix of POVs which kept me more engaged with the overall story than the show managed.
Matt's fantasy book review recommended your channel and I really enjoy your perspective! I think it would be interesting to see a collab between you two. Maybe about Malazan...
Thanks for stopping by! Matt’s and my reading tastes align so much it’s almost uncanny, and I’ve been loving his channel-a collab would be great! I’m pretty new to booktube and haven’t dipped into collabs yet, but I definitely want to!
Amazing year that's a ton of books!!! My OCD says you should have read one more though to get an even 100 haha 😂
I agree and I did get to 100 after completing Expanse bk 6 a couple days ago! Finishing the year at 100 books is just so satisfying
@@BooksWithBenghisKahn That's so epic!!! I love it! Next year 104? 2 books a week? 52 x 2??? Kind of a nice even number haha 😂
@@dinocollins720 that would be a great number too (also a huge fan of nice even numbers) -- I'll need to work in plenty of novellas and urban fantasies alongside the big boys to get there, but it's doable I think
I mean, I didn't hate Skullsworn as much as you did, but I also totally agree with everything you said. Your visceral hatred amuses me to no end, hope it was cathartic to get all that off your chest hahahah.
Cradle was also one of my disappointments of the year and I haven't continued on after book 5, but I haven't officially given up on the series yet. Hearing you say that it gets better after book 6 does kinda rekindle my interest in it again, I might just reread the whole thing when the final book is finally released and to a good ol' binge read.
And Sullivan is one of my favourite authors, so this pains my heart hahahah. Fair enough though, I can definitely see where you are coming from with your critiques. LotFE and Riyria Revelations are some of my all-time faves and I am dying to get to The Rise and Fall, his stories are just pure comfort to me.
Great video, loved hearing your thoughts on all of these 🤪
When I'm looking for more of a comfort series read I think I'll still turn to LotFE -- I did love RR dearly and don't often come across anything else with that same comforting-yet-high-stakes feel, which I kind of miss.
I'm actually glad you didn't dislike Skullsworn as much as I did -- it's just so unpleasant when you're reading something for hours on end and it's providing no enrichment to your life. And it was cathartic to vent about it for sure, so thanks for indulging me and enjoying it.
And yeah, if you made it through Cradle bk 5 and still have some little urge to continue on, you should at least give bk 6 a try (I would totally advise against rereading the first 5 though if you can get away with just finding summaries of the previous ones) -- I don't know if Wight improved somehow or the specific plot of bk 6 is what did it, but we finally get real character development for the first time and it made all the difference in the world for me. The books also get bigger, and I feel like he started providing more description and context for things, and just generally slowed the whole storytelling down from the crazy pace it was at before with a lot of sound and fury that signified nothing. Bks 6-10 almost felt like a different series to me with how different my experience was from the first 5.
@@BooksWithBenghisKahn I highly recommend The Beast Hunters by Christer Lende for those same RR vibes!!
And interesting to hear your experience with Cradle. I feel like I will have to do a reread anyway though, because I barely remember anything from book 2-5 due to feeling so apathetic about the story. You are giving me high hopes for the later books, so thanks for sharing all that!!
@@esmayrosalyne ooo thanks for the rec on something I've never heard about before! And at least those first bunch of Cradle books are super short to get through
A few of these on my TBR for 2023 so that's a bit worrying, hahah! Particularly Esslemont's Malazan books. Came here from Matt's recent First Binding review.
Sorry about that! I wouldn't worry about the Esslemont books though, as they all get wildly different reactions from every Malazan fan, and I do think that even the ones that didn't work for me have some good aspects or powerful writing in certain ways that just didn't connect for one reason or another. Thanks for stopping by!
Great video Ben! Too bad you didn’t enjoy Abaddon’s Gate. I haven’t gotten there yet. Thanks for your thoughts on Cradle. I hope it works for me lol.
Thanks! So far I’ve liked 5 out of 6 Expanse books, so not a bad hit rate at all even if one kind of misfired. And Cradle is such a wacky series-you may quickly bounce off of it hard, or fall in love with it, or like me kind of just be confused for a while until halfway through the series I found myself enjoying things.
I love your hatred for Skullsworn, obviously I totally agree. Sorry to hear about Novels of Malazan and Riyria Chronicles, hopefully I have a better experience when I eventually get to them 😂
it might help to have lower expectations than I did going into those, too.
Also, not to beat a dead horse here, but also to beat a dead horse here: the whole reason for the book existing, the death cult trial, MAKES NO FREAKIN SENSE!!!
Very enjoyable video Ben ! I also preordered Lost Binding and didn’t like it. How would you suggest people read Gemmel if publication order isn’t the best way ? Do you suggest people new to Cornwell read his earlier work before Warlord chronicles?
Thanks! That's the risk we run by being the first readers for a new book/author pre-ordering a new book like the First Binding, and I'm ok if that doesn't work out occasionally. It's fun to try something that doesn't have a reputation yet and to support a new author.
