Fantasy Aficionados discussion

Brandon Sanderson is an awesome writer with one hell of an imagination. Where Jordon is a genius at creating culture, Sanderson is, IMO, a genius at creating different and interesting worlds. He and Jordan are almost alike in that way, so it was no surprise to me when they picked Sanderson to finish off the WoT series after Jordan's untimely and unfortunate death.

As I mentioned, I'm a big fan of Sanderson's. I think he's a great writer, and I'm glad I caught him at the beginning of his career.

If you're a writer, however, I suggest you check out the podcast he co-hosts, Writing Excuses, if you haven't already. I swear to you that they give you all the ins and outs of writing and the writing business.

http://www.writingexcuses.com/

I've never read any Sanderson, but a fellow book nerd speaks very highly of him. I've got him on my read list and will dive into some more fantasy later this year.

He could be compared to Jordan. Unlike Jordan, however, he's much more capable of keeping the plot moving.

I read Warbreaker and I enjoy it. I have on my to read list.

I'm currently in the middle of the Mistborn trilogy, and I'm loving it. Sanderson is crazy at creating magical systems. He's also really good at creating different types of worlds you've never read of before.

I haven't read Warbreaker yet, but it is on my list! I'm also looking forward to his next book, which I think is called The Way of Kings. Apparently, Sanderson has been working on this one for years and years, and it's an absolute favorite of his. Should be interesting.

That was one flaw with Jordan, he could bog down a story with details or side quests. I've been getting pressure to read the Mistborn. Glad to hear that he's been getting good marks from the community.

Mistborn is so amazing - the magic is very unique.

I've heard a lot of great things about how Sanderson has tackled what must have been a mountain of notes and outlines regarding the twelfth book of the WoT. He's had to split it into three books, so that the series will go to a fourteenth.

To show what kind of character Sanderson is, he is doing the three books without getting paid anything more than what he was contracted out when he took over the project. He just felt that the story would suffer greatly if it was limited to one single book.

Misborn is a great book! The next one in the series, The Well of Ascension, is also awesome! I'm very much looking forward to the third one.

I have all of his books (re: non WoT books) and actually picked his first up in 2006 just months after it came out in paperback. He is genius at creating unique magic systems. I have only read Elantris and Warbreaker, and while Warbreaker is my favorite of the two, I still highly recommend Elantris. I'm hoping I'll get to read the Mistborn trilogy soon, since I have all three.

I haven't read Warbreaker yet, though I own it. I suggest reading the Mistborn trilogy, Caity. It's awesome! The magic system in it is incredible.

The magic system in Warbreaker was incredible, too. I think, although I initially wasn't sure about it, my favorite thing about the system in Warbreaker was the fact that even the best, most experienced magic-users had only so much they could use. Magic-users could eventually run out of magic-using ability, and that was neat and refreshing.

That sounds really cool, too. As for Mistborn, I still have to read the third one, The Hero of Ages, but I'm going to get to it very soon.

Wow, the Mistborn series has such a high rating average. I've never heard of it. I guess I'd better add that to the to-read pile...

You should check it out, Bill. You might like it. I do.

Bill,

Sanderson is one of my "go-to" authors. I will buy anything he writes, without even reading the jacket description. Its not blind faith, every work he's done more than backs up my belief.

I'm a Sanderson fan as well. I enjoyed Elantris, then read the Mistborn trilogy. I've got Warbreaker on my list of To Reads.

I have not yet read Sanderson. Mistborn is about six down in my TBR pile though.

You're in for a treat, Majkia. Sanderson is crazy inventive with his magic systems! His character's are great, too.

Majkia, you will most likely love it, as long as you enjoy interesting magic systems and worlds that seem to live around you.

Also, I almost had to slap a girl who doesn't normally read fantasy. One time, she was mentioning that she was starting her reread of the entire Wheel of Time series and how she loved Robert Jordan and it was too bad they had to just pick "some guy" to finish the series.

I almost exploded. Brandon Sanderson is not just "some guy" to anybody with a clue. But if I had said anything she would have treated me like an ignorant lump of garbage, so I pretended she didn't say it and wandered off as if I hadn't been paying attention to her.

LOL. I remember before book 12 of WoT came out, and not everybody knew who Sanderson was yet. There were rumors that Sanderson was Jordan's son on the Internet. I had to laugh at them.

To those who might be interested and not yet know, The Way of Kings comes out at the end of this month. I believe that the release date is August 31st.

I read Elantrisby Brandon Sanderson and loved it! I picked up the Mistborn triolgy..but havent read them yet.

The Mistborn series is awesome. I'll be starting book 3 very shortly.

I'm glad I saw this thread. I'm very much enjoying the first Mistborn book. This guy is the real deal. And young too...looks like the fantasy world is in good hands for a while.

Jason..do you know if Warbreaker is a stand alone?
Have you read his new one?

Sandi, Warbreaker is indeed a stand alone novel. I haven't read his new one, The Way of Kings, yet, but I'm thinking of picking it up for my Kindle. I like that I can adjust the print size on that, then I'll be able to fly through all 1000 pages of it. LOL

I agree with you, Bill. Sanderson has a real grasp of the fantasy genre, and his work shows it.

