Brandon Sanderson

[Roland_85]

Also, quite a lot better...

[Migey]

You've tried Lynch, havnt you?

Oh, and if you ever run out of books to read, you can get yourself about 10 hours respite by ordering the complete (and mostly fairly cheap) collection of Blackadder on amazon. Absolutely brilliant tv show starring Rowan Atkinson as an anti-hero. Funniest show i've ever seen (and lord fucking hell he is SO much better as blackadder then he is under the stupid/bufoon type character)

[macaroni]

Nobody's castigating Sanderson for not writing readable books. That's unless you think the likes of GRRM (or other living fantasy authors.... you know, the people we're actually comparing him to) are unreadable or too "literary" for you.

What I think is weird about the reaction to Sanderson on this board is how many rabid fans he has. The last few posts' attempts to discredit everyone on the board who's not that impressed by Sanderson aren't something I've seen here a whole lot. (The other example that comes to mind is Bakker, and maybe Robert Jordan, but generally people on here are able to shrug off differences of opinion about books.)

EDIT: To clarify a little, I'm not calling Sanderson's fans belligerent, because you aren't especially. But the continued hyperbole and the inability to understand why other than snobbery some people might not like him confuses me, especially after the sheer number of posts explaining why not quite rationally (you point out that those who aren't impressed with Sanderson agree that there's some entertainment value there; thus, they're not rants).

Wouldn't criticism of GRRM warrant cause a flame-war on this site? I might be one of the most belligerent defenders.

I wouldn't say BS is my favourite author, I do think his writing, while is original - a rarity in this trope -, I do feel it lacks nuance. And nuance comes with time and probably more rewrites. He isn't a patch on GRRM or RJ in this regard. As I said, I do think this comes with experience (or sometimes it doesn't!)

As for Erikson, his brilliance is there for all to see, although he is guilty of the same criticism levelled at RJ...he will write chapters that go off on one...substituting brocades and dresses for potsherds and bones. I love his writing but still think the series has lost its way.

[macaroni]

PS agree on the blackadder suggestion. I still watch re-runs now. hilarious.

[Peter Ahlstrom]

*Ahem* completely agree on Blackadder, though it's wildly off-topic. In the first part he does play more of a buffoon, but for parts 2 through 4 he's the most intelligent guy around and completely hilarious. Hugh Laurie is also a scream.

I'm Brandon's assistant and thus incredibly biased, but seeing his work ethic firsthand, I have no doubt he can put out one adult epic fantasy book per year, plus some lighter projects on the side.

[Migey]

Great to see Brandons personal assistant on the boards :D

He does seem to be a very prolific writer, and i don't doubt he can keep up the pace he has set himself.

Will be very, very nice to follow a series in which each book isnt seperated by a 3/4 year gap. In this regard, Brandon is unmatched!

A Way of Kings was a very good start, i think, but i can only wonder if it will get better or worse.

Many long fantasy series get worse as they go along. WoT and Malazan (although im not quite there yet in Malazan, i've heared it from so many people) are good examples of this, despite Brandons miraculous salvaging of WoT (Credit to RJ too of course...) ASoIaF managed to keep up the same level of quality (which was insanely high) without dropping, however the waits are getting annoying. Brandon Sanderson only seems to be getting better with every book he writes, but somewhere he will hit the peak of his writing ability (which i think is fairly high) and i wonder if the Stormlight Archive will get better or worse as the series goes on.

I devoutly hope it gets better. Or at least, keeps up the level of quality. A quality fantasy series, written at a continous fast pace, that doesn't dissapoint in the later books...

Brandon Sanderson, if you pull that off, then you are a genius! (Moreso then you are in some areas now :P)

[Liadin]

A Way of Kings was a very good start, i think, but i can only wonder if it will get better or worse.

Many long fantasy series get worse as they go along. WoT and Malazan (although im not quite there yet in Malazan, i've heared it from so many people) are good examples of this, despite Brandons miraculous salvaging of WoT (Credit to RJ too of course...) ASoIaF managed to keep up the same level of quality (which was insanely high) without dropping, however the waits are getting annoying. Brandon Sanderson only seems to be getting better with every book he writes, but somewhere he will hit the peak of his writing ability (which i think is fairly high) and i wonder if the Stormlight Archive will get better or worse as the series goes on.

I devoutly hope it gets better. Or at least, keeps up the level of quality. A quality fantasy series, written at a continous fast pace, that doesn't dissapoint in the later books...

This will indeed be interesting to see. I guess it depends on why long series tend to go bad as they go along. There's bloat, pace slowing down, and authorial self-indulgence, but those factors aren't always present. Often I think it has to do with the plot and focus taking a different turn, so different from the early books that it doesn't appeal to the same people. Kind of a Catch-22 there; if you write a 10-book series and the focus and tone don't change from start to finish, the work is probably becoming repetitive or bloated. But if they do, that can turn off original fans.

[Gormenghast]

Perfunctory question: is there a reason why Kaladin is unkillable in the first part of the book (Bridge 4) or it's just... convenient?

[beniowa]

Perfunctory question: is there a reason why Kaladin is unkillable in the first part of the book (Bridge 4) or it's just... convenient?

