Desku Posted September 9 Report Share Posted September 9 Hi everyone, I'm a 35 year old who started picking up reading as a serious pastime now that my introversion has taken full form as an adult. After tumbling down a fantasy rabbit hole from games to book, I fell upon Sanderson through YouTube, and the man himself suggested Mistborn as a starting point. I came in with zero to low expectations, and about a 1/3 into the book, and I am floored....at how fun and "magical" it is. The only other time I felt this was reading Harry Potter as a 5th grader and reading Bradbury in college. My question to you guys is, if Mistborn is a good introduction to Sanderson, will his other books provide me the same type of magic? Am I really naive as to how good his other books are? I am loving the book so far, will finish the trilogy, but I am hoping someone can point me to towards something a bit darker and more mature after this series. All in all, this book is so freaking amazing, I honestly can't believe that as a man in his mid 30's that I feel like a kid reading a book in a nook in a library again. Haha! Nice to meet you all! P.S The only reason I am finding about Sanderson now is I haven't read any Fantasy genre books for the past 11 years and only recent redeveloped the palette for it. Desku 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ΨιτιsτηεΒέsτ Male Posted September 9 Report Share Posted September 9 42 minutes ago, Desku said: Hi everyone, I'm a 35 year old who started picking up reading as a serious pastime now that my introversion has taken full form as an adult. After tumbling down a fantasy rabbit hole from games to book, I fell upon Sanderson through YouTube, and the man himself suggested Mistborn as a starting point. I came in with zero to low expectations, and about a 1/3 into the book, and I am floored....at how fun and "magical" it is. The only other time I felt this was reading Harry Potter as a 5th grader and reading Bradbury in college. My question to you guys is, if Mistborn is a good introduction to Sanderson, will his other books provide me the same type of magic? Am I really naive as to how good his other books are? I am loving the book so far, will finish the trilogy, but I am hoping someone can point me to towards something a bit darker and more mature after this series. All in all, this book is so freaking amazing, I honestly can't believe that as a man in his mid 30's that I feel like a kid reading a book in a nook in a library again. Haha! Nice to meet you all! P.S The only reason I am finding about Sanderson now is I haven't read any Fantasy genre books for the past 11 years and only recent redeveloped the palette for it. Desku Welcome to the shard! Mistborn is generally the widely accepted place to start on his works, but as for how great the others books are is really a matter of opinion. I think we all agree that they are amazing though. personally, I think that the Stormlight Archive is his best work while others favor Mistborn era two (Wax and Wayne series) more. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dragonheir he/him Posted September 10 Report Share Posted September 10 Hello! Welcome to the Shard! In my opinion, at least, Sanderson's other books definitely match the expectations. In fact, Mistborn is actually one of his first books; his writing actually improves as he goes on. Of course, I wouldn't be here if I didn't think Sanderson's writing was awesome, so you'll be getting some selection bias here. As for a next step, he's got an epic fantasy series called The Stormlight Archive, which I think might fulfill your request for more mature. Its magic system isn't quite as rule based as Mistborn's; the powers are still rigorously defined, but they have multiple related uses, rather than the sort of "point and click" that allomancy possesses. However, it has much more in-depth worldbuilding; Sanderson created an entire planet full of magic that feels like it could really exist. It also has more main characters, a more complex plot, and more moral quandaries than Mistborn, although there still is plenty of real-seeming magical battles where limits are defined rather than arbitrarily enforced for the plot. (The outcome is still arbitrarily enforced by the plot; that's how books work, but it doesn't feel like it.) In my opinion, Sanderson's only books that don't quite live up to the expectations created by Mistborn are Elantris and Warbreaker. I believe that both of those were written before it, and thus aren't quite as good (Warbreaker is significantly better than Elantris, though). They're still OK fantasy, but they're not Sanderson tier; I think he learned a lot while writing them. I'd only recommend reading Elantris when you've already read several Sanderson books; it has some interesting information lore-wise (all of Sanderson's adult books take place in one universe, which is called the Cosmere. Many of the people here find patterns between magic systems and extrapolate them, because the magic all follows the same base rules), but, due to its early writing quality, it can cause people who would have really enjoyed other Sanderson books to stop reading. Warbreaker is better; it's a fine book, but I prefer other series and, given what you said, I think you would too. Another thing you'd want to be careful of is that Mistborn takes a complete tone shift between the end of the first trilogy and the book that takes place after it. That also has a tendency to make people stop reading. Spoilers for the first Mistborn trilogy: Spoiler The sequel series takes place long after the main characters have won, so most of the people you know and love from the last book are dead, and the world has been pretty much completely changed. It takes place around Scadrial's second industrial revolution, so things like guns and trains are flying around; it reads closer to a western with magic, although allomancy is present and important. I would recommend it, but if you're expecting more of the final empire, you'll be disappointed. Anyway, I should probably wrap this up before other sharders steal all my points (grr ΨιτιsτηεΒέsτ). I'm glad that we have another Sanderson reader and Shard member, and I hope you enjoy whatever book you pick next. -Dragonheir 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aeternum they/them Posted September 10 Report Share Posted September 10 Welcome to the Shard! Dragonheir answered your questions pretty well already. Stormlight Archive is what I'd recommend to you! 