In Praise of Brandon Sanderson

So, I'm going to assume that you have read at least one book by Brandon Sanderson.  And if you haven't, then you should.

I started as did most people with the Mistborn trilogy.  It's the concept how "magic" works on that world that was so fascinating.  I've read three of the four post-Mistborn series.  I think I need to read the Elantris books for the pre-history of the that world.

Then I read Warbreaker, and the foundation for magic shifted from metals to color.

Then came the Stormlight Archives,and I'm still not quite sure how magic works there.

Last to be introduced to me was the Reckoners series, which I'm reading the third book of right now.  Imagine a world of supers who become evil when they use their powers.1

And there are hints that these worlds are connected somehow.  Certainly, Warbreaker and the Stormlight world, but possibly others.

What makes Sanderson so fun is that the feel of the books are all different.  Even when he wrote the last three books of Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time series, he kept to Jordan's voice slowly shifting to his own.

So yes, give him a read.  You'll enjoy it.

Reading Rainbow

So I took another break from the Dune series to catch up on some other reading, and to help build up some personal momentum for the end of the series.

Brandon Sanderson's completion of Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time series (A Memory of Light) was masterfully done.  Sanderson brought back a lot of my excitement for the series that had dwindled with Jordan's dithering over the series.  I don't know if I'll ever do a straight through reading of this series, but I can say I appreciate the ending.

Then I caught up on my Magic Chick-Lit books with Kim Harrison (Ever After) and Patricia Briggs (Frost Burned).  They're both always fun modern-magic reads.

And then I've been enjoying some comic book compilations on the iPad.  They're all books that I have hard copies of, but are fun to be able to read in bed or at work without carrying the trade paperbacks around with me all of the time.

And just last night, I finished Frank Herbert's Heretics of Dune.  I think this book is what shaped my memory of Frank Herbert's writing style.  When I began reading the books after the movie came out, I had read very little science fiction.  Heretics is an ever accelerating book of action with some of the events left to your imagination, being mentioned only by character's thinking back to them.

At lunch today I started Chapterhouse Dune, and I can remember parts of what is to come that make me want to sit and just read all day.

Trying Again

All right, I'm going to try to get back in the habit of blogging. I've fallen off recently from working to finish a 1,000-page book.

The book was The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson, and I have to admit that I was a bit reluctant to start a new epic fantasy series with the first volume just crossing 4 digits.

Jennifer said that I should give it a chance, and so I did. The Prologue was interesting, and then the Introduction was truly intriguing with a tease at the new magic system Sanderson has created. And from then on I was hooked. Aside from the humans and one small region, the world is almost like evolution moved on with crustaceans and corals. The magic system is based on gems that catch the power of storm that travel east to west.

Sanderson has obviously been influenced from his writing of the Wheel of Time conclusion, but mostly in the magic-technology lost to antiquity and the epic feel of things. The story is all his own. I look forward to his future volumes in this world of the Stormlight Archives.

Book Round-Up

So let's see, where was I?

I finished The Gathering Storm by Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson, and I do heartily look forward to the last two books in the series. There were good reveals and some fun action. I could pretty easily tell what parts had been written by Jordan, and what parts were wholly Sanderson. It can make a person wish that Sanderson wrote the entire thing. His style is so much more free and flowing. Jordan's by comparison brings to mind the tone and meter of a Norse epic.

Then I moved on the Audrey Niffenegger's Her Fearful Symmetry. Now this book is Niffenegger's second novel, and I could easily add her first, The Time-Traveler's Wife, to my annual rotation. And the first three quarters of this book, I felt the same way about. And then stuff happened. It's about the only way I can say it. Things happen and the train goes hurtling off he tracks and over the hills to have a picnic. Sure its unpredictable, but it just made me say, "Whah?"

And for now, I'm filling my time with fluff. I wait patiently (kind of) for John to get and read, and then lend me Jim Butcher's conclusion to his Codex Alera series First Lord's Fury. I have joyous hope.

***

As another diversion, I've been watching the video's of Yahtzee's Zero Punctuation. I don't play a lot of video games, mostly because I don't have a game console, but for those I do play or even know about, his videos have been hilarious. And then I've watched some others and they've been funny too. Quite worth the time.

This Books Stands By Itself

...because it's so bloody thick.

The new Wheel of time book (The Gathering Storm, if you haven't been paying attention) is big even for a WoT book.

It is 766 pages long. And that doesn't include the glossary.

However, I can totally understand Sohmer's sentiments.

I am feeling in this book the fun and excitement that was in the early books. And I'm not yet out of the Prologue/Introduction yet.

And there's two more books to go.

Another Book Down

Thursday night I finished Dracula, the Un-Dead by Dacre Stoker and Ian Holt. It's not a bad book at all. While some of it dragged, I liked the way things moved, and their occasional commentary on the original. I think I liked the closing with a bit of an interview on the writing of the book as much as I did the book itself. It leaves itself open to a sequel, and I'd read it if it happens.

The takeaway from the book is: Make sure there's a body when you kill someone (or something).

And so move on the The Gathering Storm by Brandon Sanderson and Robert Jordan. I just got it at the library today, so I will give judgement as soon as I make one up.

