Mr Brandon Sanderson not getting the love?

Hello all!

I just joined Chronicles as an aspiring author and lifetime fan. Although I was a little surprised that Brandon Sanderson has had no recent threads and as such I thought I could perhaps entice some discussion.

As most people I only discovered him when I completed the Wheel of Time series but since then I have sought out and read almost all his work.

With the second part (third and fourth books) of his Stormlight series now enjoying a well deserved rest upon my bookshelf I found myself asking is he the best fantasy author currently out there?

What really inspires me is that he has produced a range of novels and series which all have a unique take on magic systems. Is there another author out there that can say the same? (Please enlighten me)

rmaxix said:

Hello all!

I just joined Chronicles as an aspiring author and lifetime fan. Although I was a little surprised that Brandon Sanderson has had no recent threads and as such I thought I could perhaps entice some discussion.

As most people I only discovered him when I completed the Wheel of Time series but since then I have sought out and read almost all his work.

With the second part (third and fourth books) of his Stormlight series now enjoying a well deserved rest upon my bookshelf I found myself asking is he the best fantasy author currently out there?

What really inspires me is that he has produced a range of novels and series which all have a unique take on magic systems. Is there another author out there that can say the same? (Please enlighten me)

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Shall I play devil's advocate. Now, I quite like Sanderson, but I don't think he's close to the best fantasy author out there (although, pushed into a corner, I'd say that's down to taste - I adore Bujold, many don't....)

Nor do I think he's one of the most original - his magic systems are usually pretty cool, but many of his world's are twists on classic fantasy worlds.

So, nice, escapist author who churns out a serious work load (I totally admire his work ethic) but, for me, lacks depth and, perhaps, the level of emotional engagement that makes me a gibbering wreck of a reader (which I quite enjoy being....)

Jo Zebedee said:

Shall I play devil's advocate. Now, I quite like Sanderson, but I don't think he's close to the best fantasy author out there (although, pushed into a corner, I'd say that's down to taste - I adore Bujold, many don't....)

Nor do I think he's one of the most original - his magic systems are usually pretty cool, but many of his world's are twists on classic fantasy worlds.

So, nice, escapist author who churns out a serious work load (I totally admire his work ethic) but, for me, lacks depth and, perhaps, the level of emotional engagement that makes me a gibbering wreck of a reader (which I quite enjoy being....)

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I am ashamed to say I haven't read anything from Bujold, I am a little too old fashioned and still buy most of my books from the high street where I have never seen her works being sold. Would you advise starting with her fantasy or sci-fi?

Better be careful I don't go completely off the topic of Brandon Sanderson...

In terms of the fantasy world what I think he brings to the table is the intricate detail. In particular in the Stormlight novels I love how we are given impressions of the fashion and culture of the people of each land

I must admit that he doesn't typically go down the route of heavy emotional engagement, especially in terms of a love relationship between characters. However I actually find it quite refreshing as I have read too many books where you can see an author tries too hard to add a realistic love interest. Don't get me wrong I'm not against it, I suppose I just feel the market is saturated with it.

I prefer Bujold's sf, but I'm a sf kind of gal, mainly. Her fantasy is also good, and I have plans to read more than I currently have.

Actually, my problem isn't that he doesn't go down the romantic/relationship angle, but that I find it unconvincing when he does. Vim's love interest, for instance, is a drip* and, for me, I struggled to engage with him. If relationships happen, we should be able to see why.

* I'm not opinionated. Oh, no, not me

Welcome to chronicles, rmaxix! And I'm also surprised that we don't get more discussions on Brandon Sanderson's work - clearly his output is phenomenal. However, you're more than welcome to dig up old threads in the Brandon Sanderson section to get discussions going again - I'm sure once you reply to one or two, more people will join in with you.

Like others, I admire (and am jealous of) his productivity.

I've just begun Words of Radiance, at last. Once I'm done I'll probably check for a thread on that (don't want any spoilers before then).

Brandon sanderson is getting popular in the mainstream nowadays, i believe. Only a matter of time until something of his gets adapted to film or television imo.

rmaxix said:

As most people I only discovered him when I completed the Wheel of Time series

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Sanderson is my current favorite fantasy writer. I've had other favorites at different times. I sought his work out when I heard he had been chosen to finish WoT. I read the first Mistborn book because it was supposed to be the reason he got the job (or so I read). I'd put the first Mistborn trilogy and the Stormlight books up against any work of fantasy. His hero genre The Reckoners was also very good and not quite what I expected.

I'm looking forward to the next book in the Warbreakers series.

I enjoyed Elantris and his wheel of time books.
I discovered him through the wheel of time series.

rmaxix said:

I must admit that he doesn't typically go down the route of heavy emotional engagement, especially in terms of a love relationship between characters. However I actually find it quite refreshing as I have read too many books where you can see an author tries too hard to add a realistic love interest. Don't get me wrong I'm not against it, I suppose I just feel the market is saturated with it.

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I beg to differ. I realize I'm late to this party, but I must say-- Brandon Sanderson's books have made me weep. They consistently make me weep. His stories of the weak triumphing over the strong are unparalleled except by Tolkien. His Stormlight Archives in particular show a true sensitivity to mental health issues and give us protagonists struggling with DID and depression, and let us hold them up as our heroes and models of courage and inspiration. His works have helped save my life-- literally.

rmaxix said:

I just joined Chronicles as an aspiring author and lifetime fan. Although I was a little surprised that Brandon Sanderson has had no recent threads and as such I thought I could perhaps entice some discussion.

Click to expand...

Having recently finished reading several Sanderson books (Mistborn 1&2, Skyward, Starsight, Warbreaker), I, too, wandered over to this part of Chrons and was surprised by so little activity! I had to head over to 17thshard.com to see any kind of in-depth fan discussion of Sanderson's books. Have you been there? It's really extensive.

Hadn't heard of 17thshard.com, went to look, learnt that it is Brandon Sanderson's fan site.

I just started reading Arcanum Unbound. I don't think its the best introduction to his work as I don't know any of the background- the one set in Elantris was a bit spoilery. But I am enjoying it so far. I suppose I will see which settings interest me the most after reading this volume and maybe check out his novels later.

Arcanum Unbound is definitely not a good introduction and provides many spoilers for the various main series. It is really designed for those with a good knowledge of the Cosmere.