The Gathering Storm - anyone reading this?
- Thread starter Banshee16
- Start date
Ebon Shar
Explorer
I started it last night. I have to say, I'm no fan of Brandon Sanderson. I couldn't get through Mistborn because of his very poor characters. Aside from his main protagonist, all his characters were pretty much the same. While I've only gotten through most of chapter one, my first instict is, "I really miss Robert Jordan."
Darth Shoju
First Post
Um, huh? I'm reading Mistborn right now and this criticism seems really far off. It's especially ironic considering how you lament the absence of Jordan's writing, when he was guilty of having a number of characters who were nearly indistinguisable from one another.
I gave up on WoT after book six. The fact that Brandon Sanderson is writing the concluding trilogy is the only thing making me consider reading them.
Ebon Shar
Explorer
Well, Darth, to each his own. While Jordan may not have had great characterization, he wrote with a sophistication that is sorely lacking in Sanderson's work. Mistborn just seemed very amateurish to me, while Jordan wrote with the confidence of a master.
Jordan may have been guilty of prose-bloat and overwrought characters, but he was just more fun to read than Sanderson, who I think needs much more polish.
This is just my opinion, but I doubt Sanderson was the first choice to complete Jordan's work. There are far more writers out there with much more skill who probably turned it down. I asked Joe Abercrombie if he would have considered doing it and he laughed and said something along the lines of, "God, No!" (of course, I asked him via e-mail, I don't personally know the man).
The point is, there are just some things about Sanderson that I dislike. I've heard from others who love his work. To each his own.
Jordan may have been guilty of prose-bloat and overwrought characters, but he was just more fun to read than Sanderson, who I think needs much more polish.
This is just my opinion, but I doubt Sanderson was the first choice to complete Jordan's work. There are far more writers out there with much more skill who probably turned it down. I asked Joe Abercrombie if he would have considered doing it and he laughed and said something along the lines of, "God, No!" (of course, I asked him via e-mail, I don't personally know the man).
The point is, there are just some things about Sanderson that I dislike. I've heard from others who love his work. To each his own.
Does Rand make an appearance, finally? IIRC, in the last book, Rand was pretty much out of it....most of it was focused on Matt, wasn't it? Rand was still unconscious or recovering from the effects of some battle two books ago, I think?
The cover of the book talks about the growing darkness within Rand. I didn't think he was supposed to be continuing to grow insane, since the Source was cleansed a few books back. Or am I wrong?
Banshee
There's actually more Rand than anything else, but you'll probably be hoping the next chapter is an Egwene chapter every time by the time you're a few hundred pages in, because Egwene's plot thread is great and Rand is scary (Rand's thread and the little we see of Perrin are okay to good, Tuon's great but not seen much, Elayne is Lady Not Appearing in this Book, Mat's a little off, but Egwene's thread in TGS is up there with Perrin's in book 4 as one of the best in the series).
Rand's mental problems have very little to do with the effects of taint on saidin (though the cleansing just means those won't get worse, it doesn't fix them), IMO.
Darth Shoju
First Post
You're making a lot of definitive statements for someone claiming "to each their own". Jordan was a talented writer, but at no time did I feel I was reading the work of a "master" (though I'll grant that WoT is sophisticated). While I'm not suggesting that Sanderson is a "master" of fantasy either, to call his work amateurish is frankly just inaccurate. His prose is solid, and his characters, imagery, and plot reinforce the layered and provocative themes of the story. I certainly don't expect everyone to like it, but to deny its quality seems disingenuous to me.
And I suspect Sanderson was pretty high on the list of choices to finish the series, Joe Abercrombie's feelings on the matter aside.
Ebon Shar
Explorer
I'm not sure if this is an argument worth having, but I was clearly stating my opinion. If my opinions appear definitive, that's your opinion (did you see what I did there?). I believe that Jordan was a superior writer. That's my opinion. I did not enjoy Mistborn as much as I had hoped I would. I'm glad you enjoyed it and I hope you enjoy his take on Jordan's world. I'll continue to read it because Dave Rothgery thinks it is great, and I trust his opinion when it comes to Wheel of Time. If I can overcome my disdain for Sanderson's prose, I'm sure I'll enjoy it as well.
On a side note: Why does everyone on ENWorld have to be so confrontational?
Which I find ironic, because having just finished "Best Served Cold", I think Abercrombie like David Eddings is a writer that likes a certain style of humor in his books, and thus no matter what characters are involved will find a certain pattern of snarkiness developing despite whom might be in the scene.
Abercrombie stylistically would never be a good fit for Jordan, and I am glad that Joe probably realizes this. Now for Glen Cook, he could take over w/o missing a beat.
I would be interested in hearing more plot details though for the book if anyone would care to share........
Similar Threads
