My 10 Most Disappointing Reads of 2023 

For a moment there in the intro, I knew what it feels like to be one of Mike's kids . . . 😁

Your issue with Sci-Fi being about ideas and not character is why I have a hard time with Sci-Fi too, and why I love the Expanse so much. Not only were the big ideas easily digestible but there hasn't been a space crew outside of the Serenity that I've loved as much as the Rocci crew.

I'm sure this will ruffle some feathers, but I think one of the biggest disappointments for me this year was The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy series. It started off on the wrong foot, because I wouldn't say that the first book is bad, but this book is hyped up SO MUCH that the bar is impossibly high. People talk about the book as if it's the funniest thing ever written, and each sentence leaves you rolling on the floor with hysterical laughter. I had a few chuckles, sure, but this was nothing earth shattering. The other problem was that since I've consumed a lot of sci-fi books, TV, and movies, and this series is so ingrained in pop culture, I already knew all the jokes. 42, always bring a towel, so long and thanks for all the fish, it's kind of hard to laugh at it when you've heard it a million times already. I will say that I adjusted my expectations a bit and really enjoyed book 2, that was my favorite in the series. On the other hand, I don't think books 3-5 were that good at all. I hated that my favorite characters (Zaphod and Marvin) were barely present, and the humor felt like it was getting old. There were still some laughs, mind you, but it felt like more misses than hits.

I recommend you read Season of Storms, nominally book 8 in the Witcher series. It's exactly what you want, a stand alone Geralt monster hunting feast, and chronologically would fit somewhere in the Sword of Destiny collection. It would be a shame to miss out on this one because you quit reading the main series!

“I gave it a big, hearty shrug.” - Mike’s Book Reviews. Man, you are the best. Booktubing the way Booktube was intended.

I can definitely can see what you mean with the 2nd part of The Passage after the time jump. It felt a bit jarring at first and was a massive halt to the momentum of the first half. In the end though I thought the 2nd half redeemed itself and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Hope you give it another go one day!

Children of time is definitely a classic-style sci-fi where the idea seems more important to the author than the characters

Did you not enjoy the action sequence at the end of Time of Contempt? I would argue that the story really begins at the end of book 2. It really becomes good in book 3 (Baptism of Fire)

My biggest disappointment this year was Good Omens. It's definitely a good book and I love both Pratchett and Gaiman a lot. It just did not land with me at all.- It was fun, it kept me engaged, but I almost DNFd it several times.

Series is still about Geralt. And he only went to one ball with Yen because she wanted him to and it was only one chapter. Which isn’t hard to get through. That chapter follows by a battle with will have major consequences on the story. Alas, some people cannot get through one small chapter. Series is amazing. I’m almost on last book

Mark Lawrence isn’t for me either - but he wrote a glowing review of another author’s book on Goodreads that prompted me to pick it up, and THAT book was just excellent: Master Assassins by Robert vs Redick So I don’t like Lawrence’s books, but I LOVE his taste in other books 😂

Reading Golden Fool right now, about 120 pages in. And so far, I can't say that you're wrong about anything. But it sure is hitting me differently than it did for you. So hopefully I'll end up loving it once finished. I had a couple minor disappointments this year: - Babel by RF Kuang - Lone Women by Victor Lavelle - The Drifters by James Michener - The Devil of Nanking by Mo Hayder

I was disappointed by We Are Legion (Book 1 of the Bobiverse). The conflicts felt annoying and the solutions felt like magic rather than sci-fi. And I didn't care about any of the characters 😕

I really enjoy all your lists Mike, and with the disappointments you are so honourable in respecting the various authors and indeed the readers who enjoyed those books. As you say, and is often forgotten , reading is subjective and it’s no crime to either like or dislike any book. Having said that, my biggest disappointment this year has been the Discord lead reading of Anna Karenina, having read War and Peace earlier in the year and enjoyed it and been delighted with it , I was sure AK was going to be even better…. Sadly not the case, and I mean for ME !!!!

Hey I understand what you mean about Time of Contempt. It’s pretty boring in the first half. But there’s a big battle that follows the ball with Yen and it became pretty fun to read. The next book Baptism of Fire is actually mostly about Geralt and I think you would enjoy that one. And it introduces one of the coolest vampire characters in the series.

Glad your enjoying Speaks the Nighbird, that book kept me entertained the whole way, I def plan on reading the sequels soon

I was distracted by the awesome graphic everytime a book cover was displayed on screen. Really cool

I read a lot of horror, and my biggest disappointment was The Devil Takes You Home by Gabino Iglesias. It was being described as Stephen King meets Breaking Bad, and it was nowhere close to either one. I was pretty surprised to see it win the Bram Stoker Award for Best Novel. Not too many disappointments for me this year though, so I'm happy about that!

