1. Due to the increased amount of spam bots on the forum, we are strengthening our defenses. You may experience a CAPTCHA challenge from time to time.
    Dismiss Notice
  2. Notification emails are working properly again. Please check your email spam folder and if you see any emails from the Cantina there, make sure to mark them as "Not Spam". This will help a lot to whitelist the emails and to stop them going to spam.
    Dismiss Notice
  3. IMPORTANT! To be able to create new threads and rate posts, you need to have at least 30 posts in The Cantina.
    Dismiss Notice
  4. Before posting a new thread, check the list with similar threads that will appear when you start typing the thread's title.
    Dismiss Notice

The Stormlight Archive

Discussion in 'Books & Comics' started by Addi Ras, May 7, 2020.

?

How much are you enjoying The Stormlight Archive Series

  1. It’s Fantastic

    3 vote(s)
    60.0%
  2. It’s Great

    1 vote(s)
    20.0%
  3. It’s Ok

    1 vote(s)
    20.0%
  4. Not Really

    0 vote(s)
    0.0%
  5. I Didn’t Enjoy It At All

    0 vote(s)
    0.0%
  1. Addi Ras

    Addi Ras MASTER TEA MAKER
    Staff Member

    Joined:
    Oct 8, 2015
    Posts:
    4,753
    Likes Received:
    67,563
    Trophy Points:
    171,477
    Credits:
    33,305
    Ratings:
    +71,746 / 13 / -5
    1DABA8F1-D428-4B68-B079-040D1B571E0C.jpeg

    So I have finally finished Oathbringer so I thought I would start a thread about this series & what a fantastic series this is. The world building in particular is superb.

    So is anyone else enjoying this series as much as I am

    Also Book 4 is due out in November so that is something to look forward too & hopefully by then most of this craziness we are going through will be over & I can actually go to a bookshop again to buy it
     
    #1 Addi Ras, May 7, 2020
    Last edited: May 7, 2020
    • Like Like x 4
    • Informative Informative x 1
  2. Use the Falchion

    Use the Falchion Jedi Contrarian

    Joined:
    Jul 11, 2015
    Posts:
    2,573
    Likes Received:
    11,280
    Trophy Points:
    90,417
    Credits:
    12,073
    Ratings:
    +12,959 / 27 / -10
    The Kickstarter is funded, and as of today, the Rysn novella (which will take place between Oathbringer and Rhythm of War and apparently has some plot tie-ins to the latter) is officially titled Dawnshard. That is VERY interesting news.


    I love this series. It's not my favorite Sanderson series - that goes to Mistborn - but it's firmly in the top 3. Oathbringer helped me through a dark time (not as dark as some, but still personally dark and isolating) and for that I'll forever be grateful. Heck, right now I'd say I'm a larger Sanderson fan than I am a Star Wars one!

    Of the three, I always say that The Way of Kings is my favorite to reread, Words of Radiance is has the best pacing and is objectively Sanderson's best work, and Oathbringer is technically the best and means the most to me. I'm excited to see how Rhythm of War will rank, but I'm also slightly worried.

    Since Oathbringer, Sanderson has released three pieces of work: Skyward, its sequel Starsight, and the final Legion novella. (He also wrote The Apocalypse Guard, but that had some major problems; he and his friend Dan Wells are working on it though.) While I think Skyward is easily one of Sanderson's best books, I did NOT like the last Legion novella, and I'm not sure how I feel about Starsight at this moment (it was good, but I found it too repetitive in some ways and derivative in others. But Sanderson DID try new things with the book, and I can respect that). However, if we add in Dark One, the odds are certainly in Sanderson's favor.

    Overall, I'm excited for Rhythm of War and to dive back into Roshar with a sweet new novella and the longest Stormlight book yet, but I'm also ready to move on for a time we can catch up with adventures of Skyward Flight and one cranky lawman (Mistborn 7 if you were wondering).
     
