This book is in my TBR list for a long time now and my only regret is not starting this sooner.
This is my first Brandon Sanderson book and he made me feel things. He made me experience things in a personal level.
Brandon Sanderson’s writing is straight forward, no flowery descriptions and I can say that he only uses simple words. But, this does not diminish the impact of what he was trying to convey.
The unique magic system, the well developed and well-thought characters. And their depth… *chef’s kiss …. I even felt a strong emotional attachment even with side characters.
And the plot, is sooo good! It will look simple at first when you think about it and ponder on the events that were happening you can see the symbolisms and the parallels on the real world.
Aaaaagggghhhh!!!!!
I’m now in the rabbit hole and I think I might stay here for a while. ❤️❤️❤️
Rating 10000/10 🌟🌟🌟
I thought that this book is just overhyped but oooh I was so wrong about that.
While I appreciate the enthusiasm, I do believe you meant Chef's kiss:)
Oh yeah. I do mean that. Haha thanks for the correction though. I typed it while my emotions are at peak with low regards to anything else. 🤣
Freudian slip? Brando made you feel things, huh?
This slip on a Sanderson review is especially hilarious considering how extremely closed door his romance is.
Book 2 for me was rough but 3 was just pure bliss. Check out the secret projects as the 3 of 5 that I’ve read have been insanely good.
Yeah book 2 is very slow, but it also has one of the best endings I've ever read.
I started book 3 yday, i can say already that book 2 was rough and book 3 is already better than 2 just 17 chapters in.
Oh just you wait. Love what he did with Spook in that book
I think i know, i do a oopsie sometimes to remind myself smth and go on coppermind wiki.
Agreed. I will say, though, that book two aged well on a series reread. It had a ton of setup for the finale. But my first it was one of my least favorite of the Cosmere novels.
I sure would add the Secret Project in my TBR. 😊☺️
'Secret Project' is not the title of a book. The secret projects are five standalone books Sanderson produced in a single year. They're a mixed bag, but worth checking out.
The titles are:
1 Tress of the Emerald Sea (2023)
2 The Frugal Wizard's Handbook for Surviving Medieval England (2023)
3 Yumi and the Nightmare Painter (2023)
4 The Sunlit Man (2023)
5 Isles of the Emberdark (2025)
I would probably add for OP that while Tress/Yumi/Sunlit are readable as standalones, you might get more out of them and/or notice some extra references after reading a few more other Cosmere books.
I would say the sunlit man isn’t even a standalone. It’s book 5.5 of stormlight archive pretending to be one
I think you could pretty well understand most of what's going on without having read Stormlight, but, yeah, I'd put on par with something like Dawnshard where it's like "there are a lot of side story threads running in addition to what appears to be the main plot of this series, and this is a huge development about one of them."
I think i mossed 2 book somehow and didnt yet read last but other are wery good. Yumi is my faworite book very unique story
Book 2 is not in the cosmere and is generally not as well received either, so there's not as much talk about it compared to tress and yumi, which were instant fan favorites, and the other two, which are also good and have huge lore implications
Also thought book 2 was rough, but book three is one of the worst books I've read in the last few decades, terrible writing, pacing, and plot.
I just gave up on book 2 because the build up was so slow. The first one was pretty similar. I just don't fancy reading 500 pages to actually get somewhere. You need to have something big happen mid way.
Book two was such a shift from the amazingness of the first one. Sadly one of the worst books I’ve ever read. sighs in zane
This was my first Sanderson series as well and I just read it late last year! Loved it. Not sure I can commit to everything he's done. But I definitely enjoyed Mistborn a lot.
Did you finish the mistborn trilogy or just the first book?
As for me, I’m not sure if I have a choice to not commit anymore since I feel like I’m at the point of no turning back.
The trilogy of course haha
But, afaik, all of Sanderson's books are part of the same universe. The Cosmere. Just different worlds ajd times.
Not all of them all of them. Just a lot.
There's also Alcatraz, Reckoners, Skyward and Frugal Wizard.
Reading these comments, I must be one of the only people who thought Well of Ascension was the best book of the trilogy with Final Empire being the weakest.