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J. Magi she/her Posted September 10 Report Share Posted September 10 Welcome to the shard!! I'm sure everyone else will give you reading order suggestions so . . . Do you like bagels? If so what kind? What's your least favorite character in Mistborn? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Treamayne Posted September 10 Report Share Posted September 10 Welcome to the Shard, be sure to check out the Sharder FAQ for some tips and tricks to this style of forum, as well as other useful info and links. 2 hours ago, Desku said: Am I really naive as to how good his other books are? I am loving the book so far, will finish the trilogy, but I am hoping someone can point me to towards something a bit darker and more mature after this series. No, his books are that good. However, depending on your definition of "darker" they may not fit that definition (though - when you get to Hero of Ages you can weigh in here on your thoughts about Inquisitors and if that meets your idea or not). Some readers, by "darker," mean either more "mature" (graphic language, violence, etc.) or closer to horror. Whle Sanderson has some possibly "disturbing" content, it does not tend to be described graphically, so for some readers it is not considered "dark." However, I would absolutely say that all of his non-YA books are at least as good as where you started. the YA books are great too, but obviously meant for a Teen audience (though I, and most Sharders, have read them and I have over a decade on you. . . ) Sanderson excels at Worldbuilding (from familiar-but-different like Mistborn to completely intricate like White Sand and Stormlight Archive) and interesting and complex magic systems. You may consider checking out his Three Laws of Magic essays (this is the third, but it has links to essay 1 and 2 in the intro). In the essays he describes the rules he sets for himself and how he builds his complex worlds and magic. Here is one of the many many Reading Order Recommendation threads (and this one has links to others), so they may help you decide where to go next after the first Mistborn trilogy. Happy reading, hope that helps. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Through The Living Glass She/Her Posted September 10 Report Share Posted September 10 (edited) Hey there! Welcome to the Shard! Who's you favorite character so far? Edited September 10 by Through The Living Glass 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ookla she/her Posted September 10 Report Share Posted September 10 (edited) 18 hours ago, Dragonheir said: In my opinion, Sanderson's only books that don't quite live up to the expectations created by Mistborn are Elantris and Warbreaker. Oi! I love Warbreaker! Best single book in the Cosmere, in my own opinion. For series, though, The Stormlight Archive is my one true love. I don't think Mistborn even comes close after the first book ends. Then again, Mistborn is a little dark for my tastes, personally (and I'm speaking to subject matter; I find certain aspects of the magic system deeply disturbing). For other places to start, once you've finished Mistborn, you may enjoy Tress of the Emerald Sea. Some people might recommend reading more of the Cosmere first; however, I think it's a great place to get into things because it'll leave you with some questions about the wider Cosmere while still feeling like it's own book. Otherwise... Stormlight. Always, always Stormlight. On another note, if you could choose any character (from the Cosmere books you've read) to be your college room mate, who would you choose and why? Edited September 10 by Ookla Accidental spoilers. Oops. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The H Posted September 10 Report Share Posted September 10 Hey, glad to see more people share the same fandom! 6 hours ago, Desku said: I am hoping someone can point me to towards something a bit darker and more mature after this series. Stormlight tends to lean into darker tones at times and deals with some darker issues, but I guess that can be said for Mistborn too. 6 hours ago, Desku said: at how fun and "magical" it is. If you're at all looking for something similar, I could recommend Elantris. It doesn't have any long term commitments, and is what I recommend to people trying to get a feel for Mr. Sanderson's writing style and worlds. I will say the magic in the series more closely aligns with the type of magic that leaves people wide-eyed and awestruck, as opposed to the science-y feel of Allomancy. 6 hours ago, Desku said: Nice to meet you all! Nice to meet you too! If you have any questions or just want to chat about the book, I'm sure everyone will be more than welcoming to listen. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
