Loved this vid! I DNF’ed Red Sister halfway through and just never connected to any aspect of the writing or story same as you. I’m a Malazan fan and can definitely tell you you’re making a good decision to not continue if you didn’t connect to Deadhouse Gates - it’s representative of the rest of the series and I can’t imagine later books turning things around for you. I haven’t read any Star Wars books yet but enjoyed your rants on those!
I read Gardens of the Moon and actually loved it, but just hated Deadhouse Gates. Tried to get into Memories of Ice, the third book, but just decided the series wasn't for me. So many people love Malazan though, I'm doomed to never understand why!
Regarding Gardens of the Moon: The bellyaching main character who never stops complaining and doesn't lift a finger to try to help his little sister. The bitch older sister who sent her younger sister (Felisin) to die in the mines, but sent one (1)!!! bodyguard with her. Once that one solitary bodyguard is gone, Felisin is forced to prostitute herself in order to survive. Her siblings are garbage. And the constant retconning, the tricks (THIS action can never be done, but wait! A new card in the magic deck allows ME to do it, bye!), the convoluted story, and the horrible "help" pages, the glossary that is not in alphabetical order... how did such a mess get published? IDK. I respect the author for toiling tirelessly in writing 9 books in 9 years after Gardens of the Moon. I respect him for respecting his readers (unlike GRRM) and getting the job done. I don't much mind being thrown into the deep end of the pool, sink or swim, from the beginning of the novel. But he needed an editor. The books need better, more thorough and alphabetized (please!) glossaries. And the absolutely disgusting main characters seem to need a counterbalance, someone without a completely shattered moral compass. Other than that, not bad. I made it to two and a half books, which is exactly the mark where I bid GRRM's Song of Ice and Fire farewell. I really like the modern edition's artwork better than the first edition, and I still own the decalogy, in paperback. Maybe one day I will sit down and attack it again, but not now.
I’m making a prediction right now. If you read them next year, you’re top 2 worst books of 2025 will probably be Star Wars Children of the Jedi and Planet of Twilight. 😂
It seems like readers either love the Malazan series or don't like it. It really has me curious, I have the series in my collection, but haven't decided if I want to tackle it any time soon or not.
I knew from your review that the Mace Windu is (sadly) gonna be on your List. Because of all the reviews I saw I think I‘m gonna pass on this book even though I was excited for it because Mace Windu is great character and we’ve never gotten a Canon book for him before. Great video, Jonathan!
Aww I'm really sorry to hear that Vonda McIntyre blew it on her attempt to write a Star Wars novel. I usually really like her writing. I read a bunch of her Star Trek novels this summer for the Summer of Trek readathon, and I thought she was terrific. Well, I guess it's like you said about Grisham: even a terrific writer can write a clunker every now and then. One of the things I admire about you, Jonathan, is that you are always polite and fair-minded, and you have read so much and so widely that you clearly know what works and what doesn't, so when you really don't like a book, I always know that you are not making a hasty or unfounded judgment. Very thoughtful presentation, as always.
@@jonathankoan absolutely. I feel the same way. That's one of the many things that is very refreshing about your channel. When you don't like a book, you have very clear and measured reasons. You never just go on a rant, and you also are always very quick to say what an author does well either in the book that you didn't like or in their other books. You have a lot of credibility because you have read so much, and you can make intelligent, well-informed comparisons. It's a pleasure to watch your reviews, whether you are talking about books that you loved or books that didn't really resonate with you.
Crystal Star and the Barbra Hambly books are to the Star Wars EY what The Slog is to Wheel of Time. Just everything out of step with the rest of the series
I couldn't get into Malazan. It didn't help that I was already in the process of quitting R. Scott Bakker's series out of disgust. Two of my fellow Canadians, but two men who seem far too attracted to dark and depressing themes, sexual depravity, and evil. The Malazan series also seems intentionally written to be opaque, like the author wants to seem more intelligent just by making his world quite obscure. I can just go read the fiction of Albert Camus and get more out of it than the Malazan books, and in a fraction of the time.
You DIDN'T like the Phantom Menace novelization? I've never read any other Terry Brooks book, and I really liked it. I hope that means I will enjoy his other books a lot more :)
I'm sorry to hear you didn't like Malazan; by not reading it, you're going to miss some of the best characters ever written in fantasy. May I suggest an idea? Book 4 starts with what can be called a novella and introduces one of the best characters in the series; you can read that first part as a standalone. Maybe you could give it a try. It would be a shame if you archive the series without tasting some of the best of it.
