Is Brandon Sanderson Overhyped?
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- Опубліковано 2 чер 2019
- Is Brandon Sanderson overhyped? Little bit of yes, little bit of no.
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What are your thoughts on the legacy of authors?
Daniel Greene i kind of agree...book 2 of stormlight archive is soo overhyped...mainly kaladin...the fights were good and ending too...but the charecters fell apart badly from the 1st book for me ( reading book 3 now..in about 5 chapters and i lov it...wayyy better than book 2)
When it comes to an author's legacy, only the test of time can truly be used to find out which are the greatest
@@arrakis7132 STOP!!!!!! Read Edge Dancer first!! (book 2.5)
FMR wut
@@arrakis7132 Edgedancer introduced a character in OB.
Brandon Sanderson can't be a goat. He is a human. Do your research Dan.
Bum Luck he could be a G.O.A.T. though.
He's a high functioning stormiopath.
It was a delicious lie.
Since he just dropped 5 new books today. Are we sure he´s human?
@@seansmith7718 true that
Brandon Sanderson is my favorite author at this point in my life
I'm also super hyped to see him at Dragoncon this fall!
Personally it's Steven Erikson.
Mine too. Is he objectively the best fantasy author EVER? Maybe not, but I absolutely LOVE his stories. I'm currently catching up on the books I've somehow missed (just finished Elantris).
I remember being 12 too.
Mine too
the way I see it we are watching a legend in the making
Upstairs Pride SAME
Yeah, I would say that we're gonna look back in 40 years and recognise him as somebody who pushed the genre to new heights.
Yup. And he's getting better and better.
Upstairs Pride that is how I feel about him too. If he does stand the test of time it is a special thing we all got to experience. It is rare and should be thoroughly enjoyed.
@@zzzMrgamerzzz I just hope hope hope he gets his work on screen an we get to enjoy another successful run of avengers, and he pulls Stan Lee like shots where he's a part of every movie....that would be so beautiful ^^
The Way of Kings struck me in a way that no other single book has. No matter how the series ends, I think it’ll always be my favorite book ever.
3 books ago was my first reading of Oathbringer,
and i gotta say i'm having trouble connecting with characters like i did with Dalinar/Shallan/Kal.
they were just so fleshed out in their realization.
right now i'm reading b3 of Gentlemen Bastards, and Locke (protagonist) just fails to be as vivid.
he's not poorly written or anything, and the series is actually pretty great...
but every time i pick that book up i'm slightly disappointed it's not a stormlight book.
i think i'm spoiled now
@@nunyabizz3357 Every time I read a fantasy book now its disappointing because its not Stormlight. I had to switch genres for a while to get over it
Nunya Bizz you and me both duder lol
Nunya Bizz I discovered early on that if I binge-read Sanderson, there’s a period afterwards where anything else I read is dull and and faded by comparison.
(I literally read Twilight right after Warbreaker because, well, I wasn’t going to enjoy anything I read at that point, so I might as well read it.)
The “Sanderson Slump” isn’t as bad anymore - mainly because I’ve read all of them 2-3 times each - but at this point I’m not allowed to read more than two Sanderson books in a row in case it wrecks my overall reading count for the year.
(The year I hit 52 books total, 28 were Sanderson. It included a few re-reads.)
I agree. Mainly the way Kaladin and his story arc was portrayed in that book. The depression and his past was so beautifully executed.
Brandon Sanderson is not the goat..until he completes Stormlight Archive.
...at which point he WILL be 😜
@@nLTwiGGy Probably..:D..We're still 7 books off it..:P
This
Brandon Sanderson is more likely to finish the 7 Stormlight books than Rothfuss is to finish his 1 KKC book, or GRRM finishes his 2 asoiaf books.
@@EE12345 for real
Didn't love Mistborn, but I'm *LOVING* the Stormlight Archive.
_But I will say this:_
He isn't my favorite author, but he is the author I look up to the most. He is talented, authentic, and (maybe most importantly) consistent.
He has taken time out of his schedule to teach at BYU for several years, and he's posted his lectures on UA-cam FOR FREE so that any aspiring author can learn from his experiences.
I would love to write a book one day - I have no idea if I'll even sell one copy - but regardless, if I could have 1/10th of Brandon's humility and generosity, I will be proud of whatever I end up doing with my life.
I've read many multi part epics, but a lot of times by the end of it I'm invested, so I continue reading, losing some of that original motivation. So far, with mistborn and stormlight my motivation progressively increased. It's just impressive how many times he's taken me for a ride.
Great analysis BTW. Thanks for sharing!
I agree with both of you. Mistborn and Stormlight can be very dark but Mr Sanderson kind of avoids becoming R Scott Bakker in tone (for in quality Sanderson is superior by a good measure) and even if sometimes there are "horny" situations in Stormlight Archive, he eludes them obviously. Those are two things IMO, that make Mr Sanderson a bit "bourgeois" and "shy". I´m really into positive view of life and when I read ASOIAF I couldn´t believe my eyes!! I was used to LOTR, Dragonlance, WOT, Belgariad, Memory Sorrow and Thorn, and yes, some Moorcock to even a tiny bit the scales, but after GRRM, Abercrombie, Malazan, and weird Scott Bakker among others, I am more into (grim) dark...
As you said, I look up to him the most, he does what every secondary world creator had wished....
I agree. And I agree with Daniel. I still think that Robert Jordan or maybe George R.R Martin is the G.O.A.T but Brandon definitely could be when he finishes Stormlight!
I am also trying to write a book. I'm about a quarter through it. I'm calling it "A Flicker In Darkness" and I'm 11 years old and very proud of myself because I can write as well as men in their forties! Probably because I first read the Wheel of Time when I was eight, and haven't stopped there!
As well as the UA-cam videos of the lectures, Brandon also hosts a fantastic podcast about writing with Dan Wells, Howard Taylor and Mary-Robinette Kowal! It's called 'Writing Excuses' and I highly recommend it!
@@phoebejay1710 Thanks for the heads up! I'll definitely have to check it out!
I have never read an author who consistently writes this good. I am constantly amazed by the depth of his characters. So for me, Brandon Sanderson is the GOMT(Greatest Of My Time).
@Yay Art for me Brandon Sanderson is the better version of robert jordan. And Robert jordan is already epic.
Interesting. Brandon is my favorite author of all time, but to me, his characters are probably the one thing that he can improve the most, they're certainly not bad, but they just kinda pale in comparison compared to other great fantasy writers.
@@i_dont_know_who_i_am69 I disagree, Brandon's characters are the best I have ever seen. Although, I may have not read as much as you. Have you read Stormlight Archive? Kaladin is my favorite.
Def my favourite living author
GomT depends on your age. I'm 40 so for me it was Ray Bradbury. Sanderson has unfinished works that will help decide this debate. Stormlight could go to crap.
Friend of mine nicknamed me Brandon Stan-derson in her phone so my stance is clear 😂
I think it depends where you're coming from.
From a worldbuilding, hard magic system, or plotting standpoint, he's one of the greatest I've experienced. As far as prose and the actual craft of writing, he's pretty average. So if someone really values finely honed prose, or they focus on extremely deep characters , of course they're going to think Sanderson is overhyped. If you like your hard magic and "Holy shit" plots though, he can't really be hyped enough.
His characters are better than average imo. I agree with the prose part, but not the characters part.
Was looking for this comment 👍
@@derekdurst9216 His characters have depth but the way he told their story sometimes seems clumsy to me. Compare to lit genre, his character development is average, but of crouse not bad at all.
