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Brandon Sanderson - The Cosmere |OT| there's always another secret...

So jealous, I want to read it again for the first time. Hope you don't have any other plans for this weekend!

Yeah, I just got back from my fav coffee shop. Perfect book with some great coffee on a sunny Saturday. Just finished the part when
they strung up Kal to the roof to be judged by the almighty. so epic! Now everything is starting to take shape and boy I'm so curious how Sanderson will do it!
 

nynt9

Member
Just finished Calamity. Full on spoilers.
The ending was rather anticlimactic. I was expecting an epic battle with Calamity himself, but Sanderson blew his load with two protracted battles with Prof. The book felt like the first two acts of a Sanderson book then it just ended. And why did both David and his dad have Steelheart's powers? That was never explained. In fact a few things were unexplained. It felt a bit un-Sanderson-like with how loose some ends were. For example the genetics of epic powers. I was fine with the explanation of Calamity's origin, but I wanted to know a bit more. I also wanted to know more as to why he didn't leave or why Invocation left. A bit more reasoning behind his actions. I was really happy with Obliteration's reveal at the end though. It made perfect sense. I want more now. It feels like there's room for more books in this series. Also, this totally could have been a Cosmere series. The way epic powers are granted could totally be explained by Investiture, and Calamity himself could have been a shard, or come from a group of being who split the power of a shard among themselves.
 
Yeah, I just got back from my fav coffee shop. Perfect book with some great coffee on a sunny Saturday. Just finished the part when
they strung up Kal to the roof to be judged by the almighty. so epic! Now everything is starting to take shape and boy I'm so curious how Sanderson will do it!

That really was a great moment.
 

Westlo

Member
I just finished Warbreaker. What a ride that was. I fell in love with it from the very first chapter, and there were some characters I fell in love with (Lightsong being one of them).

I'd like to thank the people who suggested it. I just bought a hardcover copy and it's going in my collection of books I love. Now back onto the Stormlight archive book 2.

Yep, loved Warbreaker myself, would be my #2 sanderson novel behind Way of Kings... (I haven't read the second one yet, even though I bought the hardcore the day it came out, gonna wait for when the 3rd one is like 3 weeks from release)

Looking forward to the eventual sequel sometime in the next 5 years hopefully...
 

Kattbuss

Member
Yep, loved Warbreaker myself, would be my #2 sanderson novel behind Way of Kings... (I haven't read the second one yet, even though I bought the hardcore the day it came out, gonna wait for when the 3rd one is like 3 weeks from release)

Looking forward to the eventual sequel sometime in the next 5 years hopefully...

Autocorrect eh?
 
Okay, did I miss something? I'm at the beginning of Bands of Mourning, and I haven't read (and don't want to know anything about) Secret History.

Please excuse spelling mistakes, I only have the audiobook:
Bands of Mourning said:
"There are four individuals who, to our knowledge, have held the power of ascension: Rashick, The Survivor, The Ascendent Warrior, and Lord Harmony himself.
Wait, Kelsier went to the Well of Ascension before he died? What? When?

Also, if Hoid is in this book, could someone give me a hint as to where without totally giving it away? Is there a specific part/parts where I should start paying close attention? I always miss him.
 

Lirlond

Member
Okay, did I miss something? I'm at the beginning of Bands of Mourning, and I haven't read (and don't want to know anything about) Secret History.

Please excuse spelling mistakes, I only have the audiobook:
Wait, Kelsier went to the Well of Ascension before he died? What? When?

Also, if Hoid is in this book, could someone give me a hint as to where without totally giving it away? Is there a specific part/parts where I should start paying close attention. I always miss him.

You missed nothing. Everyone was surprised by that lol

Hoid
Don't forget your change sir
 

nynt9

Member
Okay, did I miss something? I'm at the beginning of Bands of Mourning, and I haven't read (and don't want to know anything about) Secret History.

Please excuse spelling mistakes, I only have the audiobook:
Wait, Kelsier went to the Well of Ascension before he died? What? When?

Also, if Hoid is in this book, could someone give me a hint as to where without totally giving it away? Is there a specific part/parts where I should start paying close attention? I always miss him.

Hoid's name is actually mentioned so you can't really miss him.
 

Adnor

Banned
Secret History spoilers:

Speaking of Hoid I must say that I really liked how it contextualizes Hoid's non-appeareance in Hero of Ages. Vin basically saw him and went away because she felt that something was wrong. I always thought that that scene should have been cut and only was there because Sanderson wanted to have a Hoid cameo, but after Secret History I like that scene so much more and I'm happy Sanderson didn't cut it for space.
 

Toxi

Banned
Okay so in They Way of Kings, what are those quotes in the beginning of each chapters?
They differ depending on the section of the book.

