Finished The Rithmatist. This is one of the books where, as you are reading you, you think "hmm, this is a pretty good book. Good, not great, but I guess I would read the next." And then when you finish it, it's firmly in the "let me google the release date of the next book ASAP." Sanderson always ends books in a way that leaves me wanting more immediately.
I guess light, non-plot spoilers....
Sanderson will never be able to convincingly capture relationships in his books - it just never clicks. I never really bought into the MC and Melody, and it often felt so forced. There was a bit too much Harry Potter in it for me - magic school, evil teacher who hates the MC, kindly old man who believes in the MC and helps him, dead parent(s), etc.
I'm also not really sold on the magic system. If a bucket of acids negates the magic, then it seems like it would be pretty easy to stop the bad guys at Nebrask. Just create moats of acid? Use hoses? I don't know. Just seems like cool but weak magic.
Anyway, overall I really enjoyed the book and it should be another fun series to follow.
I loved the Rithmatist, the magic concept (once again) felt fresh, and the characters grew on me (though they were weaker then most Sanderson characters).
Don't let the feelings of Harry Potter similarities weigh on you, especially since i had the same feelings when reading harry potter, I swear i read that story before in A Wizard of Earthsea and A Spell for Chameleon
. As long as the story is fun I don't think it's a huge deal when concepts or ideas cross over.
Finished Warbreaker two days ago and found it very enjoyable. However,
I feel like the last 15% of the book were the weakest. Denth and Bluefinger turned to cartoon villains describing presicely what they did, why they did it and what they are about to do as opposed to just fucking getting to it. That was not very good. Also, the books leaves a lot of questions unanswered for having been intented as a stand alone work. I understand Sanderson intends to write a second book now but surely, he must have had that in mind when he wrote Warbreaker too because the ending is not very conclusive.
I liked pretty much everything up to the end though. The Vivenna chapters were a little weak-ish but 3 out of 4 perspectives were really fast reads.
Yes, The Way of Kings is his best and one of my favourite books ever. Easily my favourite fantasy book.
I haven't read the second Mistborn era yet but my Sanderson list so far is:
1. The Way of Kings
2. Mistborn: The Final Empire
3. Words of Radiance
4. Mistborn 2
5. Warbreaker
6. Mistborn 3
Finished Warbreaker two days ago and found it very enjoyable. However,
I feel like the last 15% of the book were the weakest. Denth and Bluefinger turned to cartoon villains describing presicely what they did, why they did it and what they are about to do as opposed to just fucking getting to it. That was not very good. Also, the books leaves a lot of questions unanswered for having been intented as a stand alone work. I understand Sanderson intends to write a second book now but surely, he must have had that in mind when he wrote Warbreaker too because the ending is not very conclusive.
I liked pretty much everything up to the end though. The Vivenna chapters were a little weak-ish but 3 out of 4 perspectives were really fast reads.
Yes, The Way of Kings is his best and one of my favourite books ever. Easily my favourite fantasy book.
I haven't read the second Mistborn era yet but my Sanderson list so far is:
1. The Way of Kings
2. Mistborn: The Final Empire
3. Words of Radiance
4. Mistborn 2
5. Warbreaker
6. Mistborn 3
I agree to some extent. Lightsong is just brilliant as a POV and i didn't mind Vivenna at all. My main issue with Warbreaker is he concludes the plot with a massive Deus Ex Machina in the D'Denir. Robyn Hobb eat your heart out.
And Warbreaker and WoR spoilers
Do we think he's going to be going anywhere with Vasher in Stormlight? Or just a cameo. Or has he worldhopped to get Nightblood back to stop it doing anymore damage. I assume Rosharians don't have Biochroma so how would it work?
are going to play out in Stormlight going forward as well. From what I understand about the magic systems,
they only occasionally work on different worlds. Buuuuut, Nightblood is still conscious, and Vasher hasn't died, so clearly some part of Bio-chroma still works on Roshar. It could just be that Vasher is laying low for some reason, but is still capable of Awakening stuff. How he got there, the reasons for his personality shift, and what he's up to now are all big questions I'm hoping we see answered at least a little.