@@derekdurst9216 I generally agree that they're better than average, although he isn't GOAT at characters is what I meant.
If someone's main focus is character writing, then they may end up thinking Sanderson is overrated in general because they are focusing on something he is simply better than average and not AMAZING at.
i hate those plots of him
If the Cosmere ends well, it will be the greatest fantasy Project ever made
100% true.
If you think the Cosmere is big, try looking up Arcadum, hes a streamer/youtuber professional DM his world is literally living and breaking with like a 100 players under a team of DMs to handle everything.
Elantris sucks. So, no.
@@muchacamara Becuase ONE book wasn't good (at least for you) doesn't mean a project with over 20 books on the work is bad, wtf dude?
@@oscarchavezavellan2738 Elantris was terrible. I didn't say all his books suck, but what I have read so far has been 2 1/2 to 3 stars. If I write a medievil fantasy book that is gonna include grey aliens, but the dialogs sucks, the characters are annoying, they gather info in a dance, etc, you cannot say is the greatest book ever. That it's a book that is gonna change the fantasy genre.
Time traveller here... 2039, a little chill outside, the nuclear war wasn't that bad... but... YES, Brandon Sanderson is the G.O.A.T.
Still laughing.... great comment mate!
I think even discussing this is presumptuous and a little myopic. He may seem that way to his devoted followers right now, but will he have the fan base and the longevity of Tolkien, of Rowling, of Jordan? Of George RRMartin? And I say this as a huge fan myself of his works. It will not be the readers of this or the next few generations to decide.
@@williamegan6756 regarding your words on longevity and fan bases
Tolkien? Proven
Jordan? On a smaller scale, but he looks to be lasting
Martin? His stuff is already positioning to take the coveted seat next to LotR.
but Rowling? Idk man, i feel like HPs relevance just fades with each passing year, especially given her antics online.
Aylix Respectfully, I couldn’t disagree more.
If anyone of them is at risk, it’s George RR Martin. Thrones’ ending was just awful to the vast majority of fans (in my entire circle of friends, everyone thinks it was a train wreck). And with each passing year that Martin doesn’t publish Winds of Winter more fans become disaffected and lose interest. No one now expects he will ever finish it. I still love his books, but the frustration is starting to set in for me.
Harry Potter continues to be phenomenally popular, and every year millions more young kids read and fall in love with Rowling’s books. As for her ‘antics’ online - well, she has given her opinion and has had the courage to stand by it. Don’t let the outcry of the excessively ‘woke’, whose voices are far larger than their actual numbers, make you think that she is done. (God, how I hate cancel culture and all those twitter hounds with their virtue signalling. ) With the vast majority of kids Rowling - and Harry Potter - remain as well-loved as ever.
As for Jordan, I’m probably not as objective. I f****ng love the Wheel of Time, and have an emotional tie to those books that stretch back all the way to my time in college. In the late nineties and early 2000’s, Jordan’s popularity among millions of readers easily eclipsed all of his contemporaries, including Martin. That only started to change when the HBO series brought Thrones to a much wider audience. And let’s see how well Wheel of Time’s Amazon show turns out - I personally have high hopes for it!
@@williamegan6756 no need to seem apologetic, i like talking about stuff like this. Your points are all valid, but let me change the angle a bit and put it this way: of the four mentioned, JK is far and away the least impressive writer (no shame of that in such company) and i feel that the educated minority of fantasy such as yourself and those who watch this daniel fellow's channel will always have such names as Martin and Jordan far closer to the tip of your tongue than Rowling.
She can, imo, be credited with the urban fantasy subgenre (if that is wrong please let me know, I feel like it shouldn't be the case), but in terms of literary depth, prose, worldbuilding, and everything else that makes good fantasy, she will always be less relevant than the bigger names. Martin's sluggish pace is less a bane to his existing legacy than it is the completion of it, that so many fans want to see, but i dont think it tarnishes what he has already accomplished, and the show's failings are completely separate from his legacy. the fact that it started going to pot the moment they ran out of his story is more a testament to his skill than anything.
I agree with you. I think the biggest factor in him becoming the one of the greatest is seeing how he wraps up his major series (Stormlight and Mistborn). While I have no doubt that he will pull it off in a great way, if he were to fumble the endings it would severely damage his prestige as an author.
True, though we have seen that he certainly CAN end a series with Wheel of Time. I would be shocked if he does anything less than dramatically improve with his own stories.
Jeremy Cummings I totally agree with you.
I just have to say even though SA and Mistborn are his biggest series, his Cosmere outline includes a couple other potentially big series. I remember him talking about doing a 3 book pre-history series called Dragonsteel when Cosmere is more fleshed out. There's also Aether of the Night, another large Cosmere series he apparently wants to create.
Here's more info if you're interested:
www.tor.com/2019/12/20/state-of-the-sanderson-2019/
With Brandon being as big of an outliner as he his, I doubt he'll fumble! He doesn't come up with the overarching story on the fly. He comes up with it from start to finish first, THEN begins writing. He's totally got this!
So I was never a book reader. Im dyslexic and grew up hating reading because I just was so awful at it
However I was a writer, mainly for my DnD campaign. It was beyond basic, something along the lines of "hey! 12 evil wizards will destroy this world by merging the 3 material planes"
It sucked. I turned to online forums for cool posts, rules, ideas. I found a mistborn based rule set. It was an amazing idea and I loved it. Got an audible book version of mistborn and read very consistently since then. So this man made me enjoy books, he will always have a special place in my heart
LeGuin is still the GOAT in my book (for Fantasy and SciFi.) I always get chills whenever I just think about her stories.
I think that it is just completely impossible to say that someone is the GOAT Fantasy Author. There are too many factors, and too many ways of looking at it. That being said, I think that Brandon Sanderson is in the process of earning his place in the speculative fiction pantheon, if you will. The Cosmere as a whole, and the two tentpoles of the Cosmere specifically (Mistborn and Stormlight) will be what determine if he earns himself that place. But he is not the only working author who will end up remembered as one of the greats.
If GRRM successfully lands the behemoth that is ASoIaF, he will be in the pantheon, as well. And two currently working authors who, in my opinion, have secured their place in the pantheon already are Stephen King and Neil Gaiman.
I guess its not about who the GOAT is, all that matters is your own personal GOAT.
@Gregory Wendel, right now, I would recommend Good Omens, since the miniseries just came out. It is a book he collaborated on with Terry Pratchett.
One of my personal favorites of his is The Graveyard Book, but there are also Neverwhere, Startdust, Coraline, and The Ocean at the End of the Lane, as well as many short stories (my favorite being Snow, Glass, Apples).
And if you like graphic novels/comic books, his Sandman series is legendary.
Really really good reasoned comment
Seeing someone who's probably half Sanderson's age call him a "youngshot" is a little bit jarring.
Youngshot meant in comparison to the older dudes, I guess
We are just so used to most fantasy authors being fat grandfathers with footlong beards I guess.
He is speaking in terms of fantasy and fantasy writing. He is young.
While I love Sanderson, I don't see his work having the philosophical undercurrent of someone like Tolkien. Thus, I doubt he will be the GOAT but he has already, imo, carved out a place in the upper echelon of the fantasy pantheon.
He is very popular and consistent, but I do not think Sanderson challenges readers or expands fantasy to the same degree Tolkien did. Mistborn 1 had a gimmicky magic system that a lot of people seemed to like, but no new races like Tolkien, or inventive conflicts
@@willrock8194 The Koloss and Kandra would like to have a word...
