My Top 10 Most Controversial Fantasy Book Opinions
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- Опубліковано 28 чер 2024
- This is a list of my top 10 most controversial fantasy (and a bit of Sci-Fi) book opinions. Frequently when I make claims on my channel I get a whole host of people commenting telling me I am wrong, and this video is highlighting the most hot button of those takes!
𝐒𝐨𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐋𝐢𝐧𝐤𝐬:
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Twitter: / mattbookreviews
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00:00 | Intro
00:34 | #1
04:24 | #2
09:32 | #3
12:52 | #4
16:54 | #5
19:39 | #6
24:44 | #7
28:01 | #8
31:47 | #9
35:25 | #10
#fantasybooks #bookreview #bestbooks #fantasybooks #booktube #booktuber #books #bookstagram #bookworm #booklover #booknerd #bookish #book #reading #read #booktubers - Розваги
Even tough I don't agree with many of theese statements I do love to see people being able to state their own ideas and opinions and discuss in a respectful way
Thank you Matheus!
My jaw literally dropped when I heard your LotR opinion. I've been saying the exact same thing about the LotR (I think it's so overrated and I enjoy the movies so much more) but whenever I say that most people think I'm a psychopath or something it's nice to know somebody has the same opinion as me I was beginning to think I was the only one. Couldn't agree more on your LotR opinions 👏
YEAH! There are dozens of us. DOZENS!
@@MattsFantasyBookReviews ONE OF US, ONE OF US.
@@bruh-zy1dp NONE OF US. NONE OF US
That’s how things work. People have opinions, it’s not special to not like something. Doesn’t mean something is overrated. The lord of the rings was pretty much the first adult fantasy book I ever read and I loved it. I consider it top ten of series I’ve read today. Making assertions like something is overrated is bullshit. You don’t like it that’s cool well done.
@@TheCosmerenaut1 One of the first I read was the chronicles of Prydain
1: Tolkien is a master of a language but his storytelling prose is so far off course from what most people read in an action/adventure fantasy story these days that it can definitely take some getting used to.
2: I give GRRM no slack. It’s been 12 years since Dances with Dragons and he’s written literally anything BUT Winds of Winter. He wrote two other books and a video game, helped make tv shows, and even had two years of isolation and he still couldn’t do it. He doesn’t get a pass anymore
GRRM's problem is money in excess. Did he need money he would find the words to finish up that series. And that is what pisses us off.
The best part of A Song Of Ice And Fire is the prologue. It never got that good again.
In GRRM's defense, it's all that fame bush coming his way. I wrote a stellar book report in 6th grade and it almost ruined me so I can only imagine what it's like being a NY Times bestselling author. Cut the man some slack, he's only human.
@@csd8204 No
@@csd8204 No
I’ve always said A Feast for Crows is my favorite ASoIaF book. It’s the one that branches off from the show’s story the most. And we get so many more interesting character POVs.
I think most of the anger directed at Rothfuss and Martin at this point is not so much the fact that the books remain unfinished and unreleased, it is the way both keep hinting about releasing them when their public presence starts to fade. They don't seem to be telling the truth at this point; but if they did it seems like they'd lose most of the attention both seem to crave. People dislike dishonesty, and both are acting that way. Rothfuss' perceived shenanigans with his charity -- fair or not, hard to say -- also do little to move the needle in his favor.
How on earth do you go off about Butcher's attitude about women while giving Rothfuss and his creepy fedora tipping sex god stalker main character such a pass? Genuinely curious. I can see slamming both, I can see excusing both. What I can't see is going after one while giving the other a pass. FWIW, I read a few of the Dresden Files books and was not offended so much as I was bored by them, so I'm hardly the world's biggest Butcher defender. (Did quite like the Cinder Spires book and do look forward to the sequel to that.) KKC is one of the odd series I can think where I liked the books well enough while loathing the main character. I do consider KKC wildly overrated, but still thought it was pretty good.
Maybe because everyone is aware of Rothfuss fedora tipping sex god stalker garystu, but a lot of people try to defend Dresden?
Probably cause he know how "active" angry Rothfuss fans are, insane levels of evil from them when someone critique their god.
I think Rothfuss is severly overhyped but a good author.
For me it just gets annoying reading about how sick rothfus is.. He is so sick he should be getting a pass for everything, yet he is doing shit on the internet every other day, including "charities" and kickstarters(with no deliveries).. "Give the man a break! He is just human and have mental health issues!"
Name of the wind was readable, though his MC was annoying (not going to pretend I remember how to spell Qvoth), but by the second book it was unbearable. He's the greatest of all time at literally everything, especially sex, and everyone's constantly impressed by everything he does. It's such a loser fantasy I won't be able to force myself to finish the series on the off chance Rothfuss actually decides to write book 3. I hold a grudge for the self professed "literary snob" who recommended it to me.