Investitures are exchangeable to an extent. You can convert Breath or Stormlight or other stuff to Investiture and use that. Kinda. Maybe Investiture needs to be changed to appropriate form but still it can be done.
Indeed, i'm pretty sure Sanderson has stated this is what
I agree to some extent. Lightsong is just brilliant as a POV and i didn't mind Vivenna at all. My main issue with Warbreaker is he concludes the plot with a massive Deus Ex Machina in the D'Denir. Robyn Hobb eat your heart out.
And Warbreaker and WoR spoilers
Do we think he's going to be going anywhere with Vasher in Stormlight? Or just a cameo. Or has he worldhopped to get Nightblood back to stop it doing anymore damage. I assume Rosharians don't have Biochroma so how would it work?
The groundwork for the D'Denir was laid extremely well. He was walking that fine line between subtlety and beating us over the head with it. It was the best kind of foreshadowing, IMO. The kind where the revelation occurs and then you look back over what you've read, slap you forehead and think, "Why the hell didn't I see that coming?!?" I don't think I could classify that as Deus Ex Machina at all.
Re WoR
Brandon has spoken to these somewhat - the question is how much do you want to know before it's actually published in a book?
Investitures are exchangeable to an extent. You can convert Breath or Stormlight or other stuff to Investiture and use that. Kinda. Maybe Investiture needs to be changed to appropriate form but still it can be done.
Indeed, i'm pretty sure Sanderson has stated this is what
So, as I read it, Investiture can be freely exchanged (i.e. there's not really any fundamental differences between Stormlight and Breath other than quantity and means of acquisition), but the sytems that dictate how that power is acquired and expressed are world-specific. So,
Vasher
can suck in Stormlight just fine, but how exactly he's using that to fuel his
once-a-month requirement is unclear, since the transfer of power into longevity would seem to be world-specific, from that reading.
There also seems to be differences in terms of stuff like how holding Breath produces dramatically different effects from holding Stormlight. Power is power, but there's a ton of periphery stuff surrounding it.
So, as I read it, Investiture can be freely exchanged (i.e. there's not really any fundamental differences between Stormlight and Breath other than quantity and means of acquisition), but the sytems that dictate how that power is acquired and expressed are world-specific. So,
Vasher
can suck in Stormlight just fine, but how exactly he's using that to fuel his
once-a-month requirement is unclear, since the transfer of power into longevity would seem to be world-specific, from that reading.
There also seems to be differences in terms of stuff like how holding Breath produces dramatically different effects from holding Stormlight. Power is power, but there's a ton of periphery stuff surrounding it.
He's not that free with specifics, yet. When directly asked if
Vasher could use Stormlight
he said that would not be immediately easy, but Stormlight could fuel Nightblood. We arent really sure
if he can "suck in Stormlight just fine"
or something has to be done to make it a consumable investiture for him.
Also I'm fairly sure but can't find immediately that he has said that not all forms of Investiture can be accessed across Magic systems. Don't hold me to that until I can find a reference.
Couple things I'd like to see asked but haven't seen so far (tho if it has been please point me in the right direction) 1) can people from other worlds are see the biochromatic aura? if so does it depend on the strength of the aura or the investiture of the observer at all?
2) do people from other worlds appear as drabs to people from Nalthis? Follow up: is the answer changed by what planet they are on?
Well, finally gonna start on Mistborn. Have read everything else. Figured i'd give it a crack as when spoilers for it are hard to avoid when looking for clarification on something you read in another of Sanderson's books.
He's not that free with specifics, yet. When directly asked if
Vasher could use Stormlight
he said that would not be immediately easy, but Stormlight could fuel Nightblood. We arent really sure
if he can "suck in Stormlight just fine"
or something has to be done to make it a consumable investiture for him.