Brandon Sanderson is the reason why I started reading Wheel of Time and ended subbing here
Same
I love Brandon Sanderson. His writing is so cinematic and his books are my current favorite. But a big part of that for me is his consistency. I don’t have to be afraid of him not finishing things. Also doesn’t hurt he has a lot of female protagonists :)
I think Brandon Sanderson is changing the game, and raising the bar for what fantasy can be. In my opinion his work will have a great influence that we will see a lot of in the future.
unlike great authors from the past he influences people(readers, future writers) with more than just his books, all thanks to his teaching and podcast.
He's actually degrading the genre by his lame and so called fast writing
As far as I can tell, the complaints about Brandon Sanderson boil down to 2 main things:
1. His writing isn’t as nuanced or subtle as other writers
2. His characters/dialogue are unrealistic
I can see where these complaints come from, though they don’t bother me personally, and I don’t agree with the second one. The way I see it, people read Brandon Sanderson for his world building and his storytelling more than his writing style. His worlds are incredibly original and his plotting is extremely sound, especially his his endings, which often blow me away. If in your opinion his weaknesses as a writer outweigh his strengths, maybe he’s not the writer for you. But a lot of people love him because he’s consistently pumping out good stories, and the scope of what he’s trying to accomplish is beyond that of any other author out there right now. I wouldn’t say he’s overhyped, just that (like any author) he’s not for everyone.
Wow well said. Love this comment.
Jordan failed at both of these pretty hard, too.
Dune was what really got me into sci-fi/fantasy. Then I read some WOT. Then BAM. Stormlight comes along. It's like those two worlds colliding and it's awesome.
WOT? BAM?
World Of Tires?
Books About Motors?
Way of Tea?
Bam-A-Malam?
While Sanderson is definitely my current favorite author, he does kind of fall into the category of "super high hype" turning into "super high expectations," and sometimes people put him on such a high pedestal that the expectations for him and his writing become impossibly unachievable. From how some people praise him, others feel like they should ascend to Nirvana after finishing one book of the Stormlight Archive. And that's just not the case. They are incredible books, but like every book in existence, imperfect. Not everyone will like them the same.
I actually have a few good friends who are writing buddies of mine, who have absolutely sworn off reading any Sanderson, purely because of the hype. They say that they are sick of hearing everyone praise him, and don't care to read any of his stuff (which I personally think is a bit unfair, but to each their own). This happens in any form of media though, for anything that gets hyped to no end. People are going to dislike it purely because it is hyped.
But yeah, time will be the final judge of this, and it won't be for a long while before we see the branches of Sanderson's influence. I still love the heck out of his books though, and definitely think he is at least among the best currently writing.
Really interesting and balanced comment. I do worry about that (As I am particularly partial to his writing and find it excellent). I often recommend him and just say I really like this guy try this and see what you think. Then in myself I am like they are going to LOVE IT! Then... oh please like it please like it.... yet I know that kind of fan behaviour is murder to someone giving the book a fair try and not being disappointed for no reason. I am gutted sometimes to read comments like 'his characters are shallow' or 'he can't write women'. Often when I dig into those comments with those who make them what they meant was he is not among what they would consider the best in those areas and that is what they expected. 'I can think of 5 people who do it better'.... and..... that's fine. That doesn't mean they were bad or weaknesses just that there are others even better. Anyway I rambled but I really liked how you pointed out that the hype itself can hurt as people aim to dislike what is liked.
I finished the Wheel of Time this spring and wanted to continue with Brandon after being introduced to him through WoT, I haven't been disappointed yet
Doing the exact same thing. I just finished WoT. I just ordered the first 3 books in the Mistborn series. I can't wait to start.
The only "flaw" (and it is to an extent a personal preference) in B. Sanderson's books is that his writing style is rather... plain. His characters, magic systems, worldbuilding and storylines are outstanding, he is also very easy to read. But I personally wish he could write a little bit more flowery. Not flowery for the sake of flowery, but a bit less plain writing style would be appreciated
Love Mistborn, Love the Stormlight Archive. He is one of my favorite writers... I had no clue he was super popular.
I love TSOIAF more, but there is something to be said about consistently being able to write that well that much.
I don't think it's fair to compare Dark Fantasy with High Fantasy. Their tropes can be sheer opposites at times.
@@Mrbluefire95 It was more about the writing style and quality not tropes, plot or charachters. Also I love both authors and was more poking fun at GRRM for not finishing his series.
There really really is!
I think part of the reason he’s so hyped (possibly overhyped) is there’s not a lot of big fantasy authors currently writing who are well known and are being widely read. And those that are don’t exactly have a lot of goodwill aimed at them at the moment... Brandon Sanderson on the other hand is a consistent and prolific writer.
Yes, he is a very good author and I personally love many of his books but we’ve gotta admit a lot of his popularity comes from him being, well, popular.
Hopefully in twenty years from now his writing will stand on its own and it can be judged a bit more fairly.
Martin has destroyed his own legacy, unfortunately.
His popularity comes from being a good author.
I like your comment. iwanted to add though that one of the reasons he is popular (Apart from his authorial skills) are his interpersonal skills and business management. He is a product and he sells that product extremely well. Never have I seen any author, in any field (I include fiction and non-fiction) be so transparent about their process and deadlines. He is amazingly prolific which makes him easy to get into and for hype to build. When you are getting a new book at least once (And often more than once) a year, when he is constantly on Reddit etc doing AMAs, when he is doing constant tours signings and there is always another new thing on the horison while all his old properties are still getting discovered by new blood... I mean no wonder the popularity. Then with that the extreme hype.
I really mean it. If he is overhyped I think it is primarily because he does the business /social interaction side of being an author SO WELL.
He's definitely one of my personal favorites, no doubt about that. I don't think he's overhyped - unless people are claiming that his writing is flawless (which it ain't). :) But right now he's the best thing that's happened to the fantasy genre in a loooong time, IMHO.
I don’t know man. R/fantasy seems to idolize him.
I always enjoy your videos essays. I appreciate the work and effort you put in to creating well thought out content. It's refreshing to see in booktube. Thanks.
I agree, and while he is for sure my favorite of all time, I think time and distance are required to really tell. That said, I think we're witnessing history here
I agree he is up there with Tolkien and Jordan in the top 5 but as a Goat i have to see not only how the stormlight archive comes together but also how the Cosmere as a whole develops. He is one in a few with the potential to be one of the greatest, but we just started his golden age that could go either way.
unpopular opinion - Elantris is my favorite standalone fantasy book, just thought it deserved more appreciation
Elantris is one my favorites too. Every time I reread it, I get sad that there's not more coming in that world.
Elantris was my introduction to him. I was trying to read more fantasy without diving into a full series of books and heard it was pretty good. Shortly after I acquired the Misborn series and am now invested in SA. The dude may or may not be the "GOAT", but there is no doubt he's sitting at the same table as them.
@@jeandiatasmith4512 Brandon has confirmed a sequel to Elantris and Warbreaker eventually. Warbreaker is far in the distance, but he keeps saying he will get to Elantris soon when the current age of mistborn and book 5 of stormlight are done.
@@vispian7688 This makes me happy! Thanks!
Elantris and warbreaker get so much hate but I love them. They're both on my list of favorite novels. When warbreaker came into the most recent stormlight book I was so happy! However, I don't think Elantris would tie in as well and I hope he let's it rest as the beautiful thing it is.
