For me, the most recent book regret is Dark Matter by Blake Crouch. Predictable from the get-go, bland, boilerplate sci-fi ideas, too many of these way-too-convenient plot devices just to push the story forward. I frankly don’t get the hype, and I am a pretty big science fiction guy.
Another one is Blink by Malcolm Gladwell. I read this in college and this whole book should have been a one-page essay. It was too repetitive, and the whole premise of “trust in your snap judgments and gut reactions” is way too simplistic and honestly stupid. Like all Gladwell books, it was anecdotal, superficial, and a waste of time.
I despise the Three Body Problem. I have read darker and bleaker stories, but there was something about it that hit differently than anything else.
The Dark Forest sits comfortably in my top 5. I know it’s not for everyone, but those who like it, like it a lot.
As a stand alone, I could read The Dark Forest over and over!
The series is one of my favorite sci-fi series ever. That said, my favorite book is The Road, so bleak is usually not a problem for me.
100% agree. Got worse and worse.