Nov 18, 2020, 10:56 PM
Brandon Sanderson
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I'm a huge Sanderson fan. I fall on this side of crazy where I'll chatter endlessly with another fan, but not so crazy that I join the Sanderson forums.
I do have one weird quirk though, whenever a new book comes out I
a) Don't read the advance released chapters
b) Wait till I can read all day because I know that once I start I WILL NOT sleep till I'm done.So now I have Stormlight #4 on my Nook and it's waiting for me. It's like an itch but I can't scratch it because I ~do~ have to sleep.
If Thanksgiving could come now that'd be ~awesome~.
ANYWAY.... anyone want to talk Sanderson with me until I can read Rhythm of War?
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I recently finished Starsight, and am very much looking forward to the next work of his that finds itself in my way.
"If you stand for nothing Burr, what will you fall for?"
-- Hamilton: An American Musical -
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@silverfox uggg I have to reread the last 3 before I can buy #4 because I made myself a rule and I'm dying because they're so long
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@silverfox I can, but I do these on audio because I'm a fool, so it's gonna be awhile, lol.
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@silverfox the readers are real good!!
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Way of Kings is 45 hours and 30 mnutes, Words of Radiance is 48 hours and 13 minutes, Edgedancer is 6 hours and 23 minutes, Oathbringer is 55 hours and 5 minutes, and Rhythm of War is 57 hours and 26 minutes.
I'll probably skip the Edgedancer relisten. You know. Lol.
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@silverfox ... but i also need to catch up on Critical Role
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I've never read his stuff. What does he write?
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@tek said in Brandon Sanderson:
I've never read his stuff. What does he write?
Mostly fantasy although he's written YA fiction and even superhero novels. He is known for his very detailed, meticulously planned writing; he is very much an architect, not a builder. His magic systems are extremely well designed, for example.
On the other hand the guy is a machine. He writes really fast and basically doesn't stop.
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Arkandel has the right of it but... @tek.
It's easier to describe Sanderson's work by splitting it into different words.
First, the cosmre.
Brandon has built an entire universe that's interconnected and has several different 'worlds.' These worlds all have their own magic systems but as you read the books you come to realize that they are interconnected. It's not always clear HOW, but the more you read the more you find. What seems like a throw-away chapter/paragraph/section in one of the novels will take on ENTIRELY new meaning when you read a separate novel in the cosmere. He's had some drift over the years so if you read some of the earlier books, like Warbreaker, you have a little cognitive disconnect. However, as @Arkandel said, he is a METHODICAL planner. He does pause in some places and reevaluates his overall plan for the universe. Then in his future books he'll work to gather those stray ends back into the fold.Many of his cosmre books are built in similar ways to the Wheel of Time books (fun fact, Sanderson was the one trusted to take Jordan's notes and finish that series after Jordan died.) There are usually 4-5 main characters who the point of view switches between, though the switching is NOT consistent. You can meet a character in the first chapter of a book, then not see them again until the final third. Often between his chapters he'll introduce minor characters that flesh out the worlds by showing the things the major characters simply wouldn't be able to know. His narration shifts from omniscient to limited perspective depending on the focus he's chosen. I found it REALLY difficult the first time I read A Way of Kings to keep everything straight, and even now, I can't say that I have it solid.
These books are ones I'm going to reread for the rest of my life and find new complexity to every single time.
YA Novels
If you want something less complex, these are the ones you want. They are called YA more because the age of the main characters than the content. These include the Reckoners (a finished trilogy), Starsight (2 books now, 3rd is in production), Alcatraz and the Evil Librarians (these I recommend even to elementary school kids, because they're full of a bunch of zanny humor that younger kids love. They miss the more adult themes, so if a parent can read them WITH their child? 10 points, both people will have fun), and The Rithmatist (a series in perpetual ???? WILL HE EVER WRITE MORE?! mode, it's sad.) With the exception of The Rithmatist you can put these books firmly into the science fiction category.
This is also where I suggest people start with Sanderson if they're not ready for the rest of the WORLD. They're fun, they're quick, and you won't regret the time you spend on them.Novellas
Sanderson has dozens of smaller less than 100 page books. These are like candy for a starved reader. You can finish them easily within an hour but they tell a full and complete story. SOMEHOW he manages to build a fully fleshed world in these small novels. I've bought every single one I can get my hands on, and I still find ones I don't own and get annoyed that I don't own them already. These novellas stretch between genres, jumping between fantasy and science fiction depending on his whim. Some tie into the larger stories (see Cosmre and the YA novels) while others are totally stand alone.Other
With all his amazing ideas I find it basically unfathomable that Sanderson can write in ANY worlds but his own, yet he has. There is the aforementioned finishing of the Wheel of Time books, some Video Game novels (seriously, they're like fan fiction but like, polished and published) and a Magic, the Gathering novel. I haven't read these (even the Wheel of Time - I never got past book for, but I was younger and stupider. Someday I'll do it.)SO THAT IS BRANDON SANDERSON. If I haven't scared you off, I can give you a few starter titles.
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@silverfox Gimme
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@silverfox said in Brandon Sanderson:
a Magic, the Gathering novel
Keep in mind Sanderson is an avid MtG player. His Facebook feed is full of him basically travelling the world to promote his books and playing Magic with fans, people at the airport, etc.
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@Silverfox I have to admit that Spin felt very much like a character I'd play, and it made me love her very much.
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ALRIGHT. If you want to dive in head first:
A Way of Kings. This is the stormlight archive and it'll give you all the Sanderson-ness you could ever want. Downside, he's still writting the damn thing. Upside, there are 4 1000+ books in the series allready.
If you want into the Cosmre more gently:
Warbreaker It stands alone as a novel, but we're all hoping he writes more some day.
Elantris I found the imagery in this book just overwhelmingly detailed. It takes some time for the action to "pick up" but every moment of the 'slow' part is important later.Outside of the cosmere I suggest
The Rekoners with Steelheart being the first book. I read the whole thing in one sitting and thanks to the foresight of my husband went straight to the second, then third. I didn't sleep much those two days.If you nee something MUCH shorter:
Legion: The Many Lives of Stephen Leeds It's an intersection between sci-fi and mental health. A bunch of novellas that you can eat quickly and feel happy about each one. -
Also if you are picking the newest book up, here is a video sponsored by Sanderson himself explaining some of the basics, as a reminder course.