Also I'm fairly sure but can't find immediately that he has said that not all forms of Investiture can be accessed across Magic systems. Don't hold me to that until I can find a reference.
Couple things I'd like to see asked but haven't seen so far (tho if it has been please point me in the right direction) 1) can people from other worlds are see the biochromatic aura? if so does it depend on the strength of the aura or the investiture of the observer at all?
2) do people from other worlds appear as drabs to people from Nalthis? Follow up: is the answer changed by what planet they are on?
I think that there's something we're missing; investiture is supposed to be something fundamental, yeah? It's permutations and sources and uses varies, but the stuff itself is supposed to be a constant. That's why sources as diverse as Stormlight and Breath and the juice mistborn get from burning metals can all be referred to in the same general terms. It's also why there's metals associated directly with its manipulation; it's something fundamental, free of the general use. But, investiture is bound up in various different forms. The most obvious is probably metals on Scadrial, which are perfectly un-Invested (totes a word) as far as Rosharans are concerned.
Vasher
can clearly recognize the presence of Investiture in Stormlight, though, so it's not always that opaque.
The big thing for me is that
Vasher is still kicking. He needs Breaths to live. He's in a world that is, nominally, without them. So either he's sucking in Stormlight and somehow converting it or he's got a pretty substantial stockpile; he's been on Roshar for more than 10 years now.
I would guess that people on other worlds can't see the Biochromatic aura, just because it's entirely uncommented on in the above case. Good question on the other thing though. Everybody is apparently Invested at least a little, and people who give up their Breaths don't outright die... but they do undergo some personality changes (iirc). I'd guess that if a non-Nalthian showed up on Nalthis, they'd appear... maybe less than a person with Breath, but more than a Drab? Nalthian magic is interesting in that there's no special requirements for being able to use it. Anybody can Awaken, so long as they've got Breaths to spare. Most of the others have special requirements, like Scadrial's genetics, Roshar's Bonds, or whatever Sel's deal is. Wonder if that alters how Nalthians interact with other magic systems?
I think that there's something we're missing; investiture is supposed to be something fundamental, yeah? It's permutations and sources and uses varies, but the stuff itself is supposed to be a constant. That's why sources as diverse as Stormlight and Breath and the juice mistborn get from burning metals can all be referred to in the same general terms. It's also why there's metals associated directly with its manipulation; it's something fundamental, free of the general use. But, investiture is bound up in various different forms. The most obvious is probably metals on Scadrial, which are perfectly un-Invested (totes a word) as far as Rosharans are concerned.
Vasher
can clearly recognize the presence of Investiture in Stormlight, though, so it's not always that opaque.
The big thing for me is that
Vasher is still kicking. He needs Breaths to live. He's in a world that is, nominally, without them. So either he's sucking in Stormlight and somehow converting it or he's got a pretty substantial stockpile; he's been on Roshar for more than 10 years now.
I would guess that people on other worlds can't see the Biochromatic aura, just because it's entirely uncommented on in the above case. Good question on the other thing though. Everybody is apparently Invested at least a little, and people who give up their Breaths don't outright die... but they do undergo some personality changes (iirc). I'd guess that if a non-Nalthian showed up on Nalthis, they'd appear... maybe less than a person with Breath, but more than a Drab? Nalthian magic is interesting in that there's no special requirements for being able to use it. Anybody can Awaken, so long as they've got Breaths to spare. Most of the others have special requirements, like Scadrial's genetics, Roshar's Bonds, or whatever Sel's deal is. Wonder if that alters how Nalthians interact with other magic systems?
Oh, yeah, he's definitely using Stormlight to keep living absolutely. That's why he's there, Stormlight is a lot easier to come by than Breath. I just don't think he's using it directly. If you want a perhaps somewhat spoilery piece that may give some hints here, check out the entry for the Moon Scepter on Coppermind.
Regarding my first question, you are right, it's unremarked on, but we also know Vasher has the ability to suppress his aura. He's the only Awakener or Returned we've seen worldhopping, and the only world hopper we've seen on Nalthis is Hoid and we know how much he likes to share, haha.
