I love the ideas in the series but the prose is incredibly awkward, even for something translated from Chinese. I loved all 3 books but have seen people bounce off of the first book hard because of the writing style.

Hard disagree. Coming from someone who usually values content over spectacle, Avatar 2 in Imax 3D melted my friggin face off. There is absolutely more that can be pushed in the blockbuster department. Ditto for Top Gun Maverick, another recent blockbuster that has set pieces that blew my mind.

If you asked this same question a few years ago I would have agreed, but between Dune and the two aforementioned movies I feel like you missed the boat to bring this take out.