Totally agree with your take on LOTR. Saying that it's #1 (or TOP10) also means that ever since the genre was born, hundreds of authors only wrote worse books, fantasy literature has not developed by an iota.
While LOTR is fantastic and important, it has been surpassed in many aspects by other works.
Well... I would say people who count LOTR among the best fantasy books ever written consider the fact, that most of the people who have written fantasy novels after the 70s stand on the shoulders of Tolkien. How many of those books you consider better would exist without LOTR? It's not that "hundred of authors wrote worse books" or that "fantasy literature has not developed by an iota". It's that he was one of the first ones with huge impact to everything that followed.
It is also not a bad book, like many other early fantasy novels. It still gathers fans.
When I read it for the first time in my life (admittedly in the 70s) I loved it. It was not because there was a hugely successful movie series made (there wasn't), or because everyone else had read it and loved it and spoke about it (my big brother was the only person I knew who had read it). I loved it because of itself. I had never read anything like the hobbits. He also created the ents and the orcs. Can you imagine the world of fantasy without orcs? Even the elves as understood today owe their existence to uncle Tolkien. I was really scared by the black riders. I wanted to learn the languages. I learned passages and poems by heart and wandered in the forests singing his songs to myself. Even now, every time I shower, I sing "A loon is he that will not sing: O! Water Hot is a noble thing!"
The language is beautiful and rich. Might be because I read the Finnish translation that used three translators, one especially for the poems. The Finnish translation is amazing.
It was the first book I couldn't continue reading after certain events. I just couldn't physically force myself to pick up the book and continue reading the story without G. I can't remember another book at the moment that has had so a strong impression on me.
It created a longing for the past times and worlds nothing else has managed to do. I even read the Silmarillion because of LOTR. The language is beautiful and rich. The world is fantastic. No other book has had such an impact on me during my 54 years of life.
And, there's Sam. And there's the "But I am not a man" scene. One of the best scenes ever written.
If all this is not reason enough to count this book as one of the best fantasy novels ever written, I don't know what is.
Now, I don't expect everyone else to have the same relation and reaction to this book as I have, but don't assume that just because you don't, no-one else can either. OK?
@@KetutarI agree. Even some modern fantasy books/series are still in shadow of Tolkien. First one that comes to my mind is "The First Law" trilogy, which is, in my opinion, written in opposition to Tolkien. For example, protagonist (I forgot his name) turns to old, bearded man who looks like wise wizard. Well, jokes on him, because actual wizard looks like a butcher.
There are several fantasy novels that are their own thing, truly straying away from Tolkien (Perdido Street Station or even The Fifth Season mentioned in this video) but they aren't that popular.
Worldbuilding. Nothing has reached Tolkien except Malazan. But Malazan has way more problems.
You know I am one salty curmudgeon, so I live for this kind of controversial opinion videos!!! 😁😄👏🏻
Why does this not surprise me!
@@MattsFantasyBookReviews thanks for responding
I love to speculate about twists and revelations. I absolutely hate being right about them.
I read A Feast For Crows and A Dance with Dragons in the exact way you mentioned. I didn’t like the idea of Tyrion not being in one of the books. So, I read them at the same time! Great video!
Yeah I hated that aspect with Tyrion as well!
I'm happy I found your channel a couple of months ago, that's again an exciting video. I like that you gut your own opinion and can argue them well, and even if I don't agree with everything or really liked a book you talk about negatively, it's interesting to see a well-argued opposite opinion. Especially in this video, I agree with a lot you said. Keep it up.
There are many book tubers, but not many with unique and fresh opinions, and then have also good audio and video quality.
I will forever be part of, and will probably die on, the Lord of the Rings bandwagon....but I can totally agree with what you are saying. They were the books that spawned my love for the fantasy genre at 13 years old. I don't read them for the quality at this point, though the overall story is timeless in my opinion - for me they are now an absolute comfort read.
Yeah I can totally respect that.
I can see that. I find things that put me to sleep comforting as well.
Good and sad for you to agree. I read Tolkien as an adult after reading "modern" fantasy for over 10 years. And I still find his works better than almost anything else I have ever read. And so do many other people. Many people discovered Tolkien and fantasy through the movies and came to love his works. No childhood nostalgia just appreciating good books. Maybe you could see quality if you read it from a more critical perspective? Something being a comfort read shouldn't disqualify it from being of quality automatically?
In Butcher's case it is not that we are not reading the same books, it is that most of us are not reading into the same books what you are.
