Personally the magicians for me. I loved it initially then I left it a while and came to realise the first half was good but where it continued to I just didn't like. Also way of kings when I read it, it was ok but a lot of set up but when I look back from book 3 it is amazing. And the rithmatist by Sanderson was just a good YA at the beginning and now it is one of my fav books despite a lot of set up
I want it to be Mistborn for me I wasn't as emotionally invested with the characters, and the writing style struck me as jarring. I had a lot of trouble seeing past words on a page and actually being in the world. I want to be there with the characters, and the lack of description made it difficult But it's such a well loved book, and the story truly is wonderful. I hope upon a reread I can appreciate the book more, or maybe I'll better connect to an adaptation
I read (mostly listen nowadays), watch western TV series, watch anime. When I'm bored from one, I jump to the next. Different ways of story telling makes it easier to go back to the other ones.
@@muddybloody same. I’m reading 3 books at once but while I’m enjoying what I’m reading I’m definitely gonna revert back to reading one at a time the rest of the year so I can catch up on a ton of anime.
Absolutely! I got "burned out" for a couple of weeks after finishing the Wheel of Time last month. I thought I'd just push through it and read Black Song, but honestly, I was forcing myself and didn't appreciate the book as much as I thought I would. Then I took a longer break and now I'm getting excited about a new story again :)
I had the opposite reaction to Harrow the Ninth. I struggled with the first half and the ending, but I couldn't stop thinking about it, so I turned around and read the whole series a second time. On re-read everything sank into place for me....I've never read anything like it, and I don't see it's equivalent out there right now. Wouldn't hesitate to call it brilliant. I've never felt the need to read a book twice, and that alone says something. Some books just benefit from a second pass.
I still love Harrow the Ninth. I loved that it lacked clarity, honestly, because it felt more true to Harrow's experiences of the world, especially at that point in her life. It wasn't at all a struggle for me to get through the first 2/3rds of the book because I was so invested in her and the characters surrounding her. I honestly think Harrow the Ninth is a work of genius. Burning White on the other hand, was like the final nail in the coffin for my Lightbringer experience. I hated the first 100 pages of the first book, the first 80 of the third book, and about 90% of book four, and basically the entire back half of book 5. Plus all the skimming I had to do every time Weeks subjected us to one of those weird present-tense chapters that were related to the card game or whatever. I did not enjoy a single one of those. There were good moments in Burning White, but honestly so much of it was handled so poorly. I really don't enjoy Lightbringer.
Weirdly enough, I found Harrow the Ninth really clear, and the plot, while not that easy to follow, was not as hard to understand as most people said it was. Maybe I'm just weird. I really, really enjoyed the second book.
Great video mate, and thanks heaps for your additional thoughts on Shadow of the conqueror, really appreciated. Also I have a feeling your first book will blow mine out of the water. It's really interesting how a second read can change our experience. I was surprised how much I didn't like the Ademre arch in "A Wise Man's Fear," during my second reading. Their view on pregnancy is pure ridiculousness for a supposed well developed culture. Cave men had figured out what they haven't! and there were a lot of other pet peeves and irked me too. Yet on the inverse I didn't really like the movie Mega Mind first time but it grew on me with each subsequent viewing as I realize how clever it was.
One of the things that I enjoyed about your book was--and I used the audible version, was that it really felt like you told the story, the way you speak on your channel was very much how the voice/text came across. It's a subjective thing to enjoy so, perhaps others may disagree, but it felt almost like you were giving me a re-telling of a story you once heard, and like your content and channel, it was enjoyable.
The unawareness was a cute idea, but utterly ridiculous in the end, I agree. Like there were no lesbians in this culture. It also made this mistake of everybody in a fiction culture thinking the same. It would've been better to make this a believe of a certain group in a culture to show that they're not all perfect and all-wise either. Overall, I have similar difficulties with Rothfuss's female characters than with Jordan's in that they both try so hard to subvert the 'damsel in distress' trope that they completely fail to make their women human. Instead they're these perfect, always-strong celestial beings that are all sooo much smarter than men. Say what you will about George R. R. Martin's writing, but at least his characters don't get a hidden bonus from being a certain gender.
I've seen a lot of theories on the Adem and whether or not they are human (or if any of the characters are) and have different reproduction (because of the lack of genetic diversity in the population even in different areas you expect the different location to develop different traits eye colour hair colour like on earth) I think the last book will have to come out and more information on both the world and the adem for me to make a full opinion on the book, though there are other Issues with the book.
As someone who detests the idea of space spiders, Children of Time is amazing and everyone should read it and cry about the inevitable future of space spiders.
'Children of Time' was an absolute revelation to me. Such interesting concepts and characters. Have you checked out the follow-up book, 'Children of Ruin'? It's another evolutionary mind frak of a tale, guaranteed to challenge and creep out its readers. "We're going on an adventure"...shudder!
@@shamblepants1450 yeah I read it and I loved that one too. I'm still a bit scared of space spiders though so that consumes my every waking moment now....
@@theonlyslagathor I would do very poorly in a society of space spiders. I'm absolutely terrified of just regular spiders! For pure shrieking terror, if there was a society of space centipedes...I'd for sure drop dead immediately. No question.
I DNF’d the book at like 33% I see people praise the characters a lot. But I thought they’re characterization was virtually nonexistent but I did find the concepts interesting.
I can definitely see how Harrow isn’t for everyone-it’s a puzzle box of a book. for me, my emotional buy-in from muir’s great character work in GtN and HtN keeps me coming back to it, and on each reread I’ve enjoyed the book more and more. Also a great book to talk about with somebody! My brother and I have a lot of fun theorizing and breaking down our favorite things in the book
Thunderhead does something so amazing with the Scythe trilogy, it’s one of the best sequels I’ve ever read. I think the plot is just amazing and the way things are further explored is great. I think the issue a lot of people have with The Toll is where we sort of go with the story and the resolution but it feels so innovative, earned and intriguing, especially when you pay attention to the smaller details inlaid within the story which push us to the point at which the series cumulates. I think it’s very worth it.
Yeah, and the politics (imo) were AMAZINGLY written! I didn't expect it, but my favorite character is actually the Thunderhead. The way it contemplates with moral topics are just *chef's kiss* Not just in book 2, but in the series overall (btw sorry for the bad English, not my first language)
after finishing the toll i was surprised to discover people didn't seem to have enjoyed it as much as i did. it was my favorite of the three! i thought it was super creative, so much different from what i'm used to reading, plus i loved the ending.
also i actually really love when people do videos like this where they talk about books they've read in the past. it's great for new viewers and on top of that for channels that read a lot if a book is only mentioned once and never again we may forget it's a book you liked, you know? Looking forward to more list-type videos if possible
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A series that I have gradually changed my mind on is The Name of the Wind. It used to be my favorite series ever, I would reread it probably twice a year & loved every bit of it. As I have discovered other series it has lead me to the conclusion that while it’s still one of my favorite stories because of the prose, the music & the nostalgia, it has problems that I wasn’t aware of because of my lack of experience with other books. Stormlight, The Wheel of Time, First Law ect all did things for me I never had thought I could get from a book series & this just points out the problems I have with Pats books. This series will forever hold a dear place in my heart, it helped me so much when I needed it, I just know what I need from a book has changed over time & I am ok with that.
Totally agree with this. On my last re-read of the first book, I realized I was becoming less enamored with the series. It was almost a sad thing to realize.
@@Rachelsjourney I do sometimes feel sad about how my feelings have changed, it was such a wonderful series to me. I do know that it served its purpose for me! I probably wouldn’t be as in love with fantasy as I am now had it not been for that book so I am grateful, I am finding new series all the time that I love so much.
Book I've changed my mind on the most is Elantris by Brandon Sanderson. When I first read it, I thought it was just decent, just good enough, but the more I've thought about it the more I miss reading it because of how it's basically the most optimistic book Brandon Sanderson has ever written. His books are all hopeful in the end, but this one is just optimistic and fun and hopeful throughout without ever feeling like things are just super easy (except sometimes for Raoden, but that's ok Raoden is fun).
It’s obvious that this book came early in Sanderson’s career. I thought it was fantastic after my first read, and still do. In my mind, Sel is second only to Roshar with regards to storytelling possibilities. Maybe this is why I’ve always enjoyed it so much.
Gosh, I gotta give it another try! I gave up after like 30 mins of listening to the audiobook a few years back, it seemed really jumbled and kinda dark. I seem to remember it having lots of action up front, and I was confused and also not feeling the vibe of positivity I was expecting from Sanderson. But sometimes books just don’t hit you the right way for that moment, and your own mental or environmental state just doesn’t let you see them the right way. Your comment is making me realize I really need to give it another try. It’s one of only two major Cosmere stories I’ve missed at this point, along with White Sand.
@@yerald5925 it takes a little while to recognize how positive it is but give both Raoden and Sarene a solid chance, since they are literal shining becomes of positivity in this world
Elantris is my favorite book to describe to people who aren't into fantasy. I weakly describe it at one party and two weeks later I find out they read it and are asking for more.
I think Harrow the Ninth was kind of meant to make you feel completely bewildered in the beginning. I actually listened to it through Audible which I think brings a different dimension to it. Depending on the narrator and the book listening to it can add to a book or take away from it. In this instance it added so much. I definitely had to go back and listen to it a second time and honestly am probably going to give it a third go along with "Gideon the Ninth."
Children of Time was one of the best surprise reads I've ever had. I picked it up on a complete whim, completely blind, based on an Audible recommendation. And it was one of the absolute wierdest books I've ever read, but I kind of really really dug it. I haven't gotten into the sequels yet because its been so long and I'd rather re-read it first, and just haven't committed the time, but I'd like to eventually.
You continue to impress me. To see for yourself that you need to lower your own workload is a skill that some people never learn, so take that with you. Take a break, maybe read for fun and not for work, and I know I'll be waiting for however long you need.
When you're talking about multiple books in one video, could you leave the title or front cover of the book you're currently talking about on the screen somewhere please?
Daniel: Im taking a break from reading Most Viewers: Aww thats okay 2020 has been hard on everyone Malazan fans who have been waiting 2 years for him to finish the series and have been hyped as hell for the Crippled God Review: Send in the Claw, an example must be made.
On Lightbringer: I absolutely loved the series for so many reasons, but I will say the ending fell a little flat, as it felt too happy compared to the rest of the book (the the 'after credits' scene was pretty great). I think it was with God showing up, he decided to give them a little happiness, and that comes back to Weeks wanting to leave the world on a somewhat positive note, which I can't really blame him for.
I really hope he writes more in the world. Usually I’m cool with leaving things as they are, but I think his themes of redemption and ‘other power’ or grace would be really amplified by seeing how some of the characters are able to overcome challenges that they wouldn’t have been able to without the transformations they achieve by the end. And also, like, what even was Orhalam’s goal overall? Where’s the world going now?
@@yerald5925 Brent talked after release about how from The Immortals perspective, the entirety of the Lightbringer series was nothing more than a setup to get Dazen and Ironfist in possession of the fully restored Blinder's Knife so they could be sent out to go hunt down other Immortals who are working on the side of Abaddon.
@@joshgrant6873 ooh! That’s a fascinating idea, and kinda changes how I see a lot of things. I hope that gets written in some way, although I’d be ok with it being something other than another series specifically about that, maybe something after it, or adjacent to it, showing some new perspectives on the world.
