I’ve always enjoyed reading fantasy (Lord of the Rings being one of my favorites!) and when I was a teenager, I enjoyed reading David Eddings’ fantasy series—with his Belgariad series being another favorite. Lately, I have found it hard to get into fantasies. Several series start really promising and then get frustrating as you continue on.
I remember starting on Robert Jordan’s Wheel of Time series (even introducing it to other friends) and then getting really frustrated as it slowed down and never seemed to end—the main character got really whiney and the female characterization was making me unhappy. I stopped at Book Four and never looked back. Turns out, he died before he even finished, though I hear that his son is finishing the series for him.
I’ve been really put off by fantasy series that start off really well, but don’t follow through. For instance, I enjoyed reading Eragon, only to struggle with the second book Eldest. The story dragged and I could not get past page 100. I don’t know if I am willing to invest the time in reading it if the third and fourth turn out to be just as problematic.
Then one day, as I was browsing in Amazon, I came across a fantasy book that had been given really good reviews—The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss. I borrowed the book from the library and ploughed through it in no time at all. I recommended it to many fantasy-loving friends. I was thrilled to find a new author I could get into. Then, I had to wait for the second in the series to arrive.