when i read books these days i often get the feeling that the author is wasting tons of words on trivial shit, like the details of traveling from one place to another.

unless the author is doing something interesting along the way, maybe deepening some themes or fleshing out characters, i don't see why that would be entertaining.

it's so hard to know what sci-fi / fantasy books are truly great these days versus just strongly marketed and overhyped. i feel like the mass audience isn't super discerning in a lot of cases, which makes getting reliable recommendations challenging.