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It is long, dull, and badly written, but there’s clearly some magic there; why else would millions of children and adults take to the books so deeply despite th
by aikinai 6y ago
It is long, dull, and badly written, but there’s clearly some magic there; why else would millions of children and adults take to the books so deeply despite those flaws?
And this was true even before it had the movies to drive marketing. My mom picked them up at a yard sale when I was nine or so, and without even knowing they were famous, I devoured them and then bought every other Tolkien book I could find. Now I can’t imagine how I made it through them at that age, but something was captivating.
I couldn’t, by the way, make it though any of the other books, so my appetite for long and poorly written books only went so far.
- Kye 6y agoI think it's the novelty of it. Friends with kids report losing their minds after sitting through the nth replay of a Disney movie. To the kid, everything in it is new and they enjoy seeing new details each time. The adult can guess their way through any new Disney movie because they all stick close to a formula anyone with a passing interest in writing can recite. I did the same rewatching all the Star Treks, Stargates, and other '90s sci-fi TV several times. Now it's kind of...dull. It's all too familiar. Now I'm more impressed with newer scifi that tries to evolve the genre without being too different. Like: The Expanse, Farscape, Dark Matter, Another Life.