Absolutely agree with your take on The Gentleman Bastard books, Lies of Locke Lamora is an absolute belter of a book easily in my top 3 stand alone titles. However the other 2 books in the series are great as well although they do fall short of the first one. My analogy would be it's like a band that comes out with a stunning debut album because they have had years and years of practice and refining song writing before they release their first album. It garners huge critical acclaim but after touring for the album they have just 6 months to write, record and release a new one. It may yet still be an amazing album but it's extremely rare for it to be better than the debut.
I was disappointed that so many of the gang got killed. Limiting it to just two main characters was disappointing for me.
I agree with so many of these. Great video, Matt! I think having discussions about differing perspectives on books and reading experiences is so important and underutilized.
And yes yes yes to the comments on Gentleman Bastards 2 and 3. I loved 2 especially.
Thanks Tori! And so glad you liked the whole of Gentleman Bastards!
I admit, I got my hackles up when you started into the first topic! However, when I set aside my nostalgia (I was introduced to the series as a young child in the 80s when my parents read the books to me) and listened objectively to what you were saying, not only could I not find anything that I disagreed with, but I actually very much agreed with all the points you made.
However I did strongly disagreed with your point about Martin/Rothfuss/Lynch. That being said, I have a lot to learn from you regarding your empathetic and gracious approach to those authors.
I don't know how I've only recently stumbled upon your channel, but I'm really enjoying your eloquent, thoughtful, and balanced approach to book discussions!
I love your channel because, even if I don't always have your same preferences, I almost always agree with the points you make. Keep it up! Cheers from south america
Thanks Santiago!
I just finished the Fifth Season, and to some extent I agree with your critiques. While I understood the reason for using 2nd person, I don't think there was any payoff to withhold the identity of the narrator because when it was revealed, I was like "ok, so what". What was interesting was the purpose of this character not the identity. I also agree that the book would have been better if the timeline was clear from the beginning. However, I do think the book is thematically rich and likely written for a different audience in mind. I can understand why it won awards but also I understand why the book won't work for many readers.
Also you're wrong about Mistborn Era 2 :) Ok, The Alloy of Law isn't the best, but Bands of Mourning and Shadows of Self are great. I do prefer era 1, but era 2 is still good in its own right.
Man, I loved Feast of Crows and Dance with Dragons as well!! Not a boring moment in them for me.
I agree with you about the Fifth Season Matt! I tried 3 times before I gave up!
Wow that's a lot of trying! Once I give up a book I'm done forever!
Starting to learn that me and Matt have vey similar tastes and opinions. Very helpful when selecting books for the TBR. Keep it up!
I don't think Jemisin has any middle-ground opinions. YOU pick up her books and YOU read them. YOU then form your opinions on how YOU feel about reading books in the second person. YOU either love them or YOU hate them.
Glad I subscribed to your channel, I've been enjoying hearing your thoughts and opinions about these books. I haven't read all the books in this post, but many of them, and mostly agree with your opinions. I tried one Butcher book and couldn't get into it at all so haven't read any more. I listened to the first two 5th season books but don't think I'll bother with the 3rd. Most of these books have fallen short of my expectations even while enjoying them. Except for LOTR's, having read that back in the '60's, it is what got me into this fantasy genre. I'm looking forward to reading some Stephen Ericson next year since you express such a high opinion of his books. I'm going to keep following you! Thanks Matt!
Thanks so much, I appreciate the kind words!
I hope you enjoy Erickson! He's not for everyone, but if he is - you are in for a heck of a ride!
I 110% agree with you regarding Red Rising. I'm struggling to get into Dark Age and I looooved the first 3 books
Fair take but completely disagree. With Darrow arc going into Lightbringer and than Red God. I believe this arc will end tragicly and fulfilling. Lysander response to Darrow in Golden Son is excellent foreshadowing to the rest of the series.
Your commentary here is so spot on and so appreciated! I always reward those that speak honestly. Good on you
Opinion #3 is really important and I wish I could have realised this sooner. I've sadly put off starting GOT for years now bc I dislike having to wait for upcoming releases but it's time to accept reality and start enjoying the books that are out in the world lol
Yes - do it!
great video matt! I couldn't stand The Fifth Season either, it was a struggle finishing it 😂. Really don't undertand the huge hype around it.
Regarding The Gentlemen Bastards series, I agree. I heard/saw so much praise for the first book that I read it. And I, too, loved it. So I just went on and read #2 and #3 without seeking out opinions on them and I really really enjoyed them. Not as good as LoLL, but they're solid and very enjoyable. I look forward to whatever Lynch ends up releasing in this world.
Yeah that's exactly how I feel.
Excellent opinions and video!
I think LOTR is the best but I also actually prefer older writing styles.
The best what?
Big props for honestly saying your opinions and not hiding them
I agree. I love a Feast For Crows. I think it's fantastic. I'm reading A Dance with Dragons now.
2nd person? That would drive me nuts!