You can definitely definitely start Cornwell with the Warlord Chronicles! It's an incredible trilogy that's disconnected from everything else he wrote, and from right in the middle of his writing career when he was on an unbelievable roll of quality. His earlier stuff is mostly Sharpe, and Sharpe's reading order must be chronological anyway, which means you'd start with Sharpe's Tiger that got published after Warlord. I haven't tried the Starbuck, Grail Quest, or Last Kingdom series yet, but the first two don't get a lot of love and are probably best left for last.
Having only read 2 Gemmell books, it's tough for me to say where the ideal place would be. He has so many standalones and a bunch of series/sub-series, I would just look for ones that seem most interesting. If you do read Drenai, I would either start with Legend and then go to the Druss prequels (like Gemmall actually intended when his real second novel was a Druss prequel that the publisher shot down), or read it chronologically.
@@BooksWithBenghisKahn Thanks so much for the in-depth reply Ben ! Happy holidays to you and all your loved ones 🎄
@@k2u364 thanks and happy holidays to you as well!!
Super helpful to know how - and how not! - to spend our reading time. Thanks, Ben!
Glad to be of service!!
Love the irony here of 'Purple Prose' 🙂
Hah thanks! That excerpt from Skullsworn is just so bad, but the whole book is like that and it’s so awful
Three paragraphs about a GRAPE! No. Just no. LOL! Message received on that. Thanks!
hah glad to be of service!
I'm happy I didn't join that Unhewn Throne readalong, what a disaster that ended up becoming lol
My most disappointing books are;
*Fantasy*
Farseer 3: Assassin's Quest
- A book so sloggy I thought I was reading a WoT book.
Stormlight Archive 3: Oathbringer
- Considering I DNFd it I guess it counts as a disappointment.
The Black Company - Glen Cook
- I just didn't care for the short story approach.
*Historical-Fiction*
Grail Quest 3: Heretic
- I liked Book 1 fine enough. Book 2 I mostly liked but some stuff irked me and I was pissed off by Book 3. Hell will freeze over before I read the 4th book.
*Horror*
The Call of Cthulhu - HP Lovecraft
- Honestly I could've put any of the 3 Lovecraft stories i read on this but given how hyped and revered this one is, it was also the most disappointing. I was underwhelmed throughout and not scared once.
*Sci-Fi*
Starship Troopers - Robert A Heinlein
- The films better.
Yikes I think I’m going to steer clear of the Grail Quest books so my experiences with Cornwell remain mostly fond. I also loved the over the top satire feel of the Starship Troopers film, so I may have the same reaction as you I think if I ever read the book which I do have a copy of.
I also thought Assassin’s Quest was a bit of a slog with a strange end as well-I’m hoping Liveship Traders and the other Fitz books don’t have the same kind of feel. Sorry to hear about Black Company, and I also don’t love the idea of a short story collection sewn together like with the first Foundation book, so I’ll probably give it at least 2 books to get the feel of the true novels.
Also I haven’t tried any Lovecraft and you’re not making me wanna start.
You made a very good life decision avoiding Unhewnn Throne!!
Interesting picks there @The Rogue, some of them quite controversial which tell me that you're not afraid to let a bandwagon pass and judge honestly. Do you have a goodreads account where you rate and review your books? I'd like to check them out and compare with mine.
Yeah I will probably never read a Staveley book after everything I heard from Allen's read a long. Listening to you describe Skullsworn is hilarious though. 😂
The only book on this list I've read is Soulsmith. It was so mid I still haven't read Blackflame yet and it's been like six months, but I will continue eventually. Encouraging to hear that Blackflame was a step up for you.
I haven't read those early Gemmell books, but I would be shocked if you didn't love Troy.
My 10 Most Disappointing Books:
- The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires by Grady Hendrix (I hate this book with the fiery passion of a thousand suns, I hate this book the way you hate Skullsworn, worst book I have ever read in my life 💩)
- Godblind by Anna Stephens
- Dark Matter by Blake Crouch
- Tricked by Kevin Hearne
- Starsight by Brandon Sanderson
- The Girl Who Could Move Shit With Her Mind by Jackson Ford
- Sojourn by R.A. Salvatore
- Blood Song by Anthony Ryan
- The Fortress of the Pearl by Michael Moorcock
- Way of the Wolf by E.E. Knight
Been meaning to read Godblind for awhile now, what about it didn't work for you?
I've barely touched any Grimdark since finishing R Scott Bakker's Second Apocalypse
Glad I could entertain! Oooof a bunch of your list is on my tbr, but some aren’t like anything by Anthony Ryan and they’ll stay that way. I thought that title by Jackson Ford was a joke until I googled it 😅
@@thatsci-firogueBasically not a single thing about it worked for me, but I also happened to pick it up at a time when I was completely sick of medieval grimdark fantasy (still am) and IMO Godblind was all the cliches I was tired of and had read 100 times, just written worse than average. I'll just copy and paste my Goodreads review, it is a bit salty: I'm so over low magic grimdark fantasy set in fake medieval Europe. I'm done with it. I'm taking an extended break from this genre. I don't see myself reading another one of these for at least a year.
