While I was initially really intrigued, even charmed, by the fun and lighter tone of this novel, it quickly became more tedious than anything else.
ThWhile I was initially really intrigued, even charmed, by the fun and lighter tone of this novel, it quickly became more tedious than anything else.
The biggest reason for that is the same issue I have with almost any Sanderson book - the magic system.
Before you come at me with torches and pitchforks - I get that I am in the minority here. People LOVE Sanderson's magic systems.
I love his characters and settings, though - and I find (most of) the magic systems, dare I say - boring?!
Still, I think this is a good book. The world is interesting, the story has genuine surprises, and the tone is fun. Plus - big Cosmere implications! I give it 3.5 Stars, rounded up.
Just wish we didn't have to have every aspect of the magic explained to us, constantly. ...more
Probably the best Era 2 book, in my opinion, as it has a very entertaining plot, solid character arcs, and frankly mind-blowing Cosmere connections.
HProbably the best Era 2 book, in my opinion, as it has a very entertaining plot, solid character arcs, and frankly mind-blowing Cosmere connections.
However, as always, Wayne holds it back. I loved how his arc ended, but I can’t get over his ‘humor’. It’s just so juvenile and stupid. I mean the guy is FORTY, for god’s sake.
I just think he could have been handled so much better.
Overall, Era 2 is a lot of fun, but I like Era 1 and (especially) Stormlight much better. ...more
Enjoyed this significantly more than Edgedancer, the previous Stormlight novella. In fact, I think this is probably my favorite of all the various novEnjoyed this significantly more than Edgedancer, the previous Stormlight novella. In fact, I think this is probably my favorite of all the various novellas and short stories Sanderson has written. It has everything!
- Wonderful characters. Lopen and Rysn were already great, but with added focus they became even better. And Huio, Cord, and Rushu were incredible new additions.
- Rich world-building. Duh, it’s Roshar. But even still, seeing Aimia was better than imagined.
- A great plot. Short stories are notoriously difficult, but Sanderson nails it here. I was engaged throughout and the ending was super satisfying.
- HUGE Cosmere implications. Probably the biggest since Mistborn Secret History. I mean there are some BOMBS dropped in this book.
Wow, what a long book. Journey Before Destination, indeed!
The first thing you should know is that I love this series, this world, and these charactersWow, what a long book. Journey Before Destination, indeed!
The first thing you should know is that I love this series, this world, and these characters, so unless Sanderson just did a complete 180 on any of those aspects, I was likely always going to give this 5 Stars.
With that out of the way, and now that I have given myself some time to marinate on this book for a few weeks after finishing it, I think I am ready to attempt my review.
The short version is that while I would put it above Oathbringer, it falls short of Way of Kings and well below Words of Radiance (which remains Sanderon's masterpiece, IMO).
Let's break that down.
What RoW does WELL:
- Most of the character's arcs. Adolin was amazing and probably my MVP of the book (which is wild considering how much I disliked him early in the series). Kaladin's journey continues to inspire. Navani feels like an entirely new character (in a good way). Teft and Bridge 4. Taravangian. I could go on. Characters were a strong point.
- Highlight on Mental Illness. Some reviewers think Sanderson has gone too far down the rabbit hole on this, and maybe he has. But for someone who has suffered from anxiety and depression his entire life, it is incredibly refreshing to read a character like Kaladin. He's not a buzzkill to me - he's a real person. He's me, and others like me.
- The World. And by this I mean the -actual- world, not the magic systems. I love the biology of Roshar, and we get to see a lot more of it, including Shadesmar. It never disappoints, and I thought the various locales were again spectacular. I would read a book entirely made up of journeys around Roshar.
- The Story. The pacing was a bit squishy (more on that later), but I thought the overall plot was gripping, and the ending was really good. Like everyone else, I'm on pins and needles for Book 5.
What RoW did NOT do well:
- The Science. Well, that's not -entirely- true. The science of the various Magic Sytems on Roshar is probably...accurate? The problem was that I didn't care. This intense examination of every aspect of the magic severely hampered the pacing of the story, in my opinion. Honestly, it was BORING, and that's not a word I've ever used to describe a Sanderson book before. If Sanderson wants to tell us about all of this so badly, he should write a 'Science of Roshar' book and publish it. It would be a best-seller.
