*Through gritted teeth* To each their own, to each their own.

"I just subbed out goblin for French." Yeah, I think we all do that subconsciously.

We love these because you're fearless in giving your opinion without caring what anyone else thinks!

Dragonbone Chair fans watching this entire video sweating bullets

I DNF’d The Fifth Season for all of the reasons you hated it too. It’s terrible. I don’t understand the love for this series.

I watch every one of your "worst books" videos to see where you put Fifth Season. I think I found your channel by finding a review that reflected my own opinions on that book.

I guess The First Binding falls in a different category ("Top 10 Most Plagiarized Books I've Ever Read")

For Stephen King - he’s very hit or miss for me. Pet Sematary is the most stressful book I’ve ever read. Can’t recommend it enough. Also Matt, I’ll be tagging you in my video next week (a mid year check in/review video). No pressure if you’re uninterested/don’t have time but here are the questions: 1. Best book you’ve read so far in 2024 2. Best sequel you've read so far in 2024 3. New release you haven't read yet, but want to. 4. Most anticipated release for the second half of the year. 5. Biggest disappointment. 6. Biggest surprise. 7. Favourite new author. (Debut or new to you) 8. Newest fictional crush. 9. Newest favourite character. 10. Book that made you cry. 11. Book that made you happy. 12. Most beautiful book you've bought so far this year (or received) 13. What books do you need to read by the end of the year?

The licanius trilogy I don't know what kind of a mindset I was on that I read all three books in 5 or 6 days, that kind of reading was too much for me and I felt nauseated afterwards. But looking back, for the kind of effort that I put in, the series was just ordinary and I feel (imo) that this doesn't deserve as much as the hype it receives from a lot of the book reviewers

Pray that Steven Erikson and Cam don't watch this video because #1 will break both of their hearts.

First video I got to see from you and I'm instantly interested about the new viewpoint. I'm definitely watching your top favourites video next.

Jim butcher was forced to write the first Dresden files book by a professor in college. I usually restart the series no earlier than book 10. Thanks for making this video. I think we share 7 of these picks. I am especially glad that you picked "The Fifth Season". I thought I was going crazy when I tried to read it because it was supposedly so good..

I do not like Darwin's theory of evolution because eugenicists like it. I mean, that's sort of the argument you are making about Conan -- critiquing the audience, not the work. He was the original barbarian archetype that is everywhere now, so of course it's going to be unpolished in its first iteration. And crude men who visualize themselves as alpha males are going to naturally be drawn to it. But REH had a very dynamic style of writing and I suspect that's why his stories remain popular, not because they reflect 1930s sensibilities of race and gender. I'm sorry you've had bad experiences with Conan fans.

I do love the fearlessness of how you express your thoughts, and will embrace any backlash the internet's best could offer! Anyways, I'll proudly state that I really enjoyed Dragon Haven. In fact, I enjoyed all the Rain Wild Chronicles. Though I will attribute that to knowing beforehand all the critiques about RW

Yes! Someone else who sees Fifth Season for what it is. And the “twist” that isn’t a twist because it’s obvious from the get-go. And how we’re supposed to not know about the moon being missing until the end even though it is mentioned right at the beginning - probably in the first few pages. I have read book two as I am reading the trilogy as a buddy read that includes a cake reward during our discussion. One of my friends jumped ship after book 2. I’m psyching myself up for book 3 so I can share the torture with my other friend - solidarity, you know. But I think I’m going to have to reward myself with two slices of cake 😆

Another fantastic video! Thank you!

Thank you for making this video. I felt resistance to read most of those books although they get recommended a lot in "the best of fantasy" videos. It seams, we have a similar taste. Subscribed :)

As a definitely not-andrew-tate type of guy, I would only say that going to the gym is a generally a great thing, highly recommended! I've started a month ago - my mood and body already improved drastically. I love those brutal sword stories a la classic fantasy, but it's purely about the aesthetics, men aren't superior than women of course lol

Love the fact that you are honest about everything, such a rare trait these days!

Matt, Great video! Might I humbly suggest the edited version of The Stand by Stephen King (that would be a pre-1990 printing)? If you haven't already read it, I think it's the one you'd enjoy. Just my guess...

Great video as always! Love these and I appreciate your honesty and authenticity. Thanks for sharing so that we all have been warned😂

I love Conan but mostly because of the comics . The Marvel and Dark Horse ones . I wonder if you tried them ? Great vid once again, luv ur channel !

Love both your reviews and Conan! Can't say you're not true to yourself when you do these, and I can appreciate it even when we disagree.