Great video. Thanks!
You are most welcome!
Great, thanks Matt!
Thanks Alexander!
This was the first video of yours that I found and maybe I'm just a grumpy contrarian but I agree with everything and just had to subscribe! The LOTR part especially is pretty much how I feel. I'm always suspicious of people's recommendations after they tell me LOTR is their favourite fantasy saga, so I feel like this is a channel I can trust hahah
Thanks so much!
Agree with all of these, except on Mistborn era 2 - I love those books, and I think Wayne is hilarious. To each their own!
I agree with your thoughts on the fifth season .even thought I sort liked we are the city that came out later
Interesting, I might try that other book!
Hi Matt, id love to know your opinion (if you have one) on the Percy Jackson book series
It's the catalyst to my start on the fantasy book genre and, given that is YA, it normally isn't talked about on this channel.
Loved the video
Haven't actually read them!
@@MattsFantasyBookReviews Really?! You should pick the first one up!
They're really fast reads and they get better and better the more you read.
From the first 5 I love the last one and from the second 5 i love the 4th one.
@@TheBrunoforce Great to know!
I read LOTR as teenager, I think I was 17, and then again as an adult, 32 years old. The second time around was even better. With maturity, I could grasp better the grandiosity of Tolkien's work, and appreciate it even more. Completely disagree with you on that.
I'm totally with you on Mistborn. Era 1 was fantastic, but Era 2 didn't really work for me. Also, I appreciate the heads-up regarding The Fifth Season: judging by the hype, one would think it was a work of profound genius.
Yeah...I mean give Fifth Season a shot you may love it like most people do. Just for me - it was horrible.
Happy to hear what's in my mind 😌
LOL
Agree with LOR, yes its the most important fantasy book but I felt like every time it was getting interesting it would be interuppted with more descriptions to slow the pacing down to a crawl, the writing style was so different to what I was use to. I had the same issue as you, I had read too many other fantasy books before it. I had even read the sword of Shannara years before it, yes Sword copies everything from LOR but for me the LOR was my 100th epic quest story
The unfinished stories is an interesting one. My issue with ASOIAF is I am more deeply invested in these characters than other stories that I feel like I need the correct ending after so long but what you said is correct, their are loads of other great characters out there that I have not met yet and I need to move on and discover their story instead
Yeah I agree with you on ASOIAF and the other unfinished stories in that I really, really want to see how they end. But that doesn't take away from what was already written in my opinion.
Nice take on LOTR. Love watching your vids
Thanks so much! Turns out there are a lot of people who agree with this.
Very interesting and I agree with your straight out of the gate opinion.
Great video again, you are spot on in many cases.
I agree with you on The Fifth Season, I don't know about unreadable, but I was not impressed at all with all the hype. Agreed the Red Rising Trilogy was enough, I read it and have no interest in going further. Sullivan's Riyria Revelations was extremely enjoyable, loved those two characters. Lynch's three books are so clever, and the characters are wonderful together.
This video was sooo fun haha 😂
Great takes. I love your passion even of we don't always agree 🤪😉
I really like your channel!
Thank you!
Wow… this was a fun video!
I agree with number 1 completely.
Number 2 was so hard to read, such bad writing, everything kicked me out. But the story and twist were fun but I’m definitely not picking up the next.
Disagreed with number 6, Vin fell flat for me. Great character, just didn’t hook me. But Wax and Wayne are so fun and their stories are so great.
Loved Fifth Season but the second person narration worked for me, I feel like it's one of those divisive things you either love or you hate and it will color your opinion of the entire book.
Hard agree on ADWD. Reek chapters are GRRM's best writing to date imo.
Fellow Malazan fan that has to get around to Esselmont's stuff, currently have the main 10 as my favorite series as well.
Yeah man get on that Esslemont train!
Man... I'm 38, born and raised in Baltimore Md, and just happened to be a " Nerd in the hood" when I tell the younger generation about the " Silmarillion aka kate Blanche was wrong about what started the war of the ring" when I read the story of Fëanor, Fingolfin and Melkor, or Morgoth. They love it I can also speak to something else you said
Great video. Really enjoyed this.
I gave my opinion on all of your takes 🙂
1. Sort of agree. I absolutely love LOTR. ( I even have a LOTR tattoo) but I read it when I was very young so there is a lot of coming home and nostalgia in there so I understand that for some people this is not a book that they love as much. as long as people give the book credit for its influence
2. Disagree. Loved the book and loved the series.
3. Agree. Let the authors be. there are books enough to read
4. Harry is indeed sexist. It is even commented on in the series.
5. No opinion as I have not read anything from Pierce Brown
6. isn't this the normal opinion? I read this in a lot of places. I loved the 2nd era (but my love for westerns coloured that opinion I think) I'm rereading era 2 at the moment and must say Alloy of Law I still really liked. The other books rereads are on my tbr in the next months.
