r the two most sold fantasy book series overrated or nah

[gucjhv]

tell me ur opinion

[Thaidakar the Ghostblood he/him]

I think Harry Potter is both overrated and underrated. It's not without a good few flaws, but storms do I love those books. LotR is really really good, though isn't for everyone since loads of people have copied Tolkien and overdone it.

[Ravenclawjedi42]

3 hours ago, gucjhv said:

tell me ur opinion

I agree with @Thaidakar the Ghostblood on Harry Potter, it’s definitely got some flaws but I just love it so much. For LoTR, I personally just don’t like the books themselves. I love Middle-Earth, I love the sheer extent of worldbuilding, I love that things like The Simmirilian exist, I love that he created a whole rusting language, but the writing itself I just can’t read, I just end up bored. I also feel like most of his characters aren’t fleshed out, they more exist solely to help the plot.

The plot’s great, though.

[Thaidakar the Ghostblood he/him]

Just now, Ravenclawjedi42 said:

I also feel like most of his characters aren’t fleshed out

I almost started an argument with you here, but then I read "Most" so now we're cool.

Pippin, Merry, Theoden and Aragorn (I get arguments on Aragorn, but he's just so frickin' cool) are all really good. I do think that, to modern standards, they could've been way more fleshed out, but I think it's really good nonetheless.

I'm going to reread these books sometime and then we'll see if my opinions stand...

[Lego Mistborn he/him]

HP is far from my favorite book series, but I completely respect those who love it. To me it's a very juvenile series (I read the whole series in a week or two back in third grade). Plus it breaks one of Brandon's laws of magic, and the most important one (the only one which can upset me when broken), as so many times Harry gets out of things via unexplained, unseen before, etc. magic.

LoTR is understandably not people's favorites. I agree that the prose is thick and hard to process, and I see now that character development is non-existent for the most part, however, Tolkien created a mythology that I expect Brandon would agree is just amazing. @Thaidakar the Ghostblood also made a great point about everyone copying Tolkien, and it definitely has lessened the magic of the books.

Neither is overrated or underrated in my opinion, I just like one and don't like the other. Both definitely has historic value and HP has value in that it has helped people get into reading, a major plus. LoTR has value in that (from what I hear) it helped bring us a number of other great stories.

[KelsierFortnite he/him]

Harry Potter is not bad, but it's also not nearly as good as many people say it is. I like it, and it was a fun read, but many will claim that it is the greatest fantasy series out there, which it most certainly isn't. Overrated.

LotR: In my opinion, this is the gold standard for fantasy. As the prose can be somewhat dense, someone like Sanderson is better for casual reading, but I believe that Tolkien has crafted a masterwork. If you take the time to break it down, you'll find beautiful themes and symbolism all throughout the story. I think it's rated well.

[Treamayne]

I feel like a person's opinion of over or under-rated for both of these series is mostly dependant upon their expectations and context when they pick them up. 

1. Lord of the Rings:
   • If you go into this knowing how old the series (1930s-40s) is and you understand the context and social mores that have changed since this was first published (1954) then the stories can be enjoyable - just realize that fantasy was only a few decades old and not very codified yet, so conventions like handling subplots and character arcs were much looser than modern novels.
   • Personal Opinion: This series both has too much detail and not enough detail for my taste. I'm glad to have read it once, but I doubt I would read it again. There is a ton of worldbuilding minutae detail on non-plot relevant matters, but then plot relevant topics get very sparse (nearly DEM-level) detail that inhibits my ability to really enjoy the stories. 
2. Harry Potter:
   • This is very much a Bildungsroman Middle Grade story. If you go into the story expecting adult themes and plots, you will likley be disappointed. If you go into the story realizing it is meant to be read by people the same age as the protagonists, then it makes much more sense. Also, if you know before reading that Ms. Rowling's (debatably) greatest strength is Foreshadowing (some Chekhov's Guns prepped in book one do not "go off" until book 7, and every book has at least one thing forshadowed for the book after it) and that her (debatably) greatest weakness is internal consistency and character developement; then you can enjoy the series much more because you know why more time was spent on <this>, rather than <that>. Also, anybody who has seen the films, but not yet read the books, should be warned about how much was changed to meet the film media requirements (timing, budget, etc) before they try to read the stories.
   • Personal Opinion: I've read this series more than once, and I can enjoy it - but there are many parts where I just have to remind myself of the intended audience to enjoy what I can and ignore what I find annoyingly plot-driven (rather than story/character consistent). 