There's a reason. Keep reading.

[Gormenghast]

I guess it's the windspren driving arrows away then.

[The Evil Hat]

Not gonna confirm or deny what it is, but yeah, there's a reason.

[Cantabile]

I'm trying to imagine what SoIF would have been like, if GRRM had been a Mormon...

It hurts to think about.

[Grogsmash]

I'm trying to imagine what SoIF would have been like, if GRRM had been a Mormon...

It hurts to think about.

Yeah, those dirty Mormons, they write such horrible books right?

[Cantabile]

I'm not talking about quality; there's obviously no correlation between being Mormon and writing skills. But the content and tone would likely have been drastically different, and that disparity is a lil' weird to think about.

[macaroni]

I don't think Mr Sanderson is THAT different from most US authors when it comes to sexual and violent content. It does seem that extreme violence is 'allowed' and sex is frowned upon. That goes beyond fantasy. I don't think his faith precludes him in that regard. I'm not fussed, if truth be told.

[Migey]

Im fine with Brandon Sanderson not wanting to put stuff in his books because he is a mormon, its how he doesnt put it in thats the problem. In Mistborn it was incredibly jarring and irritating, but in A Way of Kings he managed to make it flow alot better, and it wasn't quite so obvious he was avoiding sex and swearing. There have been discussions about the use of 'storm' as a curse, and im not too fussed about that, and the lack of sex didn't particuarly bother me. Wantonex left right and center wouldn't fit Dalinar at all, Shallan didn't really have the time, and Kaladin had a few other pressing matters that took slight precedence.

Personally i think it would be better if he didn't shy away from these things so much, but as long as he can keep up the level fo quality and doesn't make the books worse by avoiding them, then i am ok. More then ok, in fact.

@ Koolkat

I Havn't read malazan yet to the later books, but for WoT, i think its for a few reasons - 1, Jordans meticulous writing style, describing everything, and doing it again in the next book. This isn't a bad thing, but it can create some problems when you make so, so many things to re-describe. 2, he also tried to adhere to a schedule - he wanted 12 books so hed be damned before it was any less! Which did of course result in several largely stagnant books with largely stagnant plotlines, populated by largely stagnant characters in increasingly stagnant settings.

Then we have GRRM, who has kept up the level of quality for the entire series thus far (AFFC was easily as good as the rest, even if it had a slower pace) I attribute this partly to his being a brilliant author. Also it is because, unlike Jordan, he is flexible. He originally wanted to make it a trilogy. Then he kept extending it. He wrote a good part of AFFC with the intended 5 year gap. But he scrapped that because he realised it made his series worse. He has proved willing to change nd make concessions for the quality of his series, rather then what he originally planned. Of course he takes a long time to write, but at least hes not as slow as Jean Auel. (And a damn sight better too). He also managed to keep his characters progressing. Every single book had a purpose, with multiple plotlines, and important events in it. Jordan had to struggle to find things to put in his later books, and even then... GRRM, however, kept the plot moving (although largely just to set up future plotlines, as far as AFFC is concerned)

If anyone can contribute to Malazan's later failings, would be great.

Brandon Sanderson doesn't strike me as a stubborn man who will do what the hell he wants to the point that it makes his series worse. (Sorry if i do sound a bit derogatory of Jordan here - i suppose i am, but he's still a brilliant author, in many ways) I can imagine that, if needed, Brandon will prove to be flexible. I am not the only one who am wondering how this series can span 10 books, but i assume Brandon has a plan, and that he will be willing to change things if needed.

I can't think of many other long epic series. I guess thats what makes them so well known - we have so goddamn few of them.

Sorry for the long, rambling post. Will give your eyes some rest now...

[macaroni]

In defence of all of the authors, writing is not a democracy, it is a dictatorship. They write it the way they see fit...one can't tweak a story to suit a few disgruntled fans.

[Old Nan]

[Jordan] also tried to adhere to a schedule - he wanted 12 books so hed be damned before it was any less! Which did of course result in several largely stagnant books with largely stagnant plotlines, populated by largely stagnant characters in increasingly stagnant settings.

Then we have GRRM, who has kept up the level of quality for the entire series thus far (AFFC was easily as good as the rest, even if it had a slower pace) I attribute this partly to his being a brilliant author. Also it is because, unlike Jordan, he is flexible. He originally wanted to make it a trilogy. Then he kept extending it.

I won't agree or disagree about the relative stagnancy of storylines in WOT vs. ASOIAF, but I'm pretty sure I've heard somewhere that Jordan's original plan was for WOT to six books or so. The fixation on twelve was more recent, and it was in actually the opposite direction; he wanted to wrap up the series in Book 12 rather than following the path Sanderson's taken with an expansion to 14.

[David Selig]

WoT was supposed to be a trilogy when Jordan started writing it, actually and the planned total length changed all the time, usually the memo was "3 more left" ever since book 3. He only decided firmly on finishing in 12 volumes really late in the series.

[macaroni]

"this tale grew in the telling" JRR Tolkien.

(Incidentally, I went to the same school as him. Do I win $5?)