I actually liked Well of Ascension the best too. It had some pacing issues I’ll admit, and I found Zane to be grating, but it had an incredible ending and it was the only book in which I actually enjoyed Elend as a character.
Agreed. The politics were great, and it had the best twists and ending of the 3
Zane improved a little for me on a reread understanding what his deal was and what Sanderson was trying to do there.
You’re not - I’m right there with you. Hero of Ages felt like the reheated leftovers of Mistborn + Well of Ascension with a bonus heavy handed Mormon allegory at the end.
Lol yep it sounds like that, and I'm on the same train of majority here, I struggled a bit with Well of Ascension even if I ended up liking it very much at the end.
But out of reddit it's the other way for me, at least in a small sample. I know only three people who have read the trilogy, and all three of them have second book as their favorite.
Wait until you read The Way of Kings. Way of Kings, Words of Radiance, and Oathbringer are the absolute best works he's ever put to page.
Warbreaker is good too.
I agree they are great, stormlight series had such a weak ending though
That’s just the end of the first half of the Stormlight series.
I will concede that Book 4 is pretty weak. I honestly thought it was pretty bad because it lost a lot of momentum, was weird with how it just jumped suddenly forward in time, and the characters went from one position (just barely surviving) to a totally different one at the beginning of the next (doing really well and basically winning). All of the emotional momentum felt expended in Book 4. So, yeah, I concede that.
But just pretend Book 4 doesn't exist. Book 4 is the one that, if it were a T.V. show, would get drastic changes. For one, there would be no time skip. For two, there would be more shown in-between. And for three, characters would be repositioned for greater dramatic tension.
That said, Books 1-3 are phenomenal. And my understanding (I havaen't finished it) is that Book 5 is also phenomenal, though it's not as good as Book 1-3 because Sanderson's writing has changed in the time it's taken to write, and is thus stylistically more similar to his recent work, which while good, is just good not his early work.
Book 4 had some pretty good moments though. It is the weakest in the series for me as well… but Kaladin’s story is phenomenal and I enjoyed Adolin and Shallan’s story as well. I disliked how Dalinar was sidelined in book 4 though for most of it.
Just wait until you get to the end of book 3 😅. Or book 2 for that matter. I usually listen to the Mistborn Era 1 books yearly on Audible as they are my favorite of Brandon’s works; not that I’ve been disappointed by anything he has written when considering any of his books as a whole.
If you want a great read of his that is more science fiction than fantasy, I would also recommend Skyward (the series is pretty good as a whole, but the first book is amazing).
Edit: Once you have finished the first three books, get your hands on Mistborn: Secret History, and you won’t be disappointed.
Thanks! I’ll be adding it to my list. 🥰
If you're gonna do audiobook version, shell out the extra and go for Graphic Audio. They are truly the top tier way to audiobook when it comes to Sanderson works. You won't regret it.
Also, as I mentioned in another comment--truly Stormlight Archive is his magnum opus. That's the best of his work.
I need to look for those. I did The Sunlit Man in that version and it was pretty cool. I am however a big fan of Kate Redding and Michael Kramer who did the readings for all of The Wheel of Time and most of Brandon’s books including Mistborn. Michael had a really fun time doing all of Wayne’s different voices in Era 2.
Trust me, there is no other way to audiobook Stormlight Archive. The voice actors for Stormlight Archive are perfect. The graphic audio for it is just amazing. I only ever hear Dalinar's voice via his GA voice actor now when reading the book by text.
Mistborn is another where the GA shines.
Elantris is fine. I could go either way on it. But GA shines for Sanderson. Especially because all of the voice actors (except for 1 or 2 I think) are kept the same throughout and between series. Which I don't want to give spoilers, but you can see why that might be important.
I’m really glad you liked it! I just finished it last week and I’m not going to lie it really didn’t click with me.
I thought the prose and dialogue were unforgivably clunky (yes, I know everyone says this is Sanderson’s weakness, but prose and dialogue are what compose a story. They need to be better lol). Vin felt like less of a character and more like a vector for explaining the rules of a complex magic system, and only developed in the last like 75 pages of the book. The climax felt rushed, a bit stunted, and I didn’t feel like it had earned any kind of catharsis.