The whole Children of Time series is about biology, evolution, the challenges of communication between species which intelligence functions very differently, which purposes in life and vision of right and wrong are completely different, and if and how those species can find common ground. It's very much a speculative sandbox, and it remains fairly non character driven (well, a bit more in the third, but the third one is weird. Tchaikovsky has written more character stories that may be more your cup of tea. Elder Race is a clever genre-bending novella you might find interesting, and a quick read otherwise. Aside from animal biology, Tchaikovsky also has a passion for animal rights, and this transpires in Dogs of War, which is a truly great novel about bio-engineered animal super soldiers, dogs, bears, lizards, bees which are treated like expensive but otherwise disposable properties, until four of them get free. Rex, the main character is a really great character and this (and Bear Head, the sequel) might interest you more than "Children", though be warned if you expect a lot of "Terminator" style sort of action, it's not really that book. Otherwise you may enjoy more his fantasy. His newest, the Tyrant Philosophers, are both about a (different) weird bunch of characters, in the first book caught up in the event surrounding a revolution attempt in a city against a conquering Empire, and in the second it's about a group of military medics on the frontline of an invasion campaign by the same fanatical empire. It's a bit sarcastic, with a lot of dark humour, a bit of grim dark, a lot of weird magic and strange Gods, and other misfits (necromancers, steampunk automaton makers, demon conjurers etc.). It's not for everyone, it's like a fly-over where the POV character changes every chapter and not a ton of them repeat, but it's done very well and given your Fantasy chops, you might well like those two. It falls somewhere between Miéville's Bas-Lag and Erikson's Malazan (minus the maddening complexity of the early series). They're also technically stand alone novels in a shared universe, with (so far) only one common character to both books, so it's not a huge investment if City of Last Chances turns out not to be fun enough to pick up House of Open Wounds (and the other still upcoming books) next.

Another fantastic video!!! Thank you!

My disappointing reads A chain of iron and gold Hyperion by dan Simmons Normal people by sally Rooney Camp zero by Michelle min sterling Misrule by heather walter sequel to malice

The timeskip in The Passage is pretty jarring. I do agree with some others that the following 2 books really do justice to the timeskip. Also The Ferryman was a book that I recently picked up after a years of not reading for a long flight and got back into reading. Currently starting the Mistborn series haha

If you liked The Warlord Chronicles, I would highly suggest you read some Steven Pressfield. Namely Gates Of Fire, Tides of War, and Virtues of War. I think you will find the writing style and story structure very similar to Cornwells and the stories just as good.

I'm so glad you feel the same about Children of Time. I was really hyped to read it and had it recommended to me a lot. I really struggled to finish it in the end. However, I also read Shards of Earth this year and I really enjoyed it, so don't give up on the author!

Hey Mike, recently joined your discord. You and your community have been quite welcoming.

Mike its crazy how similar our tastes are. From not liking CoT to thinking NotW is overrated, that's why I watch your channel for your recommendations

So a lot people do not like the Witcher series. And mostly they are english speaking. I actually think the english translation isnt that good, because i am from czech republic and czech language is similar to polish and the books were amazing. The jokes and the story. It was funny and i loved it. And all my friends that love the games also love the books. So i think there is probably something missing in the english translation sadly.

Oh man I’m unfortunately right there with you on the Tyranny of Faith suffering from an acute case of middle book syndrome, and with you on Red Sister not being compelling (that was a series DNF for me too). Happily Children of Time worked great, though I’ve always been a big fan of ideas-based sf that’s less character focused. I thoroughly believe you’d love Shadows of the Apt, but I’d place an even better bet on his standalone Guns of the Dawn which Allen loves.

I haven't read Tchaikovsky yet, but I've heard Spiderlight is a really neat stand alone novel he wrote.

The Passage time jump is super jarring. He brings it home beautifully, though.

I know what you mean about sometimes not clicking with a particular author or series. For me, it was The First Law trilogy. While I didn’t hate it, I didn’t love it either. I hated most of the characters and didn’t really find myself rooting for any of them. The opposite, in fact. I also found them to very inconsistent at times. I wanted to love this series based on everything I’d heard about it and on how cool Abercrombie seems to be. But once I was done with it I didn’t give it a second thought. So I have no plans to read any of his other books right now. Maybe one day, though.