7. I think I stopped reading somewhere in the middle of A feast for Crows. By then I was watching the TV show and stopped reading the books
8. I will start my Malazan journey next year. But you have me convinced to also read the Esselmont books (If I like the original series)
9. I've not read any Riyria books. I always hear they are very dark. So not sure they are for me
10. I liked all 3 of the gentleman bastards. I don't think they are the pinnacle of fantasy, but they are good stories. (I really disliked the flashback chapters in book 3 though) And if there is ever a book 4 I will read it. And if Lynch decides to write a different fantasy series I might pick that up as well.
Great person, Great books , Great video
You make this sound like a Papa Johns slogan! Thanks!
I only came across your channel a couple days ago, but the thing I love most about it thus far is how down to earth it is
Also are you wearing an MLB shirt? I’m a huge Phil’s fan!
Have you ever read Gormenghast?
Ooooooh spicy. i think you're right in everything you said about tLotR, but i still disagree that it's overrated (maybe because of the nostalgia lol - it was my introduction to fantasy when i was a kid, so it has a special place in my heart). but yeah for sure it's very different from modern fantasy, and it's not my favorite fantasy series anymore since i've read more modern stuff
15:22 "Dresden is what a neckbeard thinks a gentleman is." Lol that's perfect! I'm stealing that. I think "sexist" and "misogynistic" are strong words though. It's belittling but it's not oppressive.
Lol thanks! I read that at some point online and it always stuck with me as perfectly stated.
This is a spicy video for sure, love hearing the controversial opinions!
Thanks Mark!
I appreciate your willingness to admit your more controversial opinions. I have a few myself. All the books I've read (that were recommended as numerous book tubers' "favorite of all time") have just been... bland, at best. I feel like: what am I missing? Am I just too... ignorant to recognize whatever depth made this their favorite?? ( It's really got me questioning my intelligence or lack thereof) I
Don't doubt yourself, everyone is different and have different tastes!
Controversial or unpopular opinions are great to spark discussion. Let’s go!
We’re on the same wavelength. In other words, I love the honesty
Any idea when scott lynches novellas are going on sell?
There hasn't been any updates lately on those unfortunately.
Totally agree with the ICE opinion. They are fantastic novels.
Yeah they really are - and extremely underappreciated!
Interesting take. Have you read M. L. Wang's book..Sword of kaigon? I'm thinking of getting it to read. Did you think it was a good book?
I watch a lot of UA-cam. I write my own book reviews on my blog. Not a huge adult fantasy reader. Read to many young adult fantasy. I don't have many people I can talk to about books.
No, but I'll be reading it early 2023, I can't wait!
When it comes to The Lord of the Rings, Fellowship of the Ring was so hard to get through (Don't get me started on The Shadow of the Past and The Council of Elrond). I'm now onto The Two Towers (a bit more catchy than the first one, but I still have doubts). With that being said, I'm a bit skeptical of The Return of the King. xD
Return of The King is simply amazing, trust
Hi 👋 always be honest with the books u read..... it’s not right a wrong answer because books are personal to you! Happy reading to you! 🎥🎞📽🍂🍁
Thanks as always Safina!
I agree with most of these! Especially Dresden's disgusting male gaze, that Red Rising should've stoped at 3 books, and Jemisin. But I'll give you my controversial opinion based on one of your statements: I'd rather read Tolkien's archaic use of the English language over Sanderson's simplistic prose any day of the week! :)
I didn't know you were also a Fifth Season hater! There are dozens of us. DOZENS!
A DNF for me! With no regrets!
Love the hot takes! Lol..
I enjoyed Legends for the most part but the last book was pretty disappointing to me, and I haven't been able to bring myself to read the middle series.
@9:54 I agree … I’ve given up on the Bermuda Triangle long time ago and moved on … don’t know why everyone hasn’t 😂
Okay since you mention the language first 3:26 i have a hot take too as a non-native speaker. I didn't find Tolkien's language more difficult to read than other more modern fantasy books. 😀
3rd take is absolutely wholesome
:) Thanks!
Yep. No pressure here to finish anything. I'll take what ever they wanna spill.
Winds will be out next winter. Calling it
10 seconds into #1 and I’m already angry. Mission accomplished, my friend.
LOL.
I can't express how awesome and funny I think you are. I was watching this while eating lunch and almost choked from laughing so hard at the "tip of breast" thing😂😂😂
Thanks! And yeah every time I read "tip of the breast" I would audibly say "OMG AGAIN WITH THIS?!?"