I love Brandon Sanderson’s lectures. I think he is an amazing teacher. However, his writing approach is too organized and cookie cutter. He’s overall goal is to write a satisfying narrative. While that is important, I think he limits himself narratively. He won’t take as many risks as other authors because he wants the reader to be satisfied rather than socked. I feel that if he were to relax on the action and magic and focus more on description and character development he would be a goat. But for now he is a great writer, creating great stories to pander to his readers.
Well said. As a writer myself, I will take notes on what you said here.
I've only completed Mistborn from Sanderson. It's...alright. He's great at ending with knockout twists, but a lot of the story and characterisations felt contrived to me. Sanderson also taught me that I do not like hard magic systems. The overly explained action sequences with all the pushing and pulling really didnt do it for me.
I've read a couple hundred pages of the first Way of Kings book, never read anymore.
More power to the people who love him.
Yeah, I thought the same. Pushing and pulling felt too much like a video game, and for it's lack of spectacle required too much detail. I thought I would like hard magic systems, but I think mystery is a more valuable trait than well defined rules.
This is absurdly late but I don’t think you should write of hard magic systems entirely just because a single hard magic system lol. That would be like disliking a single soft magic system then thinking all soft magic systems are bad.
As someone that loved the stormlight archive and read mistborn after, I actually kinda agree. I found Allomancy to be a tad overly wordy, especially in fight scenes. And even hearing the description of vin and Kelsier moving through luthadel using steel pushing and pulling became a bit tedious.
I had a lukewarm reaction to most of wheel of time. When Sanderson took over, I was like "I'm barely enjoying this series. I hope the new guy doesn't make it any worse." It was night and day. Suddenly the series got GOOD. After that, I read everything he'd written. I've read most of the Cosmere stuff twice! Sanderson is my all time favorite author. It's not hype. I didn't even follow news or channels on novels until I got into Sanderson's work. That was my completely unbiased reaction having heard no one else's opinion on the matter.
Here's my thing. I absolutely LOVE his worldbuilding. He is so fantastic at it and it's something I have not really seen or hardly seen in the genre for a very long time. However, I feel he lacks very much in his actual writing and with his characters. Too many times do I feel like he's explaining things to me constantly rather than expressing it through words. Constantly characters feelings and actions are just explained away right off of the bat, as if I wouldn't be able to piece things together on my own I needed someone to tell me. He has really great themes in his books as well as character archs, however, I do feel his writing style gets in the way of actually making these journeys...great. Or stand out for that matter.
Many times I see people saying that his writing is easy to get in to and let's them dive into the story easier I believe, for not it completely takes me out. It makes me feel aware that I'm simply reading this stuff that is happening rather than "transporting" me into this world and experiencing it with these characters. Now, of course most of these are my personal opinions (I would argue, however, his prose is lacking is not) they are issues that stop me from ever saying any of his books as they stand right now are "classics" or THE best of the Fantasy genre right now. This is not saying he isn't a good author or that I don't like his work. I just feel this are some glaring issues so many fans overlook, I mean wouldn't you WANT someone to be better at things? I mean as always to each his own. I feel very torn between being frustrated with certain aspects and loving the stories and the world. Like you said though, he has so much potential to be one of the greats and have a lasting affect on the genre, only time will tell.
Hey there "cousin!" Nice username. I completely agree about his writing style. It's too plain. At times it's refreshingly economical, in that he doesn't do unnecessary descriptions. If the "camera" is zoomed in on some object in a scene, it will be important to the plot so best not forget it. But it's to the point of being too obvious when describing characters' thoughts. He did this in WoT but I excused that as the necessary clumsiness in writing someone else's story. But not after having just finished the first Mistborn trilogy, I think it's just his writing. I'm glad for the people who find it accessible, but to me it comes off as beating you over the head with a point sometimes.
I'm also personally spoiled by GRRM really cinematically setting a scene and never quite explaining anything outright, so nothing quite holds a candle for me...
Interesting take and well explained viewpoint mate. I do not feel this way myself though I do not feel I am ignoring it. It might be that I do feel like I am in his worlds, universe and (especially thanks to his very personal use of viewpoint) in his characters.
Do I hope he progresses in every area YES. Do I think he is progressing YES.
I have heard a lot of people say his writing is too plain but I just do not find it so. I can read it or hear it easily enough and it opens the reality of his greatest strengths such as his world building, epic conflicts and in depth character struggles just fine for me.
I don't say this to suggest you are wrong (literally hundreds probably thousands of poeple agree with you, I see the comment EVERYWHERE) but only to say the writing style really works for a lot of us. I would rather read brandon than Tolkien (Who I love and have read several times) and even than Stephen Erickson (Who is an amazing world builder and writer). I just find that the communication is so clear and 100% with Brandon. I am never thrown out of his story as the story telling is seamless. So though it may be an area for growth it doesn't hit me as a great weakness and I would hate it if in an attempt to really focus on writing with a more Rothfus style he let his worldbuilding, character development, magic system plotlines slip.
In the end it comes down to do his strengths outweigh his weaknesses for you?
And the ultimate question do you enjoy his work?
For me those are both a rousing yes.
Really interesting comment thank you for sharing.
Oh and what books do you personally find outstanding? (because I know you said until he gets there with prose his will not be for you.)
I'm guessing from your comments ASOIAF?
I just finished The Final Empire and it was fine. I couldn’t say anything negative about it but I certainly didn’t love it. I understand why people love it, and I understand why people hate it. I’ll just always be impressed with how fast he puts books out into the world.
Fair enough. I always like a reasoned comment even when I disagree with it. The ones I dislike are the ones that say 'I didn't like this book so this author (Who has written 20 books) is rubbish'.
He is a machine when it comes to the delivery of books and his constant engagement with the community while writing.
All these Brandon Sanderson videos are killing me 😂 I’ve just finished the second book in The First Law series and I’m just starting The Name of the Wind. The first stormlight book is sitting on my shelf to be next but with all the hype I really want to read it. Hoping I won’t be disappointed!
Resist the hype and just read it for what it is when you get to it. You will enjoy it a lot moe that way. First Law is great as is Name of the Wind so don't rush them. Enjoy all these serie for what they are. You live in a golden age for fantasy.
Sanderson is a great craftsman who deserves his success based on the books of his I have read (some stormlight archives mostly). My tastes run a little more towards Ursula K LeGuin. I think he is an excellent teacher of writing as well.
I’m reading through my first Sanderson book, Skyward, and it’s freaking awesome.
Such a page turner and I can barely put it down.
I will go through the Mistborn series after I’m done with Skyward. .
Dont read mistborn first. Read stormlight archive. Mistborn will make you quit many times and you will give up sometimes (Not saying it's bad) but stormlight is amazing
Nathan Sequeira I was actually looking into Stormlight as well but decided to jump into Wheel of Time first.
Maybe I’ll try Stormlight when I’m done with the first WOT book
Thanks for the tip! I have heard good things about Mistborn though
@@nathansequeira182 why was mistborn bad , asking just to know your opinion.
@@JZETH_ Mistborn is fine, as is way of kings. Way of Kings however is a lot more unorthodox and the series is flat out a longer read. Basically you can enjoy either. If you liked Skyward though you should consider his other YA stuff like Reckoners and Starsight.
If you read WOT book one (Eye of the World) you will likely want to read the rest of the 14 books so it might be a while :)
I like Brandon Sanderson’s book a lot, that being said, there isn’t really a point to debating who is the best author of all time. For one, who gets to decide that? Based off of what criteria? And just because someone’s work is influential, doesn’t mean it’s the best. Also, all art is inspired by other art. People can talk about who their favorite artist is, but to say one artist is the greatest of all time is to deny the context/history of when/where the art is existing.