I liked Mistborn Era 2 more than you did but I agree it wasn’t as compelling as many of Sanderson’s other books. I liked the first Poppy War book but I dropped the 2nd one so I’m impressed you made it to book 3. The MC was grating in book 2 😩

My only hot take in my limited experience was not liking mistborn final empire . It felt like a chore to me to finish and I didn’t continue. I love storm light archive

I enjoy Conan and a lot of Robert e Howard's work but can see why it's not for everyone. While remaining a fantasy story it's about the opposite of what most modern fantasy is

Where did The First Binding by R.R. Virdi go? Change of heart on that one?

I love the Gunslinger but I wouldn't unsubscribe for it 😂 The only King series I appreciate. I bought Fourth Wing for 5 bucks because I loooove the narrator 🤭🤷‍♀️ I feel like Gunslinger and Gideon the Ninth are similar vibes 🤔

Aww man, I loved the Goblin Emperor. I get that it’s not for everyone, but it was totally for me. I loved the slice of life mixed with intrigue from the perpsective of someone who was the straight man outsider who was instantly the emperor. Totally my jam. Edit: I absolutely hated Eye of the World. I couldn’t wait to be done with it. Characters were cardboard with only one trait which became their whole personality. World felt like it was what some kid who just finished Lord of the Rings made up for his D&D game. If the series got better, I didn’t stick around to find out…

Good video, I understand about the gunslinger take, I know Stephen King is an autor you like or you don't for me I like a lot the gunslinger, but mostly because I am a fan of westerns, that's also why I find it funny that you don't like mistborn era 2 and I am super excited to start it, is in my tbr after I read some of the Stormlight archives books. Great video, really honest and respectful opinions.

I liked Robert Jordan's Conan books more than I did Howards. But I didn't hate them like you did. I read a lot of old fantasy back in the 80's & 90's that I probably wouldn't like half as much today as I did back then. I don't really have that many that I would put on a list like this; I've been lucky in picking what to read I guess, lol. I have a few that I'm not a huge fan of but I really only have 3 or 4 that I can actually say I hated; at least as far as books that I read from cover to cover. Those are: 1. Wizard's First Rule by Terry Goodkind (I finished it and even tried the 2nd book and one later on; hated them all; didn't finish the other two though so I'm not going to count them here) 2. Midnight Tides by Steven Erikson (loved the rest of the series but this one was a dud for me; liked the last 300 pages but that first 700 was a pain to get through; hated the Sengar storyline; hated Tehol's BS; just a bad book in my opinion) 3. Royal Assassin by Robin Hobb (like her writing well enough but I HATE Fitz) Dishonorable mention: Of Blood & Fire by Ryan Cahill (I like the idea of it even if there is nothing new about it; but you can definitely tell this is a first time writer and he needed someone to tell him to go back to the drawing board and rewrite it; too many mistakes and cringe worthy dialog at times drags this one down a lot; but I will say Cahill is growing as a writer with each book; I'm currently on Of War & Ruin and it is a MAJOR improvement over that first one; If he keeps this up the series as a whole will become one of my favorites but that first book will continue to drag down the overall rating; just like MT did for Malazan)

Lol tell us how you really feel 😂 a few of these are on my TBR but I’m hoping I will like them 😅

The reason why I read fantasy books, its only because I know you are out there doing the dirty job. I love malazan because you recomended it, and I only read 50 pages of the gunslinger to find out you are right. You have saved me from wasting 100+ hours reading rubbish. For that, I thank you, my Lord Guide

After being away from the Fantasy genre for many years (since the early 1990's), I decided to return to the genre with Gardens of the Moon. I DNF'd Gardens of the Moon after the first 100 pages. It was as if the author decided to skip world building and developing the characters and plunge straight into the action with lots of jumps between past and present, so I didn't care about the characters and was bored. Reading those first 100 pages was like watching a grade B fantasy movie.

Haven't read the second misborn series. But I would say book 2 of the first series and Warbreaker would be on my list, as well as The Colour of Magic by Terry Prachett (but a bit like your review of Storm Front even the author says don't start there)

Such valid complaints!! I tried to read book 1 of Dresden in high school and fell asleep within 20 pages 😂

When i first came across your channel, i almost dipped because you seemed so strangely favorable to every book you reviewed. So glad to hear we have shared critiques of these popular books. Read on!

Conan is a classic

Conan is so great man, but it's ok, is just your opinion. and i think still very good storys nowdays, most of them. I disagree when you say you have to be bonr in the 1900 to liked, i'm just 22, and i love them. But i love the video as always, good job my Friend (Sorry my missespelling, english is not my frist lengueage)

Does anyone know if Matt likes the wheel of time? I’ve never seen him talk about it. I just finished book 1 and I really liked it.

