Warbreaker Review (did this book cement my opinion of Sanderson)
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- Опубликовано: 28 июн 2024
- Video review of Warbreaker by Brandon Sanderson
00:00 Intro
03:24 Story
08:17 Characters
11:54 Setting and World Building
13:18 Pacing and Prose
16:05 Conclusion
Twitter/X: @MikeG_315
I kinda love that his books aren't the best. They are fun and as an author myself, they somehow really encourage me to write. Like, sometimes I get really upset and I question if I will ever be happy with my own writing and than I read a book from him and I feel like I would be able to do that myself. They aren't genius social commentary, they don't magically combine the deepest themes, the prose isn't outstanding, but they are really enjoyable books and people don't think they are a waste of time, so why would my books be one? You can almost see his crafting through the text, it's so interesting.
Honestly this is totally valid. I love Sanderson but honestly I don’t think he’s for everyone (unlike what some would have you believe). I think his stories are similar to something like the old MCU where they appeal to a very large demographic and you can trust that they’re consistently at the similar level of quality. For me, endings are really important and I’ve never read a bad ending in one of his books. In fact, they’re usually some of the most epic endings I’ve read in fantasy. In the flip side though, I don’t consider the prose or dialogue to be great, in fact I think the humor sometimes has gotten me close to putting down the book entirely. While I think Stormlight Archive is brilliant and might be my favorite book series, it showcases both the best and the worst of Sanderson. Story, plotting and characters are amazing. The humor and some of the dialogue is still cringy as ever. Anyway, if you keep going, hope you find something you like!
Also just want to add since I’ve seen a lot of comments about Abercrombie, I think he’s the complete opposite of Sanderson. His characters, humor and dialogue are masterful, but honestly the plot and world building of the books aren’t really anything spectacular. In fact, I was really disappointed with the actual plot of first law up until the third book. They’re great books though and absolutely worth the read. So anyways, there’s some well rounded and hopefully balanced opinions for you :)
sanderson wrote 5 more books while you made this review
edit: he just made another 20
lol
I think if you step into the Stormlight Archive, your opinion may change. I read 1st Mistborn trilogy first and while I enjoyed it as an introduction to his writing, Stormlight was what got me hooked on his writing. his world building and character relationships in the series is top tier stuff as well as having an interesting plot and story. Also a side note, I found the Second Mistborn era far better than the first (though you would need to read the rest of era 1 to understand the context).
I’m loving Stormlight. I’m nearing the end of Way of Kings and everything is picking up and paying off. It’s just so immersive, dreamy, and alien.
That is good to know! At some point I will get around to reading it (I already own the book after all)
Thank you! I thought I was alone in not really caring for this book. Tried several times to read this one…and was just bored.
I am glad there are some people who agree with me. I was a little nervous posting this video because I was thinking that I would just get a bunch of people disagreeing with me
I really sympathize with your opinion. I enjoy most of Sandersons books but after a while they can start to feel very samey. I’d definitely say Stormlight is his best work, but his other books range from various levels of ok to good. I enjoy him, but he’s not the GOAT or anything.
I like Sanderson, I've loved him before I've started reading Erikson and...well, now I know better lol but I still think that Sanderson is a solid writer. HOWEVER, to really enjoy his work, you need to read Stormlight Archive. It is being constantly recommended for a very good reason.
Mistborn was awful, book 1 is borderline YA fantasy.
Reckoners is a fun trilogy as it is a take on superhero comics in a novel form...but it is YA so the standard is very, very low.
Storrmlight Archive is the peak. Sadly, it is the diamond in the rough but it is a really, really shinny diamond! :)
This one was a miss for me too. A few scenes were so cliche and eyeroll-inducing (particularly following Vivenna) that I actually kinda hated this book - especially after trudging through so many pages. I easily preferred Elantris.
Elantris was the first Sanderson book I ever read. Maybe over 15 years ago when he wasn't well known, and I remember liking it. It's been so long though I feel like I should read it again to see if my opinion has changed
The first Mistborn book is most definitely a stand alone. It's similar to the Matrix trillogy where the overarching narrative really begins in the second one. I do recommend giving it a try sometime.
Would be nice to know, if you ever read them, your opinion about Tchaikowsky's Sci-Fi books like "the children of time" one
I haven't read it, but have heard some good things about Tchaikovsky's books
Wow.Interesting oppinion.
You should try Abercrombie some day. 😊
Thank you! I have heard good things about his First Law trilogy. Any specific books from him you would recommend?
@@miketravelsnowhere6557 The First Lat trilogy is a good place to start with. IT only gets better with each book. I have never read an author so good at crafting his characters,full of humor and with such lively action scenes.Abercrombie is more enjoyable than Martin himself. He is trully The King of grimdark Fantasy. 😊
I finished recently his standalone The Heroes and I told to myself that I can die now. IT was that good. 😁
I like most of Sanderson’s books that I’ve read, but I can definitely understand why he’s not for everybody. I think one of the things I like about his writing is that, as you pointed out, he’s pretty consistent in his quality. Not great, but usually pretty good. The authors of some of the books I think of as great aren’t (or weren’t) nearly so consistent.
To jump on the unpopular opinion bandwagon with you, I’m not really a huge fan of Stormlight Archive. The first three books and the novellas were pretty good, but I’ve really run out of steam on Rhythm of War. I’m 400 pages in, about a third of the way through, and it’s starting to feel sloggy like chunks of Wheel of Time did. I’m sure it’ll pick up eventually, but getting there is taking a bit of effort.
Great video as always, and thanks for sharing your thoughts despite worrying about a chorus of disagreement.
I don't share the issues you have with the book, except for the pacing. Is certainly a problem in that book. The final part is the worst indeed. But I say the book is good, near great
I’ll take a negative opinion in a positive light. Even if it’s one I disagree with. Not that this is all that negative, but you know what I mean. Keep up the good work 👌
Thank you!
This book is dope
I've read the first of Mistborn and Warbreaker, abd they were just ok(ish). But...I read also Firstborn and it blew my mind
Same here, not even close to Joe Abercrombie
Maybe he's just not for you. I haven't read much Sanderson but I thought this book was amazing.
You are probably right. I do want to give his Stormlight series a read until I give up completely though
You're probably one of the few people that doesn't use the word overrated as a lazy way of saying 'I hate this'.
I think Sanderson's writing is like a bag of chips, it's a lot of content and easy to gulp and it gives you the impression that you are digesting something substantial but in reality it is a whole lot of nothing.
Yup, it’s overrated