@@MattsFantasyBookReviews HAHAHAHAHAHA😂😂😂😂
I didn’t think Mistborn era 1 being better than Mistborn era 2 was controversial? But I agree. Mistborn era 1 was way better
It's not so much that I think it's better, it's that I think it's MILES better to the point that I didn't really care for Era 2.
Agree 100% on Dresden, dropped the series because of this
Yeah I suspect many people did. Which is a shame because the books themselves from a plot perspective are good.
Definitely think with winds of time he’s having to do a massive rewrite as the ending of the tv show was how he wanted it. So heaps of rewriting from him with the reaction. Even though I watched the last three season in a month and I really enjoyed it.
Yeah I didn't HATE it, but I certainly was bitter that I was getting the TV show before the book.
I agree! I remember a few years back before the show ended that he told the writers how it had to end in case he died and wasnt there to see the finished show. So this is the ending he wanted! And he saw how it was so badly received he had to change the ending. He even did a little interview recently and said something like "Ive found that my writing is taking me further and further from how the tv show ended" sort of confirming thats where the story was at some point. Many people thought he hated the ending, I disagree, I think he hated how it was received and is now taking years to backtrack and rewrite. Good for him because that ending was the pits.
@Sarah Gonzalez I concure. That ending left us with so few good points. So many misteeps were taken by the last 3 episodes.
I really enjoyed the series maybe it’s because I stopped with three seasons to go then just binged the whole lot over a week or two. And a few things in the last couple of episodes I really liked as they where hinted at throughout the whole series. But definitely how he wanted it to finish and now has huge amounts of rewrites to do
@@robertsiemon410 *Game Of Thrones Spoiler!*
We better get a different king in the final books! Having Tyrion say "Hey yknow who'd make a great king to this war ridden broken nation? Someone with fun stories ! 😙" Like cmon man be for real
This is why I joined the channel. Totally agree with LOTR
Thanks Bryan!
I completely agree with you on lord of the rings and the fifth season lol
There are dozens of us who agree. DOZENS!
I know I'm late to the party, but holy cow, this should have lit booktube on FIRE! I agree on Fifth Season btw. Also, can't we just leave Lynch, Rothfuss, and Martin alone? Sure my wife or friends can bust my chops on the fact that I don't get a house project done, but can you imagine taking heat from potentially millions of people. I'd be running to therapy for sure! I enjoy books 2 and 3 in Locke Lamore too, quite a bit. I feel like Lynch wants to gut punch us all the time with his endings though. Great video!
Love it! I'll do another sometime this year with new ones.
You continue to pain me sir. Luckily you balance your crazy opinions with super good ones =D
I agree that ASOIAF and Gentleman Bastards don't need to be finished to be great and worth reading. ASOIAF is one of my all time favorites and ASOS is my favorite fantasy book ever written. 2 books into the Gentleman Bastards has me feeling like I'm reading something incredible and as much as I hope it gets finished, it's ok if it doesn't. I agree 10000% about Mistborn holy crap. Era 2 is close to garbage, especially when compared to Era 1.
Glad I at least got a balanced stance out of you Alex! And I've heard enough about Dark Age now where I think I'm going to have to throw that one back on my TBR and give it a chance. Many people have told me it redeems the first book in the new sequence so I'm feeling more optimistic.
@@MattsFantasyBookReviews Dark Age is definitely fantastic so I hope you enjoy it! I wasn't a huge fan of Iron Gold to be honest and didn't like 2 of the POVs we were given.
A couple of these things I can't comment on as I haven't read the books that are the subject of the opinions. Absolutely agree with the Lord of the Rings opinion and everything I've ever heard or read about Dresden says that you're pretty spot on. Honestly the only one I can really fault you on is mistborn era 2. Just like humor and reading are subjective I really tend to enjoy the more punny wordplay type of humor and part of the usage of humor in Wayne's character covers up a lot of dark stuff so I find him to be pretty memorable. Mistborn era 1 still beats 2. But for me they're a lot closer
Sometimes you see a person who just personifies a concept to perfection. In this case, it is the concept of malding.
LOL
Matt I think your catchphrase is "what do you call it when there's 4 books in a series?" 🤣
Agree with a few of these opinions for sure. Especially LOTR, if it wasn't for Andy Serkis' narration, I don't think I would have enjoyed it.
Yeah I don't know why I keep forgetting the name of quartets! And I really should try the Serkis narration, I'm sure it's awesome.
Regarding Fifth Season:
Bang! Bullseye! Bravo.
100% on the nose in every respect. Thank you.
100% agree on Lord of the Rings. It’s decent, but modern fantasy is just better. Fantasy has evolved so much since then. It’s written better now.
I also think the Broken Earth is horrible. I don’t understand why people like it so much. I really wanted to like it and I had low expectations, but I hated reading it.
