If you like sci-fi, you should read the Three Body Problem series. I won't post any spoilers but the "no fun" setting is a plot point.
I liked it but after the first 50 pages of book one I realized "Oh, this is anime". I think that having consumed a lot of anime in my teenage years I have more tolerance for story arcs that overstay their welcome, but make up for it with epic twists/payoff. I think that these expectations make it more palatable.