May have more to add on these subjects tomorrow, heading to bed and probably a bad idea to get truly stuck in tonight.
He's working on Stormlight 3 right now, which I believe he's estimated for second half of next year (he's 3/4 the way through, so this estimate should be accurate). But, we're getting Arcanum Unbounded, which is a Cosmere short-story collection with a new Stormlight novella, this November 8th.
Edit: Also, the 5th Alcatraz book just released, if you care about his non-Cosmere stuff.
Technically Arcanum Unbound for those that weren't able to get a copy on Free Book day. But other than that and with no other secret books, then the next Stormlight book.
Technically Arcanum Unbound for those that weren't able to get a copy on Free Book day. But other than that and with no other secret books, then the next Stormlight book.
Arcanum Unbounded is a collection of all his short stories that take place in the Cosmere, including a brand new, never before released Stormlight novella. It comes out in two months, and you have to purchase it.
That's different from the book that was given out for free a couple of months ago on Independent Bookstore Day, which was a "companion" book for Stormlight Archive that only had details and such (which can now be downloaded legally and free from his publisher's website if you just google search "Stormlight Archive companion book").
Yep. =] This only has details and notes about those two books.
The Arcanum has stories in it, one of which takes place in the Stormlight world (a novella is basically a short novel).
If you guys haven't read any of the Cosmere short stories, I'd totally recommend them. There are a few that take place on new worlds, and these are like short, distilled Sanderson awesomeness (thinking Emperor's Soul which isn't a new world but close enough, Sixth of the Dusk, and Shadows for Silence in the Forests of Hell). Emperor's Soul and Sixth are some of my favorite of his writings.
Yep. =] This only has details and notes about those two books.
The Arcanum has stories in it, one of which takes place in the Stormlight world (a novella is basically a short novel).
If you guys haven't read any of the Cosmere short stories, I'd totally recommend them. There are a few that take place on new worlds, and these are like short, distilled Sanderson awesomeness (thinking Emperor's Soul which isn't a new world but close enough, Sixth of the Dusk, and Shadows for Silence in the Forests of Hell). Emperor's Soul and Sixth are some of my favorite of his writings.
Time for another Oathbringer update, with some minor book format spoilers:
I'm happy to post this update only two months after the previous one--which seems like a much more reasonable interval than the many months between two and three. I do feel bad at how long this book is taking, but I'm coming to grips with the fact that Stormlight books are just too involved to do as quickly as I once imagined. I still intend to get to them at a reasonable pace, but this year of work is showing that big epic fantasies require a lot out of even a somewhat quick author like myself.
In the wee hours this morning (3:00 am) I sent Part Three of Oathbringer to my editor. This means I've finished the rough draft (of Part Three) then done a quick revision, putting it at second draft level. (I explain in previous updates that I'm doing more revisions as I go on this one, hopefully to speed the editing process.)
Part Three is tight and fast, a nice counterpoint to Part Two, which was more leisurely and character-focused. The book stands at around 325k words right now. (Words of Radiance was right around 400k at publication.) I have on my website "73%" I believe, though I intend to move that to 75% soon. I started out counting 4k words as 1%, but I'm pretty sure that the final wordcount will be in the 450k range, which is why I have slowed the percentage bar velocity a tad. (Goal is for Part Four to be around 100k words, Part Five to be around 25k, and the interludes to take around 25k. Then I'll trim the book before publication, getting it down to around 450k.)
If you're following the general outline shape from Update Two, I moved the novella from this part to the next part, after deciding I liked the feel of this book having a narrow-wide-narrow-wide focus for the first four parts. We'll see how I feel after finishing the next part.
Next up, I'm going to dive into writing some Szeth flashbacks (which won't reflect on the percentage bar moving up) so I have his past nailed down. Then I'll expand the outline for Part Four, and write it. Goal is still to finish the book by the time I go on tour in late October, but we'll see. This part took me two full months.
