Amph Brandon Sanderson -- State of Sanderson 2015

We don't actually have a thread on him

I found Mistborn for $5 at Borders yesterday; it made me very happy. I still haven't read sequel yet, I'm waiting for The Hero of Ages to be released first.

 

I haven't actually heard of him yet. What are his books like? Typical fantasy-adventure (judging from the titles)?

 

Actually, no, quite the opposite. He has a lot of twists on original fantasy. (He's the guy finishing the Wheel of Time series.)

Elantris is his first book, a stand-alone, and Mistborn is the first book in a trilogy (sequels: The Well of Ascention and tbr The Hero of Ages).

I've only read Mistborn, but it's fantastic. If your library or bookstore has it, get it. here is a link to his website.

 

I wouldn't call them typical fantasy adventure. Take Mistborn - it's part heist story, part Victorian romance, part political thriller, part the Matrix. I can't think of much in the way of epic fantasy out there that owes less to the likes of Harry Potter or Lord of the Rings. It's about as unique a blending of genres as I've ever found.

Also, I'm generally bored while reading fight scenes. But the scenes in Mistborn are the best fight scenes I've read. Except maybe that WoA has even better scenes. Honestly, if it could ever have justice done to it on the big screen, it'd make films like the Matrix or Wanted look boring. The fight scenes are relatively few and far between, but when they happen, wow.

 

Cool. I'll definitely have to check his stuff out soon! Sounds exciting and different, which is great.

 

Uping since book three: The Hero of Ages comes out Tuesday.

I hope that this series ends as well as it began. I just don't want to be disappointed with a crappy ending.

 

It comes out tuesday?! Whoa! Now I need to hurry up and start the Well of Ascension.

Tames Was Here

 

Tuesday? That quick?

I am so excited

 

I've got it, and I'm about 300 pages in so far.

Great stuff. So far, it's living up to WoA. Still not quite as fun as the original Mistborn, but like WoA it's showing superior writing skills. I hope that BS gets some serious consideration for a Hugo - he deserves it.

 

My reactions though the last 200 pages:





Green grass, blue skies. 'Nuff said.

 

Okay, Snow, you've convinced me. I started Mistborn this morning. The prologue has not gripped me but I'll see how it goes.

 

Mistborn is seriously awesomesauce. The prologue is just okay the first read, but once you get into Vin's story it gets really good.

I got WOA from the library yesterday and I'm on the hold list for HOA. Can. Not. Wait

 

Now that I've had time to reread the ending, I'm somewhat surprised by how abrupt it is. It's rare that I like abrupt endings, but really, the last fight in the story left pretty much everything wrapped up. Not much tying up of loose ends needed - so many little things through the series were explained in the final book. Some I really didn't see coming, but looking back they make complete sense.

 

I think I'll be going to the library after work tonight.

 

I love Brandon Sanderson's books! With both his Mistborn series and his debut novel, Elantris, he managed to actually be original and create a mythology that stood on its own two feet. I'm so happy he's not another Tolkien-wannabe. I recommend his books to anyone looking for innovative fantasy.

 

Couldn't have said it better myself. It was... sublime, I guess is the word I'm looking for. Though I'll always feel sad when a story ends with the main characters dead.

 

I don't know how old this news is but on his website he stated that he planned to do a sequel to Elantris. I am looking foward to that.

I will get Warbreaker when it comes out.

 

So it's not really a sequel to Elantris. Still, probably going to pick it up when it comes out in paperback.

EDIT: He's actually posting the full book online as he writes it.

http://www.brandonsanderson.com/library/catalog/Warbreaker_Full-Books/

 

I'm not looking at the posts above this because I don't want to see But I finally got the second and third books at the same time, so i started WoA. I'm two or three chapters in. So far, my thoughts are "Elend proposed and Vin said no?" and "El is a really cute nickname for Elend" He's my favorite character.