    • Like Like x 3
  3. Use the Falchion

    Use the Falchion Jedi Contrarian

    Joined:
    Jul 11, 2015
    Posts:
    2,573
    Likes Received:
    11,280
    Trophy Points:
    90,417
    Credits:
    12,073
    Ratings:
    +12,959 / 27 / -10
    The Pre-release chapter floodgates have opened! Sanderson's Comic-Con @ Home panel included him reading most of Chapter 7 and some of Chapter 8 from Rhythm of War, and Tor.com released the Prologue and Chapter 1. While these are public, I'd ask that if one wants to talk about it, spoiler tags are used. There might be newcomers to Sanderson who don't want to read unmarked spoilers after all!

    Unless it's a reading from Brandon or a Newsletter, I personally will not partake in the pre-release stuff; I like to read the Stormlight books all at once and these pre-release chapters sort of spoil that for me. (Weirdly enough, I read the pre-release stuff for Skyward. It sort of started with a few chapters and then I was hooked. I guess it was also because it was a new Sanderson series. But it was one-fourth of a Stormlight book so it still feels like a weird choice to me.)

    Anyways, here are the links.

    https://www.tor.com/2020/07/23/read-rhythm-of-war-by-brandon-sanderson-prologue-and-chapter-one/


     
    • Great Post Great Post x 2
  4. Addi Ras

    Addi Ras MASTER TEA MAKER
    Staff Member

    Joined:
    Oct 8, 2015
    Posts:
    4,753
    Likes Received:
    67,563
    Trophy Points:
    171,477
    Credits:
    33,305
    Ratings:
    +71,746 / 13 / -5

    Thanks for those links @Use the Falchion
    I will probably read the Prologue & Chapter 1 as they probably won’t spoil the story to much. But I will avoid any other pr release stuff as reading more advanced stuff could definitely spoil plot points plus reading a chapter set further into the book just feels weird as you won’t really know the events leading up to what you are reading
     
    • Like Like x 2
  5. Angelman

    Angelman Servant of the Whills -- Slave to the Muses
    1030th Grand Admiral ***** (Mod)

    Joined:
    Dec 2, 2014
    Posts:
    3,548
    Likes Received:
    40,322
    Trophy Points:
    161,967
    Credits:
    20,749
    Ratings:
    +44,456 / 76 / -20
    I've got a writer crush on Sanderson without having even read any of his books ('cause, of course I have!).

    I'm actually a bit scared of reading his books now in case I don't like them. I always do this, getting obsessed with a writer before reading anything of theirs, and then I get cranky when I don't like the books. I put writers on this pedistal based on charm and reviews alone, and of course they rarely live up to my own or the world's hype, and that's unfair to writers. I did this with Ruthfuss, and to a lesser extent Zahn and Grey, and I fear that I might have done this with Sanderson as well... Yeah, I'm stupid.

    Perhaps one should give Sanderson a chance? :)
     
    • Like Like x 3
  6. Use the Falchion

    Use the Falchion Jedi Contrarian

    Joined:
    Jul 11, 2015
    Posts:
    2,573
    Likes Received:
    11,280
    Trophy Points:
    90,417
    Credits:
    12,073
    Ratings:
    +12,959 / 27 / -10
    That's totally fair and I agree! I watched the video and it almost tempted me into reading until the story caught up with the part he read lol! But if I think of it like a trailer, that may help me resist the urge.

    Are you excited for the Rysn novella?


    Absolutely! As an aspiring writer also, I've based a lot of what I like and my own style on what I've read and learned from him.

    There are a couple of places to start, but Stormlight is usually not one of them. It's certainly one of his best works, but it can be confusing at times since very little is explained and the first five chapters have five different viewpoints.

