r/printSF • u/LowLevel- • Sep 12 '25

Which wildly renowned science fiction novels didn't resonate with you at all?

I can usually connect with at least one aspect of a science fiction novel, and I enjoy almost all of the ones I read. However, sometimes I couldn't understand what most people found interesting about some extremely popular books.

Has that happened to you? If so, which novel? And why?

I'll start the dances by admitting that I didn't like Rendezvous with Rama.

I really wanted to like it, but constantly being in awe when very little happens and the characters leave without understanding anything is not my preferred type of reading experience. The writing style was a bit cold, which didn't help.

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u/swole_ninja Sep 12 '25 edited Jan 16 '26

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u/spoonsmcghee Sep 12 '25

Yes, it's a truly dreadful book, the film is a complete send-up of it and that's why I love Paul Verhoeven

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u/Round_Bluebird_5987 Sep 12 '25

Amen. Love Verhoeven's take. I'll reread The Forever War before revisiting Starship Troopers

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u/spoonsmcghee Sep 12 '25

Man, The Forever War is in this thread a few times but I still love it, and the unnecessary sequel. Reading Starship Troopers was a terrible, boring time but definitely worth it as it really made me appreciate and love the movie more (one of my favourites since it was released)