Part 1 has quotes recorded from people just before they died.

Part 2 has sections from a letter.

Part 3 has textual quotes selected for research.

And so forth.

The quotes starting chapters in Part 1 will make a lot more sense after you finish the book.
 
I wonder if Sanderson actually thinks books ahead or if he just comes up with awesome revelations as he writes. Both SA books were incredible in that regard.
 

Faiz

Member
I wonder if Sanderson actually thinks books ahead or if he just comes up with awesome revelations as he writes. Both SA books were incredible in that regard.

He's said before he's an obsessive outliner and planner. Given how revelations play out in his work I can't do anything but take him at his word there. He's talked specially about books planned out for literally decades so at the very least he has major plot points worked out.

That's of course not to say there aren't new unplanned things that occur to him! Heck, the Wayne and Wax books weren't really planned as part of the entire Mistborn line - he was originally going to skip to an '80s level tech era.
 

Sulik2

Member
I wonder if Sanderson actually thinks books ahead or if he just comes up with awesome revelations as he writes. Both SA books were incredible in that regard.

He plans and that is why he has such a loyal following. You can always when an author knows where the story is going. When they don't know you get stuff like George Martin not knowing what to write next and deus ex machina like at the end of Harry Potter.
 
He plans and that is why he has such a loyal following. You can always when an author knows where the story is going. When they don't know you get stuff like George Martin not knowing what to write next and deus ex machina like at the end of Harry Potter.

Just fwiw, Harry Potter was planned. JK Rowling says she wrote the last chapter in book 7 very early on. (Edit: not the epilogue)
 

ryseing

Member
Secret History spoilers:

Speaking of Hoid I must say that I really liked how it contextualizes Hoid's non-appeareance in Hero of Ages. Vin basically saw him and went away because she felt that something was wrong. I always thought that that scene should have been cut and only was there because Sanderson wanted to have a Hoid cameo, but after Secret History I like that scene so much more and I'm happy Sanderson didn't cut it for space.

Hoid
was actually supposed to be in HoA but was cut because of geography reasons IIRC.
 

Kaladin

Member
He plans and that is why he has such a loyal following. You can always when an author knows where the story is going. When they don't know you get stuff like George Martin not knowing what to write next and deus ex machina like at the end of Harry Potter.

That's also why I'm a fan of Michael J. Sullivan. He actually writes the whole series out before publishing the first book. By the time the first is published, all that is left to the sequels I think is editing.
 

Sulik2

Member
Just fwiw, Harry Potter was planned. JK Rowling says she wrote the last chapter in book 7 very early on.

If you mean the epilogue I can see that. If she means the Deathly Hallows she is clearly lying. The entire series hinged on these three special items and they are never mentioned for the entire series. Yeah sure, you had that planned JK.

That's also why I'm a fan of Michael J. Sullivan. He actually writes the whole series out before publishing the first book. By the time the first is published, all that is left to the sequels I think is editing.

Sounds awesome, I will look him up.
 

Voror

Member
Just finished Bands of Mourning today after having just read Shadows of Self just before after putting it off for some time. Very much enjoyed both and where things seem to be going.

I'm so glad as to where they went with Steris. The bits with her in the later parts of Alloy of Law made me wonder if there was more to her and I'm glad that ended up being the case.

Not sure who Trell is. My first guess would be Odium, but I'm not sure how likely that is.

I'd like to dive into Secret History, but reading these last two made me realize I really don't remember too much about the original trilogy and it has been a few years. So I think I'll reread those before going into this.

Only thing with Sanderson's stuff is that I sometimes feel like I have trouble keeping all the different concepts and such that connect all this together. The lexicons in the back help a lot, but once we start going heavy on the Cosmere connections I miss stuff at times. Like the three characters who show up in Way of Kings looking for Hoid and how I had know idea that they were characters I'd known from other books.

I also had no idea that there is going to be 15 year timeskip between the two parts of the Stormlight Archive, which is a very interesting revelation. Also saw how Mistborn Adventures actually takes place just after SA Book Five. Not sure how that matters in the grand scheme, but it feels like Mistborn might end up going the furthest in the timeline of them all.

I really want to read that Dragonsteel series, though as it isn't getting written until SA is done that is going to be some time.

That's also why I'm a fan of Michael J. Sullivan. He actually writes the whole series out before publishing the first book. By the time the first is published, all that is left to the sequels I think is editing.

Not familiar with him, but looking at that Ryria series and it looks like my kind of thing. Thanks for the mention of him.
 
If you mean the epilogue I can see that. If she means the Deathly Hallows she is clearly lying. The entire series hinged on these three special items and they are never mentioned for the entire series. Yeah sure, you had that planned JK.



Sounds awesome, I will look him up.

