Brandon Sanderson fans, raise your hands!

bigsis144

Tue, May 25 2021, 11:05 am

@tigerwife
You might enjoy Skyward - it moves very quickly and the lore/worldbuilding is great but not nearly as dense off the bat.

Skyward is space opera/sci fi, rather than classic fantasy. The first book starts out in a very human-centric isolated world and the second book goes ALL OUT with different species and cultures.

Truly, one of my favorite things across all of Sanderson’s books is how various cultures feel real and lived in, as opposed to stereotypical and shallow. You could say one of his major themes is seeing people as people in all their complexity and humanity.

bigsis144

Tue, May 25 2021, 11:21 am

amother [ Babyblue ] wrote:

K so I'm assuming this is fantasy? Sci-fi? Yes, google says both.

Skyward (the book OP references in her first post) is space opera, so more science fictiony with spaceships and space battles, but there are some quasi-magical super powers that take this out of truly hard sci-fi territory. It’s also a “coming of age” story with a teenage protagonist learning about herself and her place in the wider world.

Most of his other books are more clearly in the “fantasy” genre.

amother [ Babyblue ] wrote:

I kind of like magical stuff but not when it's a really complex universe totally unlike anything I know about & I have to keep track of tons of rules etc.

Ah, well Sanderson is kind of addicted to inventing magic systems, LOL.

Each series takes place in a different world that has its magic based around something different, ex. in Mistborn, different metals give you different powers, while in Warbreaker it’s color/Breath, and in his middle-grade Alcatraz series, it’s an ability to use various magical glass lenses.

Each series is independent enough that you could enjoy one without reading the others. But there are some characters that hop between universes and hint at a much larger and interconnected universe called the Cosmere. And sort of the whole point of that is that shards of a singular original magic have caused these worlds to develop different magic systems, and eventually, Sanderson plans to have the various worlds interact on a huge scale.

I personally love how he gives all of his magic limits and boundaries - it forces so much more plot and character creativity than just “wizards doing magical stuff as needed”.

Most of the books have the protagonist(s) learning to use their powers as the book progresses, so that the reader learns along with them as things get more complex. Mistborn definitely took me a bit of time to follow, but eventually you will follow multiple magic users in a heart-pounding combat or understand a plot twist that is based in the magic system and it will feel SO SATISFYING.

amother [ Babyblue ] wrote:

Can some of you give those of us who are not familiar a little review of your favorite books?

Gonna keep coming back to edit this post, but I don’t have time to continue right now.

Last edited by bigsis144 on Tue, May 25 2021, 2:15 pm; edited 2 times in total

Aurora

Tue, May 25 2021, 11:28 am

YES! Really like them, but I think Elantris is still my favorite.

amother

Gold

Tue, May 25 2021, 11:58 am

Always looking for new authors/books! I've gotten into the more sci-fi/different world types because they're often cleaner.

Are his books clean? Any bad language? Romance? If there is romance, how intense?

scruffy

Tue, May 25 2021, 11:59 am

amother [ Gold ] wrote:

Very clean, that's one of the things I like. Practically no romance.

raich

Tue, May 25 2021, 1:13 pm

Bear with me okay? I love rehashing things to get them out of my system. Good books and movies suck me in and I have to remember that I'm not really part of those worlds. It helps me to sit with it a while and then I can go back to dinner making and floor sweeping and mothering. I'm ridiculous, I know. But do come join me!

Hidden:

I am still chuckling about all the funny things in the Skyward series so far.
How "Quick" quickly became "Quirk" and stuck... All of Quirk's Saint quotes that she often just made up... How Callsign: Nose commiserated when Callsign: Jerkface introduced himself over the radio... M-Bot complimenting Spensa on her shoes at all the wrong times when he felt she needed a compliment... When Spensa's translation pin translated Vapor's upset response as "increasingly vulgar curses involving foul stenches"... M-Bot's love affair with mushrooms (which eventually all made sense!)... Spensa's poetic aggression that ended up being mirrored by Hesho... and the kitsen in general! Just the way Hesho talks and how he's the supreme ruler of a democracy but always gets outvoted, but still walks around being fed steak and escorted by adoring fellow kitsen... their battleship named "Swims Upstream in a River Reflecting the Sun." ... how the Krell are actually tiny crabs that are terrified of humans and flail their arms in fear when confronted...

And the touching moments... when the girls snuck Spin into the dorms for a night... I was so sure Jorgen would get Spin in trouble after she assaulted him but he surprised me with his response... Gran-Gran just seems like such a strong, solid woman. I'd love to learn more about her... The scene in the water garden with the child aliens was surprisingly touching... Jorgen learning to make dough by feel with Gran-Gran... (was there a point to the dough, btw? Or was it just a lesson for him to dig deep inside as opposed to following the rules?)

And the cool parts... Where you don't see it coming that Cuna is really a potential ally, and that "their" (haha) creepy smiles were really attempts at smiling like a human to make Spensa more comfortable... Figments! How cool that they are just a sentient smell?... The whole way the Dione society works, how the parents make a draft from themselves and then decide if they want the kid's personality like that... And how in general you think the story is going to work out in a certain way and then it totally doesn't! Super un-typical. Not a trite, boring ending (especially since it doesn't really end...at least not yet!)