Great video! Even though these were your disappointments, I am willing to check them out! My top disappointments this year were... Labyrinth of Drakes-Marie Brennan Frugal Wizard's Handbook-Brandon Sanderson Silver Chair/Last Battle -CS Lewis Path of Daggers-Robert Jordan

Sometimes I wonder if I’m the only one that feels like this…but No book in the past 3 yrs has recaptured the magic reading use to have for me. I got so excited when I found booktube a year ago but none of the recommendations have been over 4 stars. I’m starting to think there is something wrong with me or somehow my memory is rose colored of all the books I’ve read and loved. 🤷🏼‍♀️

I’m always intrigued about how different people perceive books (and other forms of media) so differently. Both Tyranny of Faith and Golden Fool were among my favorite books over the last two years. Swan Song, on the other hand, felt overly long and directionless for too much of its pages. I loved Boy’s Life, so this was even more disappointing. Despite those differences, I agree with a majority of your reviews. Keep it up!

I was surprised to hear you have Tyranny of Faith - there's just something about this series that hits the spot for me. I'm NOT surprised that you had A Man Called Ove though. I LOVE Bachman myself, but I personally would've never suggested him for you. Sorry so many people suggested it!

I am nervous for Children of Time for exactly this reason... will go in with an open mind though, Tchaikovsky hasn't let me down so far! And I feel you on not really getting on the Mark Lawrence hype train, I have enjoyed his works more than you but I have never really loved any of them unfortunately. Hopefully 2024 will come with even less duds, happy reading!

It's rare when we disagree so much on a book: I loved Children of Time precisely _because_ of how realistic (up to a point) the biology was. One of the best books I read this year (tied with Needful Things)

Interesting about Children of Time! I really enjoyed the two Tchaikovsky books I have read, I will take this under advisement. Reading The Three Body problem at the moment, seriously underwhelmed and glad I am not the only one.

Great video Mike - new sub, can’t wait to see what you read in 2024!!

I also thought you going to love Red Sister! Also didn't like his first series, but this one I loved. So it's not a shame to dislike a popular series :)

First time I’ve heard something negative on Children of Time! Very interesting to hear and something to keep in mind when I dive in

Don't me wrong- I respect your personal feelings about the Witcher books (though they are some of my favourites). I do recommend trying at least the next couple books- baptism of fire is mostly Geralt and his crew and tower of swallow (my personal fave of the novels) has such great character work and I found to be a really captivating read. As I said, I respect your own opinions regardless.

You should check out Dogs of War by Tchaikovsky. I didn’t really like Children of Time either but loved that one.

I loved the planet side story of Children of Time, I started just skipping the ship side of it towards the end.

My most disappointing read (DNF) of 2023 was Windhaven by GRRM and Lisa Tuttle. I went into this book expecting it to be about aviation, about flight, and about the love of the sky. In reality, the characters just spend all their time bickering over who will inherit the stupid flying machines.

I haven't read A man called Ove, but I loved Anxious People. Great dialogue, very thought provoking, and lots of memorable quotes.

I love Backman, but I've never gotten the impression from your video's that his books would resonate with you. Odd recommendation to me. On the Witcher, I'm with you on the short series and the monster hunting. I thought Blood of Elves was ok then didn't like Time of Contempt or Baptism of Fire. I haven't continued beyond that and likely won't at this point as where the story went just wasn't what I wanted.

It's a good thing I picked up 'Children of Time' when I saw that You were reading it, and didn't wait to hear Your Thoughts about it, because I might have been dissuaded from reading it, and that would've been a huge miss/loss for Me! xP Funnily enough comparing it to Three Body Problem is apt too, this book did have Me thinking about 3body ...and it's another one that really really worked for Me...!

The movie version of A Man Called Ove is superb. I *love* that movie even though it absolutely crushed me. I had to pause it four different times to collect myself. I haven't seen the Tom Hanks version because I haven't cared for most American remakes of foreign movies, and A Man Called Ove is too special to me. Now I'm almost afraid to read the book. The movie set a pretty high bar.

Mine most disappointing is actually your favorite of the year, Lonesome Dove. While I enjoyed it, I thought it may blow me away with your glowing review of it. Guess maybe westerns just aren't my thing maybe.

For historical fiction, try the Shardlake series by C J Sansom. Lots of character and atmosphere following a crippled hunchback lawyer in London during the reign of Henry the 8th. Full of character work, atmosphere, tension and intelligence.