I LOVE The Shining, but I also didn't care for The Gunslinger. I love the concept for the Dark Tower series, so I might revisit it at some point. DNFed Storm Front at some point. Might just skip it entirely and start with a different book in the series. I absolutely loved The Fifth Season and the rest of that trilogy 😂 It's so interesting to hear differing opinions. EDIT: I just read Gideon the Ninth for the first time recently, and I had so much fun with it! Again, so interesting to see different opinions!

It would be boring if we all liked the same things. That said, I think my heart broke a little with #2, #6, and #7. 😅 Thanks for sharing!

I never got into the Conan stories, but I found an interesting perspective on then by listening to Chuck Dixon talk about it. He wrote, and I believe still does to an extent, the Conan comic books. Conan was never supposed to be seen as a positive character. He is a barbarian for good reason, that he is a personification of man's base desires. He doesn't grow as a character because he's not, not does he strive to be, virtuous. He's like ancient James Bond.

I am so glad that someone else agrees with me about fifth season, I struggled with the weird writing style. So then I tried the audio, nope still difficult to follow and get interested.

The best kind of reviewer is one who reliably agrees with your tastes. The second best kind of reviewer is one who reliably disagrees with your tastes. I like every one of the books on this list that I've read, which definitely argues for reading each of the others on the list.

Ohhhhhh I always love these lists!

Sooooo with you on the Burning God!! Hated the whole book and then hated the series ending with a particular passion.

The Dark Tower is an acquired taste imo. It gets better with the more Stephen King books you read because it directly ties into every single one of them in some way or another. It’s hard to appreciate 80% of the hidden details without reading a bunch of other stuff of his beforehand. I love the series, but I can understand why it doesn’t work for some folks haha.

Thanks for the video. It's great to talk about what we really dislike! Anywhere else and we get voted down! Gideon 9th was so terrible but 5th season took the biscuit! Unfortunately like you I make tragic mistakes in losing money purchasing these titles from all the 'rave' reviews!

Ñot disagreeing about most of these, but interestingly my other half read the first 6 Dresden novels, and was of the opinion that the get gradually worse as they go on. She gave up with book six. Ok, you lost me on Robert E. Howard, and I've yet to read Jemisin. 🙂

Mike's book reviews will hate you for this list 😂 he loves Robert E Howard.

I LOVE negativity

next time I win the TBR competition I'm going to (instead of trying to pick a top book) pick the worst possible book I can to make this list hahaha

Love How honest you are 2:11 by the way, many hate mistborn era 2!

I liked Fourth Wing. I thought I would hate it, but it kept my interest. Honestly, I was braced for more romance than I got. I liked the magic and the world. The story was a survival story in a school of horrors. Kind of cool. The writing was YA feeling, and I get that criticism. A guilty pleasure.

Hard disagree on the lost metal- I thought it had a nice emotional closure arc. Plus bringing in multiple different magic systems from the various planets was a nice example of what is coming in the future cosmere books.

Great list. There are books here that I would never read. You made a comment about 2nd person being a bad way to write a book. Prepare to be proven wrong. Read Spear cuts through water. I dare you. Nice Video.

Ugh. The Gunslinger series is a total MESS! I think I read four of them, because so many people love them! It's very bizarre, and it never made any sense! You said in one video that he wrote like he was hopped on a bunch of drugs & just free wrote while high. 😂 I've always felt like that was the most accurate description of King I've ever heard. 😂❤ (love it!)

So I’m in the midst of reading the Realm of the Elderlings. Do you recommend skipping the Rain Wild Chronicles?

Robert E. Howard died on June 11, 1936. None of the Conan books/stories by Robert E Howard were written in the 40s or 50s. We will have to disagree on this one. Did you read "The Tower of the Elephant?"

I loved Edgar Rice Burrough's Tarzan books when I was a teenager. But, as I got older it was harder to ignore the blatant racism and misogyny. (Although, Jane as a character had some agency as she had her own POV chapters, especially in the first couple books). I still do like Tarzan as a character in books and later iterations in TV and movies. (And, I've always like Johnny Weissmuller's version). Give me any story, mostly, in which a wild man or wild woman survives and thrives in the jungle or the wilds (e.g. The Jungle Book, which has its own colonialist problem).

The best thing about this review is that it's spoiler free. So, you can still give those books a chance if you are still interested.

Circe is not here?

Headliner for my list is Grace of Kings. Completely agree RE: Dragonhaven.

Good for you for calling out The Fifth Season for what it is (or for what it isn't).

i enjoyed the goblin emporer, but also agree with your critics.

So glad to see I'm not the only person who didn't like Fifth Season.

I read a bunch of the Dresden books and didn't really like them, but Jim Butcher's other series - the Codex Alera - made me seriously question my opinion of the friend who recommended it to me as one of his favorite series ever.

Circe and The first binding should have been on the list, no?

I don't agree with all of these. But I enjoyed watching and the discussion!

Have you read the secrets of silver clouds?