Why would any of the items need to be mentioned earlier than they were. As the world expanded so did the backstory.
 

Dec

Member
That's also why I'm a fan of Michael J. Sullivan. He actually writes the whole series out before publishing the first book. By the time the first is published, all that is left to the sequels I think is editing.

I actually picked up Riyria last week because I'm a huge fan of fantasy and murder mysteries but had never considered a pairing of the two. I was excited when I discovered some, and this post further excites me.
 

Wurst

Member
Just finished Calamity and, for me, it's the worst book he's written thus far (haven't read Alcatraz) :(

Where was the fast paced action and the cool Epic powers? What we got was bland with recycled conflicts and action..
Some inconsistencies and loose ends too. And that's probably the last thing to expect from Brandon
 
Just finished Calamity and, for me, it's the worst book he's written thus far (haven't read Alcatraz) :(

Where was the fast paced action and the cool Epic powers? What we got was bland with recycled conflicts and action..
Some inconsistencies and loose ends too. And that's probably the last thing to expect from Brandon

It feels rushed.
 
So what's the best way to get Warbreaker on my Kindle app? Hell, I'd pay money for it to read it properly on the app.

edit: Wait, I can actually buy it? Hell yeah. Surely, it's the latest, most edited version?
 

Faiz

Member
So what's the best way to get Warbreaker on my Kindle app? Hell, I'd pay money for it to read it properly on the app.

edit: Wait, I can actually buy it? Hell yeah. Surely, it's the latest, most edited version?

I just opened it from the website then used Safari's "open in" function to get it into Kindle. Works perfectly fine in the Kindle app that way - my only complaint is that it gets filed as a document, not a book, awaits apparently no way to alter that.

Also, the first page is the CC licensing page, not that title page, which is annoying as hell.
 

commish

Jason Kidd murdered my dog in cold blood!
Just finished Calamity and, for me, it's the worst book he's written thus far (haven't read Alcatraz) :(

Where was the fast paced action and the cool Epic powers? What we got was bland with recycled conflicts and action..
Some inconsistencies and loose ends too. And that's probably the last thing to expect from Brandon

Man, really? I read one person say the 3 books were better than the Mistborn trilogy, so I had high hopes (I've only read the first book so far, Steelheart).
 
They differ depending on the section of the book.

Part 1 has quotes recorded from people just before they died.

Part 2 has sections from a letter.

Part 3 has textual quotes selected for research.

And so forth.

The quotes starting chapters in Part 1 will make a lot more sense after you finish the book.

Yes I got all that but what do they mean? Who's quoting and why do we care? Any significance to the overall story?
 

ryseing

Member
Yes I got all that but what do they mean? Who's quoting and why do we care? Any significance to the overall story?

The king from Kharbranth is gathering quotes from dying people that have something to do with the coming everstorm.

The letter is cosmere stuff.

Really all worldbuilding really. You can ignore it but the info is there.
 

Wurst

Member
Man, really? I read one person say the 3 books were better than the Mistborn trilogy, so I had high hopes (I've only read the first book so far, Steelheart).

Did you enjoy Steelheart? I thought Firefight was awesome and a step up in nearly every way. Def better than Mistborn (where I thought 2 and 3 were good but not quite as good as 1). Although the magic systems in Mistborn are stellar.

I just think Calamity is rather a mix of tone, action and conflict of the first two and doesn't bring anything excitingly new to the table. Especially since I think the ultimate conclusion feels rushed. Ending spoiler
I'm kind of disappointed he introduced Calamitys earth persona in book 3 and didn't drop hints in previous books. Also why the hell does David become Steelheart?
 

Althane

Member
Did you enjoy Steelheart? I thought Firefight was awesome and a step up in nearly every way. Def better than Mistborn (where I thought 2 and 3 were good but not quite as good as 1). Although the magic systems in Mistborn are stellar.

I just think Calamity is rather a mix of tone, action and conflict of the first two and doesn't bring anything excitingly new to the table. Especially since I think the ultimate conclusion feels rushed. Ending spoiler
I'm kind of disappointed he introduced Calamitys earth persona in book 3 and didn't drop hints in previous books. Also why the hell does David become Steelheart?

I gotta agree. At the end of the day, Calamity was sub-par to Firefight and Steelheart in my opinion.
The ending felt completely rushed, I was kind of disappointed at the Calamity reveal, although it did have interesting implications (Sorta reminded me of benevolent Worm). and... I have no fuckin' clue why David got Steelheart's portfolio. Or why his dad did.

At the end of the day, though, I'll say the whole Reckoner's trilogy was just Sanderson wanting to write some crazy fucking terrible metaphors and similes.
 

Wurst

Member
At the end of the day, though, I'll say the whole Reckoner's trilogy was just Sanderson wanting to write some crazy fucking terrible metaphors and similes.