@@joshgrant6873 any link you can share to read/watch/hear some of what he’s said about that stuff or anything else about intentions, process, or future plans? I’ve only seen Daniel’s interview with him.
@@joshgrant6873 That's a cool interpretation I kinda picked up on. Shame that it essentially minimizes Kip so much. But the ending really seemed to suggest he'd be coming back to it, much like he's going back to Night Angel. I did get a bit annoyed that he went for the standard Judeo-christian mythology angle, when in earlier books I thought it was going to be more nuanced.
There are a lot of books i really liked when I read them, but as time passes i realize that I actually love them. Some examples for me were IT, Dracula, Elantris and The Lovecraft Compendium.
Same! The first time I read IT I thought it was good but I hated the ending. On the second reread though I've found that I love it! I actually think the ending fits the characters and plot really well (minus the orgy lol)
About Lightbringer I was also not sure about it for a while but now I'm certain I liked the series as a whole especially the middle books but the ending was done really poorly in the burning white. The series would be my top favorite if the ending wasn't like that. SPOILERS: The ending did not match the rest of the book at all. The world was meant to be a rather cruel one with different people having different ideas of how to fix it. That's what I really liked about Lightbringer that even the villains like Andross or color Prince or the old man had good reasons and morals at times even better than Chromeria's. I really liked how the end of the blood mirror set the series for a clash of these people with different ideas and allegiances. However, it just turned out to be all good people (those on Orahalom's side) vs bad people (those on immortals side) and good people beating bad people because they had literal Orahalom Deus Ex Machina them out of their troubles instead of characters actually using will or wit to win their battles like the series was before. There also barely any consequences for the character's actions and a lot of plot armor which doesn't really bode well into Lightbringer's setting of a cruel world at war. Still, I guess if you are on the journey before destination camp this series is a great one.
I feel like you and I might’ve had some very different interpretations of character motivations. The Color Prince was clearly shown to be a greedy, self-centered monster who was using valid criticisms of the current power structure in order to lie and manipulate his way into power in a way that would leave the world worse off, just with him at the top. He didn’t actually want to help anyone but himself, and the best way to do that was to pretend he had the moral high ground. And the ending was so very much not a Deus Ex Machina in the way that people constantly use it. The entire series had “gods” interfering whenever the heroes needed some guidance. Rhea Siluz helping Kip find Janus Borig, the battle in The Great Library with Abaddon where Kip was able to get the Master Cloak, pretty much every on of (the prophet) Orholam’s visions, etc. Like, I’m honestly not sure what direction people thought the story was leading towards besides direct confrontation with “the gods.” And then to top it all off, the fact that none of “the gods” were actually even gods in the literal sense. They’re a group of interdimensional warriors fighting across the thousand worlds to try to defend it from the 200 who betrayed them and are trying to conquer it for themselves. They try to use deception and subtlety to nudge the worlds in the right direction for their needs because of their limitations around being in one world at a time, but this world was considered too important to lose so it became a direct battle between the two factions. I completely understand feeling like certain things about it were a little cheap, Kip dying and coming back, or hell, maybe the story just went in a direction you personally didn’t like as much, but arguing that it was poorly constructed and relied of pulling solutions to problems out of nowhere is really disingenuous to the fact that it was very clearly building up to exactly this ending from the beginning.
@@joshgrant6873 It's not different interpretations, It would the be most common interpretation in the first 2 books where the color prince actually had a fair amount of scenes, the same thing goes for Liv. He was not just about criticizing Chromeria but he actually had bold plans to change such as abolishing slavery, making everyone be drafters, allowing whites to live. It also wouldn't make any sense for someone as cunning as him to lead a revolution to gain power if he was just a greedy, self-centered monster who wanted to be at the top. He could just do it the Andross Guile or the Order's way which would have been so much easier for a black drafter. He had a random180 past midway in the series turning from an interesting revolutionary idealist into boring generic I wanted to rule and dominate the world for no reason villain which makes no sense from a motivational standpoint considering his past. It feels like the Weeks had planned way more for Liv and color Prince when writing the first books but gave up midway for some reason and made some quick things up for them. Him being out of time to finishing things up is more evident in burning white like Winston just solo killing the Green bane whereas it took an entire army and the Prism to take it down in book 2. The god's interference wasn't the problem, If you read Mistborn or SA there are literal Gods with constant interference in them too but the story is still interesting because the God on our character's side is on equal or a bit weaker than the other god or gods while also being a limited by a single virtue e.g honor, preservation so they had faults too despite being a god. However, Orahalom is represented as being faultless and all good in the series like God in real life while also Orahalom's side is shown to be clearly way more powerful than the immortals while also the angels also outnumbered the demons by far. It's a literal copy of real-life religions with the immortals being pure evil which made the whole thing boring unlike the cosmere where Gods are done right. If it was just Orahalom's immortals vs immortals with Orahalom not being real it would have been fine but him being literal all powerful all good god directly making miracles happen ruined it. Idk how you say it was not a Dues Ex Machina, Orahalom being God literally made a Machina and rode it to save the day. It was literally a Dues Ex Machina. The series was definitely not "clearly" building up to this ending, especially in the first 2 books. The series was about characters dealing with the consequences of their actions with wit or will and not being able to ask God to carry them on a Machina or bring back the dead every time something went wrong. It was about the clever use of a hard magic system by characters to solve conflict not an extremely soft unexplained system of black and white magic which solved most of the conflict in book 5. It was also about complex moral questions with no answers not just you on God's side you good or you on not his side and you evil. Now I don't have problems with Dues Ex Machina or religious stories or soft magic systems, they are not my taste I reckon. The problem I have is that the series wasn't about those in the first books, if the first books had similar endings to book 5 then I would have stopped right there if it was "clearly" building to up to exactly this ending.
@@joshgrant6873 while I personally had very few issues with burning white, I did feel robbed by all the characters coming back to life for a hapily ever after ending. I feel like there should have been a way to keep some characters alive and kill others and MAYBE let kip be revived if it was absolutely necessary. I would have also liked to see a less idealized family ending, and had a few more chapters where they had to start rebuilding. It felt a little too happily ever after for a series that never had that vibe until the very end.
I love lightbringer for the characters and magic. Each character has so much to relate too from Kips self esteem issues, Gavin’s confidant front hiding profound insecurities, Teia coming out of her shell; even something as small as Karris’s coffee addiction. Each character was so unique and so special. Ya the books could get a bit confusing but I kind of like when a book leaves questions unanswered and for you to fill in on your own or with Fans on Reddit
Wait, this is a fantasy book channel? I thought it was the game, “Spot Pips.” Haha but I love books that make me change my mind about them. I felt rather dragged along while reading Vonnegut’s Slaughter House-Five. But since having finished it, it has truly settled in my brain and makes me sincerely wish wars could just be rewound.
Rest well and enjoy your break. I'm actually re-reading it right now, just started The Broken Eye. I think Lightbringer as a whole is a 7.5, worth multiple reads, but the last book frustrated me. I feel the ending was pulled, I expected more main people to die or be seriously maimed. And *SPOILER* freaking Andros gets everything he ever wanted, he won and that pissed me off. It was well done though.
About _Lightbringer_ and _The Burning White._ I'm a big fan of Brent Weeks, and he's been one of my favorite authors since I stumbled on his _Night Angel Trilogy_ back in 2008. (I still love it.) I really enjoy Lightbringer, but it's clear he didn't plan it out enough in advance. _The Black Prism_ was very tightly written, and built up a lot of promise. After that, the books meandered a lot. But mostly still great. But for the most part, I was still really captivated by the first four books. From here, spoilers on _The Burning White._ Though I did still like it overall, I felt I was let down by some of the promises being kinda meh, or not really fulfilled at all. I think one issue is how Teia's arc took over so much of the books. Not that I don't like her, but she constantly felt underpowered, and that her story would make a fantastic side novel rather than being in the main books. White and Black luxins, *especially* White luxin, were criminally underutilized. (I was annoyed that he never explained the effects chi has on personality, or its scent like ask the other luxins.) The morally gray, many-sides-to-a-story arc with the gods and Orholam were completely dropped. I was expecting either something more like _His Dark Materials,_ or turning out that neither side was all good or all bad. But nooo, we had to get the standard Judeo-christian mythology treatment. I guess it makes some sense given how he ties it to Night Angel, which did the same, but it could have been different factions. Liv was a wonderful villain to hate, but dropped just as her story reached its most interesting. I mean, who wouldn't want to see what it's like to ascend to godhood? To see her craft her bane, and what her servant wights were like? Or see the politics, desires, and bane of other gods? See how they interacted? See more of the Color Prince's beginnings and what his end goal really looked like? Likewise, I wouldn't have minded a few breadcrumbs setting up Andross Guile's reveal of his motivations. Dazen's final, secret goal was a let down. As was the fulfillment of the Lightbringer prophecy. I thought the use of the mirror system was decent enough, and I liked that is was all three of them, but it was fairly weak in execution. Especially Kip and Dazen's roles. (If Andross had figured out the mirrors, would Kip have even needed to be there?) Kip absorbing the knowledge of all the cards was barely used, something I thought was needed to go beyond his limits. Didn't really use White luxin constructively. The prophecy they kept quoting so many times never really gets explained. Et cetera. The djinn being kept in the cells and Dazen not being crazy kind of gets glossed over. Same with Abaddon's and Rhea's roles. I mean, the book was good... but it should have been _phenomenal._ Brent Weeks said he was able to tighten up Night Angel after he'd written it all, while he was waiting to find a publisher. It's a shame Lightbringer couldn't get the same treatment, because it really needed it.
I was actually really hesitant on Lord of the Rings. Never saw the movies, and just went to the books. Loved The Hobbit, but struggled to get past Fellowship. But on my Fifth attempt, I fell in love and even got emotional at some scenes. (Also I did see the movies after reading, so don’t come after me)
I loved The Institute! I’ve only read like 5 King books so far, but after being bored through 2/3’s of the Shining, I found myself completely on edge and entertained throughout all of The Institute!
Burning White thoughts: it felt like a story that had a major plotline removed, but where the reader was still intended to have knowledge of it. I liked it for the world building and some of the character arcs, and I enjoyed it overall. But it had the shape of a bombed out building.
I'm newly following the channel and decided to look through older videos for your take on books I liked. Neal Schusterman was the first author that really engaged me in reading, which can be difficult with my dyslexia. The Scythe trilogy had a fairly satisfying ending, and the second and third books add depth to the world, introducing some unique perspectives. I'm not terribly well read, so I can't say for sure if he used some tropes that you'd roll your eyes at or just not like. That being said, the Scythe trilogy is not my favorite representation of his work. The books of his I re-read the most are the Star Shards trilogy, the Dark Side of Nowhere, and Downsiders, though I do enjoy most of his other books as well.
I just finished The Burning White today and have to say I loved the ending but definitely see why people might have issues. We've spent 10(ish) years with some of these characters and we leave them right after the Sunday battle, so many questions about what could happen next with them. I also think the story around the immortals feels 'light', all this talk about existing in different worlds and immortals battling for wins, feels like it could have been left out and it wouldn't have changed the overall series. Or we could have gotten a whole seperate book about them, detailing their history and struggles. As you've stated in other videos, the characters in this series are phenomenal and I can't wait to see what Brent Weeks shows us next
Great video. Prominent Pips. Showing that people can change their mind and take breaks when burning out. Raising the Space Spiders score by almost the whole score it had before. Love it.