Certainly the book was fun at parts, but generally found it underwhelming
I read the entire trilogy and for the most part enjoyed it, but boy is his character work rough. I don’t mind simple prose, but clunky dialogue is a hard pill for me to swallow. I can tell you for certain that his dialogue doesn’t get any better by book 3.
He can write an amazing fucking ending though, so it was worth it when all is said and done.
I really wanted to finish the first book to have a solid understanding of Sanderson as a writer but I had to stop after 150 pages, I found the writing and dialogue interminable. It was interesting to read a book that I just really didn't click with, at least.
Congrats on the start of the journey!
You’re mind will blown at the end of the trilogy because it all comes together in a brilliant way
Read Mistborn (The Final Empire) and The Well of Ascension last year. Am reading The Hero of Ages right now. Also new to Sanderson. I enjoyed The Final Empire a lot, especially the last part where everything went fast, the stakes went up and it was a true climax! The Well of Ascension was slower paced but still enjoyable to read. Now reading the third book and excited where it will all lead to!
I started the original Mistborn trilogy around July/August last year. Been reading the Cosmere ever since, only have the last two Stormlight books and the secret projects left. It's a long journey, but worth it at every point in my opinion. He may not be a poetic wordsmith, but god damn, Sanderson can tell a storming story!
I loved the first era too!!!
Haven’t started the second era yet but will eventually:)
I absolutely loved it. Kinda burnt out on Sando now but I think I read all of it.
I agree! I think the ending of the first Mistborn series is probably the most satisfying thing I've ever read. It just wraps up so well...
I highly recommend the next 4 books in the Mistborn series (era 2, Wax and Wayne). It took me a bit to adjust to the time jump, new characters and new feel, but once I finished the first book I was hooked again. This series I get like focuses on characters and consequences more than powers, but it's still really worth it.
Stormlight Archive is the next step "up' with Sanderson in terms of epic fantasy. I personally found the first half of Way of Kings dragged, but it was so so worth it for the rest of the book and the series (so far). The world building, magic system, characters, nations, politics... It's all amazing.
Lastly, if you're looking for something lighter and don't mind sci-fi I recommend his Skyward series. It still has many fantasy elements. I just found them really fun and interesting. This series is not part of the Cosmere.
It's funny because I saw a post on here that asked for peoples most overrated author and Brandon Sanderson came up a hell of a lot. He seems to be very polarising to the point where nobody seems to sit in the middle on his books.
The most common criticisms seem to be his prose and characterisation. While his prose is simple I don't think it is bad by any stretch. Some characters can be a bit one dimensional and Staff in particular feels like a bit of a caricature but I love Kelsier, Sazed and TenSoon. Lightbringer in Warbreaker is great too.
As far as Final Empire, I'd rate it just ahead of Hero of Ages and just behind Warbreaker of what I have read so far of his. I haven't started the second series or Stormlight yet though.
Yep, I can completely understand that polarisation.
I am on the other side, I just finished Mistborn era 1 and I can not get the fuss about it. The characters are flat, the world is barely described and full of plot holes, the ending of the first book feels rushed, the second book stretches for 400 pages about a theme that is completely irrelevant for the ending and the third book makes the same yet again, until the last 100 pages resolve it in an underwhelming way, with no real relation with what has been happening for the last 500 pages. But, since this is a post were everyone cheers the book, it seemed unpolite to write my opinion :)
I have read three 700-800 pages and I still do not know how to describe Luthadel. Yep, it has tall buildings. And mist. But I have no idea about its streets, its people, its smells, its districts and avenues. Some say it is "economic" or, as OP says, "no flowery descriptions", but for me it is plain bad writing.
I do no say this in order to argue or be polemic, really! I already wrote a review of the first book and I had long discussions there (with no real point: either you hate this book, and then we just agree, shake hands and go on, or you love it and then it seems there may not be a rational discussion there), so I just wanted to give my two cents.
OP, if you liked book 1, go on! For me it was the best but the almost unanimous opinion seems to be that book 3 is the best one :) And enjoy it! In the end, that is what fantasy and reading is about, to enjoy while doing it!
Same here. I just don’t get the hype. Every time I read one of these “1000/10” reviews I always think it must be the readers first book ever or something, I just don’t see it. But subjective is subjective.
