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[HarryT]

Originally Posted by DiapDealer

In my experience, people frequently mentioning the "quality" of the world-building in reviews typically means that there is too much for my taste. I can appreciate that people's mileage varies, but I assure you, authors whose world-building skills are frequently praised are authors I tend not to enjoy as much. It's neither right nor wrong; it just is. I'm perfectly comfortable if that makes me the weird one.

Do you dislike "The Lord of the Rings"? Tolkien was perhaps the ultimate world builder.

[DiapDealer]

Originally Posted by HarryT

Do you dislike "The Lord of the Rings"? Tolkien was perhaps the ultimate world builder.

It's not something I would go for now (had I first encountered him in recent years). But no, I did not dislike LoTR when I discovered it as a youth. Can you guess my least favorite parts of it, though (even back then)?

Spoiler:

Elvish/dwarvish--languages I'm not going to learn
Songs--all of them
Bombadil interlude
Capture by barrow wights
The history/names of famous swords.
The Moria dwarf recent-history lesson in the book found at Balin's tomb
Scouring of the Shire coda
Appendices

These are all things I skimmed through (or skipped entirely)--even on subsequent re-reads (back when re-reads still appealed to me).

[ApK]

To this day, I haven't made it past Tom Bombadil's forest in the first book.
The Hobbit was more my speed.
I did like the movies though. LotR, not The Hobbit.