The Book of the New Sun by Gene Wolfe. I read when I was younger, around middle school, and the writing was just impossible for me to follow, and I had read Lord of the Rings multiple times through. Now I consider it one of the best fantasy series of all time. Gene Wolfe is one of the most underexposed authors out there in my opinion.
I don't know anyone else who has read The Book of the New Sun and it is one of my top 5s easy, but it is not a challenging read. You are correct, Wolfe is very underexposed which is odd given how many awards he accumulated.
@@johnnywalking83 He really is just a fantastic author. I am rereading Wizard Knight and if you haven't checked it out you should. It's different from New Sun but it has one of the best depictions of the Fay I have ever read.
Me who takes a month break everytime she finishes a book: .......people don't stop reading?? 😳 Definitely don't burn yourself out! Only read when you want to and just enjoy!
I wasn't big on The Silmarillion on my first read. In fact over the years it took me three fresh attempts to work up the enthusiasm to finish it. I had trouble keeping up with the names and events especially in the first half of the book. It was particularly disheartening because LOTR is my favorite set of books. I finally finished on my third attempt, but I wasn't captivated with the story since events only started to click for me once I was half way through the book. Then one day I was discussing LOTR with a friend, and was pleased at my ability to further discuss the lore, even with the small amount of information I had retained. Long story short I eventually become engrossed into learning about the mythologies of Middle Earth. Having gained more knowledge I returned to complete reading The Silmarillion a second time, and was completely enthralled.
It's not fantasy, but it is psychological horror. But 'The Vegetarian' I didn't get when I read it but then it sat with me and the impact was impossible to ignore. The meaning sunk in much later and I look back on it fondly now
For me it was Anne Rice Blood and Gold. At first I found it a bit too slow but upon a reread appreciated the time she took to depict the period art, architecture, and culture in vivid detail.
A book series I've been thinking about the most long after I finished reading is the Hyperion Cantos by Dan Simmons. When I was done reading, I was left scratching my head on whether or not I really enjoyed the book series. After about a year of thinking, I've come to the conclusion its probably the best Sci-fi I read. All the characters along the way were so human, and I've come to care for them along their journey, and there is so much to love about this far flung future that Simmons crafted, almost a conceivable future, something that sci-fi I feel doesn't do as often as it should. If you haven't read, I guess what I am getting at is that I highly recommend reading the series, its made a lasting impression on me, just a confusing one haha.
Yes! The first time I read the Hyperion Cantos I was really thrown by the format. Mostly I had no idea that it was trying to emulate Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales. Now i read it and the sequels every few years, and it’s my probably my favorite sci-fi epic of all time.
Ooh Pips is so adorable! Just begging for cuddles 😍 And loved this video concept. It's important to be conscious about the fact that our thoughts about things change and that's okay 🙂
I came here from your Trese review and I really liked that review lol. I saw you had Scythe on your bookshelf on that video, I really got excited so now I'm here
The books I changed my mind about most is clearly Narnia. I loved those books as a child. And a while back I was wondering how they are today and wanted to have a short glimpse into them, but they are so short that I finished most. I don't think they are bad, just that they are completely different than what I thought. (And not quite as great as I remembered them to be.) A few things that I see different now: - Narnia isn't the bright place I remember it to be. In fact it is at times quite dark - There are some serious problems with with the depiction of what is "good" and "evil" (For instance in "the horse and his boy" the Narnians are better people than the Calormenes because they're not as ugly or the positive depiction of war) - Contrary to my last point there are also a few big issues of our world that are tackled in a good way. (E.g. it has a warning about atomic bombs somewhere) - How readable and short it is. (I did read 5 of 7 books by accident.) Now this is technically not something I thought different as a child, but I couldn't remember that before my reread
So I finally finished book 8 of WOT last night. Took me longer than reading 5-7 combined. I took several small breaks. I've read non-stop for about 3 years now (didnt read much in my life until now, trying to play catchup)... But damn... Book 8 was just torture to me. I wasn't sure if it was burnout or what, but I thought I was immune to the issues most folks seem to say about books 6-8. Turns out I was until book 8. Sometimes ya just have to take a break. Mine was possibly burnout on WOT in general (I've intermixed Mistborn series and Stormlight series to try and keep burnout from happening)... Anyway, good luck on your break and I hope it helps you unwind. Appreciate the content you do. Still can't wait until the day I can watch your WOT content, as you are the reason I picked up this series (and found your channel). Random comment with no real purpose, but hey, I appreciate you.
I definitely agree with your assessment of The Burning White. For Lightbringer as a whole, if I think about it too long I get the itch to reread it, which is always a good sign for me. I enjoyed the ending when I read it, but I feel like I'd have to reread the last book to really decide how I feel about the ending as a whole. The part of me that cares about these characters and wants nothing but the best for them is happy with how things unfolded, but the storyteller in me felt like Weeks shied away from what could have been a harder hitting and more impactful ending.
On Lightbringer, I think the ending was good because it felt almost like a throwback to simpler fantasy reads of the past, almost all modern series feels like it has to be grimdark or subverted expectations whereas he just had fun with it yet still goes deeper, plus it opens up the Weeks Multiverse. (Around book 3 I said Kylar found a way to destroy all the Kakari but that released Luxin into the world, so clearly that’s not right but does play into color being so important)
Children of Time: I read the blurb, thought it sounded interesting. Read the first few chapters, thought I wasn’t going to like it much after all and read a bunch of other books instead. Finally finished it and I loved it. I went through quite a journey with that book.
I waver back and forth on this, but I'll give two examples: Chronicles of Narnia. I really enjoyed the books as a kid, but as I get older some stuff sticks at as much better than I thought when I was younger, and also much worse. The Horse and His Boy is still my favorite, but I resonate with The Silver Chair a lot as well. And for the other: Invincible, the comic. I read it once all the way through without knowing what I was getting into, and I thought about the ending for a long time. I get my friend into the books, and his enthusiasm for them made me go and buy all the Omnibuses in a collection, and I read them all straight through. One of my favorite comic series ever, and I got into it by accident.
Not a fantasy novel (also months late to the video... oh well), but Donna Tartt's "the secret history" did this to me. I read it last summer and fairly enjoyed my time with it. A solid 8/10 mainly for the gorgeous prose, but I didn't find it as gripping as many people said it was. However the longer I set on it the more I realized how much that novel stuck with me to the point that I now consider it one of my all time favorite books.
I think Night Angel had a better, more satisfying ending. But I chalk that up to him having the time to edit the whole trilogy after writing it, while waiting for an editor. Lightbringer, though I really like it, was messier and meandered too much. While there was a lot of really good stuff in The Burning White, it tripped over itself more than a few times by underwhelming in some of its promises. I think part of it is that he always planned to come back to Night Angel, which he's supposed to be working on now. And I think it's pretty clear that he intends a Lightbringer sequel too.
I think the Lightbringer ending is still just fine for me? Like I feel on the spectrum of opinions I am very middle of the road but like you said I do still love the series as a whole.
Lightbringer: My favorite series (although to be fair, I'm only on Lord of Chaos in WoT, so let's see what happens). There are things about Lightbringer that I absolutely adore, and The Black Prism will always have a special place in my heart. Also, the ending of The Blood Mirror where it's impossible to really know who is giving the truth or what the situation with a couple of the main characters really is was brilliant. As for the The Burning White, I think the book is great, but not on the same level as the rest of the books in the series. I think the first 2/3 of the book were brilliant, and the parts with (redacted) on the tower in the last 1/3 were also brilliant. The part that got me is just that the last battle felt too easy and lacked the couple big show downs I was hoping for without realizing it. That being said, there are few things that bother many people about the ending, that don't bother me at all, because I believe they were properly foreshadowed. As you said, the magic system, characters, and relationships in this series are incredible and for me they will always make the series worth reading over an over again. Thank you Daniel, for speaking about this series! Also, a huge thank you to Brent Weeks for being so connected to his readers while being such a great author.
I am halfway through this series and really can't stand the main character... Gavin... He is an asshole - but for some reason, the author and other characters in the book treat him as second coming... This series would really improve in my eyes if they give Gavin much less screentime
@@angelikapotree2741 Gavin has issues, but he is arguably the most complex character in the series. Personally, I love him. I would encourage you to stick with him, there is a lot to happen if you're at the halfway point.
The following line from the burning white justifies the entire book for me, and gives me chills just thinking about it (which I do often) Oh, I’m not above using others’ garbage. I’ll use a stone the builders reject as a cornerstone, but you can’t give Me as tribute what’s garbage to you. That’s no sacrifice. I’m a healer to healers and a servant to servants, but to kings I’m a king-not a slave.”
Such a good message. People get on me that it takes me a bit longer to finish books sometimes. Or some large books I take breaks here and there to finish. I read to enjoy it and sometimes I need to take a break
In my opinion, lightbringer did several things wonderfully. Particularly the magic system and the characters Teia and Andross. That being said, the burning white is the only time I’ve ever felt truly betrayed by an author and I would never recommend this series knowing how it ends. Also - I almost bought shadow of the conqueror earlier today when I saw Shad’s new video. I decided not to, in large part because I remembered your original review of it, but now I think I’ll give it a shot.
I just started the video and I had to pause to say thank you on the "take a break" message. My day job involves a lot of writing and reading, so I can only read like 10 - 30 pages a day. My last week was kinda intense, so I didn't want to read anything after work for days; felt pretty guilty about that. So, thank you, Daniel! I needed that reminder.
Burning White still rattles around in my head too. It didn't go the way I wanted or expected, but at the same time the kind of somber realism to it and the fact that it did surprise me was...well, maybe not refreshing but it was novel. Looking back I can see the setup for the literal Deus Ex Machina, but it still felt weird having god in a chopper.
I finished the Lightbringer series in August, so it's pretty fresh. Like you, I found this one to be sticky... still thinking about it now. I usually don't get too much into book reviews or analysis but for days after I finished it I kept thinking about the ending and in particular the criticism I see leveled against it of LITERAL DEUS EX MACHINA. I ended up writing a mini essay on goodreads about why it's not a deus ex machina. Or if it is, a little, then maybe thats ok? The point isn't that particular topic but just that something about this book made me want to roll it around more than usual before moving onto the next. Overall I loved the series and I think it's one that will be even better on re-read.
I totally freaking feel the taking a break from reading for a bit. We all need to do that! I'm getting out of a streak of not reading a lot, and it's really nice coming back.
The only book I can think of is Hawksong by Amelia Atwater-Rhodes. I first read it when I was 13 and absolutely loved it. It got me into reading in general and was one of my favorites for a lot time. I'm 25 now and I just reread it with my husband i wanted to introduce to some books I loved because we were reading together for a little bit. Rereading it with him was like reading it for the first time... and I realized that there are some problems with the book that I had completely ignored. Some of the interactions make cringe a little and the book is not paced as well as it could be. That was a said mind change to make, though the book is so special to me
I completely agree with what you said about the ending of The Burning White. I felt like Brent Weeks pulled punches at the last second but it's such a minor thing imo that I still overall like the series. :) My opinion could be biased because I finished book of the ancestor right before Lightbringer so I think I expected a harsher ending in that sense.