    I'm personally a fan of starting with the Mistborn trilogy (The Final Empire, The Well of Ascension, Hero of Ages). It's basically about a girl named Vin who's recruited into a group of thieves whose latest heist is their biggest one yet - they're going to steal an EMPIRE...oh, and kill an immortal god-king too while they're at it.
    It's Early Sanderson - he hadn't bloomed as an author yet and it very much shows. But the ending of the trilogy is one of the best endings of ANY series I've ever read, watched, or played. IT'S THAT GOOD. Mistborn: The Final Empire also happens to be my current favorite book, so I may be a little biased.*

    Next I'd recommend a little novella called The Emperor's Soul. This showcases some of Brandon's most poignant and beautiful prose, and it's an absolutely BLAST to read. It takes place almost entirely within one room and between two characters as they explore what it means to have a soul and be human. It's fun, fascinating, and won Sanderson a Hugo.

    There's also Warbreaker. It's a fantasy standalone book. This was probably one of my least favorite Sanderson books for a LONG time, but it's also one of the truest Sanderson books in a weird way. But it's free on Sanderson's website, so it has that going for it!

    After that is Skyward. Skyward is a YA Sci-fi book, but it's also a thrilling ride and showcases some of Sanderson's best skills. The characterization is top notch, the action is some of the best he's done, and the pacing will make you devour the book within one sitting if given the chance. Starsight is a little more divisive IMO, but it's still classic Sanderson and a great read.

    Lastly is The Stormlight Archive (The Way of Kings, Words of Radiance, Edgedancer (novella), Oathbringer, Dawnshard (novella), Rhythm of War). This is objectively Sanderson's best work as well as his most popular series. It has an official "fan" album called Kaladin about it, a Call To Adventure spin-off version dedicated to it, and soon it'll have some playing cards. The Kickstarter for the Leatherbound edition of the first book SHATTERED records on Kickstarter. This series changes lives. (As in literally changes lives; there's a post about how it changed someone's life pretty much every other week or so). And with a new novella being written right now (Dawnshard) along with Book 4 coming out in November, now is the perfect time to join the hype train!

    But if you're a fast reader, I'd still recommend the Mistborn trilogy first. It's complete and available as a trilogy, it's awesome, and you can appreciate it best the sooner you read it.




    *There's also the fact that I've seen more than my share of comments/posts on Reddit about people who read Stormlight first and found it tough to go back to his quality of writing in Mistborn, and either didn't enjoy it as much as they could have or simply dropped the series altogether. My overall rec is usually: Mistborn Trilogy, Warbreaker, Stormlight Archive.
     
    • Like Like x 1
    • Great Post Great Post x 1
  7. Addi Ras

    Addi Ras MASTER TEA MAKER
    Staff Member

    Joined:
    Oct 8, 2015
    Posts:
    4,753
    Likes Received:
    67,563
    Trophy Points:
    171,477
    Credits:
    33,305
    Ratings:
    +71,746 / 13 / -5
    Having come to Sanderson via The Way of Kings I can certainly understand people having trouble then going back to read The Finale Empire ( Which has one of the best ending to a book) as they are very very different. The Mistborn trilogy is certainly much easier read then The Stormlight Archive but it is still a great book & I really should get around to the other books in the series ( Having resurrected by kindle during lockdown will certainly make this a lot easier)
     
    • Like Like x 2
    • Great Post Great Post x 2
  8. Angelman

    Angelman Servant of the Whills -- Slave to the Muses
    1030th Grand Admiral ***** (Mod)

    Joined:
    Dec 2, 2014
    Posts:
    3,548
    Likes Received:
    40,322
    Trophy Points:
    161,967
    Credits:
    20,749
    Ratings:
    +44,456 / 76 / -20
    I'm sold! :D


    I'll will start with the Mistborn trilogy as I prefere to familiarize myself with an author's early work first. Once, I made the mistake of reading Isaac Asimov's Foundation series in book order rather than published order, i.e. starting with Prelude to Foundation (1988 = at the hight of Asimov's career), continuing with Forward the Foundation (1993 = published posthumously), and then catching up with the first book written (but now technically the 3rd in the series), namely Foundation (1951 = at the start of Asimov's career), and the 37 year leap backwars in Asimov's skill as a writer was jarring, to say the least. So yeah, starting (finally) with Mistborn and moving forward, it is :) I'm looking forward to this, especially this brilliant ending, as I tend to be an end-point/finale-twist kind of guy :cool:

    Thanks!
     