I just started The Way of Kings this weekend and I'm loving it. Too early to figure out how all the characters and plotlines will come together, but I love a 'big' story.

I have to admit - I just finished the Mist Born series and the magic system was so intriguing. I'm really looking forward to reading more. And the truth is I've stayed away from the Wheel of Time but hearing that Brandon Sanderson is finishing it up - I may just have to read it now.

There is a strong love/hate relationship between Wheel of Time and its fans. From what I've heard, though, Sanderson is kicking some butt in finishing the series. I'm looking forward to seeing what he's done with it myself, whenever I get to it.

I'm also looking forward to reading The Way of Kings. If I'm remembering correctly from reading Sanderson's blogs and listening to his podcast, "Kings" is an older novel of his that he's worked on for years trying to get it right. It's also one that he's most proud of.

you are correct Jason; according to some interviews i read about WoK, Brandon was done with the first draft around late 2002 and a complete version was ready by the beginning of 2005 prior to the publication of Mistborn. Instead of getting a publishing deal, he opted to do some hardcore tweaking and tunning on "Kings" before making an official release.

Also from one of the interviews i recall Brandon answering a question regarding the magic system in his books, he claims that for all his magical worlds there's a "unified theory of magic, just as our universe is governed by a unified theory of physics";i think thats incredible, and no doubt Sanderson is a master elaborating magic systems, needless to say for those who've read Elantris, Warbreaker and Mistborn. For what i read about the novel, WoK seems to be different in some aspects from his previous works, particularly a redesigned character structure for Brandon standards. I can't wait to have some free time so i can start reading "Kings", my copy is sitting on the night table for now.

I've recently finished Way of Kings (it took me only 2 days despite the size), and I can say that he just keeps improving. I wouldn't say he's grown in leaps and bounds where characterization is concerned, but there is definitely a noticeable improvement there if it continues throughout the series.

You can definitely tell similarities in the magic systems, in particular between WoK and the Mistborn trilogy. I can't wait to see more as the magic systems are explained in more depth, and the history of the world is revealed. In that respect this new book will leave you thirsting for much more.

One of the things that I loved about Mistborn (the first books I read by him, then elantris and warbreaker) was that I expected things to go in one direction, and they ended up in a completely different one (though not to the point of ruining my suspension of disbelief). I love to be surprised, and unable to guess the course of events. If he continues in this vein, these books will be nothing less than magnificent and his best to date.

After reading several of Brandon Sanderson's works, I'm left with the inescapable conclusion that although he creates amazing magic systems and whole worlds out of cloth...he's not a great writer. His prose never really rises above workaday plodding and he frequently inserts colloquialism and slang that detract from the world he has tried so hard to construct. His characters are cartoonish and his worlds seem like technicolor photographs, garish but without depth. I wish I had better things to say, but I can't get over his flaws to revel in the creativity of his worlds and magic systems.

I can see how Sanderson wouldn't be a great read for everyone. He does tend to be wordy, and his characters are sometimes a little too cartoonish. He reads a lot like Jordan, I think.

I wonder if it's a bit like dating - some of the authors my friends are crazy for, I'm indifferent to. Whereas with Sanderson, I always feel like I'm coming home. I just am so comfortable with his style. I never have problems with the pacing, I can picture the face / hear the voice of every character he writes, enjoy the challenge of figuring out each new magic system... I just dig the guy!

I love Sanderson's writing, too. It doesn't feel like coming home for me, but it is satisfying to read his work. Sometimes I like being swept away into another, perhaps more innocent world, and Sanderson can do that.

I'm a bit of a daydreaming, glass is half full kinda girl ;)

I'm more like Laurel. I feel so comfortable reading his writing, it's great. His books were a GREAT break from reading textbooks while I was still in school (I graduated in May).

Congrats Caity! What did you graduate from?

I graduated from Baylor University (BA in Film). The first book I ever read while I was in college was actually Elantris. Funny how that works out.

congrats, Caity!

I'm reading Mistborn now and really liking it so far. First Sanderson, but I can see myself reading more of him later.

I picked up The Way of Kings on a whim not knowing anything about the author, (it was big and heavy and i had a long way to travel and the concept sounded interesting) it was the best whimsical purchase i have ever made without a doubt. As soon as i finished i wanted more, both of the author and the series. I was somehat dismayed to find i could only have one of those however i was in for another treat when i got my hands on the Mistborn trilogy another great work by Brandon. I tackled Warbreaker next and was a little less impressed but still rank Brandon as one of my favourite authors, cannot wait for more of the way o kings series.

Jacen,

If you get a chance, try Elantris. I think it's an exceptional book!

I'll second that, Laurel! Elantris was the book that got me into Sanderson's work.

So question - I've read Mistborn and plan on doing either Elantris or Warbreaker next (I own both). Which should I choose?

Looks like I'd best take on Sanderson's followups to Mistborn which I loved. Thank you to all of you for the comments.

Haven't read Warbreaker yet, so my suggestion would be biased towards Elantris, Dawn.