The ending of Lightbringer to me felt not awful, but I just wanted it to be better than it was. I think Brent Weeks tried for a spectacular finish and not all of it worked, but that still didn't change the fact that the series overall was incredibly good in my opinion.
I tired reading Dune in HS and was lost, then tried again in my early 20's I loved it immensely and continued to read the entire 6 book series from Frank Herbert. I enjoy the follow up books from his son but not nearly as much as the original series.
My opinions on the shadowhunter chronicles have vastly changed. I went from obsessed and thinking they were the best books ever to be written, to hating them and cringing at my past self, to coming to terms with them not having amazing writing and that i was done with them, to reading all18 books published books in the series in a month because corona, to obsessed again only this time I see all its beautiful troupes and faults. I now that I’m the age that the book characters are it’s very fun to read a character doing something stupid and it being scarily accurate.
hey daniel, just chill a lil bit, every one needs it and i hope your content gets a boost because of it (not because it's bad or anything, i enjoy all of your stuff)
Shad Brooks has a really neat channel called Shadiversity. Highly recommend it. He talks about medieval and fantasy weapons a lot and actually knows how to use them.
I'd like to see Daniel do a review of Legend of the Galactic Heroes, either the 1988 TV series or the novels. I'm new to the channel but based off what I know about his taste I think he might like both
I barely remember the ending to Blinding White, it was a 'meh' ending which is probably more damning which socks because Weeks is so good. LOVED Scythe. A book I didn't expect to like was Piranesi, since it had an artsy, abstract, hipster vibe where authors try to be smarter than they are (I'm consistently repulsed by those books) but Piranesi clicked and oh man, was I hooked. Definitely worked in its favor that is only 240 pages, if it was longer it would've lost all its momentum si ce it had a very narrow-focused world/tale to tell
Woah! Piranesi is only 240? I /loved/ Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell, and think about it regularly a decade after reading it, but it was a major slog. I’ve been excited for Piranesi, but putting it off till I felt like I was in the space for a similarly intense and extended read. I read mostly digitally, so I sometimes don’t really pay attention to length when choosing books, and hadn’t even checked to see if I was right. Thanks!
I think the lightbringer ending was good but not great. Like you said it felt like weeks backed down a little near the end. Not spoiling anything but too many characters survived and a lot of it felt like deus ex machina in the way they did.
With Tigana I really appreciate that outlook that it doesn't affect your enjoyment but still bringing awareness to the issues with Guy Gavriel Kay's writing. I think it's excellent that you're willing to take on board what women are saying and still don't need to dismiss the book as a whole. You're respectful and honest at the same time! Thank you!
I really love Lightbringer - including the Burning White. I wasn't let down by the ending at all. I also thought that it was set up for a second series involving the return of Liv as the primary antagonist. The themes of this series are so multi-faceted and complex. There's a very deep theological undercurrent that I truly love. Can't get enough.
Dune, read it as a child and loved it. Read it again as a teenager, picked up on the subtleties and subtext I had missed before, and proceeded to hate it with a firey passion for destroying the prescious touchstone that was what I thought the book was as a child.
*SPOILERS FOR HARROW THE NINTH* Harrow is unclear, there is a lack of communication, and I love it for it. Muir’s writing style is one where she does the world building, and then doesn’t tell you about any of it. Like, you have to figure it out on your own what all these terms like “thanergy” and “thalergy” are and even what a lyctor is isn’t super clear until the end of Gideon the Ninth. You always get the sense that even the minor characters know the world and what’s going on better than the reader does. That’s not a bad thing! I love puzzling it all out. I think Harrow the Ninth’s writing style is an extension of that. And, I mean, Harrow the character is an insane traumatized teenager that’s literally mutilated herself to forget someone she can’t live without.
Children of Time is immensely underrated. Or at least it gets WAY LESS attention than it should. It's one of the very few books in my life, perhaps the ONLY ONE, that stayed with me for WEEKS after I listened to it. And on that note, DO LISTEN TO IT! The narration is FLAWLESS.
I reread the last 6 or so Dresden books before Peace Talks/Battle Ground and they didn't suck me in nearly as much as I remember before. The probable main reason is that I discovered Sanderson in the last 5 years and he stole the the spot for my favorite author. The SA books have taken my expectations for what fantasy can be to soaring new heights and Dresden hasn't grown with that. But still love my boy Dresden. I completely understand your criticism of Harrow the Ninth, however I think the miscommunication throughout was very intentional, (trying to not be spoilery) she miscommunicates with herself, this being a 2nd person "retelling" of the events so the audience(us) doesn't feel like the intended audience which would be Harrow herself. Idk if this makes sense. The endings for both books in this series..just ow my heart.
Tigana was by no means my first Guy Gavriel Kay and I still remember it fondly so I'm not sure whether I should reread it with your new comments in mind. By the way I really struggled with his Sarantium books to the point where I DNF the second. Reread them both this year after a 15 year (ish) hiatus and loved them.
I found Lightbringer to be absolutely fantastic as a whole. As far as the ending specifically is concerned, I'm lukewarm on most of it. One aspect I absolutely cannot come to grips with and the aspect I think Mr. Weeks missed the cue on the most, was the resolution of Adrasteia's storyline. I don't want to get in to spoilers, but I feel the ending she got was not the ending she deserved in the slightest, and I was actually upset at the end there which spoiled my mood and probably colored my view of the rest of the ending in turn.
I got back into reading, much thanks to ;you , Daniel. My first series was Gentleman Bastards and the my nephew recommended The Light Bringer Series, which I loved, it kept me up to 4 in the morning many times, I had no problems with the last book or how it ended. But........ it set a standard of writing that was very hard for me to find by other authors, so in my search for that quality I've read 36 books so far this year and have enjoyed many series like the Prince of Thorns, The Dresden Files, The Broken Earth, The First Law, etc.. etc. but of all I've read Light Bringer is has had the biggest impact on me, so far......Although I'm half way through the Summer Tree, 1st book in the Fionavar Tapestry Series and it has to be some of the best prose ever written, Just Wow!!!!
I honestly don't understand how the second person parts in Harrow could be seen as the confusing part of the book, I thought they were the clearest ones and definitely the ones I liked the most, I do get that you just don't like second person, but I just don't see it as the confusing part of this book, that for me was the third person "retelling" of the first book. (Btw English is not my first language and I don't know how much that influenced my understanding and liking of this book) for me while not being a perfect book as a whole, the second person was some of the best writing I have ever read and awoke a new love for this type of story telling in me that I can't wait to explore more.
I loved the lightbringer series as a whole. I do agree the ending was a bit disappointing. Without spoiling anything I felt like some things were wrapped up to conveniently and quickly. But I would still recommend the series to anyone who loves fantasy. (Books 2 and 3 were near perfect in my mind. )
Huh. Regarding burning white/lightbringer, I started it when I think isaac stewart gave it a shout-out on Brando Sando's website cause I was looking for some new stuff to read. I ended up getting a friend on board to read it with me, too. I totally agree, cool and incredibly unique magic system, rich characters (mostly, ended up not liking Gavin a whole lot, but LOVING Mr. Sharp), and some very enjoyable world building. HOWEVER the ending left me feeling like... "Huh?" Like you said, it didn't end up going where I thought it would, and the pacing there at the end was very jarring at times, with a bit too much deux ex machina. I want to love it, but there were a handful of plotlines that weren't really explored as much as I'd hoped (looking at you, chi). I think a lot of this was deliberate because the book is only one part of the world, and not every question gets an answer, but after coming out of the cosmere, I think I was kinda spoiled by it. I'd still recommend it to people, but I'd recommend other things first
For me it's actually the Wheel of time series. I wasn't very fond of it when I first read it, to be fair I was still a naïve highschooler. But after I started watching this channel your passion and love for it really sold me on the series and it gave the incentive I needed to revist The Eye of the world once more. Thanks for that👍🏼
The ending of the Lightbringer series felt too happily ever after. It made the sacrifices inside seem like "and then they woke up". The pacing felt off as well. I would have been happier to read more as a postscript.
I just finished the Lightbringer series (finished Burning White a couple of weeks ago). I liked it a lot overall. Probably more than Night Angel, just because things were fleshed out more. The Burning White's ending was... OK? I kind of hated a certain loss of powers, but LOVED a double pistol shot from a priest right after that, and the epilogue kind of implied to me those powers might come back, so I'm OK with it. I respected the ending a lot for not being so predictable, and I don't think things like "not enough people died", so I was good with it.
I was so shocked when you rated Children of Time 5/10. It was one of my favourite book last year and I thought it have everything you'd enjoy. I'm thankful you reread it and enjoyed it so much! Normally I don't change my mind with book ratings but I had to sit down for a couple of days or weeks before I can rate a Murakami book, specially his latest, Killing Commandatore. I was mind blown, confused and so intrigued. I ended up rating it 4 stars but I kept thinking of it and changed to 5 stars. It's still a book I think about a lot and I'll try to reread it this year still
With harrow the ninth, I think the book is confusing because harrow also has no idea what is going on. I think it's a really cool way of writing and I really enjoyed it. I also didn't like it after I first read it but the second read through I thought it was awesome because I accepted that we're reading through the perspective of someone whose perception of reality has been altered.
What is a book you drastically changed your mind on?
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
When I first read it I HATED it and then I re-read it and loved it
Personally the magicians for me. I loved it initially then I left it a while and came to realise the first half was good but where it continued to I just didn't like. Also way of kings when I read it, it was ok but a lot of set up but when I look back from book 3 it is amazing. And the rithmatist by Sanderson was just a good YA at the beginning and now it is one of my fav books despite a lot of set up
Thought 1984 was a boring text for school, the world seemed to prove me wrong
I want it to be Mistborn for me
I wasn't as emotionally invested with the characters, and the writing style struck me as jarring. I had a lot of trouble seeing past words on a page and actually being in the world. I want to be there with the characters, and the lack of description made it difficult
But it's such a well loved book, and the story truly is wonderful. I hope upon a reread I can appreciate the book more, or maybe I'll better connect to an adaptation
Deadhouse Gates. First time I thought 'what a drag'. Second time I was crying SO hard.
Pips belongs there. Because we all know who the real protagonist of this channel is.
We need more Pips!
I watched the whole video to see more Pips. So disappointed.
Wait, people come here for Daniel?
Hehehehe 😊
Dineal is just a sideshow ' we love pips
Being enouraged to take time off reading is some of the best reading advice i've got recently
I read (mostly listen nowadays), watch western TV series, watch anime. When I'm bored from one, I jump to the next. Different ways of story telling makes it easier to go back to the other ones.
@@muddybloody yes
@@muddybloody same. I’m reading 3 books at once but while I’m enjoying what I’m reading I’m definitely gonna revert back to reading one at a time the rest of the year so I can catch up on a ton of anime.
@@muddybloody I like that way of watching stuff, nice contrast from one another. Favorite anime?
