On DNF-ing

It always sucks to DNF a book. It's like you're letting the author, and yourself, down in a way. I have seen the sentiment before of never quitting on a book, regardless of how bad it is. I have friends who are the same way. Hell, I have one friend who skips book one of every series because he insists it is "all setup" and that the "second one recaps anyway," but that is a discussion for a different day.

I spent most of my formative years burning through every fantasy novel I could get my hands on. I've read nearly every Dragonlance novel, yes even the spin-offs. I worked through Piers Anthony's entire catalog, and even Terry Goodkind's. Though, that last one is more on the regrettable side. At least, I know what to avoid now. 

And, yeah, I read a ton of old white dude fantasy. I lived in a small Florida town, so I'm just glad I had access to some good libraries and resources, but my scope of fiction knowledge was woefully slim then. After high school, I course corrected that in university and explored stories from other voices and perspective, which cultivated my love of speculative fiction and weird literature. I also kept at it with fantasy and read the likes of R.F Kuang, Bradley, and Hobb.

But I reached a point where I just could not get through most fantasy novels. The burnout was real. I stepped away from fantasy for years. My main interests grew into what you see me review here, though I haven't touched on science fiction much yet on this blog. Give me weird. Give me speculative. Give me work from voices and perspectives I don't normally get in my day-to-day life. 

I find it difficult to put together what exactly my "problem" with fantasy is as of late. Even nearly 8 years after stepping back, I struggle to get through the vast majority of fantasy that I pick up.  It ends up feeling like homework, and it sits on my bedside table glaring at me, judging my inability to finish it. It's not that fantasy is long. I mean, it is. But that's not the issue. If a book has me in its grips, then the length of it does not matter. 

Now, there have been exceptions in recent years. Priory of the Orange Tree was lovely and had me hooked. Same with the Light Bringer series. And, to illustrate my prior point, these books are huge. But I find that if a fantasy novel doesn't hook me immediately, it simply won't. For most other genres, I can sit back and let the intrigue build. With fantasy, my patience, perhaps, is worn down over the years. I don't know. I'm not writing this out to give some clear answer or unravel the web of my fantasy-avoidant psyche.

I tried to give it yet another shot by reading  The Element of Fire by Martha Wells. I came off the hype train that is The Murderbot Diaries and felt like I slammed into a brick wall with TEOF. Yes, it was the author's first novel. Yes, it is entirely different in tone. But, the thing is, I'm not here to rip this novel apart or offer a deep critique. 

I don't think it is fair to write up a full review of something I didn't finish. That said, I got 2/3rds of the way through it, and it was a fine novel. And I can usually finish a 'fine' novel. 

This ramble is all to get at one question: What makes you quit a book?  

I'd be curious to hear what makes you put that much-anticipated novel down. What is your breaking point, or do you refuse to DNF? 

Also, maybe I am reading the wrong books. I could be out of touch with fantasy's current beating heart. What are your fantasy recommendations? Who is doing something new and interesting in the genre that is a must read? I already have N.K. Jemisin on my radar, and I plan to give their work a shot here soon.