I write this prompted by discussions on a series near & dear to me – The Wandering Inn. I'll be the first to admit that the first book was a slog. Hell, the author herself acknowledges its lower quality compared to the rest and has rewritten it as a result.
However, had I not powered through the mediocre start, I'd never have gotten engrossed in one of the most sprawling, elaborate, and rewarding fantasy worlds in existence.
There's the problem, though – how do you convince someone that something is absolutely worth the read if they have to trudge through 500+ pages to get there. Never mind that these represent a small fraction of the entire work – 500 pages is, after all, 500 pages!
So, do you ever tell people about such reads with the same caveat and hope they'll pick them up anyway? Were you ever on the receiving end of such a recommendation? Did you go for it? Was the slog worth it?
by Mind101