Absolutely! I got "burned out" for a couple of weeks after finishing the Wheel of Time last month. I thought I'd just push through it and read Black Song, but honestly, I was forcing myself and didn't appreciate the book as much as I thought I would. Then I took a longer break and now I'm getting excited about a new story again :)
I had the opposite reaction to Harrow the Ninth. I struggled with the first half and the ending, but I couldn't stop thinking about it, so I turned around and read the whole series a second time. On re-read everything sank into place for me....I've never read anything like it, and I don't see it's equivalent out there right now. Wouldn't hesitate to call it brilliant. I've never felt the need to read a book twice, and that alone says something. Some books just benefit from a second pass.
absolutely agree, harrow is a book that gets better on the reread
I’ll stand by Harrow the Ninth until my weary bones turn to dust.
She’ll still be able to animate the dust… so you’re still of use in that state.
(-:
Ditto. Fantastic book. Gideon was incredible. Harrow was amazing. Nona is pre-ordered and I expect more of the same.
@@ThunderTaco206 what did u think of nona
I still love Harrow the Ninth. I loved that it lacked clarity, honestly, because it felt more true to Harrow's experiences of the world, especially at that point in her life. It wasn't at all a struggle for me to get through the first 2/3rds of the book because I was so invested in her and the characters surrounding her. I honestly think Harrow the Ninth is a work of genius.
Burning White on the other hand, was like the final nail in the coffin for my Lightbringer experience. I hated the first 100 pages of the first book, the first 80 of the third book, and about 90% of book four, and basically the entire back half of book 5. Plus all the skimming I had to do every time Weeks subjected us to one of those weird present-tense chapters that were related to the card game or whatever. I did not enjoy a single one of those. There were good moments in Burning White, but honestly so much of it was handled so poorly. I really don't enjoy Lightbringer.
Pips is lovely. Keep him there. I'm all in favor of reading breaks.
Weirdly enough, I found Harrow the Ninth really clear, and the plot, while not that easy to follow, was not as hard to understand as most people said it was. Maybe I'm just weird. I really, really enjoyed the second book.
Great video mate, and thanks heaps for your additional thoughts on Shadow of the conqueror, really appreciated. Also I have a feeling your first book will blow mine out of the water. It's really interesting how a second read can change our experience. I was surprised how much I didn't like the Ademre arch in "A Wise Man's Fear," during my second reading. Their view on pregnancy is pure ridiculousness for a supposed well developed culture. Cave men had figured out what they haven't! and there were a lot of other pet peeves and irked me too. Yet on the inverse I didn't really like the movie Mega Mind first time but it grew on me with each subsequent viewing as I realize how clever it was.
One of the things that I enjoyed about your book was--and I used the audible version, was that it really felt like you told the story, the way you speak on your channel was very much how the voice/text came across. It's a subjective thing to enjoy so, perhaps others may disagree, but it felt almost like you were giving me a re-telling of a story you once heard, and like your content and channel, it was enjoyable.
Hey, Shad. Keep up the good work. Your book is still on my TBR list.
Shadow was a solid read. I’d read the sequels, in spite of my least favorite narrator team doing the voices.
The unawareness was a cute idea, but utterly ridiculous in the end, I agree. Like there were no lesbians in this culture. It also made this mistake of everybody in a fiction culture thinking the same. It would've been better to make this a believe of a certain group in a culture to show that they're not all perfect and all-wise either.
Overall, I have similar difficulties with Rothfuss's female characters than with Jordan's in that they both try so hard to subvert the 'damsel in distress' trope that they completely fail to make their women human. Instead they're these perfect, always-strong celestial beings that are all sooo much smarter than men.
Say what you will about George R. R. Martin's writing, but at least his characters don't get a hidden bonus from being a certain gender.
I've seen a lot of theories on the Adem and whether or not they are human (or if any of the characters are) and have different reproduction (because of the lack of genetic diversity in the population even in different areas you expect the different location to develop different traits eye colour hair colour like on earth) I think the last book will have to come out and more information on both the world and the adem for me to make a full opinion on the book, though there are other Issues with the book.
As someone who detests the idea of space spiders, Children of Time is amazing and everyone should read it and cry about the inevitable future of space spiders.
'Children of Time' was an absolute revelation to me. Such interesting concepts and characters.
Have you checked out the follow-up book, 'Children of Ruin'? It's another evolutionary mind frak of a tale, guaranteed to challenge and creep out its readers. "We're going on an adventure"...shudder!
@@shamblepants1450 yeah I read it and I loved that one too. I'm still a bit scared of space spiders though so that consumes my every waking moment now....
@@theonlyslagathor I would do very poorly in a society of space spiders. I'm absolutely terrified of just regular spiders!
For pure shrieking terror, if there was a society of space centipedes...I'd for sure drop dead immediately. No question.
Yes! Such a good book
I DNF’d the book at like 33% I see people praise the characters a lot. But I thought they’re characterization was virtually nonexistent but I did find the concepts interesting.
I can definitely see how Harrow isn’t for everyone-it’s a puzzle box of a book. for me, my emotional buy-in from muir’s great character work in GtN and HtN keeps me coming back to it, and on each reread I’ve enjoyed the book more and more. Also a great book to talk about with somebody! My brother and I have a lot of fun theorizing and breaking down our favorite things in the book
Thunderhead does something so amazing with the Scythe trilogy, it’s one of the best sequels I’ve ever read. I think the plot is just amazing and the way things are further explored is great. I think the issue a lot of people have with The Toll is where we sort of go with the story and the resolution but it feels so innovative, earned and intriguing, especially when you pay attention to the smaller details inlaid within the story which push us to the point at which the series cumulates. I think it’s very worth it.
Yeah, and the politics (imo) were AMAZINGLY written! I didn't expect it, but my favorite character is actually the Thunderhead. The way it contemplates with moral topics are just *chef's kiss* Not just in book 2, but in the series overall
(btw sorry for the bad English, not my first language)
after finishing the toll i was surprised to discover people didn't seem to have enjoyed it as much as i did. it was my favorite of the three! i thought it was super creative, so much different from what i'm used to reading, plus i loved the ending.
Yes! Thunderhead is amazing but The Toll a lot more divisive in the fanbase.
Could not agree more. Thunderhead was WILD
On Thunderhead right now and loving it. YA Dystopian is usually not my thing but this series hits me just right
also i actually really love when people do videos like this where they talk about books they've read in the past. it's great for new viewers and on top of that for channels that read a lot if a book is only mentioned once and never again we may forget it's a book you liked, you know? Looking forward to more list-type videos if possible
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I tried to start WoT twice and put it down. But, as they say, third time is the charm and it ended up one of my all time favorites.
Just finished The Eye of The World yesterday and I’m hooked.
@@MetalGildarts wait for the slog lol but other than that it's pure gold
A series that I have gradually changed my mind on is The Name of the Wind. It used to be my favorite series ever, I would reread it probably twice a year & loved every bit of it. As I have discovered other series it has lead me to the conclusion that while it’s still one of my favorite stories because of the prose, the music & the nostalgia, it has problems that I wasn’t aware of because of my lack of experience with other books. Stormlight, The Wheel of Time, First Law ect all did things for me I never had thought I could get from a book series & this just points out the problems I have with Pats books. This series will forever hold a dear place in my heart, it helped me so much when I needed it, I just know what I need from a book has changed over time & I am ok with that.
Totally agree with this. On my last re-read of the first book, I realized I was becoming less enamored with the series. It was almost a sad thing to realize.
@@Rachelsjourney I do sometimes feel sad about how my feelings have changed, it was such a wonderful series to me. I do know that it served its purpose for me! I probably wouldn’t be as in love with fantasy as I am now had it not been for that book so I am grateful, I am finding new series all the time that I love so much.
Kingkiller is mediocre
Book I've changed my mind on the most is Elantris by Brandon Sanderson. When I first read it, I thought it was just decent, just good enough, but the more I've thought about it the more I miss reading it because of how it's basically the most optimistic book Brandon Sanderson has ever written. His books are all hopeful in the end, but this one is just optimistic and fun and hopeful throughout without ever feeling like things are just super easy (except sometimes for Raoden, but that's ok Raoden is fun).
It’s obvious that this book came early in Sanderson’s career. I thought it was fantastic after my first read, and still do. In my mind, Sel is second only to Roshar with regards to storytelling possibilities. Maybe this is why I’ve always enjoyed it so much.
Gosh, I gotta give it another try! I gave up after like 30 mins of listening to the audiobook a few years back, it seemed really jumbled and kinda dark. I seem to remember it having lots of action up front, and I was confused and also not feeling the vibe of positivity I was expecting from Sanderson. But sometimes books just don’t hit you the right way for that moment, and your own mental or environmental state just doesn’t let you see them the right way. Your comment is making me realize I really need to give it another try. It’s one of only two major Cosmere stories I’ve missed at this point, along with White Sand.
I love to book simply because as a mega fan of Sanderson, it's really interesting to see his earlier writing.
@@yerald5925 it takes a little while to recognize how positive it is but give both Raoden and Sarene a solid chance, since they are literal shining becomes of positivity in this world
Elantris is my favorite book to describe to people who aren't into fantasy. I weakly describe it at one party and two weeks later I find out they read it and are asking for more.
I think Harrow the Ninth was kind of meant to make you feel completely bewildered in the beginning.
I actually listened to it through Audible which I think brings a different dimension to it. Depending on the narrator and the book listening to it can add to a book or take away from it. In this instance it added so much.
I definitely had to go back and listen to it a second time and honestly am probably going to give it a third go along with "Gideon the Ninth."
I was luke warm on The Name of the Wind the first time I read it. Second time I was blown away.
I really love to hear that a fantasy author like you likes the book as well? What do you think of the Sequel?
@@txy9911 the sequel was DOPE
Children of Time was one of the best surprise reads I've ever had. I picked it up on a complete whim, completely blind, based on an Audible recommendation. And it was one of the absolute wierdest books I've ever read, but I kind of really really dug it. I haven't gotten into the sequels yet because its been so long and I'd rather re-read it first, and just haven't committed the time, but I'd like to eventually.
You continue to impress me. To see for yourself that you need to lower your own workload is a skill that some people never learn, so take that with you. Take a break, maybe read for fun and not for work, and I know I'll be waiting for however long you need.
Daneil taking a break from reading ? 2020 has taken its toll
ABANDON SHIP, THE CAPTAIN GAVE UP, ABANDON SHIP
When you're talking about multiple books in one video, could you leave the title or front cover of the book you're currently talking about on the screen somewhere please?
Daniel: Im taking a break from reading
Most Viewers: Aww thats okay 2020 has been hard on everyone
Malazan fans who have been waiting 2 years for him to finish the series and have been hyped as hell for the Crippled God Review: Send in the Claw, an example must be made.
he'll get to it eventually
Rothfuss fans laught at a mere 2 years
Im honestly happy he’s giving me a chance to catch up! Just started House of Chains.
On Lightbringer: I absolutely loved the series for so many reasons, but I will say the ending fell a little flat, as it felt too happy compared to the rest of the book (the the 'after credits' scene was pretty great). I think it was with God showing up, he decided to give them a little happiness, and that comes back to Weeks wanting to leave the world on a somewhat positive note, which I can't really blame him for.
I really hope he writes more in the world. Usually I’m cool with leaving things as they are, but I think his themes of redemption and ‘other power’ or grace would be really amplified by seeing how some of the characters are able to overcome challenges that they wouldn’t have been able to without the transformations they achieve by the end. And also, like, what even was Orhalam’s goal overall? Where’s the world going now?
