That does sound right. I’m gonna file that away to think about next time I do read something of his. I get in moods where thinking about why I don’t really like what I’m reading seems way more important than just reading something I like…and if I do like the next thing of his, considering it under this lens should also be illuminating.
I’m currently reading Days of Shattered Faith and I have zero complaints so far. Other than with my memory, since I can remember just enough from the first two books to be sure that I’m missing a lot of references/resonances (like “oh, this character is actually that character from the first book! What was his deal? Nope, don’t remember” only it takes a lot longer for me to work through that
I have Something Extraordinary up next and that whole series has been such a mixed bag of stuff I wanted to like conceptually mixed with stuff I actually like rather a lot but peppered with stuff I just don’t care for at all. I don’t know whether I hope I like it or look forward to hating it at this point