I love this channel. I binged everything after listening to your collab with Ideasoficeandfire. You’re channel is great and I hope it continues to grow. It’s easy to see how passionate you are about what you do and it’s nice.
Tolkien and CS Lewis can never be topped. Tolkien never tried to write for his era, it’s more akin to old mythology and heroic writing of the arthurian style - that is why it’s more timeless. Lewis is more to traditional fairytales with western christianic ideas, also timeless.
GRRM to me is the heir the fantasy throne. Tolkien is still the King though.
I view Brandon as the MacDonalds of modern fantasy. Consistently enjoyable stories though nothing too stimulating.
At least you are enjoying yourself but I am saddened that you don't find the character dives into overcoming internal mental health challenges whilst set against the backdrop of world ending problems stimulating. I know it's a taste thing but I can think about this stuff for hours and the theory crafting that it leads to is excellent. I also find this allows me to apply a lot of his characters plots and even quiotes to real life motivational speaking and demonstrable examples to assist with communicating ideas.
It's also a shame you don't find the concept of the Cosmere stimulating. Rarly I have I been so engrossed with an idea that ranges across multiple books. (The Dark Tower was close for me). The simple idea of all his series taking place in the smae universe set against the backdrop of the 3 realities physical cognative and spiritual and how that can be used to transport someone literally from one physical place to another and then how that can be crossed to the concept of literary fiction doing that for us in the real world I feel is really interesting and intriguing.
I am not being sarcastic I am just saying how I have felt. Can I genuinely ask what is your taste (As to really great stimulating reads)? Are you a hard sci-fi person thinking about books like the 'three body problem' etc, or is it more like books that are very focused on real life events and people that you find bring that kind of interest? Or is it just a different kind of fantasy maybe something like Rothfus where its about the personal exploration of one man, his journey and his myth that really stokes your imagination?
I agree by the way that one of Brandon's best traits is he is popularist: you know it is going to be easy to access, reliably good story, entertaining throughout and always have new stuff available. I do not think you were being insulting when you compared him to one of the most successful food businesses of all time.
If you consider McDonald's to be enjoyable, there are other issues that need to be addressed.
@@Trisjack20 I'm more into historical fiction, political intrigue and character conflict but I've got a good grasp of fantasy. I mean, I did enjoy Mistborn, I felt the tight fast paced narrative really worked to Sanderson's strength - focusing on the plot and characters over his writing. However, The Way of Kings was awful in my opinion. Every chapter felt longer than it needed to be, I think I counted four prologues, preludes and false starts before the actual story began and not the terrible pace 600 pages before anything of importance actually happens.
@@christopherneedham9584 I mean like...yeah. Who doesn't like Macdonlds?
@@josephtomassi1295 Thanks for the thoughtful reply.
He definitely broke every writing rule with TWOK. It just shows how much peoples mileage may vary because as with some others I absolutely fell in love with it and partially because it caters to a specific enjoyment I have of those wider set up. I really loved that feel of suddenly seeing something through the ye of someone we will never see again and the juxtaposition of view points etc.
However, your comments are clearly well thoughts through and valid. I am often someone who wants things to be longer not shorter, but I am a better world builder than story writer and it sounds like you have a high priority on good plotting and pacing for your enjoyment.
Once again thanks for the personal insight into your POV.
I’m fan of Brandon Sanderson!! 😄😄 always like watching ur videos!!
Really enjoyed this, don't normally enjoy book reviews but your video felt calm, critical and honest.
Edit: book review channels*
Funny considering I'm just starting my Sanderson story. I don't generally get too into hype; but this should help keep things in perspective. Thanks Daniel!
Brandon sanderson is an amazing author and I like all of his works. But, like you said I want to see a deeper philosophy in his works too. And I beleive we will see it in stormlight archive.
Brandon's ideas are top notch, and I enjoy his books, but I've yet to finish a book by him that I didn't think would have been better if he'd just outlined everything and then let someone else write it for him.
Ah... I feel like I'm the odd-one-out among many of today's fantasy fans, but I'm not really a fan of Sanderson. I'm super grateful for him finishing WoT, but I'm always going to be disappointed in the complete bastardization of Mat's character and the odd way certain 'humorous quips' were given to some of the characters. (Elayne gets one in one of the last books that is just so utterly jarring, it rips me out of the story every time).
I had a co-worker who was going on about how good one of his newer books was, and I thought, 'eh, maybe he just struggled to adopt Jordan's writing style (which, to be fair, would be insanely difficult to do for any writer) and I should give one of his own books a chance', and I picked up the original Mistborn Trilogy and gave them a read. And I did not like them.
The magic system, which is what he seems to be famous for, was definitely interesting... but his prose was pretty generic, his characters almost unanimously uninteresting (I liked only 2 of the characters; one died in the first book, and the other didn't become interesting until the last), and I can't stand the way that nothing seems to happen for 80% of the story and then all of the progression is shoved into the last chunk of the book, every single time. (I've read that fans have coined this something like the 'Sanderson Avalanche'? I hate it.)
Also, I hate that prince love interest character. Holy wow. He ruined almost every scene he was in.
I've heard some people say that he's improved a lot since those earlier writing days, and there's still a part of me that is curious about the Stormlight Archives... but I just don't think I'm willing to shell out the money to buy a book from an author who I already don't like. And I'm too lazy to go to the library.
Well you can always do some piracy if you plan to buy it after checking if it is of your interest
Yeah, that's fair. Personally I never liked the Wot. I like Sanderson, but he is far from the Goat in my opinion. That title belongs to Tolkien or Martin.
Went looking for fantasy book recommendations post-GOT finale and discovered your channel. Picked up my first Sanderson book today: Mistborn! Am excited to dive back into fantasy after several years off, having previously read ASOIAF, Tolkien, and The Dark Tower.
Glad to see I'm not the only one here on ASOIAF methadone.
*Edited to add "here." Obvi I know tons of other people are pining for the Winds of Winter...
Brandon sanderson is HYPED??!! Since when! Omg im so happy
Honestly, I feel like calling one author the greatest of all time (of any genre), kinda silly. The reason for that is because, even if a writer is immensely popular (which Sanderson clearly is, no question), there's always going to be people who dislike their work and have their own GOAT. Therefore I think it's more reasonable to say that he will be the GOAT for a vast majority of people, rather than just saying flat out he's the greatest fantasy of all time, something I feel no one will ever be able to claim.
Personally, Terry Brooks is my GOAT. I love his Shannara series and it's prequels. Now, other people think Brooks sucks lol, and that's perfectly fine. Reading is subjective, everyone will have different tastes and opinions, and I think that's awesome.
Agreed. Something like GOMT - Greatest of My Time. Someone else used it above. :)
Well spoken. I hardly considered the aging aspect but I think it is a very important point you bring up
After coming off WoT into the Cosmere I see one major thing that Sanderson excels at (apart from what Daniel said). Sanderson has an amazing grasp on PACING. Very few of his books struggle with dragging story archs, even his biggest novels.
Time will tell with the storm light series whether he can keep this up I guess.
I think he could be one of the greats. But it is really tough to become "the" greatest. That is pretty rare. I think (as you said), time is the biggest factor. If his books are still selling and popular in 70 years, then you can confidently say something like that. But my gut is that most of his books will probably never rival the Tolkien books. At least in the minds of the general public. I think Martin's books are more likely to do this. Even though I personally do like Sanderson's books more. Great video!