@@yerald5925 Brent talked after release about how from The Immortals perspective, the entirety of the Lightbringer series was nothing more than a setup to get Dazen and Ironfist in possession of the fully restored Blinder's Knife so they could be sent out to go hunt down other Immortals who are working on the side of Abaddon.
@@joshgrant6873 ooh! That’s a fascinating idea, and kinda changes how I see a lot of things. I hope that gets written in some way, although I’d be ok with it being something other than another series specifically about that, maybe something after it, or adjacent to it, showing some new perspectives on the world.
@@joshgrant6873 any link you can share to read/watch/hear some of what he’s said about that stuff or anything else about intentions, process, or future plans? I’ve only seen Daniel’s interview with him.
@@joshgrant6873 That's a cool interpretation I kinda picked up on. Shame that it essentially minimizes Kip so much. But the ending really seemed to suggest he'd be coming back to it, much like he's going back to Night Angel.
I did get a bit annoyed that he went for the standard Judeo-christian mythology angle, when in earlier books I thought it was going to be more nuanced.
There are a lot of books i really liked when I read them, but as time passes i realize that I actually love them. Some examples for me were IT, Dracula, Elantris and The Lovecraft Compendium.
Same! The first time I read IT I thought it was good but I hated the ending. On the second reread though I've found that I love it! I actually think the ending fits the characters and plot really well (minus the orgy lol)
Daniel, are you ever gonna cosplay as your species? We would love to see the official disheveled goblin host.
About Lightbringer I was also not sure about it for a while but now I'm certain I liked the series as a whole especially the middle books but the ending was done really poorly in the burning white. The series would be my top favorite if the ending wasn't like that.
SPOILERS:
The ending did not match the rest of the book at all. The world was meant to be a rather cruel one with different people having different ideas of how to fix it. That's what I really liked about Lightbringer that even the villains like Andross or color Prince or the old man had good reasons and morals at times even better than Chromeria's. I really liked how the end of the blood mirror set the series for a clash of these people with different ideas and allegiances.
However, it just turned out to be all good people (those on Orahalom's side) vs bad people (those on immortals side) and good people beating bad people because they had literal Orahalom Deus Ex Machina them out of their troubles instead of characters actually using will or wit to win their battles like the series was before. There also barely any consequences for the character's actions and a lot of plot armor which doesn't really bode well into Lightbringer's setting of a cruel world at war.
Still, I guess if you are on the journey before destination camp this series is a great one.
I feel like you and I might’ve had some very different interpretations of character motivations. The Color Prince was clearly shown to be a greedy, self-centered monster who was using valid criticisms of the current power structure in order to lie and manipulate his way into power in a way that would leave the world worse off, just with him at the top. He didn’t actually want to help anyone but himself, and the best way to do that was to pretend he had the moral high ground.
And the ending was so very much not a Deus Ex Machina in the way that people constantly use it. The entire series had “gods” interfering whenever the heroes needed some guidance. Rhea Siluz helping Kip find Janus Borig, the battle in The Great Library with Abaddon where Kip was able to get the Master Cloak, pretty much every on of (the prophet) Orholam’s visions, etc. Like, I’m honestly not sure what direction people thought the story was leading towards besides direct confrontation with “the gods.”
And then to top it all off, the fact that none of “the gods” were actually even gods in the literal sense. They’re a group of interdimensional warriors fighting across the thousand worlds to try to defend it from the 200 who betrayed them and are trying to conquer it for themselves. They try to use deception and subtlety to nudge the worlds in the right direction for their needs because of their limitations around being in one world at a time, but this world was considered too important to lose so it became a direct battle between the two factions.
I completely understand feeling like certain things about it were a little cheap, Kip dying and coming back, or hell, maybe the story just went in a direction you personally didn’t like as much, but arguing that it was poorly constructed and relied of pulling solutions to problems out of nowhere is really disingenuous to the fact that it was very clearly building up to exactly this ending from the beginning.
@@joshgrant6873 It's not different interpretations, It would the be most common interpretation in the first 2 books where the color prince actually had a fair amount of scenes, the same thing goes for Liv. He was not just about criticizing Chromeria but he actually had bold plans to change such as abolishing slavery, making everyone be drafters, allowing whites to live.
It also wouldn't make any sense for someone as cunning as him to lead a revolution to gain power if he was just a greedy, self-centered monster who wanted to be at the top. He could just do it the Andross Guile or the Order's way which would have been so much easier for a black drafter. He had a random180 past midway in the series turning from an interesting revolutionary idealist into boring generic I wanted to rule and dominate the world for no reason villain which makes no sense from a motivational standpoint considering his past. It feels like the Weeks had planned way more for Liv and color Prince when writing the first books but gave up midway for some reason and made some quick things up for them. Him being out of time to finishing things up is more evident in burning white like Winston just solo killing the Green bane whereas it took an entire army and the Prism to take it down in book 2.
The god's interference wasn't the problem, If you read Mistborn or SA there are literal Gods with constant interference in them too but the story is still interesting because the God on our character's side is on equal or a bit weaker than the other god or gods while also being a limited by a single virtue e.g honor, preservation so they had faults too despite being a god.
However, Orahalom is represented as being faultless and all good in the series like God in real life while also Orahalom's side is shown to be clearly way more powerful than the immortals while also the angels also outnumbered the demons by far. It's a literal copy of real-life religions with the immortals being pure evil which made the whole thing boring unlike the cosmere where Gods are done right. If it was just Orahalom's immortals vs immortals with Orahalom not being real it would have been fine but him being literal all powerful all good god directly making miracles happen ruined it.
Idk how you say it was not a Dues Ex Machina, Orahalom being God literally made a Machina and rode it to save the day. It was literally a Dues Ex Machina. The series was definitely not "clearly" building up to this ending, especially in the first 2 books. The series was about characters dealing with the consequences of their actions with wit or will and not being able to ask God to carry them on a Machina or bring back the dead every time something went wrong. It was about the clever use of a hard magic system by characters to solve conflict not an extremely soft unexplained system of black and white magic which solved most of the conflict in book 5. It was also about complex moral questions with no answers not just you on God's side you good or you on not his side and you evil.
Now I don't have problems with Dues Ex Machina or religious stories or soft magic systems, they are not my taste I reckon. The problem I have is that the series wasn't about those in the first books, if the first books had similar endings to book 5 then I would have stopped right there if it was "clearly" building to up to exactly this ending.
@@joshgrant6873 while I personally had very few issues with burning white, I did feel robbed by all the characters coming back to life for a hapily ever after ending. I feel like there should have been a way to keep some characters alive and kill others and MAYBE let kip be revived if it was absolutely necessary.
I would have also liked to see a less idealized family ending, and had a few more chapters where they had to start rebuilding. It felt a little too happily ever after for a series that never had that vibe until the very end.
I love lightbringer for the characters and magic. Each character has so much to relate too from Kips self esteem issues, Gavin’s confidant front hiding profound insecurities, Teia coming out of her shell; even something as small as Karris’s coffee addiction. Each character was so unique and so special. Ya the books could get a bit confusing but I kind of like when a book leaves questions unanswered and for you to fill in on your own or with Fans on Reddit
In general I appreciate your snipbits of encouraging us to take care of ourselves
You and your work mean so much to me
Wait, this is a fantasy book channel? I thought it was the game, “Spot Pips.” Haha but I love books that make me change my mind about them. I felt rather dragged along while reading Vonnegut’s Slaughter House-Five. But since having finished it, it has truly settled in my brain and makes me sincerely wish wars could just be rewound.
Rest well and enjoy your break. I'm actually re-reading it right now, just started The Broken Eye. I think Lightbringer as a whole is a 7.5, worth multiple reads, but the last book frustrated me. I feel the ending was pulled, I expected more main people to die or be seriously maimed. And *SPOILER* freaking Andros gets everything he ever wanted, he won and that pissed me off. It was well done though.
About _Lightbringer_ and _The Burning White._ I'm a big fan of Brent Weeks, and he's been one of my favorite authors since I stumbled on his _Night Angel Trilogy_ back in 2008. (I still love it.)
I really enjoy Lightbringer, but it's clear he didn't plan it out enough in advance. _The Black Prism_ was very tightly written, and built up a lot of promise. After that, the books meandered a lot. But mostly still great. But for the most part, I was still really captivated by the first four books.
From here, spoilers on _The Burning White._
Though I did still like it overall, I felt I was let down by some of the promises being kinda meh, or not really fulfilled at all.
I think one issue is how Teia's arc took over so much of the books. Not that I don't like her, but she constantly felt underpowered, and that her story would make a fantastic side novel rather than being in the main books. White and Black luxins, *especially* White luxin, were criminally underutilized. (I was annoyed that he never explained the effects chi has on personality, or its scent like ask the other luxins.)
The morally gray, many-sides-to-a-story arc with the gods and Orholam were completely dropped. I was expecting either something more like _His Dark Materials,_ or turning out that neither side was all good or all bad. But nooo, we had to get the standard Judeo-christian mythology treatment. I guess it makes some sense given how he ties it to Night Angel, which did the same, but it could have been different factions.
Liv was a wonderful villain to hate, but dropped just as her story reached its most interesting. I mean, who wouldn't want to see what it's like to ascend to godhood? To see her craft her bane, and what her servant wights were like? Or see the politics, desires, and bane of other gods? See how they interacted? See more of the Color Prince's beginnings and what his end goal really looked like? Likewise, I wouldn't have minded a few breadcrumbs setting up Andross Guile's reveal of his motivations.
Dazen's final, secret goal was a let down. As was the fulfillment of the Lightbringer prophecy. I thought the use of the mirror system was decent enough, and I liked that is was all three of them, but it was fairly weak in execution. Especially Kip and Dazen's roles. (If Andross had figured out the mirrors, would Kip have even needed to be there?)
Kip absorbing the knowledge of all the cards was barely used, something I thought was needed to go beyond his limits. Didn't really use White luxin constructively. The prophecy they kept quoting so many times never really gets explained. Et cetera.
The djinn being kept in the cells and Dazen not being crazy kind of gets glossed over. Same with Abaddon's and Rhea's roles.
I mean, the book was good... but it should have been _phenomenal._ Brent Weeks said he was able to tighten up Night Angel after he'd written it all, while he was waiting to find a publisher. It's a shame Lightbringer couldn't get the same treatment, because it really needed it.
I was actually really hesitant on Lord of the Rings. Never saw the movies, and just went to the books. Loved The Hobbit, but struggled to get past Fellowship. But on my Fifth attempt, I fell in love and even got emotional at some scenes.
(Also I did see the movies after reading, so don’t come after me)
I just finished reading Eye of The World for the first time and it was great. Thanks for getting me to this series Daniel
I just finished the great hunt and am reading the third now. Loving this series.
I loved The Institute! I’ve only read like 5 King books so far, but after being bored through 2/3’s of the Shining, I found myself completely on edge and entertained throughout all of The Institute!
Burning White thoughts: it felt like a story that had a major plotline removed, but where the reader was still intended to have knowledge of it. I liked it for the world building and some of the character arcs, and I enjoyed it overall. But it had the shape of a bombed out building.
"They just squish on out like an overly ripe zit."
This guy gets it.