I completely understand why The Crystal Star is so high on your list, but I will say I preferred it to Children of the Jedi, which is my worst EU reading experience. Good point about the Jedi twins which is definitely the most enjoyable plot line in the book.
The only book I’ve read from your list is Deadhouse Gates and I completely agree with you it felt like the most miserable experience (I lol’d when during your video you said you wouldn’t continue the series and about that point the DG book fell flat on its face)
The worst book I read, I borrowed from my local library, Star Wars: The Approaching Storm by Alan Dean Foster. It just felt so slow and I figured out what was going to happen at the end of it, when I was half way done with it. But I am glad that I read through it, that is the only positive thing I'm going to say about it.
"Books are supposed to be enjoyable!" You seem to have missed the entire modernist movement. Some fiction exists to be challenging. Plenty of it is here to make us uncomfortable; to force us to think. I agree that Life, the Universe, and Everything is meant to be funny and the jokes didn't work with you. Pity. But a sweeping statement such as "Books are supposed to be enjoyable! That's the whole point of books," goes far beyond petulant and falls squarely into intolerant: a hard fiction work that makes you think may not be enjoyable or "fun," but it has a different and equally valid purpose. I was not "entertained" when I read 1984; I felt no joy, only despair: well done, Mr. Blair. The point of books is far, far more than a simplistic, sweeping, and very limited "enjoyable." Still, this is your take. Happy readings
@@sid1gen I certainly believe that books can have hard deep messages and they aren’t always the most happy, but the reading experience should be a positive one, which is why I’m reviewing based on enjoyability. Am I pleased with the end result of the book, and I was not pleased with the end result of Life, The Universe, and Everything.
@@jonathankoan @jonathankoan Thank you for responding. We have different approaches to reading. I also read mostly to entertain myself, but there are books that have been hard and not very entertaining, but challenging (Gravity's Rainbow comes to mind), or depressing (1984), or seemingly authored to just make the reader's experience difficult (Hopscotch). I can't say that I have enjoyed them, but I've learned from them and 1984 I consider necessary reading. You write that the reading experience should be a positive one. I have serious problems with what "should" or "shouldn't" be a part of literature, and positive or negative experiences are subjective, so I try to stay away from those statements. I have read books that I could not stand. But I try not to state whether that book should or should not produce what I think is a positive experience. As I wrote at the beginning of this comment, we have different approaches to reading. Take care.
I can’t believe you did not like Malazan! It is very different than the stuff you normally read though so I guess I can see it not hitting for you. Shame, IMO it is the best fantasy series ever written!
Read the 1st two Malazan books but that was enough. Didn’t enjoy them & did not want to waste any more of my limited time on this planet reading more of this series.
I found it hilarious that you used logic and Star Wars in your assessment. What in Star Wars fits any form of logic? Characters in Star Wars movies and series are always making weird decisions and stories go along in absurdly funny directions at time. The more Star Wars books, movies and TV series come out the more bizarro the Star Wars universe becomes. Even if you just look at the movies how does any decision they made in the last three films about any of the legacy characters make sense? The only ones remotely themselves are Chewy, R2D2 and 3CP0. Not to mention that the way and nature of the Force in the last three films perverts most of what went before. In any case, logic and Star Wars do not compute. The whole universe is nonsensical and illogical. It can be fun at times but never logical.
Sometimes illogical things happen in Star Wars, but when crafting media tie-in fiction, there are generally rules you want to follow in the business and unfortunately the Star Wars books I talked about didn’t really follow those rules.
![Felix "Unfair" | [Stray Kids : SKZ-PLAYER]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/Oswujxm2Ag0/mqdefault.jpg)
Loved this vid! I DNF’ed Red Sister halfway through and just never connected to any aspect of the writing or story same as you.
I’m a Malazan fan and can definitely tell you you’re making a good decision to not continue if you didn’t connect to Deadhouse Gates - it’s representative of the rest of the series and I can’t imagine later books turning things around for you.
I haven’t read any Star Wars books yet but enjoyed your rants on those!
I DNFed Deadhouse Gates twice halfway through. I really wanted to love this series but I couldn't find DG. Great video
Thanks man!