Even if I'm a little late, however, having sections of the book already with the editor means we will still be on schedule. Plan is still for a late 2017 release, and it would take a major upset in writing plans to budge us from that.
Thanks, as always, for your patience and your kind words. The book is feeling very strong to me, and I think you'll be pleased with how it turns out.
Brandon
Me too. I love the setting, and I was hoping there would be a series of novels taking place in it like Mistborn (which had been the only other thing of his I had read at the time, so I guess that set my expectations).
I think that kind of shows what I love most about Sanderson's work. He's just so good at creating these crazy, unique fantasy settings and getting them to come alive in the reader's mind. I can't get enough of that.
I really wish he could concentrate a bit more on the Stormlight book, not because I am impatient about the book, I cant wait. But I really want all the Stormlight book to be narrated by Micheal Kramer and Kate Reading. Not sure how old these guys are or will be when the other books will release.
He does write faster than most author, but he also seems to go more often on tour than most.
I really wish he could concentrate a bit more on the Stormlight book, not because I am impatient about the book, I cant wait. But I really want all the Stormlight book to be narrated by Micheal Kramer and Kate Reading. Not sure how old these guys are or will be when the other books will release.
He does write faster than most author, but he also seems to go more often on tour than most.
Can't have one without the other. Every book released needs to be supported and advertised. So the more books he writes, the more tours. He writes quickly so there is less time between tours.
Edit: It should be noted that the primary reason things are taking as long as they are isn't because of lack of focus but rather how large and complicated The Cosmere is. Add in that Stormlight is his Discworld/ASIOF/Dark Tower/Wheel of Time and it should be pretty clear why each new release in Stormlight HAS to take longer.
Adolin killing Sadeas might be the most satisfying moment. Good on him. The man has tried to kill Dalinar multiple times now and was openly saying he would take everything from him. I would have stabbed him too and felt no guilt.
Can't have one without the other. Every book released needs to be supported and advertised. So the more books he writes, the more tours. He writes quickly so there is less time between tours
Surely at some point in the career of a super-successful author, he/she should be able to forgo the tours, right? How much do they really help sales if the author is already well established?
Presumably J.K. Rowling didn't have to do book tours when she published the last few Harry Potter novels?
Surely at some point in the career of a super-successful author, he/she should be able to forgo the tours, right? How much do they really help sales if the author is already well established?
Like, presumably J.K. Rowling didn't have to do book tours when she published the last few Harry Potter novels, right?
I obviously don't know him but Sanderson kinda seems like the type of guy who enjoys the travel and meeting fans and signing copies. At this point I really doubt he does it to drum up sales much.
Surely at some point in the career of a super-successful author, he/she should be able to forgo the tours, right? How much do they really help sales if the author is already well established?
Like, presumably J.K. Rowling didn't have to do book tours when she published the last few Harry Potter novels, right?
I believe most, if not all, tours are contractually obligated by the publisher. While the argument could be made that an author could be big enough not to need one, the publisher generally wants it anyways.
The same thing happens with actors in movies having to do press tours, regardless of how big they are.
I obviously don't know him but Sanderson kinda seems like the type of guy who enjoys the travel and meeting fans and signing copies. At this point I really doubt he does it to drum up sales much.
This as well. He seems to like interacting with the fans. He especially seems fond of being able to tell them RAFO (read and find out) when they ask revealing or clever questions.
been doing a lot of reading the past month and a half or so(mostly because I was way behind on reading 50 books this year like I wanted to) and have now finished all of the mistborn(both eras) and elantris books
my opinion of them has remained pretty constant throughout(good and likely to continue reading for the foreseeable future but not quite reaching the level of amazing)
just read the emperor's soul though and feel like it's a level above his other stuff,easily my favorite thing he's written that i've read so far
Finished Words of Radiance last night. Loved almost all of it. My thoughts, spoiled just in case:
Kaladin is a boss. A whiny boss at times, but a boss nonetheless.
I could not care less about most of Shallan's backstory. Even after all of this I still don't find her that interesting of a character.