    • Great Post Great Post x 2
    • Like Like x 1
  9. DigificWriter

    DigificWriter Rebel Official

    Joined:
    Apr 13, 2019
    Posts:
    881
    Likes Received:
    1,380
    Trophy Points:
    6,092
    Credits:
    1,746
    Ratings:
    +2,209 / 105 / -32
    I love Brandon Sanderson as a writer, but have yet to read Oathbringer and really need to get my hands on a hardcover copy (which I can also hopefully get autographed at some point).
     
    • Like Like x 2
  10. LadyMusashi

    LadyMusashi Archwizard Woo-Woo-in-Chief
    Staff Member

    Joined:
    May 12, 2015
    Posts:
    4,583
    Likes Received:
    37,160
    Trophy Points:
    161,027
    Credits:
    36,755
    Ratings:
    +44,802 / 45 / -17
    Oathbringer brought me to tears, it has single most badass scene in the entire series so far, if not in fantasy in the last 10 years or more.

    And you should all start your re-read now since November is just around the corner.

    For those asking where to start with Sanderson, Mistborn trilogy is the good place. And if you get addicted and get into the Cosmere your mind will be blown. Most of Sanderson's books happen in the same world (Cosmere) on different planets and with different magic systems, but some characters can and do jump from book/planet to book/planet and these little gems are incredibly fun to find.
     
    • Like Like x 3
  11. Use the Falchion

    Use the Falchion Jedi Contrarian

    Joined:
    Jul 11, 2015
    Posts:
    2,573
    Likes Received:
    11,280
    Trophy Points:
    90,417
    Credits:
    12,073
    Ratings:
    +12,959 / 27 / -10
    I had a friend just finish Warbreaker. He didn't love it. It was enjoyable to him, but far from the Mistborn trilogy. Which is fair and honestly where I was the first time I read it (it's a book that works better on rereads and with Sanderson's annotations). Next will be the Stormlight Archive...but that'll most likely be a few months down the line. He's feeling a bit burnt out on Sanderson works and wants to read some other things first. I'll probably remind him in December or January about Stormlight, but you can't rush these things.
     
    • Like Like x 1
  12. Angelman

    Angelman Servant of the Whills -- Slave to the Muses
    1030th Grand Admiral ***** (Mod)

    Joined:
    Dec 2, 2014
    Posts:
    3,548
    Likes Received:
    40,322
    Trophy Points:
    161,967
    Credits:
    20,749
    Ratings:
    +44,456 / 76 / -20
    A personal question re-Sanderson. I'm not a big fan of anime-levels of high-fantasy in my novels, but I understand that Sanderson features quite a bit of that stuff? (I'm still going to read Mistborn, but I feel it is good to know these things before going in).
     
    • Like Like x 3
  13. Creo

    Creo Clone

    Joined:
    Jul 30, 2020
    Posts:
    30
    Likes Received:
    56
    Trophy Points:
    12
    Credits:
    346
    Ratings:
    +67 / 0 / -0
    sounds interesting, I might check it otu, thanks
     
    • Like Like x 1
  14. Use the Falchion

    Use the Falchion Jedi Contrarian

    Joined:
    Jul 11, 2015
    Posts:
    2,573
    Likes Received:
    11,280
    Trophy Points:
    90,417
    Credits:
    12,073
    Ratings:
    +12,959 / 27 / -10
    What do you mean by anime-levels of high fantasy? If you mean things like multi-colored hair, giant swords and mech-like armor, then only Stormlight has it right now, and it's not to the degree you think it is. I mean it is but it's more...natural or grounded than most anime series.

    Mistborn is light on the anime-esque stuff, with the best anime comparison to it being Full Metal Alchemist: Brotherhood.

    I will admit that I'm always amused by the anime comparisons with Sanderson - despite my own imagining Stormlight as an anime - because Sanderson doesn't actually watch a lot of anime. He knows of many of the popular shows, but it's not his cup of tea.

    @Creo I hope you do check it out, and I hope you enjoy it!
     