Still wishing you'd finish out The Passage someday, I enjoyed the trilogy. They Thirst was a letdown, and the deus ex machina at the end.... ugh

Shadows of the Apt is actually strictly fantasy and actually pretty fun and interesting but it's ultimately up to you! It's also dedinitely more character focused too.

I read The Ritual this year. The first half was amazing, the second... well I didn't really dig where it went

Try City of Last Chances by Tchaichovsky. Its a great standalone (semi-related sequel just released)

I really don't blame you at all with regard to Children of Time: interesting concept, and I liked some of the things he did with it, but the other species... light on good characterization.

The Witcher is a masterpiece and my favorite fantasy series. I don't understand why some people don't like it. Art is subjective I guess.

I thought I was alone with not loving children of time. The audiobook definitely helped, especially with the original doctor lady stuck in space and the AI, and certain chapters definitely stuck out, but I agree it felt a bit too much of reading biology reports like someone was writing an essay on a probable future of science went wrong for a grad school class

I liked The Passage but it didn't kill me. But if i see the sequels around i will buy them and eventually read them. HOT TAKE: Summer of Night is better than IT in half the pages. Don't kill me! Take care!

Loving the lighting mike !

I would say my biggest let down that I ended up DNFing was "A Beautifully Foolish Endeavor" by Hank Green. I really enjoyed the 1st book, but the 2nd was a huge disappointed. The characters were all the same and there was nothing driving me to read the same POV that was supposed to be from different people.

I'm glad I'm not the only one who felt a bit let down by Children of time. I've read quite a few of his stand-alones and the only one that blew me away was "Guns of the Dawn". If you want to try another Tchaikovsky, that's the one to go for. Trust me! Or don't. You're a grown up and can make your own decisions in life. Thanks for the content, now go read Malazan!

Yeah I'm that person who loved the subplots of Tyranny but I totally get what you're saying

I can totally relate to your point of reading Sci-fi because I have truly tried so many times but it's not for me for these exact reasons.

As it is was called The Witcher Series, l expected it to be about Geralt - a cool character with incredible skills having adventures in a fascinating world. lnstead it was about Ciri, who l absolutely did not care for. After Tower of the Swallow (Book #4 in series) and a total of six books invested, l gave up from sheer boredom. Season of Storms appears to be Gerald centric but he loses his swords so l remain uninterested. Thank you, Mike for your grounded discussion of stories that do not resonate - I feel seen.

I had far too many disappointments this year, so I'll just note a couple of them. The first one is The Shadow Casket, the follow up to The Ember Blade by Chris Wooding. There was a lot to like in this book, but there was so much of nothing happening. I won't even get into the item the book is named for. Another one is The House of Sacrifice, book 3 in the Empires of Dust trilogy by Anna Smith Spark. But despite the many problems I had with this book, I still love her prose. I did have one book that redeemed itself this year - The Shadow of What Was Lost. It was a disappointment for 2022, but I decided to give it another shot, and I enjoyed it this year.

Thanks for the honesty, Mike. Thought you were going to slip the Titans in the end for wearing Oilers gear against Houston! 😂

Wouldn’t rule out The Ferryman, fantastic book! Great characters, mysteries the whole way through and a plot twist that does a good job a blowing the old mind.

My biggest let down has been GGK, I have tried 3 different books and none clicked.

I loved Last days. Nevill is one of my favorite authors. Surprisingly the Ritual was my least favorite. No one gets out alive is so good! Merry Christmas! 📚❤️💚

Golden Fool definitely has a pacing problem, but it's also a book that gets better the second time reading it. There"s lot of stuff that seems insignificant and go over your head, but they do make sense after finishing Fool's Fate... Kind of fun understanding all of those the second time around.

Ya I get that, for me pillars got me depressed around 640 in so i have not DNF’d it but paused it cause it was depressing me.

I didn’t read much I didn’t like either but I’d have to say the biggest disappointment was Interview with the Vampire as I was sure I’d love it and the writing style just didn’t work for me. Almost tempted to try again but I have so many things I want to read that I can’t see when I will. I also found book 2 of Mistborn era 2 disappointing, blew through the first one and jumped straight into the second but found the plot largely boring. I think you thought similar to me Mike

My biggest disappointment this year was "My Best Friend's Exorcism". I fear that Grady Hendrix will be my Mark Lawrence... I will try a few more of his books before giving up, but right now, out of the 3 I've read, it's 1 disappointment and 2 mid.... 🤷‍♀️

1984 was mine. I'm not sure why it didn't click for me. I think I need to do a reread someday.