- The Pacing. As I said, the biggest cause for poor pacing was the intense focus on Navani's science projects, but it wasn't the -only- cause for concern. This book is, quite simply, just too LONG. Sanderson is a superstar and the main money-maker for TOR Publishing. I get it. He basically has carte blanche to write as much as he wants, and they will publish it. But this book needed an editor. BADLY.
- Venli's Flashbacks. So these weren't actually bad, from a writing or storytelling perspective. They just weren't nearly as good as the flashbacks in the first three books. Perhaps it's because we as readers are much less emotionally invested in Venli than we were with Dalinar, Kaladin, and Shallan? Not sure, but it didn't land for me. Perhaps it did for others.
Overall, I had a lot of fun being back in Roshar, and I'm sure I will have better thoughts after a reread or two. For now, though, I will say that Stormlight is a wonderful series that any Fantasy fan will likely enjoy.
Be aware, though, it's not perfect, and you're gonna get a lot of details!...more
On the one hand, this novella adds so much richness and worldbuilding to the Stormlight Archive - we learn more about Edgedancers, Skybreakers, Nale hOn the one hand, this novella adds so much richness and worldbuilding to the Stormlight Archive - we learn more about Edgedancers, Skybreakers, Nale himself, Aimians, Szeth, and so much more. It's amazing what Sanderson was able to accomplish in 150ish pages. The story is great as well.
On the other hand, Lift drives me crazy. She's a solid character in the sense that her motivations make sense, and she has a unique voice. She just ANNOYS me. Seeing her from other character's perspectives just showed me, even more, what a menace she is. I know her intentions are generally good, but man. I really identified with Wyndle (Lift's increasingly impatient spren) throughout this story.
Overall, this is an absolute must-read for Cosmere and SA fans. But my personal dislike of Lift keeps it from being a full Five Stars.
** Re-Read to prep for Rhythm of War, May 2020**
Yep, I still hate Lift. I know she's one of Sanderson's favorite characters, and I know she is (and will be) important, and I know many other Cosmere fans love her. I just....don't. She's annoying, she's rude, she's a menace.
That said, this novella is (to use a Lift-ism) still very...awesome. It's an edge of your seat story, it develops the world and moves forward the plot, it introduces us to Arclo and provides more info on Aimians, it provides a ton of new perspective on Nale, the Skybreakers, and even Szeth, and it gives more page time to a character I DO love - Wyndle. I could read about him all day (perhaps my annoyance with Lift is due to how much I see myself in Wyndle???). And yes, even Lift does mature a bit by the end.
Either way - great novella, absolutely required reading for Stormlight fans.
But yeah, I'm ready for Lift to grow up (pun very much intended)....more
“Sometimes a hypocrite is nothing more than a man in the process of changing.”
Let me tell you a story.
In the spring of 2019, I witnessed the convergen“Sometimes a hypocrite is nothing more than a man in the process of changing.”
Let me tell you a story.
In the spring of 2019, I witnessed the convergence of all things MCU in Avengers: Endgame, watched Game of Thrones, arguably the biggest TV Show in history, come to a (somewhat unsatisfying) end, and finally - listened to the longest audiobook of my life in Oathbringer.
I was, admittedly, much more excited for Endgame and Game of Thrones, but a weird thing happened - Oathbringer ended up being the best, most satisfying experience of the three. That may not seem surprising to the Cosmere super-fans out there, but it was for me.
Almost 8 years ago, I began my journey with Brandon Sanderson with Mistborn. I tore through the paperbacks of that trilogy and desperately wanted more. I immediately ordered the hardback of The Way of Kings and....was disappointed. Don't get me wrong, it is a BEAUTIFUL book. But the story was paced so differently than Mistborn. It took me almost 3 years to finally get around to finishing it.