Really enjoyed how Adolin changed throughout. He went from a whiny loser to somebody I respect quite a bit
Speaking of Adolin, holy shit @ that ending. Legitimately did not expect Sadeas to go out like that, especially with Adolin doing it.
Going off of that, the ending was pretty good overall. Kaladin's awakening of powers was great, as was Shallan finding the Oathgate.
Kind of bummed out how Adolin was able to defeat Eshonai (sp?). She was built up as this big villain, especially with the interludes, and went out like a wuss. I hope she comes back.
One thing I really did not like about the ending was everybody becoming a Knights Radiant. Kaladin and Shallan? Sure. Renarin? Okay I can dig it. Kinda caught it during the duel when he collapsed but yeah it works. Dalinar being one though I don't really get. I was really hoping he would stay a normal human.
Others in the bridge crew being Radiants kind of makes sense with what we know about them sort of attracting each other. Lopen being the highlight, of course.
The reveal that Jasnah was still alive was kind of expected but at the same time it was great. Really, really great.
Just wanted to highlight again how great it is to see Lopen get what he deserves. Everything.
Szeth coming back was good. He is a pretty decent character, though his complete lack of back story is frustrating at times.
All that said, I do not understand how this is going to stretch to 10 books. 3-5, sure. But 10? Might just be padding it too much, but obviously Sanderson deserves trust at this point.
Finished Words of Radiance last night. Loved almost all of it. My thoughts, spoiled just in case:
All that said, I do not understand how this is going to stretch to 10 books. 3-5, sure. But 10? Might just be padding it too much, but obviously Sanderson deserves trust at this point.
So I finished Codex Alera a couple of weeks ago (would have been sooner but I had to wait a couple weeks on the last two books) and I enjoyed it. They went quickly (maybe I'm too used to Sanderson's lengthy books) but were right up my alley, so thanks for that recommendation. Now the wait for The Blood Mirror and then Arcanum Unbounded and then... Way too long of a wait. :/
I'm pretty sure I read a WoB that they're not, strictly speaking, Radiants; they're Squires, which means they can take in Stormlight, but have no Spren and thus I don't think they can Surgebind. So they get the healing, the enhanced strength, but no crazy powers or Blades.
Funnily, Shallan's backstory to me was way better than Kaladin's in Way of Kings. Kept me guessing and engaged to a much greater extent, whereas I basically called the entirety of Kaladin's flashbacks by the 1/3rd mark.
So I finished Codex Alera a couple of weeks ago (would have been sooner but I had to wait a couple weeks on the last two books) and I enjoyed it. They went quickly (maybe I'm too used to Sanderson's lengthy books) but were right up my alley, so thanks for that recommendation. Now the wait for The Blood Mirror and then Arcanum Unbounded and then... Way too long of a wait. :/
Nov 22. When I realized the date I cancelled my preorder because I'll be on vacation when it arrives meaning it would be sitting on the porch for up to a week. :/
There likely won't be that big of a gap. Sanderson has said the second arc is more of a sequel than a different story (though we could easily and endlessly debate what that means haha) and there will be appearances by characters from the first arc.
Edit: Also, have a bunch of Brandon's books always been on Kindle Matchbook or is that new because I hadn't noticed it. Just got Kindle copies of the Shadows of Self and Bands for $3, and Emperor's soul for free. Love this practice.
Screw it, I'm starting Steelheart now. It's not fantasy, but whatever, more Sanderson.
I went Stormlight 1 and 2 -> Mistborn firt trilogy -> Elantris so far. Way of Kings is the best book, but I might like the cast in Words more. The plot isn't quite the page turner as the action in the first, though, and ss a med student I liked the healing lessons
Only heard of Sanderson on GAF, then this threads title taught me of the Cosmere. I've Warbreaker as a downlosd from his site, but I think I'll buy it, paper books still feel best.
PS: since TWOW won't ever come out st this rste I might be looking foreard to Stormlight 3 more.