Yep, that was my impression at first. Then I saw the review of book 3 in goodreads, with 400k people giving it 5 stars... and I still don't get it. But, as you say, subjective is subjective.
I am right there with you. These books did not land for me as well, character depth? I must have read a different book or something, they had no depth for me when I read it.
Yeah that's fine too.
I didn't get that impression at all about Luthadel and felt the descriptions were enough to get an image in my head.
I actually find the opposite to be frustrating in many cases. I don't need to read a multiple page description of some marketplace in a city like I'm reading a travel blog for a fantasy world.
I am fine with people providing constructive criticism for any author. So long as you are not criticising a persons taste or questioning their intelligence for enjoying something then no harm no foul.
I've read the ones he wrote for The Wheel of Time, and now I've read the first Mistborn triology. I sit in the middle, there was nothing wrong with Mistborn, it was enjoyable read.
It hasn't made me want to go buy anything else of his though, but if someone lent me or bought me his books I'd read them.
Yeah I'm probably somewhere in the middle. I haven't read Wheel of Time so I started with Elantris, Mistborn trilogy and Warbreaker and enjoyed them. Unlike you I have bought his others but I also have about 300 other books I have bought on my Kobo (I have a problem haha).
Lightsong
I just finished it as well and LOVED it.
I am looking forward to reading a lot of the standalones as well. I haven’t read many novellas but Emperors Soul get a lot of praise. So really looking forward to something with less commitment 😁
My favourites are Stormlight books. Hope you will put it on your list!
And then once you read all those you might as well get up to date on the whole Cosmere 😏
My first Sanderson book as well as my first book as an adult. I fell off reading for years and when I started back up I picked that one first. I devoured all of mistborn, all the stormlight books, the secret projects, war breaker, mistborn era 2. Sanderson also spoke about how much he loved the wheel of time and how he finished the series and I read those and loved them too. Thanks sanderson for hooking me on reading again. I love mistborn.
I also recently read the final empire and really liked it. But I’m really struggling to push through the second book. Generally I don’t like chosen one teen protagonist and I really don’t care for Vin, but I’ve heard the third book is good so I need to soldier on.
Good to know, as Im reading Mistborn right now, currently on the 2nd book. I read the Stormlight Archive and The Sunlit Man before it and very much enjoyed those
Would recommend you read Mistborn: Secret History before diving into the next Mistborn series
Chexk out the Cosmere readaling on r/readalong.
We're several books ahead, but it sounds like you might catch up in not too much time. Also there's a lot of background info you might have missed :-)
I still think it's his one of the better works.
Mistborn is Sanderson’s greatest work IMO (though Way of Kings is incredible as well). I have reread it recently and it just gets better the second time, the best sign of a great book.
The series delivers, as does Mistborn, Era 2
Keep on going!
I also just finished it the other day, about to start the second one. I figured the entire trilogy would be about overthrowing the empire, was surprised they did it in one book! Curious where it’s going to go next with Elend being on the throne now.
Also, I want Vin to embrace her noble side and become Valette full time lol. I feel like she deserves it after the life she lived up to this point!
I put it down after 150 pages... I get what people like, but the basic prose, dad humour and fight scenes that felt like someone describing their D&D session turn by turn just didn't work for me at all. The sheer amount of writing the author puts out is commendable, though.
I enjoyed the trilogy a lot in retrospective, but I’m not sure if I’ll read anything else by Sanderson.
If the books were shorter yes why not, but the constant explanation of how things work in the world or why the characters feel the way they do was just too much.
I finished it a few months ago too! However, I DNF'd book 2 tho...will come back to it later.
Did we read the same book? It was one of the worst series I’ve ever read and was angry I wasted the time on it. Sanderson spent 1000+ pages repeating himself and another 1000+ pages on an over complicated magic system he leaned on to tie the flimsy narrative. The character development ended sometime during the first book and there was another 1000 pages of brooding (overlaps with repetition). It would/could have been a lot better if he had an editor.
You didn’t like it, cool.
Thousands did. Also cool.
That series is his only good one! Enjoy while it lasts!
Nope he has several fantastic ones :)