I did, though, and although I was still confused by some of the complexity of it - I bought/read Words of Radiance when it came out in 2014. Now, THIS was more like it! Much more action, adventure, and awkward romance! Okay, so the awkward romance and dialogue wasn't my favorite, but I did love the story, and was so excited for Book 3!
During the three year wait, however, I read a lot more. I discovered authors that were....different from Sanderson. Not necessarily better, per se, but different. I found myself listening to some of Brandon's critics. "He can't write believable dialogue”, they said. "His prose is too simple, and his language too modern." "His sense of humor is childish." "All of his characters share the same morality."
And on and on. I found myself growing less and less excited about Oathbringer. So much so that when it released in 2017 - I didn't buy it. I didn't pay attention to everyone discussing it. I put it out of my mind for nearly two years.
In the spring of 2019, however, I finally decided to revisit The Cosmere by rereading WoK and WoR, and reading OB. And friends? It was honestly the most fun I’ve had reading in years.
Let’s get this out of the way first: Oathbringer isn't perfect. There IS awkward dialogue. The Prose CAN be simplistic. The Pacing IS often slow. But GUYS - these criticisms pale in comparison to what Sanderson has accomplished with his characters, plotting, and world.
I was genuinely moved by the journey Kaladin, Shallan, Dalinar and others continue to go through - their fight against past, present, and future mental illness was utterly enthralling. I love these characters - ALL of them, even (especially) the smaller roles.
In fact, this is where Sanderson’s side characters REALLY start to shine - folks like Teft, Renarin, Elhokar, Lift, Venli, Taravangian and others take a HUGE step forward.
The plot also steamrolled ahead in this book - way faster than the previous two. We got loads of new information that I am still trying to digest - and all of it makes me want to go back and reread the whole series again right now!
And finally, of course, I have to mention Roshar itself. This is a real, breathing, place. I genuinely can't think of a better-realized world in all of fiction. It is simply awe-inspiring. The history, the geography, the culture. Wow.
The lesson here, folks, is not to let other people tell you what to like or dislike - nothing is perfect. But some things might be perfect for YOU.
Stormlight Archive is perfect for me, and I can't wait for Rhythm of War in November 2020!
“If you could explain something perfectly, then you’d never need art.”...more
This is a really good book, possibly the best of the 'early' Sanderson books (i.e. Elantris, Era 1 Mistborn, and Warbreaker), though it never really gThis is a really good book, possibly the best of the 'early' Sanderson books (i.e. Elantris, Era 1 Mistborn, and Warbreaker), though it never really gets mentioned as often as those other two. I'm not really sure why this is, as it has amazing characters (Vasher, Vivenna, Lightsong, and Nightblood are four of the strongest characters Sanderson has ever written), and an incredibly cool magic system.
It also has possibly the strongest Cosmere connection of any of Sanderson's work other than Stormlight. There is a TON to be learned here, and I absolutely LOVED it.
Highly recommended both for Cosmere junkies and as a starting place for someone who has never read Sanderson. I desperately hope that Sanderson writes the much-anticipated sequel sooner rather than later....more
There are a couple of ways to look at Elantris, in my opinion.
On the one hand, this is an incredibly impressive debut novel. Great characters, really There are a couple of ways to look at Elantris, in my opinion.
On the one hand, this is an incredibly impressive debut novel. Great characters, really interesting world-building, a complex magic system, and a genuinely terrifying (and surprising) villain. I understand why this novel catapulted Brandon and got him off to a great start, career-wise.
On the other hand, in the grand scheme of the Cosmere and Brandon's later novels, Elantris definitely falls a bit short. Sanderson has clearly improved in characterization, pacing, and overall prose since this book was released in 2005(!).
So, to echo many other Cosmerenauts, here's my two cents: This is a really good book, but near the bottom of the overall Cosmere, quality-wise. Worth your time, though! Recommended....more
Wow. Sanderson just took it to another level. Not flawless, but really, really fun. Especially if you're invested in learning more about the Cosmere..Wow. Sanderson just took it to another level. Not flawless, but really, really fun. Especially if you're invested in learning more about the Cosmere......more
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