Things like these are always subjective. Personally he's good but he's not great. He has potential as you say for greatness. But I can never see him beating Steven Erikson. Malazan is just huge and deep and scarring and true and humorous and more. Again, just my opinion.
I hear you. Thanks for being part of the conversation.
I feel like you do just in reverse.
I can appreciate what Erikson is doing but I just don't enjoy what he writes. He is a great writer and his world building capacity is stunning but his books just wander too much for me, too many characters I just do not like or care about. I acknolwedge this is NOT because of his weaknesses as a writer (The guy is amazing) it's just I do not like most of the people he portrays and some of his stuff is just so gritty and scaring I do not want to revisit it. Someone like Brandon who does have some characters that though flawed are pretty clearly good poeple (Like stright up good people) are more what I like to read about and identify with.
so I totally agree no such thing as a GOAT in a subjective, creative field.
I would for example say Erikson is one of the greatest writers of our time, but I would rank Brandon's writing a clear level above in maintaining my attention, pulling me into his viewpoint characters and his clarity of worldbuilding.
Malazan's is really deep but much of what is happening and why and how is unclear. So some of the deaths and the movement towards the overall plot just left me almost unwilling to finish. Brandon books I feel I can barely put down even on rereads. I only got that feeling with Memories of Ice and Deadhouse Gates.
Anyway I will stop talking. Thanks for your insightful comment and bringing up Erikson such an interesting writer he deserves to be in the coversation.
So i have only read Stormlight Archive, but i have lots of Cosmere books on my shelf ready to read (starting Mistborn now), but just reading Stormlight made him my favorite author. It was all pure genius. His way of making everything come full circle at the end of the books, his characters, world building, storyline... It's just pure awesomeness :) I'm so obnoxious because i just constantly recommend his books to all my friends!
Honestly... for me, it doesn't matter how good your magic systems are, how great your characters are, how fantastic your worldbuilding is - if your prose reads like a ten year old wrote it, I can't get into it. I'd never say he doesn't have talent though because he obviously does. Just not in the right areas for me.
Kind of. I'm not the biggest fan of his work, but I can see their qualities and why people love them. Maybe his books are not 100% to my taste, but imo they do have flaws, too. It gets tiresome when literally everybody in the fantasy community loves his books and you're that one weirdo who doesn't. I've seen people say that Sanderson is just sooo much better than every other author and that led to me being disappointed. I'm not sure if overhyped is even the right word, because, as I said I don't think his books are bad, it's just that the hype can get annying imo. He might be the GOAT for a lot of people some day (or he maybe already is) but not for me. And that's fine, how boring would the world be if everybody had the same taste :)
I think it should be ok to not like something, as long as you have a well reasoned position and aren't being hostile about it. Every time I say Brandon's work has major flaws in it, or he didn't do that well with ending WoT, or my personal favorite: "Scott Lynch writes funny characters and situations, but cannot plot to save his life," I get the internet equivalent of rocks thrown at my head.
@@jessi4894 Yes, completely agree! I've seen readers calling others stupid for liking a series they think is bad and that's not ok! Imo it's great that so many people are enjoying Sanderson's work and are having a great time reading his books, I wish I could too, believe me.
I don't have an issue with others thinking my favorite books are bad but some people on the internet apparently just can't accept different opinions...
Well put. All books have flaws so that's not something that worries me too much personally. I agree with what you say about taste having a lot to do with it. He is hyped and I think that while that certainly helps him sell books (Something I am very grateful for as it means I get more of them) it also hurts him critically because people go into his books having been told he is the best thing ever and when he is 'only' excellent feel they have been cheated.
I am a fully lost Brandon fan but when I recommend his books I try to just say, 'Hey try this guy I like his stuff and it's quite different.' Then inside I am like 'I bet they will love it! No one writes books as great as these!!!!'
I have realised I have a taste and he has just hit it full swing and by trying not to overhype him I think I have ended up doing him a favour in my reading circles. I love you reasoned and balanced choice of words and your lack of vehemence, there is too much of that in discussions online.
Reasoned and well-balanced answer. I just know that his books are a joy to read!
Sanderson has quickly become my favorite author!! ive read almost all the cosmere books at this point and i love the way there is just so much 'goodness' in his characters and the spiritual themes of his stories. also i appreciate the way he writes in a way that some would call "easy" because it feels like he is writing for everyone. my fiancés first language was not english so sometimes the nuances of the language escape him a little bit so sanderson's writing style is perfect for him!! we listen to the audiobooks together and talk about characters we love and laugh at all the funny mannerisms of his characters (especially vin lol)
but aside from that i just find it so hard to compare some authors because there's just so much amazing work out there!! but for me brandon will always be the best because he is such a good person and it shows in his books
I am just finishing The Way of Kings. Aside from the last 3 books of WoT. My first Brandon Sandeson story. It took me a minute to decide if I liked it or not. He dropped you into the middle of this world he has fully realized, but we are just learning about. It was quite jarring to me. That being said, he so masterfully illuminated the characters and the world in which they live, I can't wait to read more.
I have a limited frame of reference to make a judgment on whether he is the G.O.A.T, but I am certainly going to be reading more of his work.
I’ve been a Brandon fan since 2011 when I discovered Mistborn. He’s been my favorite since then.
Side note: all my family’s dogs are named after his characters (Kelsier, Marsh, and Shai)
LOL i would totally name a dog after kelsier just because... Y not
Also while maybe there isn't classes for Narnia I've heard of plenty for CS Lewis.
He is more widely regarded within the Christian community. Haven't read the books, but the movie is one of my favorite works of fantasy.
Agreed. It was never likely that people would run college classes on children's books regaurdless of how inpactful and well loved they are or were. I would not say C S Lewis has faded into obscurity. However his works are now considered controversial. I have had to defend myself to some people when I say I have read them becasue those people consider him not to be diverse and even sexist/racist. That is a result of the current era and its sensibilities nothing to do with the power of his stories or even his authorial intent. Annoys me sometimes... it really does.
Does anyone have the link to his video where the boxing analogy was used?
I really love his books, well, those I have read (Mistborn first era, Elantris, the way of kings and warbreaker). They remind me a little bit of Steven Erikson's book 'Malazan the book of the fallen' which I am fond of. But yeah, I agree with you, even though he's wonderful right now, we have to wait for the end to establish a real answer for his "greatness". 😆
I don’t think there’ll ever be “a goat,” so to speak.
The matter of narrative is too personal and subjective to say that one person is objectively the best.
The intent of the author vs what the reader interprets... the context in which the author wrote it... people’s personal taste and what sort of conflicts speak to them...
There is no goat, there is no #1 story. There are simply stories. Some are poorly written, some are good, some are amazing, and some are absolutely genius to those readers that they speak too.
The interesting thing about writing (especially fiction) is that it’s less about there being a correct way of doing things, and more that there are certain things which absolutely do not work. Every good author breaks certain “rules” but to do so well, you must know what the rules are and why they are.
(This is why I find writing absolutely fascinating. For all the amazing writers that are out there, writing is still an enigma that can’t be completely understood.)
Agreed. But it is fun to discuss and he is certainly written some great stories and done it well.
Brandon Sanderson and H.P Lovecraft are my 2 most favorite authors.
Brandon Sander with his insanely written characters, can't express this enough.
Lovecraft for the most insane prose I've ever encountered.
Never considered myself “a fantasy guy” (although if I think about it, I read quite a bit), but Sanderson’s writing in the last year made me binge-read entire Cosmere, re- appreciate classical high fantasy genre. In the result I found this channel and now consider to read other authors, just because how I like his books. My opinion, for what that is worth.