Edited July 20 by Treamayne
SPAG

[Just a Silvereye he/him]

I find Lord of the Rings both incredibly good and incredibly frustrating. I mean, the worldbuilding is insane, and I might sound crazy here but I really like Frodo's evolution. But at the same time, the writing is... well what it is. I would often find myself skip the poems altogether (although that might be a translation thing. I have discovered Clamavi De Profundis' work recently, and it made me somewhat reconsider my stance. Should reread LOTR at some point, either in English or the new French translation.)

Then you get Silmarillion, which is this but to the power of ten. One of the best epics ever, after you get through pages of presentation of Fëanor, Finrod, Finwë, Fingolfin, Finarfin, and all their (often irrelevant) extended family.

 

Oh yeah HP. I'd say it's fairly rated, because no one is pretending it's the best thing ever. I don't think I ever held it as high as some (I always preferred Percy Jackson or Artemis Fowl) and unlike PJ or AF I haven't really felt like rereading HP in years.

[Dunkum he/him]

On 2/1/2024 at 1:57 PM, Just a Silvereye said:

Oh yeah HP. I'd say it's fairly rated, because no one is pretending it's the best thing ever.

this baffles me. who have you been talking to? because every HP fan I have ever met DOES seem to think it is the best thing ever, and they will go on about it at length. its a fun enough series, but that level of hype is unsustainable.

[Boomerang Guy he/him]

Harry potter is great. I feel i have personally have mostly grown out of it. Not that everybody has to. People can like it no matter how old. I don't think LOTR is overrated tho. Some may call me a biased zealot. I have certainly been called zealous over the Cosmere. But I do not think LOTR is overrated. Sure its not for everybody. Kinda like the Beatles. But that doesn't make what they did for their industry any less amazing or their art any less of a masterpiece. Or their accomplishments any less spectacular.

I just have such immense respect for J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis. I consider them having god fathered the fantasy genre as a whole. I love those men.  

[J. Magi she/her]

Time for my unpopular opinion:

HP- is extremely overrated and really doesn't deserve much of the praise it gets. It's writing is sloppy and the only really impactful thing that came out of the series was its aesthetic. If you love it, I think that's awesome! But honestly I find it extremely mediocre.

Lotr- Is a masterpiece of writing and lore--I will die on this hill (hehe). The writing is sort of tough I guess . . . but it's not a hard read compared to a lot of other stuff I've read so I guess I don't remember it being too hard? It can be boring at times, but lotr isn't supposed to be an action-packed thriller, so I don't see the slow parts as a flaw. Most of the tropes that people insist that lotr started are actually modern half baked versions of what Tolkien actually wrote, and so imo it holds up well and it doesn't feel over done ( I will also die on this hill). Lotr is literally the ideal fantasy, and I know people say it alot and people get tired of hearing it, but it is. It isn't the best fantasy book ever however, that title goes to The Hobbit without a doubt-- but we aren't talking about that lol.

anyway, that was kind of passionate . . . I have strong opinions on things (sorry)

[Thaidakar the Ghostblood he/him]

4 hours ago, Dunkum said:

this baffles me. who have you been talking to? because every HP fan I have ever met DOES seem to think it is the best thing ever, and they will go on about it at length. its a fun enough series, but that level of hype is unsustainable.

No, not every fan. I'm a fan in some ways, and I know a lot of fans. Not every fan.

However, I do know what you're talking about. Those types of fans who ignore every flaw are kinda annoying lol. There are flaws in every piece of writing. 

I love the series mainly because it works despite its flaws and the consistency issues. I also just adore JK Rowling's way of writing prose. Maybe it's just the way I've heard it in the audio books, but it's really fun and captures me every time.

[Dunkum he/him]

42 minutes ago, Thaidakar the Ghostblood said:

No, not every fan. I'm a fan in some ways, and I know a lot of fans. Not every fan.

However, I do know what you're talking about. Those types of fans who ignore every flaw are kinda annoying lol. There are flaws in every piece of writing. 

I love the series mainly because it works despite its flaws and the consistency issues. I also just adore JK Rowling's way of writing prose. Maybe it's just the way I've heard it in the audio books, but it's really fun and captures me every time.

I was exaggerating some, but there are definitely a few people I have met for whom it seems to be a pillar of their identity and they will hear no ill spoken of it. my experience is just completely at odds with the line "no one is pretending it's the best thing ever"

personally I think it's fine, and I'd probably like it a bit more if not for the sort of hype that surrounds it. but I also have plenty of gripes with, so I land firmly in the "overrated" group on that one. but part of that is just that it did get so much publicity. Lord of the Rings, Narnia, and A Song of Ice and Fire are probably the only fantasy series that are even slightly comparable on that front.

