Ready to Become a Fan of... focuses on those authors new and old whose works I have every intention of eventually reading, but haven't been able to devote the time to just yet. By discussing authors and their works that I'm sure I'll love, given the chance, hopefully I can be more easily compelled to take the next step in not simply acquiring one of their books, but actually taking the time to read it.
This month I'm putting on record that I am ready to become a fan of Brandon Sanderson.
About the author:
Brandon Sanderson writes fantasy and science fiction works for both adult and young adult readers. In addition to his own novels, Sanderson was also picked to continue on with the last three books in the Wheel of Time series after Robert Jordan’s death. To date, he has published over fifteen novels in addition to a number of novellas. Many of his series are still in the process of being written (Mistborn, The Stormlight Archive, Rithmatist, Reckoners), so hopefully that means years and years of new releases from him.
Work I'm most looking forward to reading:
Mistborn: The Final Empire
Once, a hero arose to save the world. A young man with a mysterious heritage courageously challenged the darkness that strangled the land.
He failed.
For a thousand years since, the world has been a wasteland of ash and mist ruled by the immortal emperor known as the Lord Ruler. Every revolt has failed miserably.
Yet somehow, hope survives. Hope that dares to dream of ending the empire and even the Lord Ruler himself. A new kind of uprising is being planned, one built around the ultimate caper, one that depends on the cunning of a brilliant criminal mastermind and the determination of an unlikely heroine, a street urchin who must learn to master Allomancy, the power of a Mistborn. (Goodreads)
Why this author & this work:
It should come as no surprise to any of my followers that I love reading fantasies. And of all the fantasy sub-genres, high fantasy is closest to my heart. If I was forced to read only one genre for the rest of my life, I wouldn’t even hesitate before deciding on high fantasy. There’s just something so appealing to me about the many tropes indicative of the genre.
I’ve read books by many of big high fantasy authors: Lloyd Alexander, David Eddings, Terry Goodkind, Robert Jordan, C.S. Lewis, George R.R. Martin, Anne McCafferty, Robin McKinley, J.R.R. Tolkien…you get the idea. Not an exhaustive list by any means, but still I think it’s a fairly decent sampling of the genre. Somehow, though, I seem to have missed Brandon Sanderson. In fact, I hadn’t even heard of him until about a year ago. I did start Robert Jordan’s Wheel of Time series, which I know Sanderson picked up after Jordan’s death, but I never got around to finishing the series.
I was actually supposed to go to a Sanderson reading and signing at the beginning of October, but my plans fell through. In a way this is a good thing, however. Had I gone to that signing, I would have felt obligated to read Steelheart first, the book that was being promoted there. And from what I've heard about Sanderson's works, I think that Steelheart probably wouldn't have been the best introduction to his works.
Mistborn sounds like everything I crave in a high fantasy. A battle of Good vs. Evil of epic proportions. Class subdivisions with a hint of rebellion, and a heroine found within the lower ranks. A magic that involves manipulation of the elements. And the twist: this dark age is following the defeat of a hero, of a chosen one. Plus, this book has a ridiculously high ratings average on Goodreads (currently 4.38 from over 82,000 total ratings). So, yes. In summation: this sounds like it features many of my absolute favorite high fantasy tropes to great effect.
For those of you who've already read some of Sanderson's works, I'd appreciate hearing what you think about them. For those who also haven't read his works yet, let me know what's been holding you back!
Ready to Become a Fan of... is an original feature of Late Nights with Good Books.
Dooooooo iiiiiiit! Be warned: I actually had a bit of trouble with the start of Mistborn, it just didn't grab me, so don't be disappointed if it feels a little slow, by the end of the novel I was a convert :D
ReplyDeleteI'm hoping that I won't have much troubles with the start simply because I love high fantasies so much. If I do get a little antsy, I'll have to remember your advice about this. :)
DeleteI didn't come across this author until a couple of years ago - right as I started blogging. I've seen nothing but positive reviews for his titles though, and I definitely like the sound of most of them. Fantasy is generally my genre of choice too and I can't wait to finally get around to some of Sanderson's books. I hope Mistborn lives up to your expectations, Amanda. I can't wait to hear your thoughts! :)
ReplyDeleteThanks, Sam! I hope so too. And I hope that you're eventually able to give him a chance as well. (Maybe I'll even convince you with my reviews, provided I love this) :)
DeleteI actually own ALL of Sanderson's books and I haven't read any of them yet! I definitely need to start his books in 2014, so we'll have to compare thoughts once we finally get to this author!(:
ReplyDeleteAll? Really? Sounds like you have quite the backlog to tread through, Keertana! And yes - we shall have to! I love comparing my thoughts on books to yours. :)
DeleteI hear everyone loves this series sooo much!! So I am really excited to read them!!
ReplyDeleteSame here. Here's hoping both of us will also end up loving his works. :)
DeleteSorry to butt in into this conversation but I just can't stop myself. First things first, I actually categorize Mistborn, LOTR, GOT as Epic Fantasies and not HF because they're more of a grander scale. But anyway, I think that's just me. It's really confusing because Wikipedia and other articles consider HF and EF as almost the same. But for me and some others, they're somewhat different.
ReplyDeleteAnyways, I just finished Mistborn 2 hours ago and OMG, it was just freaking awesome. It's the second epic fantasy series that I would surely follow. I must say that I'd never been a fan of Tolkien's LOTR because of the archaic prose. And it took me a long time (6-7 years) to dive into another EF series because LOTR was, though a decent series, quite traumatic for me. And it caused me to have a pre conceived notion that all EFs are written in an archaic fashion which doesn't suit my reading style at all. All that changed when I dove into Pullman's His Dark Materials since it was an awesome experience. So I decided to pick one EF series again. I actually considered GOT first but was quite apprehensive because of Martin being a character murderer. Hence, I ended up with Mistborn and heavens, I am now a die hard fan. The story Sanderson is just so creative. You shouldn't hesitate in picking it up.
Mistborn is slow but I think it's really necessary so that readers can grasp all the things that Brandon is throwing their way.
Sorry for the lengthy reply!
No need to apologize - I love receiving comments!
DeleteI read a ton of fantasies and honestly I don't think there's much of a difference between high and epic fantasies. Perhaps high is more about the setting and epic is more about the storyline (journey) but honestly I think they're used pretty interchangeably nowadays. That is the impression I have gotten over the years.
I can see how LotR could be difficult to read. It worked for me...and I think having the film versions get released just as I decided to read the books helped. For me, epic/high fantasies should be written more formally, though not necessarily archaically :) I love His Dark Materials too! So good. I also enjoy Martin's series, despite him killing off characters...makes the story interesting lol.
And yay glad to hear more praise for Mistborn! I'm definitely looking forward to reading it.
I've heard some AMAZING things about the Mistborn trilogy. I'll likely be reading Steelheart first though since I own it. Hope you become a fan!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Bonnie! I do want to read Steelheart, but if I can wait until other installments are released, that's always best. And since Mistborn is already complete, it makes my choice easier.
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