I haven't read the Fifth Season yet (I currently have it out from the library), but in general, the Hugo Award is usually a sign to me that that book is horrible

I take satisfaction in the hate of the Poppy War series. The graphic designer carried those books.

I absolutely LOVED Mistborn Era 2 and Wayne’s humor hits every time with me, but I totally get it. I’ve read books that others have recommended to me based on their humor and I hated them. I completely agree with the Gunslinger and the Fifth Season. When I finished the Fifth Season (yes I finished it) I gave it to Goodwill. I think it has a very specific appeal with people who don’t read fiction or in general very often. I saw this because the prose and story elements were very simple and hid their motives by simply not stating them. I could see this being a way better movie than a book.

While I don’t agree with some of your opinions, some of there are my absolute favorites, I think that’s just how it works. Either a book/author clicks for you or it doesn’t, simple as that.

I tried going through The Goblin Emperor, by recommendation of another booktuber that I also enjoy. I listened to the audiobook. I got maybe two hours in and started to realize that absolutely NOTHING was going to happen. I saw no advancement coming in the story. Quit the book, checked out your video on it, and was relieved to see I wasn’t alone in that opinion lol

Agreed on Lost Metal. It is a novel length interlude full of bad Sanderson dad-jokes.

Hell yeah, time to add 10 books to my tbr!

Fun video 🎉

Damn. I agree with your number 2 so much

Sometimes negative reviews push me to read books, not even on my radar, lol. It would be so boring if we all loved /disliked the same books.😆🙃

Do you have another video of the top 10?

Last Hobb I read was Dragon Haven. I’ve taken a break. 😔

12:22 Book 1 of the Hawk Tuah series?

I agree with your opinion of The Lost Metal 🥲

Stephen King is my favorite author, but I agree The Gunslinger is bad. King has a very unique writing style that is unlike anyone else I’ve read. It’s definitely not for everyone, and that is okay. If everyone had the same opinion on books, book discussions would be pretty boring.

The fifth season is one of the worst books I have ever suffered through.

Any Mark Lawrence book needs to be included.

To not like Stephen King's style is fine, but to say he has no direction or doesnt know what he's doing is asinine

I also hated The Goblin Emperor, Gideon the Ninth, and The Fifth Season. What made it even worse is that they were so hyped. I began to distrust any group or person that gave these books awards, nominations, or recommendations.

Think many of us agree on that Rain Wild Chronicles. And I'll add this about The Lost Metal. Humor/comedy is incredibly subjective. It is easily the most difficult subgenre to write. So completely understand all the ppl that dislike era 2.

Whew, Conan is so bad this went from book review to political discussion, it must be really bad haha. I didn't think A Dark Tower was bad, a few lines from that really stick out, especially the first. "'The man in black fled across the desert, and the gunslinger followed.'" set such a good tone. I haven't read the following books though.

So Gideon the Ninth will be removed from my TBR. That sounds like a very unpleasant read. Can’t believe number 2 has been dethroned. Your opinion of that book is what made me a fan in the beginning because, like you, I did not enjoy it and was refreshing seeing someone who felt the same. Lmao @ #1. Apparently you want all the smoke again.

Oodf this doesn’t give me hope for DRSGON he’s an and the lost metal that on my tbr. Though I also wasn’t a fan of the burning god. Liked the others just not the last one really.

It's like reading Robin Hobb, George RR Martin, Joe Abercrombie, Brandon Sanderson and just having that standard to judge other popular books. It's hilariously wild 😅. I'm not saying he only reads popular stuff that if he makes videos about it but it'd be a different thing if read diversely or read non popular it'd provide a different perspective.

Re: Stephen King, I used to love him when I was a teenager. Until I realised he only had one trick and that he does to death. I actually rather like what you describe, where an author sits down and just writes and writes and writes and MAYBE there's thematic cohesion, or maybe there's just vibes. Problem is, I realised I neither like nor care about King's vibes, or all the humdrum characters he goes on at length about (middle aged small town man with life experience coming out the ears that King insists on telling you about, except it's dull dull dull and doesn't matter!). And at the same time, they go nowhere. Snappy ending that's too abrupt and just serves to deliver that extra dose of horror.

You forgot Gardens of the Moon.😂 That’s not a popular opinion, but that’s how a really feel.

no prince of thorn here?

The first time i heard your review of the lost metal i thought you were crazy. As i sit on it longer i understand where your coming from. I still LOVE it though. But im really starting to detest Sandersons humor. But its only because ive started reading Pratchett since TLM came out and its painfully obvious hes trying mimic the style of Pratchetts humor. And as youve said it before theres NOBODY like pratchett. I hope he develops his own humor because the humor just doesnt work for me.

Fourth Wing is for sure worse than most of the books on this list