I think it depends on why someone disliked a book. I liked the first novel in the Three Body Problem series, but mostly because it exposed me to a culture I wa

I think it depends on why someone disliked a book. I liked the first novel in the Three Body Problem series, but mostly because it exposed me to a culture I wasn't really familiar with; there was a lot about China I didn't know, and it was interesting to read about characters who lived and breathed that history. But the rest of the novel, and the sequels, mostly to me felt like re-treading ground that I'd already walked in other novels, which did a better job of exploring those ideas. (To be more specific, because I'm sure folks will ask - I think Stephen Baxter does a better job of building interesting, mostly-consistent-to-my-eye universe-wide physics puzzles, although nearly all of his books are depressing as hell. The closest thing to a happy ending in most of his novels is "it's not a complete genocide!")