Brandon Sanderson was one of the first authors whom I loved to read. I read Fable Haven, The Five Kingdoms, and beyonders.
Could you maybe do a ranking of the wheel of time books? Would love to see you´re ranking of them. For me its:
15. Crossroads of Twilight
14. The Fires of Heaven
13. A Crown of Swords
12. The Path of Daggers
11. The Great Hunt
10. Towers of Midnight
9. A Memory of Light
8. New Spring
7. The Gathering Storm
6. The Eye of the World
5. Winter’s Heart
4. Knife of Dreams
3. The Shadow Rising
2. The Dragon Reborn
1. Lord of Chaos
How is Amol worse than New spring?
Mormon here. I've only read the first Mistborn book. I loved it! I have The Well of Ascension and The Age of Heroes but I'm going through the WoT right now for the first time. (Currently halfway through book 3). I didn't see any Mormon references in Sandersons book. There was a lot in the works of Tracy Hickman.
I recommend watching Sandersons BYU lectures for his creative writing class. Pretty good stuff and you get a glimpse into his process and creative mind. They are free on UA-cam.
Also, really enjoying the vids Daniel. Keep up the great work!
Not a mormon, but I have found that the only book where we see his beliefs come out in Alcatraz and the evil librarians. Rose colored glasses are the core of the magic system as they allow the user to see the world as it is, etc. The rest of his works seem devoid of this from what I see.
I completely agree. I haven’t read that much of him to be honest (on the fourth Sanderson book) but he’s so enjoyable!
First video I've seen from you, great watch!
Overall I agree, without spoiling much I think the end of Mistborn era 1 shows he is outstandingly good at tying up plotpoints and writing a satisfying conclusion and even developing the world further after that point. I'm not the most prolific reader, but that's something I have very rarely seen so far and with such a quality like Brandon has, and with Book 3 of Stormlight Archive being already as good as it is I'm confident the overall series will become very influential and possibly held in a similar regard to other greats, I don't want to say the same level as Tolkien, because I think it'll be almost impossible for any fantasy author to have as much of a lasting impact as he did.
Daniel, I think you’re dead wrong about Narnia and it’s themes you claim that “we have seen a million times before.”
I don’t think what CS Lewis did was easy. It was remarkable to take this religious theme and garner the interest of so many through an imaginative supposal. I would encourage you to rethink your criticism of Lewis, in this regard.
Agreed. Also not a fair comparison to Tolkien on the basis of a college class. Of course a college class is going to be more interesting in a linguistic, book written for adults than a series aimed primarily a a children age group.
Narnia's themes are deep and though other have used the theme of self sacrifice before very few have done it so memorably and powerfully as Lewis did. Also the themes of each of the books are different and totally capable of being enjoyed just as portal world stories or as moral commentary on the human condition. For its analysis of the power of a child's imagineation/faith compared to the cynisicm of adulthood responated with me very strongly.
Though perhaps not studied in college it is still widely read and enjoyed and is still impacting a new generation today partially because there is so little like it :) and partically becasue he did what he did so well.
Also it should be noted there are college courses on C S Lewis and his philosophy,
I love the Chronicles of Narnia. Its unfortunate that people have rarely even heard of anything other than The Lion, the witch, and the Wardrobe. The Silver Chair is one of my favorites of the series.
Wow, this channel is growing fast. I remember in October last year when I saw a guy that looked like you in a restaurant and told my girlfriend "he looks like Daniele Greene. It's a UA-camr with 3k or something, but he's engaging and gonna blow up once".
Seems like you'll get into that 100k-500k range soon.
And... THAT GUY LOOKED JUST LIKE YOU I SWEAR TO FU...
I just bought The Way of Kings the other day and haven’t started yet but I’m excited to read it.
@Daniel Greene Okay. So I just finished Robin Hobb's books on Fitz & the Fool and you've just convinced me to read the wheel of time... So which should i start with? WoT or Brandon Sanderson books? Thanks!
Sanderson is easier to read than Jordan, and Stormlight is shorter and has less pacing issues, so I say Sanderson.
This is like saying would you like cash or credit card for the same amount. Mate flip a coin you cannot go wrong they are both great and whenever you finish one do yourself a favour and start the other.
If there is one thing to maybe consider it is this . do you want to most read something already complete or be a part of reading something that is currently live?
There are advantages to both. If you like complete stuff read WOT first and by the time you get into Sanderson SA 5 will be done, Mistborn era two will be done, nightblood will be done and you can read these as complete sets with of course more to come.
If you want to join the theory crafting ASAP however and be part of the living community enjoying and hyping and waiting for the next work as soon as possible start Brandon now.
Haven't started stormlight yet. Really enjoyed mistborn first 3. Struggling a bit with number 4 start ...
Terry pratchett is the GOAT.
Book 4 is meh but 5 gets good and 6 is probably my favorite mistborn book, give it a go and you'll be more hyped for book 7 than you can imagine.
@@MJZA93 I'll keep that in mind mate thanks. ☺
Edit: can I skip book 4?
@@oliverizzard8751 nope, there are some new... Mechanics in book 4 and it does a good job of exploring the individual potential of allomancy and ferrochemy as well as do some world building. You also come to expect things from characters which later books challenge and change. Book 2 is more about the plot and intrigue and book 3 is just phenomenal as a whole.
If you finish a book and remember this thread, feel free to come tell me what you thought - I'd love to get other people's thoughta on it
@@MJZA93 Wow, i really enjoyed book 4. Different stroke for different folk i guess. I do agree that 5 and 6 are better.
I wouldn't consider it book 4. The Wax and Wayne series is a whole new start it is series 2 books 1-4. I can't fully relate as I love Alloy of Law and the whole series. You are allowed to like Brandon as an author and not like one of his series. If it is not for you, you can put it down and read something you like better. However if you push on I think it will have the chance to grow on you as I liked it more and more the more I read. Especially characters like Steris who was an absolute revelation for me.
Can I ask what are you struggling with? Is it the tech (gunslinger) era?
Characters?
Is it that it is more detective rather than heist or high fantasy?
Brandon Sanderson has a great balance between adult themes and accessibility that few other authors manage. I feel like I can recommend his books to just about anyone and they'll find something they enjoy. Not all of his books work for everyone, of course, but he has far more hits than misses IMO.
I enjoy Brandon Sanderson, but I feel he's a bit overhyped. I roll my eyes at a lot of what he writes, but I do think that his world building is where a lot of his charm lies, which I believe is what keeps people coming back for more. It's like Star Wars. It's not amazing, but it's fun to watch and you love being in that world.
I dont know how any one author can be the greatest of all time since that is all subjective....
Definitely agree, but it is nice to chat about it.
UPDATE: Whoops, I commented before I watched the whole video. Yes, anyone who claims Sanderson is "the greatest fantasy author of all time" is falling into overenthusiastic hyperbole. Calling *anyone* the G.O.A.T. would be overenthusiastic hyperbole! But I still think he is AMAZING, and I'm having a delicious time working my way through his Cosmere audiobook by audiobook.
ORIGINAL: In the past year alone I have listened to all the Mistborn books, Warbreaker, and the first Stormlight book, I can enthusiastically answer, "No, he is not overhyped, he is completely and justifiably AMAZING." This all started with how fantastically he completed WoT.
I'm addicted, and I don't intend on seeking a cure.
I still am hung up with the Tyson metaphor lol ;)
Do you have a podcast because I could use longer conversations about fantasy?
Dude , ur destroying me , im reading right now The Witcher , but every day u post video about the wheel of time, and now i am so hyped to read it , ok im swiching witcher for now :D , btw nice vid.
