Anybody read Brandon Sanderson?

[AdmundfortGeographer]

I've read Elantris, Warbreaker, the Mistborn trilogy, and The Way of Kings and I have Alloy of Law on preorder.

So, I love me Brandon Sanderson work. I love that he has written essays on the necessity of fantasy authors to develop a believable system for magic. He seems to leave no angle unexamined when he builds a magic system and his worlds feel so well integrated with the magic rules

I couldn't do that many hours of audiobook. If you can, then do get it.

FWIW, Crafty Games is releasing an rpg based on/set in Mistborn.

 

[Padril]

I'd XP you as well, but I need to spread more around first.

Thanks for the response.

And, audiobooks are a mixed bag - World War Z was read by a full cast of professional actors and was generally very good (Alan Alda, Carl Reiner, Mark Hamill, John Turturro, etc).

The Harry Potter series was all read by the same one person (Jim Dale) and that was terrific as well.

When re-going through the first 3 books of A Song of Ice & Fire, I got the audiobooks for them and Roy Dotrice is also excellent. (holds the Guiness record for voicing the most speaking characters for A Game of Thrones with 225, I think.)

However, I've listened to a few that were mediocre (Dune had several people doing the voices, but I didn't like the way it was done, for example). And, the replacement for Dotrice on A Feast for Crows was a far cry from Roy Dotrice - he has a nice voice, but not nearly as good at expressing the characters. (Dotrice is back on A Dance with Dragons, which I'll listen to when I finish the book...)

The Way of Kings audiobook is voiced by the same two people who voiced the WoT audiobooks. Brandons' style is very reminiscent of Robert Jordans in my opinion. So much so that at times I feel I'm listening to a WoT novel. That said I'm 3/4 of the way through it and very much enjoying it.

I was bought the Mistborn Trilogy for Christmas and thought they were excellent and I've got Alloy of Law on my wishlist.

 

[Shade]

I'm a huge fan of Sanderson's work. I think I've read everything except for his YA novels (Alcatraz series).

Mistborn was my first, and still my favorite. Way of Kings shows great promise, though. His work on the Wheel of Time restored my interest in finishing the painfully lagging series.

If you'd like to sample some of his work, here's a few things he's got online:

Alloy of Law sample chapters (Upcoming novel set in the post-Mistborn universe):
The Alloy of Law - Series | Tor.com

Firstborn (Sanderson does Sci-Fi):
Firstborn by Brandon Sanderson | Tor.com

 

[Thunderfoot]

The Way of Kings audiobook is voiced by the same two people who voiced the WoT audiobooks. Brandons' style is very reminiscent of Robert Jordans in my opinion. <SNIP>.

Yeah, there is a reason Jordan chose him as the guy to finish his series.
Having read Jordan's WoT up to the point where he died... I almost went out and read Sanderson just to get a feel for him, but then, decided not to and wait to read the first of the final trilogy of the WoT books. Even though I could tell when Sanderson had to fill in the gaps, it was good enough that it didn't take away from the established style Jordan set down from the beginning.
So after I read a snippet from one of his books (I forget which one, unfortunately) and it all made sense as to why RJ would trust him with his baby.

 

[NewJeffCT]

Yeah, there is a reason Jordan chose him as the guy to finish his series.
Having read Jordan's WoT up to the point where he died... I almost went out and read Sanderson just to get a feel for him, but then, decided not to and wait to read the first of the final trilogy of the WoT books. Even though I could tell when Sanderson had to fill in the gaps, it was good enough that it didn't take away from the established style Jordan set down from the beginning.
So after I read a snippet from one of his books (I forget which one, unfortunately) and it all made sense as to why RJ would trust him with his baby.

I think I read the first 7 or 8 books of WoT then got a bit frustrated with the series. Thought the first 4 books or so were very good.

 

[RainOfSteel]

I'm reading Way of Kings now. I am about 250 pages into it, and it has been very slow going. It's the proto-typical blockbuster format, the first four chapters all introduce new characters, and then even when some are revisited a few times, later chapters keep on introducing new characters, and more new characters, and yet more. Currently, I don't care about any of them and couldn't care less about anything that is happening. I will plow onward when I am otherwise deathly bored.

 

[AdmundfortGeographer]

The Way of Kings took a very long time to get going. I believe I was about half way through the 1,000+ page book when I finally was sucked in enough I could not put it down. Yeah. That long.

But now I absolutely cannot wait fir the next book and it is utterly horrible waiting! Nearly as bad as waiting for A Storm of Swords when it wasn't yet published.

It will be a ten-book-series. No harm in waiting, though I believe the book can be read fine as a standalone. It is the knowing there is more to come that makes it hard!

 

[Orius]

Only read his work on the WoT so I'm not really familiar with his actual work. I don't think he's done a bad job with finishing up WoT, but there are places where his style clashes with Jordan's.

 

[jmucchiello]

I've only read his Mistborn novel (And am half way through its sequel The Well of Ascension). It is a must read for anyone who enjoys magic systems that are distinctly non-Vancian. He writes well and his characters are believable based on their back-stories. The first novel is an Ocean's Eleven-style adventure in a dark setting. (Or perhaps calling it a TV's Mission: Impossible-style adventure is more accurate. Hard to say.)

 

[Enforcer]

I've read the Mistborn Trilogy, Elantris, and all of his WoT novels. I like him. He's no GRRM (none are), but he does a good job and provides an entertaining read. I especially like his WoT books, as he gets stuff DONE. Loose plot thread from three books ago? BAM, finished. Actually gives me hope that the series will be finished and finished well.

Elantris was good, I especially liked the ending, but the Mistborn Trilogy was much better in my opinion. The magic system in those books is really cool and obviously Sanderson put a lot of careful consideration into creating it. The first book of the trilogy is probably my favorite, it's like Leverage meets fantasy.