Most difficult to read fiction

[catscratch]

I have a hard time seeing Lem as a hard to read author, unless maybe you're talking about some of the later works like Fiasco. But that's a very different Lem. The early works are some of the most witty and compulsively readable pieces of SF I ever read. Still, translation matters and if you have some horrible gobblygook translation then it's a different story altogether.

Gene Wolfe wasn't necessarily difficult but rather demanding of undivided attention. Without the atmosphere and total mental commitment he would have a hard time captivating his audience, I think, but if you can get immersed enough into his utterly alien thought processes then it's one hell of a reading experience. I liked "Book of the New Sun" but "Fifth Head of Cerebrus" was even better. Swanwick's "Stations of the Tide" actually reminded me of Gene Wolfe a lot, and no big surprise there since Swanwick lists Wolfe (and Proust) as one of his major inspirations.

Tolkien is pure escapist fiction, but antiquated. Still love the world, though, and always will. Try reading some of the non-Narnia C.S. Lewis, like the Space Trilogy. That's way more dense and demanding, but also absolutely sublime in parts. Now, if only I could get past his rabid religious zealotry and demonization of everything outside his point of view.

Proust takes the cake for this one (duh) but I wouldn't have it any other way.

[Sherwood]

Now, if only I could get past his rabid religious zealotry and demonization of everything outside his point of view.

Of course, Lewis is Christianity's most cherished author of the 20th century, and if you're not reading his religious texts then you're not reading Lewis. If you're interested, start with "The Great Divorce" or "The Screwtape Letters". His apologist views are not something to "get past", but something to understand in context.

[melomaniac]

most of what's been nominated here is great stuff and worth the effort - I'd say the most difficult to read fiction is the stale pablum you get from airport potboilers and some cheapo children's books. even worse are certain business books. they're the equivalent of yanni in the elevator, they can drive you utterly nuts. in turn, the fiction and philosophy mentioned in this thread ain't easy listening, but with the right mental gear, it would please your inner ear ;-)

[HeadphoneAddict]

I was reading to my son at night and we had just finished the Peter and the Starcatchcers series of books, when switching to Tolkein was a shock/big leap in terms of being very hard to read out loud if you are a person with lung disease and are not able to go for long periods without taking a breath, as I always pause at a comma for a breath at the wrong place, and have to read the sentence/paragraph over for it to make sense.

^ try reading that out loud in one breath.

[luvdunhill]

Skylab's Reviews

[Dusty Chalk]

I have a hard time seeing Lem as a hard to read author...

I have to admit that it was long enough ago that I don't even remember the title. I'll look through some covers to see if I can figure out which one it was. I didn't even finish it.

I suspect your "crap translation" theory is probably the culprit. I'll give him another chance. Thanks for speaking up.

[Duggeh]

Skylab's Reviews

Oh burn.

[Dusty Chalk]

I have a hard time seeing Lem as a hard to read author...

I think it might have been Memoirs Found in a Bathtub.

[slwiser]

Gene Wolfe wasn't necessarily difficult but rather demanding of undivided attention. Without the atmosphere and total mental commitment he would have a hard time captivating his audience, I think, but if you can get immersed enough into his utterly alien thought processes then it's one hell of a reading experience. I liked "Book of the New Sun" but "Fifth Head of Cerebrus" was even better. Swanwick's "Stations of the Tide" actually reminded me of Gene Wolfe a lot, and no big surprise there since Swanwick lists Wolfe (and Proust) as one of his major inspirations.

With Wolfe there are complexities within complexities and on the surface it is easy but if you want to understand all the complex ties across the narrative then to me it is very difficult to understand.

[catscratch]

I also have the option to read Lem in Russian, and that's much closer to the original. Still there are some English translations that are pretty good.

The later Lem - Fiasco in particular - is still superb, but the utterly despondent bitterness and hatred of humanity makes them challenging, even if you happen to agree with every word, like I do. Very, very different from the humanist enthusiasm of the early works.

[Dusty Chalk]

Well, that would be another reason to (re)learn Russian -- the first being I'd like to read other works by Sergei Lukyanyenko besides the -Watch trilogy.

[catscratch]

Hah. One of my friends loves Lukyanyenko and actually knows him personally, and did some illustrations for him. I'm not a fan, tbh. But there are plenty of reasons to learn to read Russian even without him