His metaphors are like a banana in a smoothie full of slugs. (I thought that awkward as hell love Story was way worse
How many times did he have to mention that the too of them made out and David is bad at it?
. It's YA, sure, but come on. Makes you question Brandon's own experience level in this matter.

Don't want to hate at all. Enjoyed the series as a whole. I'd really recommend everyone who likes this to read Worm, though. Far superior in almost every regard.
 

Jag

Member
So what's the best way to get Warbreaker on my Kindle app? Hell, I'd pay money for it to read it properly on the app.

edit: Wait, I can actually buy it? Hell yeah. Surely, it's the latest, most edited version?

An easy way to get documents onto the Kindle is to use the Calibre software to convert the book to .azw and have it emailed to your kindle email address.
 

mercviper

Member
Did you enjoy Steelheart? I thought Firefight was awesome and a step up in nearly every way. Def better than Mistborn (where I thought 2 and 3 were good but not quite as good as 1). Although the magic systems in Mistborn are stellar.

I just think Calamity is rather a mix of tone, action and conflict of the first two and doesn't bring anything excitingly new to the table. Especially since I think the ultimate conclusion feels rushed. Ending spoiler
I'm kind of disappointed he introduced Calamitys earth persona in book 3 and didn't drop hints in previous books. Also why the hell does David become Steelheart?

isn't this because Regalia thought it was fitting that he should have it and told Calamity to give him that power set?
 

Faiz

Member
Ok guys - I'm caught up on everything Cosmere and auto-read spoilers in the Cosmere thread. If you're gonna talk non-Cosmere stuff in the Cosmere thread, maybe mark the spoilers as such? Would appreciate it.
 
Ok i'm almost done with Way of Kings. Wow.. I mean Stormfather, this book is freaking good.. I think this book is the best fantasy novel i've ever read. Don't tell me it gets better in Radiance?
 

Sulik2

Member
Ok i'm almost done with Way of Kings. Wow.. I mean Stormfather, this book is freaking good.. I think this book is the best fantasy novel i've ever read. Don't tell me it gets better in Radiance?

Significantly better. Way of kings started slow after the amazing prologue. Words pretty much never let's up.
 

Ri'Orius

Member
isn't this because Regalia thought it was fitting that he should have it and told Calamity to give him that power set?

No, she suggested the spyral powerset, because she'd seen how well he took to the device (and didn't realize that he feared water, etc.). But he got the Steelheart powerset because (IMO) Steelheart was really the driving force and central figure of most of his life. Plus, it seemed as though all power sets are unique (even very similar powers have individual quirks): presumably Calamity reclaims them when an Epic dies, and so he had the Steelheart powerset ready and wanted to put it back out in the world. No idea why his dad got Steelheart powers in the parallel universe, but we really don't know much about that universe, and it makes for a nice narrative (I may have squealed a bit when his dad offers to teach him how to fly).

I'd also disagree with the idea of fitting the Reckoners books into the Cosmere. In my experience with Cosmere worlds (haven't read any Stormlight; holding off until there are more books released), the magic systems are a lot more well-defined than in Reckoners, which felt pretty loosy-goosy. I also don't see how
parallel universes
would fit into the Cosmere, which apparently has its own
multiple worlds/realities system
going on that wouldn't mesh well with the one in Reckoners.
 

Tenck

Member
Almost done with WoR. Spoiler tagging it just to be safe.

I've never hated and loved a character so much as Kaladin. This constant thirst for vengeance is getting to be a bit too much. I just got to the part where he decides Elhokar must die too. I just want him to listen to Syl for once when she mentions how this is destroying him. AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
 

Sulik2

Member
Almost done with WoR. Spoiler tagging it just to be safe.

I've never hated and loved a character so much as Kaladin. This constant thirst for vengeance is getting to be a bit too much. I just got to the part where he decides Elhokar must die too. I just want him to listen to Syl for once when she mentions how this is destroying him. AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

Just keep reading. The ending is great.
 

I would honestly perceive this as a spoiler if I were Tenck.
It's painfully obvious that Kaladin is gonna make the "right" decision after all when you phrase it like that. Him participating in killing the King would be immediately off the table following your posting.
 

X-Frame

Member
I want to re-read WoK and WoR very badly but feel it'd be a lot better if I waited until a month before Book 3 comes out so I go in remembering as much as possible.
 
Finished Calamity which was alright except it felt like either the setup needed to be 20% shorter or the book needed to be 20% longer since the last 4 chapters have about as much progression as the rest of the book...like he was too busy world building then realized he was near his word cap and crammed the end.

Will move on to Shadows of Self next. Been a long time since I read Alloy of Law though so hopefully it isnt too dependent...
 
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