😂😂😂
I'm newly following the channel and decided to look through older videos for your take on books I liked. Neal Schusterman was the first author that really engaged me in reading, which can be difficult with my dyslexia. The Scythe trilogy had a fairly satisfying ending, and the second and third books add depth to the world, introducing some unique perspectives. I'm not terribly well read, so I can't say for sure if he used some tropes that you'd roll your eyes at or just not like. That being said, the Scythe trilogy is not my favorite representation of his work. The books of his I re-read the most are the Star Shards trilogy, the Dark Side of Nowhere, and Downsiders, though I do enjoy most of his other books as well.
I just finished The Burning White today and have to say I loved the ending but definitely see why people might have issues.
We've spent 10(ish) years with some of these characters and we leave them right after the Sunday battle, so many questions about what could happen next with them.
I also think the story around the immortals feels 'light', all this talk about existing in different worlds and immortals battling for wins, feels like it could have been left out and it wouldn't have changed the overall series. Or we could have gotten a whole seperate book about them, detailing their history and struggles.
As you've stated in other videos, the characters in this series are phenomenal and I can't wait to see what Brent Weeks shows us next
Great video. Prominent Pips. Showing that people can change their mind and take breaks when burning out. Raising the Space Spiders score by almost the whole score it had before. Love it.
The Book of the New Sun by Gene Wolfe. I read when I was younger, around middle school, and the writing was just impossible for me to follow, and I had read Lord of the Rings multiple times through. Now I consider it one of the best fantasy series of all time. Gene Wolfe is one of the most underexposed authors out there in my opinion.
I don't know anyone else who has read The Book of the New Sun and it is one of my top 5s easy, but it is not a challenging read. You are correct, Wolfe is very underexposed which is odd given how many awards he accumulated.
@@johnnywalking83 He really is just a fantastic author. I am rereading Wizard Knight and if you haven't checked it out you should. It's different from New Sun but it has one of the best depictions of the Fay I have ever read.
Me who takes a month break everytime she finishes a book: .......people don't stop reading?? 😳
Definitely don't burn yourself out! Only read when you want to and just enjoy!
I wasn't big on The Silmarillion on my first read. In fact over the years it took me three fresh attempts to work up the enthusiasm to finish it. I had trouble keeping up with the names and events especially in the first half of the book. It was particularly disheartening because LOTR is my favorite set of books. I finally finished on my third attempt, but I wasn't captivated with the story since events only started to click for me once I was half way through the book. Then one day I was discussing LOTR with a friend, and was pleased at my ability to further discuss the lore, even with the small amount of information I had retained. Long story short I eventually become engrossed into learning about the mythologies of Middle Earth. Having gained more knowledge I returned to complete reading The Silmarillion a second time, and was completely enthralled.
It's not fantasy, but it is psychological horror. But 'The Vegetarian' I didn't get when I read it but then it sat with me and the impact was impossible to ignore. The meaning sunk in much later and I look back on it fondly now
For me it was Anne Rice Blood and Gold. At first I found it a bit too slow but upon a reread appreciated the time she took to depict the period art, architecture, and culture in vivid detail.
A book series I've been thinking about the most long after I finished reading is the Hyperion Cantos by Dan Simmons. When I was done reading, I was left scratching my head on whether or not I really enjoyed the book series. After about a year of thinking, I've come to the conclusion its probably the best Sci-fi I read. All the characters along the way were so human, and I've come to care for them along their journey, and there is so much to love about this far flung future that Simmons crafted, almost a conceivable future, something that sci-fi I feel doesn't do as often as it should. If you haven't read, I guess what I am getting at is that I highly recommend reading the series, its made a lasting impression on me, just a confusing one haha.
Yes! The first time I read the Hyperion Cantos I was really thrown by the format. Mostly I had no idea that it was trying to emulate Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales. Now i read it and the sequels every few years, and it’s my probably my favorite sci-fi epic of all time.
Ooh Pips is so adorable! Just begging for cuddles 😍
And loved this video concept. It's important to be conscious about the fact that our thoughts about things change and that's okay 🙂
I came here from your Trese review and I really liked that review lol. I saw you had Scythe on your bookshelf on that video, I really got excited so now I'm here
The books I changed my mind about most is clearly Narnia.
I loved those books as a child. And a while back I was wondering how they are today and wanted to have a short glimpse into them, but they are so short that I finished most. I don't think they are bad, just that they are completely different than what I thought. (And not quite as great as I remembered them to be.)
A few things that I see different now:
- Narnia isn't the bright place I remember it to be. In fact it is at times quite dark
- There are some serious problems with with the depiction of what is "good" and "evil" (For instance in "the horse and his boy" the Narnians are better people than the Calormenes because they're not as ugly or the positive depiction of war)
- Contrary to my last point there are also a few big issues of our world that are tackled in a good way. (E.g. it has a warning about atomic bombs somewhere)
- How readable and short it is. (I did read 5 of 7 books by accident.) Now this is technically not something I thought different as a child, but I couldn't remember that before my reread
So I finally finished book 8 of WOT last night. Took me longer than reading 5-7 combined. I took several small breaks. I've read non-stop for about 3 years now (didnt read much in my life until now, trying to play catchup)... But damn... Book 8 was just torture to me. I wasn't sure if it was burnout or what, but I thought I was immune to the issues most folks seem to say about books 6-8. Turns out I was until book 8. Sometimes ya just have to take a break. Mine was possibly burnout on WOT in general (I've intermixed Mistborn series and Stormlight series to try and keep burnout from happening)... Anyway, good luck on your break and I hope it helps you unwind. Appreciate the content you do. Still can't wait until the day I can watch your WOT content, as you are the reason I picked up this series (and found your channel). Random comment with no real purpose, but hey, I appreciate you.
I definitely agree with your assessment of The Burning White. For Lightbringer as a whole, if I think about it too long I get the itch to reread it, which is always a good sign for me. I enjoyed the ending when I read it, but I feel like I'd have to reread the last book to really decide how I feel about the ending as a whole. The part of me that cares about these characters and wants nothing but the best for them is happy with how things unfolded, but the storyteller in me felt like Weeks shied away from what could have been a harder hitting and more impactful ending.
On Lightbringer, I think the ending was good because it felt almost like a throwback to simpler fantasy reads of the past, almost all modern series feels like it has to be grimdark or subverted expectations whereas he just had fun with it yet still goes deeper, plus it opens up the Weeks Multiverse. (Around book 3 I said Kylar found a way to destroy all the Kakari but that released Luxin into the world, so clearly that’s not right but does play into color being so important)
Children of Time: I read the blurb, thought it sounded interesting. Read the first few chapters, thought I wasn’t going to like it much after all and read a bunch of other books instead. Finally finished it and I loved it. I went through quite a journey with that book.
I waver back and forth on this, but I'll give two examples:
Chronicles of Narnia. I really enjoyed the books as a kid, but as I get older some stuff sticks at as much better than I thought when I was younger, and also much worse. The Horse and His Boy is still my favorite, but I resonate with The Silver Chair a lot as well.
And for the other: Invincible, the comic. I read it once all the way through without knowing what I was getting into, and I thought about the ending for a long time. I get my friend into the books, and his enthusiasm for them made me go and buy all the Omnibuses in a collection, and I read them all straight through. One of my favorite comic series ever, and I got into it by accident.
Not a fantasy novel (also months late to the video... oh well), but Donna Tartt's "the secret history" did this to me. I read it last summer and fairly enjoyed my time with it. A solid 8/10 mainly for the gorgeous prose, but I didn't find it as gripping as many people said it was. However the longer I set on it the more I realized how much that novel stuck with me to the point that I now consider it one of my all time favorite books.
Between the Night Angel Trilogy and the Lightbringer series, it's clear that Brent Weeks struggles with endings
I think Night Angel had a better, more satisfying ending. But I chalk that up to him having the time to edit the whole trilogy after writing it, while waiting for an editor.
Lightbringer, though I really like it, was messier and meandered too much. While there was a lot of really good stuff in The Burning White, it tripped over itself more than a few times by underwhelming in some of its promises.
I think part of it is that he always planned to come back to Night Angel, which he's supposed to be working on now. And I think it's pretty clear that he intends a Lightbringer sequel too.
I think the Lightbringer ending is still just fine for me? Like I feel on the spectrum of opinions I am very middle of the road but like you said I do still love the series as a whole.
Lightbringer: My favorite series (although to be fair, I'm only on Lord of Chaos in WoT, so let's see what happens). There are things about Lightbringer that I absolutely adore, and The Black Prism will always have a special place in my heart. Also, the ending of The Blood Mirror where it's impossible to really know who is giving the truth or what the situation with a couple of the main characters really is was brilliant. As for the The Burning White, I think the book is great, but not on the same level as the rest of the books in the series. I think the first 2/3 of the book were brilliant, and the parts with (redacted) on the tower in the last 1/3 were also brilliant. The part that got me is just that the last battle felt too easy and lacked the couple big show downs I was hoping for without realizing it. That being said, there are few things that bother many people about the ending, that don't bother me at all, because I believe they were properly foreshadowed.
As you said, the magic system, characters, and relationships in this series are incredible and for me they will always make the series worth reading over an over again. Thank you Daniel, for speaking about this series! Also, a huge thank you to Brent Weeks for being so connected to his readers while being such a great author.
I am halfway through this series and really can't stand the main character... Gavin... He is an asshole - but for some reason, the author and other characters in the book treat him as second coming...
This series would really improve in my eyes if they give Gavin much less screentime
@@angelikapotree2741 Gavin has issues, but he is arguably the most complex character in the series. Personally, I love him. I would encourage you to stick with him, there is a lot to happen if you're at the halfway point.
The following line from the burning white justifies the entire book for me, and gives me chills just thinking about it (which I do often)
Oh, I’m not above using others’ garbage. I’ll use a stone the builders reject as a cornerstone, but you can’t give Me as tribute what’s garbage to you. That’s no sacrifice. I’m a healer to healers and a servant to servants, but to kings I’m a king-not a slave.”
Such a good message. People get on me that it takes me a bit longer to finish books sometimes. Or some large books I take breaks here and there to finish. I read to enjoy it and sometimes I need to take a break
In my opinion, lightbringer did several things wonderfully. Particularly the magic system and the characters Teia and Andross. That being said, the burning white is the only time I’ve ever felt truly betrayed by an author and I would never recommend this series knowing how it ends.
Also - I almost bought shadow of the conqueror earlier today when I saw Shad’s new video. I decided not to, in large part because I remembered your original review of it, but now I think I’ll give it a shot.
So you saw the final secret ending too? Even if it was a "joke" it fits too well to not feel cannon.
I just started the video and I had to pause to say thank you on the "take a break" message. My day job involves a lot of writing and reading, so I can only read like 10 - 30 pages a day. My last week was kinda intense, so I didn't want to read anything after work for days; felt pretty guilty about that.
So, thank you, Daniel! I needed that reminder.
Burning White still rattles around in my head too. It didn't go the way I wanted or expected, but at the same time the kind of somber realism to it and the fact that it did surprise me was...well, maybe not refreshing but it was novel. Looking back I can see the setup for the literal Deus Ex Machina, but it still felt weird having god in a chopper.
