[Baco Xtath]

Maark, on 21 February 2016 - 10:55 AM, said:

At this stage, The Way of Kings is shaping up to be this book for me. I'm about 550 pages in and we've got a character arbitrarily ranting about 'god is real check my proofs out', which always irritates me. The main issues so far are a lack of pace, only one character out of the main cast has been likeable, the best character is so far a bit character used in interludes... I doubt based on what I've seen so far that I'll continue with the series. If it carries on being a 4/10, I don't know if I'll even finish it.

Definitely seconding this. In Words of Radiance, there's a bit of dialogue between Shallan and another main character that is beyond childish. The only reason I continued after Way of Kings was because the originality of the world and the magic system but it's definitely countered by the dialogue and the witticisms, which make me cringe. After putting down Bands of Mourning, I'm completely done with Sanderson.

[Maark Abbott]

Baco Xtath, on 21 February 2016 - 06:15 PM, said:

Maark, on 21 February 2016 - 10:55 AM, said:

At this stage, The Way of Kings is shaping up to be this book for me. I'm about 550 pages in and we've got a character arbitrarily ranting about 'god is real check my proofs out', which always irritates me. The main issues so far are a lack of pace, only one character out of the main cast has been likeable, the best character is so far a bit character used in interludes... I doubt based on what I've seen so far that I'll continue with the series. If it carries on being a 4/10, I don't know if I'll even finish it.

Definitely seconding this. In Words of Radiance, there's a bit of dialogue between Shallan and another main character that is beyond childish. The only reason I continued after Way of Kings was because the originality of the world and the magic system but it's definitely countered by the dialogue and the witticisms, which make me cringe. After putting down Bands of Mourning, I'm completely done with Sanderson.

I'm actually finding the world to be a negative point. The setting is a cool idea, yeah, but the races seem arbitrarily weird (giant kung-fu sensei eyebrows? Teenage mutant ninja Parshendi?) and I can't really find much reason why they'd be as they are.

Thing is, I enjoyed Elantris and Warbreaker, and Mistborn is one of those series I could read again and again (and when Incarnate is out you'll see how influential it was to me). It makes the disappointment with SLA1 all the more crushing.

[Cause]

That said there is no getting around the witticisms. Either Sanderson is too witty for me or he thinks he can write witty characters but he really absolutley can not. Everyone tells us Shallan and the Wit are these amazing comeback artists and the queen and king of Wit. What actually comes out of their mouths though.....

[Andorion]

Cause, on 22 February 2016 - 09:19 AM, said:

That said there is no getting around the witticisms. Either Sanderson is too witty for me or he thinks he can write witty characters but he really absolutley can not. Everyone tells us Shallan and the Wit are these amazing comeback artists and the queen and king of Wit. What actually comes out of their mouths though.....

Sanderson's books would be vastly improved if he throttled back on the worldbuilding a bit and focussed more on characters. But I still think SLA is one of the biggest things in fantasy for this decade.

[Maark Abbott]

Andorion, on 22 February 2016 - 04:15 PM, said:

Cause, on 22 February 2016 - 09:19 AM, said:

That said there is no getting around the witticisms. Either Sanderson is too witty for me or he thinks he can write witty characters but he really absolutley can not. Everyone tells us Shallan and the Wit are these amazing comeback artists and the queen and king of Wit. What actually comes out of their mouths though.....

Sanderson's books would be vastly improved if he throttled back on the worldbuilding a bit and focussed more on characters. But I still think SLA is one of the biggest things in fantasy for this decade.

If it doesn't pick up soon then I can see it being the biggest thing in fantasy that I pass on because the first book was slower than all of WoT's slow books put together.

It's like a book of just Perrin when he gets super moe about everything. All the characters are Perrin.

The worldbuilding is also kind of irritating, actually. It's as though everything has to be super weird for the sake of it, or because fantasy is expected to be weird.

[worry]

Hey I just thought up a good nickname for Brandon Sanderson if you don't like his books: The Sandman. Cuz he'll put you to sleep, out of boredom.

[worry]

Plus his name.

[Maark Abbott]

Go get Spiderman and we'll see if he'll feyt him, that's how we'll know it'll be accurate.

Jokes aside, I loved Mistborn and the two standalones I read were good as well, so that's probably why the disappointment is hitting me so hard with this one.

[End of Disc One]

At least try to push through the first book

[Maark Abbott]

End of Disc One, on 23 February 2016 - 12:18 PM, said:

At least try to push through the first book

So the analogy is giving birth? Egads.

I'm at 655 now. Still pushing on but I think it's because I've never once quit a book halfway through.

[Macros]

I have a hearty dislike for the stormlight archives too, so you're by no means alone on that front.
Irritating characters and that god awful david eddings/ robert jkrdan trope of 'people from this town ALL act like this' but people from the next valley over have an entirely different set of characteristics.
Shallans an annoying tool

[QuickTidal]

Maark, on 23 February 2016 - 02:03 PM, said:

End of Disc One, on 23 February 2016 - 12:18 PM, said:

At least try to push through the first book

So the analogy is giving birth? Egads.

I'm at 655 now. Still pushing on but I think it's because I've never once quit a book halfway through.

For what it's worth, BK is right, the best part of the first book is the ending. Everything that gestates for the whole book (including Kaladin's "hero" journey, and Shallan's Wizards Journey). Sanderson is a big fan of setup. A big, big fan of setup. I mean the narrative (for what it is) is pretty straightforward and follows a bunch of typical tropes. The last 100 or so pages basically makes most of that stuff worth it. Book 2 is where things really start to develop harder, characters who had very basic tropey fantasy journey's in Book 1, stride off in new and better directions.

