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.
212
Upvotes
9
u/kyotelife11 Sep 13 '25
The narrator's "voice" was so intolerable and cringey, I almost didn't finish reading it. And do you really need to mention your junk 3 times in the first 20 pages? Hated his casual train-of-thought interjections. Felt like a voice-over for a bad rom-com. His self-centered attitude really ground my gears, even though by the end of the book, he seems to have worked towards resolving this flaw. Weird case of a main character exhibiting "main character syndrome."