Fantasy -- Reading and Writing 1 - World Building

In my multitudinous spare time over the last couple of weeks, I've been reading fantasy. And I've been bothered. In the last three books, there was something I "didn't get." I'm beginning to think I'm stupid, or that I can't extrapolate. As a matter of fact, I think that I've been tired enough that the author should have been more explicit for me to "get it." Reading fantasy, fantasy romance, futuristic fantasy can be a challenge. You have to know that you might be hit with strange names, concepts and a whole new world up front. You have to be able to accept that, love it, revel in it...and not be too tired. There are several things about my own books I know: first, I jump into HeartMate and the strange society too quickly -- a regret that I'd change now, somehow, if I could. The other heart books, which are supposed to stand alone, have some reviewer's saying, "make sure you read the others." I am now so immersed in the world, I can't see how to make it simpler, unless I find a brand new reader. And when I talk about my books to regular people, I always ask them if they like sf/f, because otherwise, I think that I might lose them.

Now, for my reading. I didn't "get" some of the rules or some of the danger, so I am thinking that, in my case, I would have liked the authors to have slowed the action a little to explain more. For a reader like me, it's more satisfying to have everything make sense than for me to go "huh?" I think one author DID try to explain, but the language they used or the concepts they used were still murky (or phiosophical/deep) that I didn't get what they were saying.

So in looking at my own work, I'll see how I might be able to clarify without losing pace. And you all KNOW I hate loose ends, right?

Love to all,
Robin