I think your dislike of time of contempt is wild. I agree that the best guilty pleasures of the series are the short stores and Season of Storms is hands down the best of The Witcher stories but the saga is more about contrasting Geralt’s Witchering ways with the evils of man and that to me is what makes it so compelling. From the start you are getting a Getalt who has known nothing but fighting monsters in the defense of humanity but then, he finds himself defending his only real connection to that humanity (Yen and Ciri) and by the end of the saga you have this (in my opinion) earned ending that shows serious growth for all characters involved. Most fantasy is such predictable crap that I can hardly invest my time in it and The Witcher is one of those series I will always cherish. To each his own I’d say but having read wheel of time and several “popular” fantasy works they are dull and the same old same old

Can’t wait for top 10 books of the year…I usually read mikes book of the year in January.

Wasnt a surprise to see a Mark Lawrence book 8-)

I read all the Witcher books pretty much back to back after completing The Witcher 3 and I thought they were decent, gave context to many things hinted at in the game but having read more fantasy there are many better books. You are right that it becomes a series that has almost nothing to do with monster hunting after a few books

Whether I agree or not I truly respect your honesty Mike. It is so important to have a set of stones as a reviewer 👏

Golden Fool was my favorite book in the tawny man series😂😂😂

Mike, a book that is outside your normal genre but I think you will like is Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver. It is a retelling of David Copperfield, but the protagonist, Demon, is a young boy who is growing up in the coal country of Appalachia. It is a coming of age story, but it also a look into how the opioid epidemic destroyed those small communities. You will like it.I am not a Bachman fan. I have just never understood the hype.

100% with you on Mark Lawrence!

I know I read They Thirst.... sometime in the 80s :D I remember nothing :D Swan Song, however, one of my favorites of all time.

I read through the entirety of The Witcher this year, and i think you made the right call in quitting. ToC was probably the low point but it doesnt improve enough to be worth it.

I think the sci-fi community tends to value those "Idea" books over everything else. To the point that they still hold Heinlein and Asimov as gold standards. Eventhough more character oriented sci-fi, that isn't necessarily "Soft scifi" like The Expanse doesn't get the same respect. Perils of the genre, I guess.

I’m on the last 1/8th of it ….so good I don’t know why it took me this long to get to it

The second half of The Neverending Story was my biggest disappointment this year.

When are you gonna read NOGOA by Nevill. Surely you won't wait till next spooky season? 😢

I see what you mean about The Passage, but I do believe it does redeem itself Interesting you mentioned The Ferryman - probably my biggest disappointment of this year !

My issue with "A Man Called Ove" was the prologue. It just felt completely unnecessary and too much of and they all live happily ever after.

You HAVE to continue with The Witcher series. Baptism of Fire (the next book in the series) is not only a phenomenal book, it's Geralt's adventure with a new awesome fellowship, something I think you'll enjoy

It’s a pity that Red Sister didn’t work for you. That was the one which really grabbed me but everyone has different tastes… my controversial take - really didn’t enjoy Oathbringer and it actually broke the Cosmere for me 😱

For the same reason why you don’t like these sci-fi books, is what I like most about sci-fi. But I still enjoy your honest opinions.

My disappoints of the year were Memoirs and Misinformation by Jim Carrey and Dana Vachon, Ghost Stories of Edith Wharton, Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck. I also gave up on Children of Time. I wasn't motivated to pick it up and the hard science isn't my thing. I stopped reading The Witcher series, because I lost interest.

The next two books of the Witcher are incredible, Baptism of Fire & Tower of the Swallow. The prequel the Season of Storms was good too. If you can get through Time of Contempt, like Crossroads of Twilight, you will be greatly rewarded with the next two.. then quit.😀

Big Letdowns for me: Malice by John Gwynne (predictable, low energy, decent storytelling, but nothing was special about it) and The Lies of Locke Lamora (sorely in need of editing. Scenes went on too long. I liked the setting, but it felt tedious to me).

Surprised to not see Legend on here! I had very similar views to you about it. Went in with the highest of high expectations and it has for sure been my biggest disappointment this year. Such a shame. I’m not righting off Gemmel, but I think I’m done with the Drenai.

I know it's a beloved series but I found the faithful and the fallen a disappointment. Appreciate that many people enjoy the books but It tends to be overhyped on youtube which meant my expectations were perhaps a little high. This was the disappointing series that I read in 2023.

I’m with you on Children of Time. While I agree the idea is great, reading the book was a chore. I’ve tried a few Tchaikovsky books and disliked them all. I have a problem with his prose, he’s just not an author for me.