This book is probably good if that's what you're looking for, but I had already been feeling fatigue for this genre and this was the straw that broke the camel's back. Also, it has way too many POVs than is necessary, and the chapters are way too short.
At first, I thought it was interesting that the author would have so many POVs and give them each such short chapters. Like, okay, that could possibly be an interesting artistic choice, but there's no actual reason for it and it quickly becomes ridiculous and obnoxious that you're introducing a 9th POV in a book that is less than 400 pages and giving each of them chapters that are only 2 - 4 pages long on average. That is not enough time to give a shit about anyone or anything going on. At least not for me.
The most irritating thing for me about this book, though, is the boring, generic, cookie-cutter setting. I just couldn't care less. The characters (who are uninteresting and lack depth) are just doing basic medieval fantasy things like traveling through some woods, getting in sword fights that aren't engaging or well written, eating at Inns and hitting on bar maids, conspiring and backstabbing but not enough time is given to the machinations to care, soldiers doing military things in camps and playing cards in their free time.
It's all just so fucking basic, uninspired, and lame!
It's been 10 months since I read it and true to my word I still have zero interest in 14th century European grimdark books. lol. However, if those tropes are what you're all about right now then there is a possibility you could like it.
@@BooksWithBenghisKahn The funny title is what got me to pick it up, along with the premise, because I mean come on that just sounds really fun. But it is all a lie, all a marketing strategy designed to trick people into buying it. What the book should actually be called is The Girl Who Could Kind of Move Shit With Her Mind but Only Does So Occasionally. 🤬😂
@@coleton7048 eeeeek that sounds like an awful bait and switch. Also your Godblind review really doesn't make me wanna pick it up (which is good, cuz I have literally 500 other books I already own that I need to get to)
I didn't do as much reading as I was hoping to this year but I read the entire Binti series by Nnedi Okorafor and was massively underwhelmed. After it had been blurbed by Ursula K. Le Guin of all people I thought I was going to be reading a masterpiece but it was... just so bland.
eek that's never good to go in with huge expectations and be served a big nothing-burger of an experience. I try to ignore blurbs as much as I can, though if it comes from a respected author it can be tough
Here's my disappointing books of 2022 1. Rhythm of war by Brandon Sanderson
2. The war of two queens by Jennifer l armentrout
3. Toll the hounds
4. Reaper's gale
5. The regulators by Stephen king
6. Cell by Stephen king
7. From a Buick 8 by Stephen king
8. The bone orchard
9. Husband material by alexis hall
Had you been really enjoying Malazan up until Reaper's Gale? I was really loving the series, with the Bonehunters being my favorite I think, but then something changed with Reaper's Gale where I started to not be engaged by a few of the storylines (some of them felt repetitive especially around the different Letheri factions). Then I was bored by most of Toll the Hounds, which is by far my least favorite Erikson book. Luckily I got back into the swing of things with Dust of Dreams which i did really enjoy.
@@BooksWithBenghisKahn I stopped enjoying the series after the bonehunters reading reaper's gale and toll the hounds was like a slog for me so I have decided to not continue with the series
@@angelaholmes8888 yeah that's probably a good choice given how big the last 2 books are if you just weren't feeling it any more.
Somehow despite being in the same circle, you managed to have a top 10 least favorite list that does not contain a single book I have read
hah yeah that's pretty wild -- are you planning to hit any of these books/series at some point soon? I imagine the Expanse and the Malazan Empire are on the tbr? I'll be very interested to see how ICE's books go with you. I would highly advise avoiding the other ones on here for your reading tastes specifically, but if you are so inclined, it never hurts to try something out for yourself and see what you might like....
@@BooksWithBenghisKahn I'm also going to try Cradle at some point in the distant future. Ryria(how do you spell this damn series) as well.
@@jakebishop7822 oh wow I’ll be very intrigued to see how both of those go with you!
99 books?! Please tell me you are about to finish at least one more.
The Skullsworn commentary was hilarious. I'll stay away from that one for sure.
Is it worth reading the Expanse books for someone who has watched the TV series?
Heehee yeah I am definitely going to knock out at least one more book, though I fear it might be two and that would be a shame to miss out on such a nice round hundred.
Glad you enjoyed the Skullsworn rant, and I would definitely say the Expanse books are worth it. I think I had a better time with books 1 and 2 than with seasons 1 and 2 (3 goes to the show though). Book 4 I enjoyed more than season 4, and I’ve now gone further with the books and am finding little desire to watch the last 2 seasons of the show. The biggest reason I think to go for the books though is the ending trilogy that the show doesn’t cover.
@@BooksWithBenghisKahn Thanks. I was wondering if I should continue watching the TV show or I should try the books. I thought season 3 was great but I felt season 4 lost a lot of momentum. It sounds like I'll need to give the books a try.
@@MeanBiscuit totally agree season 4 lost momentum-that’s where I stopped watching, somewhere in the middle. Bk 4 has an interesting mix of POVs which kept me more engaged with the overall story than the show managed.