So, for example, in book 1...I was only okay with Shallan's storyline. It seemed pretty atypical "learning magic" from reluctant, secretive teacher type of stuff...adding into it that Shallan herself (mostly due to her staid upbringing) is a bit of a bore, and really too conservative. It was only okay. I basically put up with it. But in Book 2 Shallan's new arc is virtually unrecognizable to what it was. It's interesting (possibly the most interesting arc in the second book), and fun, and I looked fwd to her chapters. I think the main thing to thrust home is that Sanderson is playing the long game with this. This is his baby, his BIG series. This is where he hopes to leave his biggest mark. As such it's doing a lot, a lot of table setting.

All that said, if you finish book 1 and AREN'T impressed with that last 100 pages or so...perhaps it's not for you in the end.

[Maark Abbott]

QuickTidal, on 23 February 2016 - 05:34 PM, said:

Maark, on 23 February 2016 - 02:03 PM, said:

End of Disc One, on 23 February 2016 - 12:18 PM, said:

At least try to push through the first book

So the analogy is giving birth? Egads.

I'm at 655 now. Still pushing on but I think it's because I've never once quit a book halfway through.

For what it's worth, BK is right, the best part of the first book is the ending. Everything that gestates for the whole book (including Kaladin's "hero" journey, and Shallan's Wizards Journey). Sanderson is a big fan of setup. A big, big fan of setup. I mean the narrative (for what it is) is pretty straightforward and follows a bunch of typical tropes. The last 100 or so pages basically makes most of that stuff worth it. Book 2 is where things really start to develop harder, characters who had very basic tropey fantasy journey's in Book 1, stride off in new and better directions.

So, for example, in book 1...I was only okay with Shallan's storyline. It seemed pretty atypical "learning magic" from reluctant, secretive teacher type of stuff...adding into it that Shallan herself (mostly due to her staid upbringing) is a bit of a bore, and really too conservative. It was only okay. I basically put up with it. But in Book 2 Shallan's new arc is virtually unrecognizable to what it was. It's interesting (possibly the most interesting arc in the second book), and fun, and I looked fwd to her chapters. I think the main thing to thrust home is that Sanderson is playing the long game with this. This is his baby, his BIG series. This is where he hopes to leave his biggest mark. As such it's doing a lot, a lot of table setting.

All that said, if you finish book 1 and AREN'T impressed with that last 100 pages or so...perhaps it's not for you in the end.

We'll see. The really frustrating thing for me is it's a solid 8/10 to 9/10 when it gets going, but then nosedives back to a 3/10 or 4/10 mere pages after and stays there for about a hundred pages. The interludes haven't served any purpose either other than to remind me that Szeth is still around somewhere, and that if there was more of him this whole torrid affair would be measurably better.

[QuickTidal]

FWIW. The interludes in Book 2 are far more diverse, and seem to serve the overall worldbuilding.

[firvulag]

For me it was the Broken Empire trilogy and the Expanse novels. For the latter, I've read the trilogy and the 2 short stories and kept hoping it would get better, it did not. I found it so disappointing that it's actually put me off reading any of Daniel Abraham's own work. Really don't get why people like these series so much.

[acesn8s]

Maark, on 23 February 2016 - 02:03 PM, said:

End of Disc One, on 23 February 2016 - 12:18 PM, said:

At least try to push through the first book

So the analogy is giving birth? Egads.

I'm at 655 now. Still pushing on but I think it's because I've never once quit a book halfway through.

Waiting for the

[Maark Abbott]

QuickTidal, on 23 February 2016 - 06:32 PM, said:

FWIW. The interludes in Book 2 are far more diverse, and seem to serve the overall worldbuilding.

I'd rather they were relevant to the story and interesting, to be honest.

acesn8s, on 23 February 2016 - 08:24 PM, said:

Maark, on 23 February 2016 - 02:03 PM, said:

End of Disc One, on 23 February 2016 - 12:18 PM, said:

At least try to push through the first book

So the analogy is giving birth? Egads.

I'm at 655 now. Still pushing on but I think it's because I've never once quit a book halfway through.

Waiting for the

As long as it eventually comes, because I'm considering bailing and going to Bakker.

[worry]

firvulag, on 23 February 2016 - 07:46 PM, said:

For me it was the Broken Empire trilogy and the Expanse novels. For the latter, I've read the trilogy and the 2 short stories and kept hoping it would get better, it did not. I found it so disappointing that it's actually put me off reading any of Daniel Abraham's own work. Really don't get why people like these series so much.

They're just not down with the clown, I suppose.

[Maark Abbott]

I've not read The Expanse at all, but I did enjoy Abraham's Long Price quartet. Think it was about six years ago now that I read that one.

[Morgoth]

Macros, on 23 February 2016 - 05:10 PM, said:

I have a hearty dislike for the stormlight archives too, so you're by no means alone on that front.
Irritating characters and that god awful david eddings/ robert jkrdan trope of 'people from this town ALL act like this' but people from the next valley over have an entirely different set of characteristics.
Shallans an annoying tool

Not to mention how the king and his aristocracy can leave a feudal kingdom for ten years with all of their armies without any serious consequences. Ignoring the logistics of it, the power structure back in the kingdom would have crumbled long ago.