I finished the Lightbringer series in August, so it's pretty fresh. Like you, I found this one to be sticky... still thinking about it now. I usually don't get too much into book reviews or analysis but for days after I finished it I kept thinking about the ending and in particular the criticism I see leveled against it of LITERAL DEUS EX MACHINA. I ended up writing a mini essay on goodreads about why it's not a deus ex machina. Or if it is, a little, then maybe thats ok? The point isn't that particular topic but just that something about this book made me want to roll it around more than usual before moving onto the next. Overall I loved the series and I think it's one that will be even better on re-read.
I totally freaking feel the taking a break from reading for a bit. We all need to do that! I'm getting out of a streak of not reading a lot, and it's really nice coming back.
I feel so happy and validated that you reconsidered about Children of Time. It really is a modern science fiction masterpiece
The only book I can think of is Hawksong by Amelia Atwater-Rhodes. I first read it when I was 13 and absolutely loved it. It got me into reading in general and was one of my favorites for a lot time.
I'm 25 now and I just reread it with my husband i wanted to introduce to some books I loved because we were reading together for a little bit. Rereading it with him was like reading it for the first time... and I realized that there are some problems with the book that I had completely ignored. Some of the interactions make cringe a little and the book is not paced as well as it could be.
That was a said mind change to make, though the book is so special to me
I completely agree with what you said about the ending of The Burning White. I felt like Brent Weeks pulled punches at the last second but it's such a minor thing imo that I still overall like the series. :) My opinion could be biased because I finished book of the ancestor right before Lightbringer so I think I expected a harsher ending in that sense.
The ending of Lightbringer to me felt not awful, but I just wanted it to be better than it was. I think Brent Weeks tried for a spectacular finish and not all of it worked, but that still didn't change the fact that the series overall was incredibly good in my opinion.
I tired reading Dune in HS and was lost, then tried again in my early 20's I loved it immensely and continued to read the entire 6 book series from Frank Herbert. I enjoy the follow up books from his son but not nearly as much as the original series.
My opinions on the shadowhunter chronicles have vastly changed. I went from obsessed and thinking they were the best books ever to be written, to hating them and cringing at my past self, to coming to terms with them not having amazing writing and that i was done with them, to reading all18 books published books in the series in a month because corona, to obsessed again only this time I see all its beautiful troupes and faults.
I now that I’m the age that the book characters are it’s very fun to read a character doing something stupid and it being scarily accurate.
I should really read Scythe. A lot of people recommended it to me.
hey daniel, just chill a lil bit, every one needs it and i hope your content gets a boost because of it (not because it's bad or anything, i enjoy all of your stuff)
Shad Brooks has a really neat channel called Shadiversity. Highly recommend it. He talks about medieval and fantasy weapons a lot and actually knows how to use them.
I'd like to see Daniel do a review of Legend of the Galactic Heroes, either the 1988 TV series or the novels. I'm new to the channel but based off what I know about his taste I think he might like both
I barely remember the ending to Blinding White, it was a 'meh' ending which is probably more damning which socks because Weeks is so good. LOVED Scythe.
A book I didn't expect to like was Piranesi, since it had an artsy, abstract, hipster vibe where authors try to be smarter than they are (I'm consistently repulsed by those books) but Piranesi clicked and oh man, was I hooked. Definitely worked in its favor that is only 240 pages, if it was longer it would've lost all its momentum si ce it had a very narrow-focused world/tale to tell
Woah! Piranesi is only 240? I /loved/ Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell, and think about it regularly a decade after reading it, but it was a major slog. I’ve been excited for Piranesi, but putting it off till I felt like I was in the space for a similarly intense and extended read. I read mostly digitally, so I sometimes don’t really pay attention to length when choosing books, and hadn’t even checked to see if I was right. Thanks!
I think the lightbringer ending was good but not great. Like you said it felt like weeks backed down a little near the end. Not spoiling anything but too many characters survived and a lot of it felt like deus ex machina in the way they did.
With Tigana I really appreciate that outlook that it doesn't affect your enjoyment but still bringing awareness to the issues with Guy Gavriel Kay's writing. I think it's excellent that you're willing to take on board what women are saying and still don't need to dismiss the book as a whole. You're respectful and honest at the same time! Thank you!
I really love Lightbringer - including the Burning White. I wasn't let down by the ending at all. I also thought that it was set up for a second series involving the return of Liv as the primary antagonist.
The themes of this series are so multi-faceted and complex. There's a very deep theological undercurrent that I truly love. Can't get enough.
I loved Lightbringer. It was an amazing journey. I’m not sure how I feel about the ending but I don’t regret reading it at all.
Dune, read it as a child and loved it. Read it again as a teenager, picked up on the subtleties and subtext I had missed before, and proceeded to hate it with a firey passion for destroying the prescious touchstone that was what I thought the book was as a child.
*SPOILERS FOR HARROW THE NINTH*
Harrow is unclear, there is a lack of communication, and I love it for it. Muir’s writing style is one where she does the world building, and then doesn’t tell you about any of it. Like, you have to figure it out on your own what all these terms like “thanergy” and “thalergy” are and even what a lyctor is isn’t super clear until the end of Gideon the Ninth. You always get the sense that even the minor characters know the world and what’s going on better than the reader does. That’s not a bad thing! I love puzzling it all out. I think Harrow the Ninth’s writing style is an extension of that. And, I mean, Harrow the character is an insane traumatized teenager that’s literally mutilated herself to forget someone she can’t live without.
Children of Time is immensely underrated. Or at least it gets WAY LESS attention than it should. It's one of the very few books in my life, perhaps the ONLY ONE, that stayed with me for WEEKS after I listened to it. And on that note, DO LISTEN TO IT! The narration is FLAWLESS.
I reread the last 6 or so Dresden books before Peace Talks/Battle Ground and they didn't suck me in nearly as much as I remember before. The probable main reason is that I discovered Sanderson in the last 5 years and he stole the the spot for my favorite author. The SA books have taken my expectations for what fantasy can be to soaring new heights and Dresden hasn't grown with that. But still love my boy Dresden.
I completely understand your criticism of Harrow the Ninth, however I think the miscommunication throughout was very intentional, (trying to not be spoilery) she miscommunicates with herself, this being a 2nd person "retelling" of the events so the audience(us) doesn't feel like the intended audience which would be Harrow herself. Idk if this makes sense. The endings for both books in this series..just ow my heart.
Tigana was by no means my first Guy Gavriel Kay and I still remember it fondly so I'm not sure whether I should reread it with your new comments in mind. By the way I really struggled with his Sarantium books to the point where I DNF the second. Reread them both this year after a 15 year (ish) hiatus and loved them.
I found Lightbringer to be absolutely fantastic as a whole. As far as the ending specifically is concerned, I'm lukewarm on most of it. One aspect I absolutely cannot come to grips with and the aspect I think Mr. Weeks missed the cue on the most, was the resolution of Adrasteia's storyline. I don't want to get in to spoilers, but I feel the ending she got was not the ending she deserved in the slightest, and I was actually upset at the end there which spoiled my mood and probably colored my view of the rest of the ending in turn.
I got back into reading, much thanks to ;you , Daniel. My first series was Gentleman Bastards and the my nephew recommended The Light Bringer Series, which I loved, it kept me up to 4 in the morning many times, I had no problems with the last book or how it ended. But........ it set a standard of writing that was very hard for me to find by other authors, so in my search for that quality I've read 36 books so far this year and have enjoyed many series like the Prince of Thorns, The Dresden Files, The Broken Earth, The First Law, etc.. etc. but of all I've read Light Bringer is has had the biggest impact on me, so far......Although I'm half way through the Summer Tree, 1st book in the Fionavar Tapestry Series and it has to be some of the best prose ever written, Just Wow!!!!
I honestly don't understand how the second person parts in Harrow could be seen as the confusing part of the book, I thought they were the clearest ones and definitely the ones I liked the most, I do get that you just don't like second person, but I just don't see it as the confusing part of this book, that for me was the third person "retelling" of the first book. (Btw English is not my first language and I don't know how much that influenced my understanding and liking of this book) for me while not being a perfect book as a whole, the second person was some of the best writing I have ever read and awoke a new love for this type of story telling in me that I can't wait to explore more.
I loved the lightbringer series as a whole. I do agree the ending was a bit disappointing. Without spoiling anything I felt like some things were wrapped up to conveniently and quickly. But I would still recommend the series to anyone who loves fantasy. (Books 2 and 3 were near perfect in my mind. )
Huh. Regarding burning white/lightbringer, I started it when I think isaac stewart gave it a shout-out on Brando Sando's website cause I was looking for some new stuff to read. I ended up getting a friend on board to read it with me, too. I totally agree, cool and incredibly unique magic system, rich characters (mostly, ended up not liking Gavin a whole lot, but LOVING Mr. Sharp), and some very enjoyable world building. HOWEVER the ending left me feeling like... "Huh?"
Like you said, it didn't end up going where I thought it would, and the pacing there at the end was very jarring at times, with a bit too much deux ex machina. I want to love it, but there were a handful of plotlines that weren't really explored as much as I'd hoped (looking at you, chi). I think a lot of this was deliberate because the book is only one part of the world, and not every question gets an answer, but after coming out of the cosmere, I think I was kinda spoiled by it. I'd still recommend it to people, but I'd recommend other things first
We have reached the pinnacle of hard hitting critique:
It's more of an "ah huh" sense verse an "un uhh" sense
Enjoy your break!
For me it's actually the Wheel of time series. I wasn't very fond of it when I first read it, to be fair I was still a naïve highschooler. But after I started watching this channel your passion and love for it really sold me on the series and it gave the incentive I needed to revist The Eye of the world once more. Thanks for that👍🏼
The ending of the Lightbringer series felt too happily ever after. It made the sacrifices inside seem like "and then they woke up". The pacing felt off as well. I would have been happier to read more as a postscript.
I think some of it comes down to him maybe planning a sequel at some point. That he been wraps it up, but doesn't.
Conspiracy: Pips ate Greene Daniel. And now he is taking back his channel. Rightfully so.
It has been a solid couple of months since I finished Licanius and I love it more and more whenever I think about it.
Was hoping for an out of the blue 'Name of the Wind' mention, but alas, you stand firm. Enjoy your break!
I think I'm gonna take a break from reading for a bit also. Not completely stop but I do feel burned out a bit. Thanks for helping me realize that.
I just finished the Lightbringer series (finished Burning White a couple of weeks ago). I liked it a lot overall. Probably more than Night Angel, just because things were fleshed out more. The Burning White's ending was... OK? I kind of hated a certain loss of powers, but LOVED a double pistol shot from a priest right after that, and the epilogue kind of implied to me those powers might come back, so I'm OK with it. I respected the ending a lot for not being so predictable, and I don't think things like "not enough people died", so I was good with it.
I was so shocked when you rated Children of Time 5/10. It was one of my favourite book last year and I thought it have everything you'd enjoy. I'm thankful you reread it and enjoyed it so much! Normally I don't change my mind with book ratings but I had to sit down for a couple of days or weeks before I can rate a Murakami book, specially his latest, Killing Commandatore. I was mind blown, confused and so intrigued. I ended up rating it 4 stars but I kept thinking of it and changed to 5 stars. It's still a book I think about a lot and I'll try to reread it this year still
With harrow the ninth, I think the book is confusing because harrow also has no idea what is going on. I think it's a really cool way of writing and I really enjoyed it. I also didn't like it after I first read it but the second read through I thought it was awesome because I accepted that we're reading through the perspective of someone whose perception of reality has been altered.