Thoughts? Non spoilery prefered
This is what I remembered from my first read through as books came out, except that I remember 6 (last book that was released when I started reading) being great and 7 (released a month or two after I finished 6 being good. On reread:
- 1-5 are S-tier, as remembered
- 6 actually B-tier! The first appearance in the series of extremely protracted political maneuvering and not the best. Commonly overrated because the last fifth of the book has some fan-servicey action.
- 7 is an Aālots of good character moments for most of the main characters. Commonly underrated because modern readers bizarrely interpret one plot line as being about sexual assault and get worked up that it isnāt handled appropriately in their view, but itās actually a very good book.
- 8 is S-tier! This is the first book where I remember being really frustrated that the plot developments I was excited about didnāt happen, but on reread the plots that actually are here are amazing. Iconic visual of a sword in the mud at the end that I think of a lot.
-9 is B+, 10 is legitimately bad. These are the core āslogā books. What I realized on reread is that the key problem with this part of the series is the Andoran succession plot, which goes on forever (starts in Book 8, not resolved until 11!!) and just sucks. RJ is just not very good at writing political maneuvering when it goes beyond personal relationships. If GRRM were writing this section, it would be awesome, and weād have a deep understanding of the interaction between Dyelinās house and Arymillaās and why they position themselves the way they do, but the way RJ writes it things just happen semi-arbitrarily. Also thereās an interesting murder mystery in the background, but every time it comes up, they resolutely assign some non-viewpoint characters to look into it, and they never even solve it! Perrinās and (to a lesser extent) Matās plot lines come in for some hate, but these are actually decent (Perrin) and awesome (Mat) B-plots that no one would object to if they were paired with a strong A-plot, but they suffer badly being lumped in with the Succession cancer. - 11 is an interesting one. The first half is on the same level as 10 (conclusion of the awful succession plot), and the remainder is S-tier.
- 12-14. I havenāt actually completed these yet, and I am really conflicted about them. There are some incredible payoffs, but Sandersonās writing is a big step down from RJās.
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Itās been a decade, but I remember hating the Perrin storyline in 8, so thatās probably why I disliked it too. Obviously the ending is incredible.
Definitely enjoyed, the magic system(s) are awesome and pretty good worldbuilding
Mistborn 1-3 are really good
Wax and Wayne are more fun but felt really campy to me
Iāll have to start reading Mistborn. I bought it on discount a while ago but never started it
Yeah Wax and Wayne have always been my least favorite of his stuff. Kinda sucks it was originally a novella and then it sucked 4 novels up.
Itās not bad. Just not as good as mistborn
Wax and Wayne 1 I felt at least had a storyline. I quit Wax and Wayne 2 when it felt like just random episodes. I take it that gets better?
Also canāt wait for Wind and Truth. 15 years since Way of Kings and Sandersonās writing has clearly matured in those 15 years. Hell you can seek out Way of Kings Prime (his 8 years before early draft of Way of Kings https://www.brandonsanderson.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/The-Way-of-Kings-Prime-by-Brandon-Sanderson_web.pdf) and more proof of him getting better. But love that he has had the Stormlight Archive as his Magnum Opus since his 20s, and has kept releasing them at a 3-4 year pace
(cough cough Pat and George)
EDIT:If nothing else the preface is worth reading for Way of Kings Prime
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This is a pretty good book if you are in for some high falutinā sci-fi.
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During a layover at the train station I stumbled over the newest Chris Carter novel āThe death watcherā. My original plan was to order it online for my upcoming vacation but this way I avoided amazon. Unfortunately the book didnt survive the 2 weeks. Probably the only crime series I cant lay down.
So now I only got the majority of āShogunā(yeah i didnt finish it yet and didnt watch the series beyond the 1st episode although after this one episode I share the feeling of fossil - too much left out), āThe High Republic: Path of Deceitā to continue my timeline reading adventure of Star Wars and 2nd book of Lord of the rings on audible. Think I got room for another one.
I saw the 2nd book of the ā3 body problemā at the station store as well but wasnt sure if its good to read that after watching the first book on netflix. Somebody in here wrote the books get better so that might be an option.
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I started listening to Number of the Beast by Heinlein today, boy he was interested in sex. His stereotypes of strong women as damsels in distress lands a lot clunkier than it did when I read this in high school. Weāll see what else is in store in this OG sci fi.
Seriously what the hell is going on with Rothfuss? I had basically forgotten about that series until I saw this and had to scratch my head, āPat?ā I thought Name of the Wind was really good, second book maybe just slightly below but I was hooked into the series, then he took the time out to write that offshoot book, ok, and then what? Guy must get hassled all the time about it.
A little bit, but itās still they are the weakest of all his novels IMO. You can really tell that he adhocād a lot of the overarching plot.
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We live in paradise compared to when Marx wrote.
Listen to Revolutionary Spring by Christopher Clark on Audible. https://www.audible.com/pd/B0BJ4SRMVR?source_code=ASSOR150021921000R
All the writerās block, and other mental issues.
The moment where all hope was lostā¦
In December 2021, Rothfuss tweeted that he would ā[s]hare a full chapter of Doors of Stoneā if his charity reached a $333,333 fundraising goal.[20] Later that month he added more stretch goals, with the largest being for $666,666 to āassemble the Geek Glitterati equivalent of the Avengers and record [the full chapter] for youā. He noted that such a goal would take some time but said āIām pretty sure weāll be able to get it done early next year. February at the latest.ā[21] The chapter has not been released, with Rothfuss saying in April 2022 that the process was āmoving more slowly than [he] would like.ā[22]
Dude said 1/3 million Iāll release a chapter of book 2. 1/3 million was raised. Dude said raise another 1/3 million Iāll have that chapter voice acted like hellā¦
and then nothingā¦
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A few more hours into Number of the Beast and it is turning into a bunch of smarmy misogynistic, libertarian crap getting in the way of a solid multi-verse sci-fi story. This was one of the first multi-verse sci-fi novel and has an interesting take on it, although probably just thought of as a way to write a Greatest Hits volume more than anything else. Iām surprised I was never that into the Libertarian crap given how much Heinlein I read as a yout, but this Ayn Rand āGreat Manā crap is just tiresome. Our hero has 2 degrees, is a Captain in the space whatever, taught himself to fence for fun, and was able to raise a ton of money on his own to qualify for a share in the family fortune. All before heās 40. This one perhaps didnāt age as well as one would hopeā¦
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I read the first three books of the Grail Quest series, by Cornwell. Probably wonāt read the fourth book, but I had fun with the first three, loosely set at the start of the Hundred Years War, follows an English longbowman through parts of France, England and Scotland.
What Strange Paradise was heartbreaking.
A NEW YORK TIMES NOTABLE BOOK OF THE YEAR ā¢ From the widely acclaimed, bestselling author of American Warāa beautifully written, unrelentingly dramatic, and profoundly moving novel that looks at the global refugee crisis through the eyes of a child.**
āTold from the point of view of two children, on the ground and at sea, the story so astutely unpacks the us-versus-them dynamics of our divided world that it deserves to be an instant classic.ā āThe New York Times Book Review**
Also, finally read Hyperion. I know most folks love the Priestās Tale, which was good, but my favorite was the Scholarās Tale. The idea of watching your child age backwards haunted me.
I read few of the Sharpe novels from Cornwell. Mainly because I watched the tv series in my youth. Nothing special but always good as a filler between heavier books.
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I really liked the Cornwall 4 book civil war series. Read those like 20 years ago.
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