Only through part 1 of The Way of Kings, so this can only be my initial thoughts, but so far he seems a little overrated. The world is really interesting, and the characters are well realised, but---so far---he’s made Kaladin and Shallan too competent for my liking. E.g. Kaladin should have been dead so many times but miraculously comes out unscathed (perhaps this is explained later on).
Also, Sanderson keeps making reference to the study of logic and argument, but he’s clearly either never read any logic or not understood it. I’m sure this won’t matter to most, but why bother spending some effort to convince the reader that your characters are competent in a skill you don’t know anything about? Why not either: not bother, or do some proper research?
Still, I’m looking forward to seeing where it goes from here.
Don’t worry, I thought the same thing. The Kaladin thing is explained in full later on.
@@andrewhenley2976 Ah, ok cool. I'll look forward to that!
@@nickelmouse451 how to do you feel about the way of the kings now?
@@GaneshPalraj1991 I'm ashamed to say that I stopped reading it shortly into part 2. This is not necessarily much of a reflection on the book itself, as my work load at the moment is incredibly heavy. Perhaps, under different circumstances I would have persisted.
I definitely liked the world building, as it did give me an image of a truly unique world, which is rare for me. (Though perhaps this just reflects the fact I’m not very well read in fantasy). However, I thought a lot of the character writing was a bit sloppy (which is perhaps to be expected with a book on this scale). It's not that I think the characterisation is bad, but I think the way it is translated to the page can be very unimaginative. I think the final nail for me was the scene in which one of Adolin’s sons (can’t remember which one, sorry its been a while) is being teased for being a Lothario. It just came across like the dialogue from an 80’s action film. I’m an enormous JG Ballard fan (I know he’s sci-fi not fantasy), and his writing regarding sexuality is so captivating: sometimes its disturbing, sometimes cathartic, but always deeply human. The structure of his narratives are also focused on the psycho-sexual motivations of his characters, such that the narrative is intimately bound up in their psychology. (This is also true for writers like Philip Roth and Don DeLillo, though they are also not fantasy authors). In comparison, Sanderson’s character writing just felt a little flat.
Of course, I understand that Sanderson is probably much more concerned with world building and scale of storytelling than character writing. That is completely legitimate stance; art criticism isn’t objective.
@@nickelmouse451 good to know.
One day i hope that you do finish the book , great story even with the flaws.
I cant say whether or not he's the best fantasy author, but he's certainly my favourite fantasy author.
What do you think about the Reckoners series? (Steelheart, Firefight and Calamity) I don’t really hear a lot of people talk about that series by him.
I am a member if the same church as Sanderson. I hadn't noticed any preaching in his mistborn series (I have only read them so far). I havent even heard anyone make that claim, tho I am not involved in the fantasy community.
I think it's easier for an outsider to find things like that. Many people take their own worldview for granted: a worldview is the water someone swims in, so they don't notice its presence. That said, I'm wasn't sure which parts people are talking about that might be LDS-related, so I looked into it. This blog (www.millennialstar.org/the-mormonism-in-brandon-sanderson-novels/) points out a few, and commenters point out others. Deification was the biggest one I noticed before looking into it. Overall I think the references are pretty flimsy, general, and typical of fantasy anyway. I don't feel he's trying to convert anyone. I admittedly came into reading his books with an anti-religious bias, expecting to find allusions to doctrine or something.
@@lajaradayne3679 thanks for that link. I read it and I do think they are pretty weak. A good experiment would be to give the books to someone who doesnt know Sanderson is a mormon and see of they can pick up on the "themes". I just dont see how it connects.
In fairness I was an atheist about 6/7 years ago before I became a member of the church. I hope not alot of people complain about his religious beliefs in the book because I dont see much of a case here. It seems more of people working backward, trying to make the hypothesis work.
@@lajaradayne3679 Thank you for this well reasoned response and the link. Agreed a lot of themes including that people can assend and be gods is not unique to him. Lot of that in fantasy.
Robert Jordan is where fantasy became tedious and Sanderson is worse. I don't hear Sanderson's characters and cannot lose myself in his stories. What I experience when I read Sanderson is a series of concepts, poor prose, ridiculous dialogue, cardboard characters who Sanderson thinks he brings to life by playing with tropes but it's all so see thru and utterly tedious. Yes, I think Sanderson is a poor writer and eventually his fans will grow out his books. Also, his Mormonism is everywhere in his writing. I don't have the time to cite but I know other threads where numerous Mormon ideas are pointed out.
Do you not think Kaladin is an extremely interesting, unique character?
A laughed every time the G.O.A.T came up
I just read his first 2 books of mistborn era 1 and I’m a fan I can’t wait to dive in all of his books he goat for me maybe because I haven’t read much but I like him
The audio books are very good too. I'm a traditional costume tailor, and having Kate Reading and Michael Kramer to keep me company during my long hours of hand sewing has been great.
Sewing to the Wheel of Time has got to be a surreal experience, what with it being approximately 75% detailed descriptions of dresses. I'd imagine cooking to ASOIAF would be similar.
@@brianlinden3042 WoT is next on my list. I'm currently catching up on the Sanderson books I missed.
SA fails to convince me he is GOAT yet, its great but hasn't grabbed me like WoT. If by book 5 we have an acceptable mid-climax, his Dumai's Well so to say, then I may be willing to give him Greatest Alive. Though if anyone can move Jordan from his throne in my heart it would be Sanderson.
Book 5 won't be a mid series climax it will be a climax end of story. The second five will be there own story in a generation or so. This is more like Belgariad and then Mollorean than it is WOT. 2 series of 5 more than 1 series of 10. So book 5 will let him show if he has what it takes to satisfyingly wrap up the Kaladin, Shallan, Dalinar series etc.
Is Brandon overhyped? In my best Dave Chappelle voice "He wrote Oathbringer". After that the man is god. You can't overhype god.
Lol
Amen
I thought Oathbringer was the weakest of the three. Not bad by any measure, but not as good as Way of kings or Words of radiance.
@@CAKEMKR i can't even comprehend what you just said. I think oathbringer is one if not the best fantasy book ever written.
@@rasheedqe Yeah maybe... Ive only read oathbringer once, and WoK/WoR three times so should probably reread oathbringer. But I looked at amazon ratings and oathbringer gets ONLY 4.6 while way of kings got 4.7 and words of radiance got 4.8 so HA! it IS the weakest of the three ;)
Brandon Sanderson is a truly great storyteller. He's written some of my ALL TIME favorite books, and I'm always excited to pick up his latest.
Having said that, he's not a great writer. His writing is not polished. He doesn't have a "way with words" like Sturgeon, Gaiman, or William Gibson. I suspect that's because he's always working on multiple epic, giant books. Maybe he just doesn't have time to polish his writing. He's developing magic systems, and worlds, and histories.
Also, he's pretty much been a celebrity all of his life. And he (like me) was raised in a somewhat isolated religious tradition. That might explain why his dialogue often doesn't sound comfortable, or natural. Also, I don't think his humor lands 80% of the time. At least for me.
Now... having said THAT... he's very, very good at that storytelling thing I mentioned earlier.
When it comes to creating interesting characters that I actually care about, living on fascinating worlds... then yes, he is the G.O.A.T.!
Well i just ordered the first two books in the wheel of time, to put it simple I'm pretty hyped.
I expect a really deep story with intriguing characters with deep themes. I'm going a little blind but
bar none I'm sure this will be a worthy contender of my tbr list.