I agree about the sexism in Dresden Files but I don’t mind it much. He’s a dirty middle aged man. I don’t get offended very easily. Dresden files is mediocre, but I like it.
Haven’t read the red rising series yet. I will though.
Mistborn era 2 was jarring at first to me because era 1 was so much better. Era 2 felt like fan fiction, but I enjoyed it. It was definitely mediocre.
I also loved ALL the ASOIAF books. I didn’t have a favorite. They’re just great.
Haven’t read Ian C Essemont yet. I will though.
Haven’t read Sullivan either. I plan on it though.
I’ve only read the first book in gentlemen bastards. I plan to read the rest but I have a massive TBR.
Overall, I agree with you on all of this. I think our only disagreement is the problematic nature of Dresden sexism. The Molly stuff was weird, but I don’t know, 17 is age of consent in a lot of places so I didn’t find it that crazy.
I agree about LOTR. Greatly infuential for its genre and Middle Earth is one of the most vivid worlds out there, but man did I struggle to get through these books. The books are just 30% hiking, 30% singing and 30% someone telling us the history of a location. I gave up after Two Towers, it's just not for me.
Yeah the singing in particular is...an odd choice.
LOTR is special for many people because for decades they were the top tier of fantasy. When you look at fantasy books in the 1960s, 70s, 80s and 90s there’s few that are at the same standard. We waited a long time for authors to surpass him.
I thought you were mostly fair with your LOTR points but not about leaving POVs out of some of the books. Come on Matt I know you're a Malazan fan, you can't hold that one against anyone!
I think the different in Malazan is that there are literally hundreds of POVs, so of COURSE they are going to leave out many of them each book. With LotR the cast is small so it's way more glaring when people are left out. Makes the story feel choppy.
I agree about Mistborn era 1 being way better. The second era is okay but it didn't have what I loved about the original series in it. I'm still gonna finish it now that the Lost Metal is out but with rereading I doubt era 2 will be on my list whereas I only read era 1 a year ago and I already want to read it again.
Yeah same boat, I'm going to finish but I really just want to move on to Era 3 now.
I would say that stating that Mistborn Era 1 is better than Mistborn Era 2 is about the least controversial thing possible. Lol
That's not really the part I think is controversial - it's that I think its SO much better. I think the vast majority of people that read them liked them both.
I've noticed that a lot of the recent books that are winning major awards like the fifth season, Gideon the ninth and the long way to a small angry planet are really terrible books. But they win awards for portraying themes that were rarely touched upon in fantasy. The fifth season was a brilliant portrayal of motherhood. I remember you touching upon the way traumatic events are treated in the book, and to me, were really realistic. A lot of trauma is suppressed, or someone has been through so much that it barely affects them anymore. The other example I mentioned though, reaallllly did not deserve the accolades.
I don't know if it's just me, but anything that is hyped by TOR is usually bad and very socially drive. Everybody gushes over books that are poorly written because they are about modern issues. And I fully believe that those books will be quickly forgotten because they are completely framed around our specific social context. The strength of lord of the rings is the themes. The way it was written was completely anti-publishing and every portion was made to make you feel a certain way. Like the wanderings of frodo and sam. You're meant to be frustrated, to feel like it's dragging on.
I think the books that will stand the test of times are those who are touching universal subjects or shared experiences, explore the human condition in all it's aspects as opposed to focus on social arguments or commentary. Most of golden age of scifi feels relevant because of what they talk about. But a lot of those books are now completely irrelevant due to them being too contextual to their timeframe.
Very well put, and I agree with what you are saying about what kind of books will stand the test of time!
@@MattsFantasyBookReviews I recently saw a discussion between Christopher Ruocchio and 2 other author/youtuber and one of their main issue with modern fantasy and scifi is how books are completely focused on plot and character as opposed to the big questions. It was really interesting, they touched on a lot of issues that have recently popped into my mind a lot while reading recent books and looking at online discussions. So few discussions explore the ideas behind books, the universal questions. It was worth listening simply to see what the author thinks about when reading and creating his own books.
Completely agreed. There is a growing trend that if you as an author are POC / not heterosexual or your book is about oppression of POC or exploring sexuality then you get automatic high praise and awards.
The content of the stories is starting to lack in popular culture books due to forced inclusion. Nobody should care what the races or sexualities are of an author or their characters, only the merit of their writing should matter. Hoping we can have inclusion in the future without it being forced...
@pappywinky4749 It's been a while, but do you remember which video that was? I'd be super interested in watching it.
Wow, you weren't kidding when you said controversial takes. I simply can't get my head around the GRRM/Rothfuss one. I read Name of the Wind, but honestly wish I hadn't. I enjoyed it at the time, but a story can't be satisfying to me if it doesn't have an ending. I've been reading fantasy for over 30 years and haven't touched ASOIAF, and have no plans to unless he finishes it. It would be like starting a puzzle when you know a third of the pieces are missing. What's the point?