I read Bleachers once and it was ok, even though I’m not interested in football (or sports of any kind). I didn’t want to reread it, so I donated it.
Let’s Goooo! Crystal Star! I knew it would be your number one. It is soooo bad
@@NevsBookChannel I love Vonda’s Star Trek stuff that I’ve read, so have something positive about the author at least.
But this book…not so much. 😅
I read Gardens of the Moon and actually loved it, but just hated Deadhouse Gates. Tried to get into Memories of Ice, the third book, but just decided the series wasn't for me. So many people love Malazan though, I'm doomed to never understand why!
Regarding Gardens of the Moon: The bellyaching main character who never stops complaining and doesn't lift a finger to try to help his little sister. The bitch older sister who sent her younger sister (Felisin) to die in the mines, but sent one (1)!!! bodyguard with her. Once that one solitary bodyguard is gone, Felisin is forced to prostitute herself in order to survive. Her siblings are garbage. And the constant retconning, the tricks (THIS action can never be done, but wait! A new card in the magic deck allows ME to do it, bye!), the convoluted story, and the horrible "help" pages, the glossary that is not in alphabetical order... how did such a mess get published? IDK. I respect the author for toiling tirelessly in writing 9 books in 9 years after Gardens of the Moon. I respect him for respecting his readers (unlike GRRM) and getting the job done. I don't much mind being thrown into the deep end of the pool, sink or swim, from the beginning of the novel. But he needed an editor. The books need better, more thorough and alphabetized (please!) glossaries. And the absolutely disgusting main characters seem to need a counterbalance, someone without a completely shattered moral compass. Other than that, not bad. I made it to two and a half books, which is exactly the mark where I bid GRRM's Song of Ice and Fire farewell. I really like the modern edition's artwork better than the first edition, and I still own the decalogy, in paperback. Maybe one day I will sit down and attack it again, but not now.
I’m making a prediction right now. If you read them next year, you’re top 2 worst books of 2025 will probably be Star Wars Children of the Jedi and Planet of Twilight. 😂
It seems like readers either love the Malazan series or don't like it. It really has me curious, I have the series in my collection, but haven't decided if I want to tackle it any time soon or not.
I knew from your review that the Mace Windu is (sadly) gonna be on your List. Because of all the reviews I saw I think I‘m gonna pass on this book even though I was excited for it because Mace Windu is great character and we’ve never gotten a Canon book for him before. Great video, Jonathan!
I also hate Malazan, but it's funny AF seeing it on the same list as a book with Waru
Based!
Aww I'm really sorry to hear that Vonda McIntyre blew it on her attempt to write a Star Wars novel. I usually really like her writing. I read a bunch of her Star Trek novels this summer for the Summer of Trek readathon, and I thought she was terrific. Well, I guess it's like you said about Grisham: even a terrific writer can write a clunker every now and then. One of the things I admire about you, Jonathan, is that you are always polite and fair-minded, and you have read so much and so widely that you clearly know what works and what doesn't, so when you really don't like a book, I always know that you are not making a hasty or unfounded judgment. Very thoughtful presentation, as always.
Thank you Pat! My philosophy has always been that even an author who wrote a book I don’t like still should have respect,
@@jonathankoan absolutely. I feel the same way. That's one of the many things that is very refreshing about your channel. When you don't like a book, you have very clear and measured reasons. You never just go on a rant, and you also are always very quick to say what an author does well either in the book that you didn't like or in their other books. You have a lot of credibility because you have read so much, and you can make intelligent, well-informed comparisons. It's a pleasure to watch your reviews, whether you are talking about books that you loved or books that didn't really resonate with you.
Crystal Star and the Barbra Hambly books are to the Star Wars EY what The Slog is to Wheel of Time. Just everything out of step with the rest of the series
I couldn't get into Malazan. It didn't help that I was already in the process of quitting R. Scott Bakker's series out of disgust. Two of my fellow Canadians, but two men who seem far too attracted to dark and depressing themes, sexual depravity, and evil. The Malazan series also seems intentionally written to be opaque, like the author wants to seem more intelligent just by making his world quite obscure. I can just go read the fiction of Albert Camus and get more out of it than the Malazan books, and in a fraction of the time.
You DIDN'T like the Phantom Menace novelization? I've never read any other Terry Brooks book, and I really liked it. I hope that means I will enjoy his other books a lot more :)
Now i have to read the crystal star
Update: Just bought it. Ready to torture myself.