Warbreaker

I finished Brandon Sanderson's Warbreaker today over lunch. And it was really a fun book that kept me guessing all the way through.

At no point was anyone what they seemed. At least not to me.

I also really enjoyed the magic system that he created. It differs quite a bit from the metal-based magic of the Mistborn series.

Finally, I was worried for the last half of the book that it was goign to end up being a multi-parter, but Sanderson tied everything up nicely. There is the potential for a sequel, but no major points in Warbreaker are left hanging that would require one.

It gives me even further hope that Sanderson can tie up Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time story in an interesting way.

New Reading

All right. I hereby give up on Viriconium. I just can't get motivated to keep reading it. I really liked the first story. And the second was kind of a Twenty Years Later take on the first. But the third tale is boring. I think I'll just save the book for the next time I'm down at home with nothing to do and nowhere to go.

So, I am moving on the Brandon Sanderson's new book Warbreaker.

I am a little more than 50 pages in, and it's seems pretty cool so far. Instead of being based on metals like the Mistborn series, this time color is the source of magic. I am looking forward to the rest of this book, and his conclusion to the Wheel of Time series.

More Books

This weekend I also finished a lot of books. I had planned to read while convalescing from the tattoo, but well...

Anyway, I got through my stack of comics and am thoroughly enjoying the "New Krypton" arc through the Superman titles, and Alex Ross' continuation (or actually interlude) of his Kingdom Come tale in Justice Society of America. And The Joker by Brian Azzarello is absolutely amazing. It's done with the Joker and others in the style of "The Dark Knight" movie, but in regular Batman style continuity. Azzarello's take on Harley Quinn and the Riddler are really cool. And you don't even see Batman until the last few pages. It's going to be up there with The Killing Joke by Alan Moore for me.

I also finished The Hero of Ages by Brian Sanderson, which was a very good closing of his trilogy. I look more and more towards his conclusion to "The Wheel of Time."

Jennifer is still reading Terry Pratchett's Nation. I'm on it as soon as she's done, and she's loving it. She says it's like Pratchett's trying to get all of his thoughts out of his head and on paper before the Alzheimer's can take them away from him.

Engulf and Devour

Yesterday before going to the gym, I stopped by the library and picked up the last two TPB volumes of Y: The Last Man by Brian Vaughan.

Then I went home, and finished The Well of Ascension by Brandon Sanderson. it was really a good book. I'm looking forward to Reading the third book now, and really eager to see how he writes and wraps up Robert Jordan's "Wheel of Time" series.

And then, since Jennifer was out, I read both volumes of Y.

I can say that I'm glad I read them, and I appreciate the closer, but some parts really didn't help the series. At least that's what I think.

Like the general of the Israeli army who is driving her soldiers to help her find Yorick (the last man), not so that she can get his DNA to revive the planet in kosher fashion. She feels that women are weak, those in her squad and across the world, and she wants to die in battle by the hands of a man.

She's that character in any post-apocalyptic/disaster movie, that just keeps coming, and you know is going to cause shit all through the story, and is never going to be redeemed. And it just pisses you off, because there's enough room in the story for so much more than just this relentless character.

I got to bed about 2 AM. I need a nap.

Sunday night

Once we got back from the football game, there was a feeling around the house of Sundays before returning to school. There was just a thick feeling of "SCHOOL NIGHT", but there was still so much light left with things to do.

I checked the hours left at Fantasy Books and Games, and seeing they were open until 7:00, I got in the car and drove down to get two weeks' worth of comic books. This includes the new Joker hard cover which I'll describe when I get a chance. One of the nice things about Saturday was that John brought the second book of Brandon Sanderson's Mistborn trilogy (and today he told me the third book is coming from him this coming Saturday) and the third book in Greg Keyes' Kingdoms of Thorn and Bone series. I'm not needing the library for a while.

The thing that amazes me is the speed with which some people on the net read their comics. Granted they're reviewing the books for their blogs. Intensely reviewing. I'm just reading them for enjoyment. I've considered reviewing things more officially, but I can't quite get into it. But anyway,these people post pictures of from the books, and I almost have to skip the posts when I haven't read the books yet.

And Sunday night, I finished Mistborn. It was a fun read with good tension, exciting twists, and very little predictability. John told me, and you can see for yourself, on Sanderson's site that he is writing the conclusion to Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time series. After reading this first book, and John's continued (never waning) raving (truly, raving) about the trilogy, I look forward to strong ending of the Wheel of Time. Of course the Wheel never stops turning, but you get the idea.

Multiple Reading

As you can see, I'm reading Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson. But I've been wanting to listen to rock music during my workout, and I just can't read fantasy with music with words.

So at the gym I'm reading Jumper by Steven Gould.

He is not to be confused with Steven Jay Gould.

I think I've said before how much better the book Jumper is than the movie.

But the main influence for reading Jumper again is the hope of playing our GURPS Psionics group again. We've got a few different players, but the background is as detailed as the Fantasy world. And my character is based on Davey in Jumper with the added bonus of teleporting objects to and from himself. And against people with a touch.

I'm very excited about the possibilities of what the other players might create.