While I do love endings, I still think the individual books here are great and worth my time reading.
Loved this vid!!!
Take 1: you are 100% correct about Lord of the Rings -- I tried Fellowship recently and never got engaged -- it was dreadfully slowwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww
Take 2: I hope I disagree about Fifth Season cuz I am definitely going to try it at some point
Take 3: 100% agree, books aren't things people can just decide to give birth to whenever they feel like it -- we aren't entitled to jack and should appreciate whatever good art we receive from anyone
Take 4: as a MEGA Dresden Files fan, I also agree that Harry can be creepy and sexist -- it's a character flaw (and possibly one that the author shares, since he doesn't seem to criticize it enough within the text -- the fact that Dresden doesn't act on his impulses though and has relationships with people his own age are points in his favor though)
Take 5: I fear you being right about the 2nd set of RR books -- I ABSOLUTELY LOVED all 3 of the first trilogy, and they did end in such a satisfying way -- I'm dreading where the series goes
Take 6: no doubt Mistborn Era 1 is quite superior, and I doubt this is too controversial of a take. I do like Mistborn era 2 more than you I think since I can ignore the non-humor and enjoy the fun action and plotting along with serious character arcs that I have been invested in
Take 7: I hope so! I might try reading ASoIaF for the first time soon and hate the idea of 2 big slogs to finish it off
Take 8: You are partially right about Esslemont -- I really liked Night of Knives and Orb Sceptre Throne, was mid on Stonewielder, kinda low on Return of the Crimson Guard, but I thought Blood and Bone and then Assail were two of the worst books I've ever read in my life -- where was a plotline you could even follow? Where were any characters to care about? I like the way he does the shorter/more focused stories so I'm still very hopeful for the PtA books
Take 9: you are 1000% right about Riyria and Michael Sullivan returning to the well too much -- I also loved the RR books but was BITTERLY BITTERLY disappointed by the Chronicles books!!!! Their meeting was so anticlimactic, and Death of Dulgath put me to sleep every time I tried to read it!! I don't know if I'll ever even try the next one, and I doubt I'll ever head to the other prequel series either with your warnings.
Take 10: I hope that's true about the GB books since I was meh on LoLL but am wanting to continue
Love your thoughts on these Ben. It's honestly crazy how much we agree on fantasy books!
I have to agree with humour in Era 2. In third book i was rolling my eyes with how bad that humour got. I also think they are to short. I don't like to judge book by it predictability, but my god.. Also have to agree about hype train. I think the best examples were latest Star Wars shows.
I think that, maybe not hot take, you should NOT read books by ratings only. After reading or watching some reviews that aline with what you are looking for in books? Yes, but don't look at the numbers. Last two books in Lightbringer as an example. You need someone that does not shy away from giving low scores to books. Even the popular ones.
The neckbeard comment literally made me laugh out loud!
Thanks so much! My channel is pretty new (about 8 months old) so I'm pretty dang happy with where it's at right now!
you should read Rant an oral biography by Chuck palahniuk, is all written in second person and is amazing! Stoker's Dracula was also in second person and is a masterpiece!
I'll check it out, thanks!
I read Lord of the Rings when I was 12 and I still adore it, but I get your point about it having a different impact on people who didn't read it when they were adults. So much so that I'm experiencing the same thing with The Wheel of Time. I',m 32 and started the series a year and a half ago. The final book, as well as certain other books within the series, is outstanding, but I have, at times, felt like my fully formed literary taste buds were a little late to the party in some aspects. The continuous berating men receive from women, describing every single leaf and overusing tropey language and other fantasy trope aspects made me feel like I was missing something while reading the series. Like I was reading a different series to the one people were describing. That's not to say I didn't enjoy it, but I did feel that the list of deadweight of which the slog and other longwinded parts of the series was comprised of was larger that I anticipated 😆
Also, similarly to your Red Rising take, I believe that Dune didn't need to continue after book 3. Most of it was just Allan Watts philosophizing with very little plot.
Yeah I can't disagree with anything you said here. And I completely agree with your take on Dune - just didn't need to keep on going!
My guy. How do you not have more subs? The quality of your content is so high.
Thanks!
My channel is pretty new and hasn't really started to take off until 2-3 months ago, so I'm real happy with where it's at right now!
Controversial opinion: Weiss and Hickman's first Dragonlance series is great and introduced many of us to the joys of Fantasy literature.
I've still never read it!
It's so simple and cliche compared to Malazan but it turned my 11 year old self into a card carrying fantasy nerd.
@@chinaphone yeah, same reason I will fiercely defend Redwall!