    • Like Like x 2
  15. Angelman

    Angelman Servant of the Whills -- Slave to the Muses
    1030th Grand Admiral ***** (Mod)

    Joined:
    Dec 2, 2014
    Posts:
    3,548
    Likes Received:
    40,322
    Trophy Points:
    161,967
    Credits:
    20,749
    Ratings:
    +44,456 / 76 / -20
    That's the kind of thing I struggle with, yes. But no worries if it's only Stormlight :)

    I actually was not aware that Sanderson was frequently compared to anime madness; that was just something I came up with to simply explain what I meant.

    Idunno, I suppos that it is a suspension of disbelief-thing... or a bar against immersion, or something, for me.
     
    • Like Like x 2
  16. Use the Falchion

    Use the Falchion Jedi Contrarian

    Joined:
    Jul 11, 2015
    Posts:
    2,573
    Likes Received:
    11,280
    Trophy Points:
    90,417
    Credits:
    12,073
    Ratings:
    +12,959 / 27 / -10




    DAWNSHARD PROLOGUE! This will most likely be Draft 2.0 or so, so don't expect the polish that the official thing will have.

    As a reminder, Dawnshard will take place between Oathbringer (Book 3) and Rhythm of War (Book 4), and will hopefully arrive mid-late October.

    EDIT: It's the first draft.
     
    #16 Use the Falchion, Aug 6, 2020
    Last edited: Aug 6, 2020
    • Like Like x 1
  17. Use the Falchion

    Use the Falchion Jedi Contrarian

    Joined:
    Jul 11, 2015
    Posts:
    2,573
    Likes Received:
    11,280
    Trophy Points:
    90,417
    Credits:
    12,073
    Ratings:
    +12,959 / 27 / -10
    Brightladies and stormin' gents, we have a cover!

    https://www.tor.com/2020/08/17/beho...ook-in-brandon-sandersons-stormlight-archive/

    upload_2020-8-17_8-41-25.png

    Attached in the link is the full painting, but it does contain a minor spoiler for those who aren't caught up.

    What do y'all think of the artwork? Is it gorgeous? Is it lame? Are the colors cliché? Share your thoughts!

    In other news, last week Sanderson reported that he's about 75% done with Dawnshard, and he changed the counter on his website to reflect that. Hopefully this means that by the end of this week - or hopefully Thursday - he'll be finished with Draft 1. Things are moving fast but it looks like everything is still on schedule!

    After finishing up the novella, Sanderson will start to work on Book 3 of his YA sci-fi series the Cytoverse (currently Skyward, Starsight, and a novella titled Defending Elysium).
     
    • Like Like x 2
  18. Addi Ras

    Addi Ras MASTER TEA MAKER
    Staff Member

    Joined:
    Oct 8, 2015
    Posts:
    4,753
    Likes Received:
    67,563
    Trophy Points:
    171,477
    Credits:
    33,305
    Ratings:
    +71,746 / 13 / -5
    I quite like it although the U.K. covers are very different much more toned down

    4879D6E7-7B7B-4348-88E7-E156F9D168BF.png
     
    • Like Like x 2
  19. Use the Falchion

    Use the Falchion Jedi Contrarian

    Joined:
    Jul 11, 2015
    Posts:
    2,573
    Likes Received:
    11,280
    Trophy Points:
    90,417
    Credits:
    12,073
    Ratings:
    +12,959 / 27 / -10
    Yup! Rhythm of War keeps the toned down theme.

    [​IMG]
     
    • Like Like x 2
  20. Addi Ras

    Addi Ras MASTER TEA MAKER
    Staff Member

    Joined:
    Oct 8, 2015
    Posts:
    4,753
    Likes Received:
    67,563
    Trophy Points:
    171,477
    Credits:
    33,305
    Ratings:
    +71,746 / 13 / -5
    I’m wondering if the characters depicted on the covers in the 4 books so far are the same in both the U.K. & U.S versions
     
    • Like Like x 2
Loading...

Share This Page