 

I finished WoA (and started HoA). Love it! Perhaps not quite as much as the first book, but it was really good. I wasn't very impressed with Tildwyn, but I'm happy with the way Elend turned out (and a Mistborn? Woah! That's going to take some getting used to). I was sad that Dox and Clubs died, but I was thinking that if any two in Kell's crew had to, I'd pick them. The part with Sazed sending Elend, Vin and Spook off while they were all going to die was really powerful.

Marsh being controlled by Ruin was sad; I'd liked him in TFE. Not nearly as much as Kell, but I'd still liked him. I was also disappointed with Zane's end. I realize now that he was being controlled by Ruin, but I'd really liked him (or maybe just the idea of him) and I think it would have added an interesting dynamic to the story if he'd joined Elend (though I was happy that, after killing him, Vin went and married Elend). The TenSoon twist was also interesting.

I have to say, I'm a bit disappointed with the Ruin plot. Maybe it's because I'm reading WoA and HoA right in a row, but I'm starting to get slightly tired of the "saving the world/our way of life is impossible" plot. Plus, it redefines everything in TFE about Rashek and Alendi. I think I preferred the "Rashek's jealousy was the only reason" storyline, rather than Kwaan's orders because he knew what Alendi woud release. I wonder what happened to him. Plus, I'd thought that the idea of Vin being the new Hero of Ages (in the way that Alendi would have been if he'd reached the Well) was kinda cool (though really, it'd a plotline that we could all see coming). As it is, my prediction is that the writing above each chapter in HoA is Vin.

That all being said, I am excited to know what happens in HoA.

 

Was Ruin actually mentioned in WoA? I know we saw him ]talking to Zane, but was he actually mentioned by name?

 

No, he wasn't actually mentioned by namne until the Prologue of HoA. I just happen to be fifty or so pages into that, and typing out "the thing that was trapped in the Well" takes more time

 

Every time I read a book by Brandon Sanderson I geek out for, like, a week after I finish it. And The Hero of Ages is no exception. I just finished it and it was totally awesome. Like, insanely so. I loved it with a passion.

The italicizationishism at the top of all the chapters kinda gives away that it's Sazed who's writing it and who is apparently the Hero of Ages, and all through reading it I was hoping that wasn't true because I thought that would suck. But then I got to the end and I was grinning like a maniac as everything came to a close. It was awesome.

I don't really have much else to say.

Tames Was Here

 

I am still awaiting the PB for HoA.

 

Wow.

I just finished it a couple hours ago, and I'm still reeling. Note - spoilers below.

I kinda started to suspect that the writing was Sazed, but all along I thought Vin was the Hero. I think the break I was sorta forced to take did me good; last month, when I posted the above, I was sick of everything, but after the break, everything was awesome again.

I thoughts it was really, really sad that Vin and Elend died. That's usually the sort of thing that makes me start crying. I think what saved me was a) shock, b) my roommates were both home and I didn't want to explain, and c) Sazed's letter to Spook that says that Vin and Elend are happy in the afterlife (and with Kelsier, which was cool). So they're together and happy, so I'm okay. And I wish that they'd gotten to build a new life in the new world, but I understand that they'd been fighting so hard and they deserved to rest. Plus, Spook had some really nice character developement and it was cool that it led to him probably taking over (and as a Mistborn - I'm glad Kelsier was able to ask Sazed to do that, especially since we really got a good look into Spook's head in this book and he was always so sad that he'd been the only one of Kelsier's core crew who hadn't been specifically chosen and hadn't gotten some last words in the note).

And looking back, it seems like everything's come so far since the original book. It was just a bunch of people trying to defeat and emperor, and it turned into so much more. But it was good.

Though, Sazed was the last one I would have guessed as the Hero. Vin, Elend, or Spook, but not Sazed. I thought that was an interesting twist.

Anyway, I like the series as a whole. I'm looking forward to reading what Sanderson produces next (including Ellantris, which I never got to).