strmblsd he/him. (You lost the game) Posted September 10 Report Share Posted September 10 Hi welcome to the shard would you like a cookie! 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duxredux he/him Posted September 10 Report Share Posted September 10 (edited) @Through The Living Glass and @Ookla, a reminder that Desku has only read Mistborn: the Final Empire so far. Please edit your comments to remove information from future books such as: Spoiler Terms like Hemalurgy and Koloss. You might be able to get away with Koloss, since those are mentioned, but I don't think they make an appearance until WoA. I don't think the term Hemalurgy is known for quite some time. I agree with both of you though, those elements definitely make Mistborn era 1 feel like an incredibly dark setting for a story. To echo some of the others, @Desku, what would you consider dark? The following is a list of topics found in the book. Spoilers: Spoiler The book you just read has Eugenics, breeding programs, slavery, torture, legalized rape and murder (sometimes as a "coming of age" ceremony), torture/beatings of children to discover if they have power, infanticide (Vin's mother killing her baby sister), prison death colonies (Pits of Hathsin), superpowered Gestapo-style secret police (Steel Inquisitors), and arbitrary mass executions. Most of Brandon's books don't have lists quite like that, but most don't really feel like they pull punches when it comes to how society might develop or the topics addressed. Sanderson really is legit. Sanderson has a way of embedding a magic system into the culture, economics, technology, and religions of society and exploring the ramifications that would accompany such a magic existing in the world and how both good and evil people would utilize such power and he explores both the light and dark. For example, its pretty firmly established that Allomancy is genetically inherited in the first book, and Brandon does a thorough deconstruction of what that implies. Heritable power is at the root of how the book starts with attempted legal rape and murder of a young girl by a nobleman - who was subsequently slaughtered by Kelsier. It's why Vin was hunted by Steel Inquisitors the entire book and why her former crew leader Camon was tortured and left to hang in the streets by a hook rammed through his throat. Heritable power and the acquisition of it by the elite or the stifling of it in the underclass Skaa is further explored in later books in the series. Most of that list in the spoilered paragraph is largely a result of exploring what could happen with a heritable magic as a catalyst. The first Mistborn series for me at least feels like it has some of the darkest tones in Brandon's books, though there is definitely dark content in his other series. For realism though, you can pretty consistently get the care and level of detail on how the magic shapes the world populated by both the moral and immoral, though the tone of the book will vary. Edited September 10 by Duxredux 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Through The Living Glass She/Her Posted September 10 Report Share Posted September 10 (edited) Oop. Must've miss that. Thank you! Edited September 10 by Through The Living Glass Removed the whole quote instead (thanks again) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duxredux he/him Posted September 10 Report Share Posted September 10 3 minutes ago, Through The Living Glass said: Oop. Must've miss that. Thank you! No problem! Aand it looks like I didn't fully read his intro either. Looks like I need to remove spoilers for even the first book since Desku doesn't say if he's finished it or not. Just tweaked my post, if you wouldn't mind editing your quotation of my post that still has the spoilers. Wow that felt clunky and convoluted. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chillidog he/him Posted September 10 Report Share Posted September 10 I personally started on Stormlight (it got recommended to me by someone who had only read it) and I would say it can definitely get dark, especially: Spoiler Shallan's backstory (it just keeps getting worse!), forced possession that kills the host (Fused), the description of murder scenes as well (all for Adolin killing Sadeas tho great part) all stuck out to me. Warbreaker absolutely has some scenes I can think of despite not having read it for a long time, but I would probably agree that Mistborn is the toughest or darkest of his work. 14 hours ago, Ookla said: Oi! I love Warbreaker! Best single book in the Cosmere, in my own opinion. For series, though, The Stormlight Archive is my one true love. I don't think Mistborn even comes close after the first book ends. Then again, Mistborn is a little dark for my tastes, personally (and I'm speaking to subject matter; I find certain aspects of the magic system deeply disturbing). For other places to start, once you've finished Mistborn, you may enjoy Tress of the Emerald Sea. Some people might recommend reading more of the Cosmere first; however, I think it's a great place to get into things because it'll leave you with some questions about the wider Cosmere while still feeling like it's own book. Otherwise... Stormlight. Always, always Stormlight. On another note, if you could choose any character (from the Cosmere books you've read) to be your college room mate, who would you choose and why? On this question, the fun answer would be someone like Lift, Wayne, or Hoid, but I'm not a party person. So I would probably say Adolin (I'd like to think we would be great friends and he could pull me out of my introversion) or Sazed (how much fun would it be to talk about philosophy or theology with that man?!). 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aredor Posted September 11 Report Share Posted September 11 Hello and welcome! Mistborn era 1 is such a good series. Good luck on your journey! 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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