I was also wondering if the Weights and Measures had anything to do with Jorgen Weight's family from Detritus. Its a far stretch but I wouldn't be surprised. Sanderson has a cool way of weaving new plots in with small old details from previous scenes.

raich

Tue, May 25 2021, 1:15 pm

tigerwife wrote:

That’s so cool!!

I’m actually feeling fomo from all this fangirling about series I haven’t read. I did start Mistborn (thanks to bigsis’s rec) but for some reason I couldn’t get into and then had to return it to the library. Is it that worth it to take it out again and push through the first through chapters? (I think it was Mistborn, started off with someone overseeing slaves when an inspector came; on the slaves end they are visited by some troublemaker who isn’t as fearful as the rest of them. I cringed as the evil overseer searched for women to snag :-/ in general, I’m not a huge fan of dystopian fiction).

Please come fangirl with me!!!!

I recommend reading Skyward as a starter. And then come back here and we can obsess together Very Happy

Siriusly?

Tue, May 25 2021, 2:03 pm

Siriusly? wrote:

I've wanted to get into Brandon Sanderson for a while now, but there are so many books I don't know where to start! Is Mistborn a good place to begin?

Anyone?

bigsis144

Tue, May 25 2021, 2:23 pm

Siriusly? wrote:

Anyone?

You could definitely start with Mistborn if you like! It’s epic fantasy in a post-apocalyptic world if that genre speaks to you. Ash falling from the sky, all-powerful Lord Ruler, etc. And after the first Renaissance-tech-level Mistborn trilogy starts a new series in the same world but years later when the tech is more Wild West/Industrial Age with guns and trains. The second series is also much quicker and funnier than Mistborn.

Like raich said, Skyward is great also, but it’s sci fi.

If you want a self-contained book that doesn’t mean you have to commit to a larger series, try Elantris or Warbreaker.

(Warbreaker has a significant “arranged marriage” plot line and has the closest thing to s-xual material in it as the consummation with a stranger is a looming event for the young bride. But it stays clean. I don’t want to spoil it further! I might hold off on giving it to a teenager depending on their maturity and level of sheltering.)

raich

Tue, May 25 2021, 5:11 pm

Siriusly? wrote:

Anyone?

Please start with Skyward and then read Starsight (its sequel) and then come back here and thank me! And of course then we can obsess all together Heart

esther11

Wed, May 26 2021, 9:45 am

So interesting I really wasn’t so into Skyward, it was too sci-fi for me.

I recommend starting with Warbreaker or Elantris as they are stand alone novels. Mistborn was great, but no question I like the Way of Kings series the best.

raich

Wed, May 26 2021, 11:26 am

So I started The Way of Kings!

The first few pages were super confusing but it quickly transitioned into very interesting and intriguing. Can't wait to keep reading!

Rubber Ducky

Wed, May 26 2021, 11:48 am

The Way of Kings has a fantastic opening — it hooked me from the first page! But I spend much of my time doing 3D CAD work so changes in axes (which way is really up anyway?) come naturally to me.

I Believe Szeth is the main character in the 5th book, which will not be out for a few years.

amother

Fuchsia

Wed, May 26 2021, 12:41 pm

Skyward Book #3: Cytonic is coming out 11/23/21!

(I wanted to say something before, but the announcement went out today on his Twitter feed, and I was sworn to secrecy!)

bigsis144

Wed, May 26 2021, 12:55 pm

amother [ Fuchsia ] wrote:

Skyward Book #3: Cytonic is coming out 11/23/21!

(I wanted to say something before, but the announcement went out today on his Twitter feed, and I was sworn to secrecy!)

The man is a writing MACHINE. Wow!

I am so excited 😄😄

imasinger

Wed, May 26 2021, 12:56 pm

amother [ Fuchsia ] wrote:

Skyward Book #3: Cytonic is coming out 11/23/21!

(I wanted to say something before, but the announcement went out today on his Twitter feed, and I was sworn to secrecy!)

Woohoo, pub date is out!

raich

Wed, May 26 2021, 12:58 pm

amother [ Fuchsia ] wrote:

Skyward Book #3: Cytonic is coming out 11/23/21!

(I wanted to say something before, but the announcement went out today on his Twitter feed, and I was sworn to secrecy!)

So exciting! I'd love to learn his secret for being as productive and prolific as he is.

amother

Fuchsia

Wed, May 26 2021, 1:06 pm

raich wrote:

So exciting! I'd love to learn his secret for being as productive and prolific as he is.

I'm sure he does most of his own writing, but he has a whole team of "helpers" at his company, Dragonsteel Entertainment. And this is in addition to the team at his publisher.
Check out his acknowledgment pages, and you'll see what I mean.

Siriusly?

Mon, May 31 2021, 6:39 am

raich wrote:

Please start with Skyward and then read Starsight (its sequel) and then come back here and thank me! And of course then we can obsess all together Heart

Done! Gotta say, they were both really enjoyable reads - and now I'm looking forward to November!

The whole 'children being trained for battle with aliens who turn out to be different than what they were assumed to be', the focus on the ideal level of aggression, as well as M-Bot's struggle to figure out what makes AI alive reminded me somewhat of Orson Scott Card's Enderverse series - anyone here read it?

Back to Brandon Sanderson, I need recs for what to start with next Very Happy

imasinger

Mon, May 31 2021, 7:55 am

Definitely some Orson Scott Card overtones.

Maybe start on the Mistborn books next.

Or, If you want a shorter read, try the other YA stuff -- Rithmatist, the Steelheart series, or the Alcatraz books.