Oh boy. Wish you well.
I'm sorry to hear you didn't like Malazan; by not reading it, you're going to miss some of the best characters ever written in fantasy. May I suggest an idea? Book 4 starts with what can be called a novella and introduces one of the best characters in the series; you can read that first part as a standalone. Maybe you could give it a try. It would be a shame if you archive the series without tasting some of the best of it.
I completely understand why The Crystal Star is so high on your list, but I will say I preferred it to Children of the Jedi, which is my worst EU reading experience. Good point about the Jedi twins which is definitely the most enjoyable plot line in the book.
The only book I’ve read from your list is Deadhouse Gates and I completely agree with you it felt like the most miserable experience (I lol’d when during your video you said you wouldn’t continue the series and about that point the DG book fell flat on its face)
life, the universe and everything was a doctor who script that was rejected that adams retooled into an hitchhikers book.
That would make sense.
I like Malazan, but it is too big of a commitment if you dont really like it. The books only exponentially get bigger.😂😂😂
The worst book I read, I borrowed from my local library, Star Wars: The Approaching Storm by Alan Dean Foster. It just felt so slow and I figured out what was going to happen at the end of it, when I was half way done with it. But I am glad that I read through it, that is the only positive thing I'm going to say about it.
"Books are supposed to be enjoyable!"
You seem to have missed the entire modernist movement.
Some fiction exists to be challenging. Plenty of it is here to make us uncomfortable; to force us to think. I agree that Life, the Universe, and Everything is meant to be funny and the jokes didn't work with you. Pity. But a sweeping statement such as "Books are supposed to be enjoyable! That's the whole point of books," goes far beyond petulant and falls squarely into intolerant: a hard fiction work that makes you think may not be enjoyable or "fun," but it has a different and equally valid purpose. I was not "entertained" when I read 1984; I felt no joy, only despair: well done, Mr. Blair. The point of books is far, far more than a simplistic, sweeping, and very limited "enjoyable."
Still, this is your take.
Happy readings
@@sid1gen I certainly believe that books can have hard deep messages and they aren’t always the most happy, but the reading experience should be a positive one, which is why I’m reviewing based on enjoyability. Am I pleased with the end result of the book, and I was not pleased with the end result of Life, The Universe, and Everything.
@@jonathankoan @jonathankoan Thank you for responding. We have different approaches to reading. I also read mostly to entertain myself, but there are books that have been hard and not very entertaining, but challenging (Gravity's Rainbow comes to mind), or depressing (1984), or seemingly authored to just make the reader's experience difficult (Hopscotch). I can't say that I have enjoyed them, but I've learned from them and 1984 I consider necessary reading. You write that the reading experience should be a positive one. I have serious problems with what "should" or "shouldn't" be a part of literature, and positive or negative experiences are subjective, so I try to stay away from those statements. I have read books that I could not stand. But I try not to state whether that book should or should not produce what I think is a positive experience. As I wrote at the beginning of this comment, we have different approaches to reading.
Take care.
I can’t believe you did not like Malazan! It is very different than the stuff you normally read though so I guess I can see it not hitting for you. Shame, IMO it is the best fantasy series ever written!
I never tire of hearing WELL OF SOULS get roasted. One of the most disappointing Trek books ever.
Good no chris stuckerman.I like listening to good or bad reviews that way if something stinks i dont waste money or time.
I’ll make sure not to read any of these.
Read the 1st two Malazan books but that was enough. Didn’t enjoy them & did not want to waste any more of my limited time on this planet reading more of this series.
I found it hilarious that you used logic and Star Wars in your assessment. What in Star Wars fits any form of logic? Characters in Star Wars movies and series are always making weird decisions and stories go along in absurdly funny directions at time. The more Star Wars books, movies and TV series come out the more bizarro the Star Wars universe becomes. Even if you just look at the movies how does any decision they made in the last three films about any of the legacy characters make sense? The only ones remotely themselves are Chewy, R2D2 and 3CP0. Not to mention that the way and nature of the Force in the last three films perverts most of what went before. In any case, logic and Star Wars do not compute. The whole universe is nonsensical and illogical. It can be fun at times but never logical.
Sometimes illogical things happen in Star Wars, but when crafting media tie-in fiction, there are generally rules you want to follow in the business and unfortunately the Star Wars books I talked about didn’t really follow those rules.