[Boomerang Guy he/him]

1 hour ago, justice magician said:

Time for my unpopular opinion:

HP- is extremely overrated and really doesn't deserve much of the praise it gets. It's writing is sloppy and the only really impactful thing that came out of the series was its aesthetic. If you love it, I think that's awesome! But honestly I find it extremely mediocre.

Lotr- Is a masterpiece of writing and lore--I will die on this hill (hehe). The writing is sort of tough I guess . . . but it's not a hard read compared to a lot of other stuff I've read so I guess I don't remember it being too hard? It can be boring at times, but lotr isn't supposed to be an action-packed thriller, so I don't see the slow parts as a flaw. Most of the tropes that people insist that lotr started are actually modern half baked versions of what Tolkien actually wrote, and so imo it holds up well and it doesn't feel over done ( I will also die on this hill). Lotr is literally the ideal fantasy, and I know people say it alot and people get tired of hearing it, but it is. It isn't the best fantasy book ever however, that title goes to The Hobbit without a doubt-- but we aren't talking about that lol.

anyway, that was kind of passionate . . . I have strong opinions on things (sorry)

Well IIII am very fond of your opinion.  While I do love the Hobbit, I am not sure if i would go as far to say its, "the best fantasy book ever." 

But yeah i am equally passionate of the masterpiece that is Tolkien's Middle Earth.

[J. Magi she/her]

1 minute ago, Boomerang Guy said:

Well IIII am very fond of your opinion.  While I do love the Hobbit, I am not sure if i would go as far to say its, "the best fantasy book ever." 

But yeah i am equally passionate of the masterpiece that is Tolkien's Middle Earth.

hehe good to hear I'm not alone . . . As for the hobbit thing, it is the best of what I've read so far. I'm pretty young and I haven't read a massive library of books to really compare it too. I also have a really strong bias towards it so there's that too (It played a significant part in my childhood).

[Boomerang Guy he/him]

6 minutes ago, Dunkum said:

it seems to be a pillar of their identity

I literally declare that this is the case for me in regards to the Cosmere quite often.........

1 minute ago, justice magician said:

hehe good to hear I'm not alone . . . As for the hobbit thing, it is the best of what I've read so far. I'm pretty young and I haven't read a massive library of books to really compare it too. I also have a really strong bias towards it so there's that too (It played a significant part in my childhood).

Well I guess its my bias of the Cosmere against your bias of the Hobbit. 

[J. Magi she/her]

Just now, Boomerang Guy said:

I literally declare that this is the case for me in regards to the Cosmere quite often.........

Well I guess its my bias of the Cosmere against your bias of the Hobbit. 

lol (hey and don't get me wrong, most of my top ten are cosmere books, the hobbit is just at the top)

Edited February 12 by justice magician

[Boomerang Guy he/him]

Just now, justice magician said:

lol (hey and don't get me wrong, most of my top ten are cosmere books, the hobbit is just at the top)

I can respect that. 

[clowncarcrash]

Eh, I don't think Harry Potter is overrated, they're really good mystery books. However I'm kinda irritated on the STRANGLEHOLD they have on millennial culture. Also one time I was meeting up with some high school friends, and I noticed they had these tattoos that looked like the AA symbol. So I thought they struggled with alcoholism in the interim period since i last saw them. I did this whole speech where I said I'm glad they're getting help and got on the right path. Made myself look like an IDIOT because it wasnt the AA symbol but the deathly hallow symbol. Apparently deathly hallow symbols are INCREDIBLY popular so I watch out for those.

 

LOTR..... I can't say its overrated because its such an influential part of the fantasy genre but I think it's mad boring. Maybe my attention span isnt the greatest or its  a product of the time, but I don't like it. Probably not overrated.

[Ookla she/her]

I put fairly rated because I had to take an average between the two:

I think Harry Potter is overrated. I've read the books, I've seen the movies. I just don't like it that much. I'd say the best movie is #3, and as for best book? Don't really have strong opinions about them.

I think Lord of the Rings is underrated. I've only read it once, and will probably not read it again for quite a long time, because it is very slow, but it inspired (what I think is) the best set of films to exist, and the worldbuilding is deeper than probably any other worldbuilding to exist, and the female characters are just about the coolest female characters I think I've ever read. (Eowyn, anybody? Awesome in the movies, of course... but still absolutely fantastic in the book! I dreamed of being her when I was a kid watching the movies.)

All my opinions, of course. No judgment if you hate LoTR and love Harry Potter.

Or, well... maybe a little judgment. But not enough to affect my opinions of you.