Is reading The Stormlight Archive worth it?

[Red Ferring]

I know huge fans will say "yes, of course". But for someone who doesn't typically read humongous fantasy books but still loves Brandon's Cosmere and loved the Mistborn trilogy, is it still recommended? I'm just afraid of reading a book that takes forever to get the ball rolling and develop characters. Is that a downside to Stormlight or does Brandon pretty much avoid those problems?

[Kestrel]

Yes.

The thing about Stormlight is that you need to stick with it. My first read, I thought it was pretty drawn-out. But eventually, it grows on you and you can't put it down. I wouldn't say it takes forever, but it is definitely a slower read at first than his other novels. Just give it time.

[ccstat]

Here are my family's experiences:

• Me: loved it (also hugely loved Mistborn and usually like long involved fantasy)
• Wife: liked WoK okay, hasn't bothered to pick up WoR (enjoyed Mistborn TFE but not enough to read the rest of the trilogy.)
• Brother: "Best book I've ever read" (thought Mistborn was pretty good.)
• Sister: loved it (much more a Reckoners and Rithmatist fan than Mistborn)
• Mom: not awful. but terribly long and slow. fell asleep during the audiobook and didn't feel compelled to catch up on the parts she missed. (Hasn't read any other Sanderson except Alcatraz, not really into alternate world fantasy)
• Dad: not interested (he loves Tolkein and that's about it for fantasy)

In my opinion there is plenty of intermediate action to keep the pages turning, but it is true that there is a whole lot of "nothing important is happening yet." However, that length is part of what I thought really makes the story work. For example, it gives the characters time to make crucial decisions, experience the outcome, and change their mind later (and even again after that) without seeming to flip-flop. They actually have room for growth in between those points and it feels organic. 

Edited May 29, 2015 by ccstat

[Orlion Blight]

If you "love the Cosmere", it's essential reading. 

[natc]

The page count is also padded by flashbacks telling you just how the flashback-focus character (every book only has one throughout, which may differ from the focus character of the present-day events) got themselves into such a screwed-up life and the changes they went through.

Another block of pages comes from interludes that tell you what's going on elsewhere in the world, possibility a major character that had just left the main setting for some purpose, or even people not connected to the main cast at all that are doing seemingly irrelevant things. It's sort of a solution to foreshadow events and/or do worldbuilding without moving the plot away from the place where everything is going down.

They usually occur during the calmer downtime moments so as to not interrupt anything important.

[navybrandt]

"yes, of course"

 

Seriously, it is a huge learning curve and hard to get into until after the first part. There are 5 parts (I think) so that's about 20% of the book! I found that I missed a lot until I read it a second time. Getting the audiobooks helps - at least for me. I promise the strange world will start to make sense and be really awesome.

 

If you loved Mistborn, you will love SA even more as Brandon has only gotten better as a writer. Read some other online reviews and then decide. If you do start to read it, don't give up on it, and I promise it will be worth it - and might even start to consume your life.

 

As Orlion said, it is essential reading if you're into the Cosmere. I would recommend reading Warbreaker too, before starting the second book of SA. I highly doubt anyone on this site will recommend skipping SA.

[Haradion Drogon]

Yes.

It is simply a very good book.

Followed by another very good book.

etc.

 

Read it. 

 

You won't regret it. 

Edited May 29, 2015 by Haradion Drogon

[XenosHg]

Can't say i "recommend this method", bit in situations like this, maybe you could open some site like goodreads and read negative reviews.

They are sometimes too harsh, sometimes hateful, sometimes foolish, and sometimes people explicitly hate the things you loved the book for - but you'll know the possible negative qualities.

[Orlion Blight]

Can't say i "recommend this method", bit in situations like this, maybe you could open some site like goodreads and read negative reviews.

They are sometimes too harsh, sometimes hateful, sometimes foolish, and sometimes people explicitly hate the things you loved the book for - but you'll know the possible negative qualities.

I find it's a pretty good method with practice. Two star reviews tend to be the best to get "potential negatives", at which point you can decide if that is a game killer. I also tend to ignore reviews where the person did not finish the book.

 

You'll also notice fun repetitions of valueless phrases that people believe need to be in a review: "Now, I'm an epic fantasy reader, but..." "I really enjoyed Brandon's previous books, but...", "the characterizations and tropes..." and so on and so forth... you could make Bingo! cards for Goodreads reviews!

[Voidus]

Definitely, compared to other Epics it gets into things relatively quickly and is just generally awesome.

[gbazz4]

I absolutely recommend reading the stormlight archives if you are fan of the Cosmere and Brandon's other works. Yes it is long. But for me i cannot put the books down. I am actually starting a 3rd reread of WOK and then will do a 3rd reread of WOR after that. After being on the forum for a few weeks i realized there is so much detail and so many connections that i haven't seen before when i just read the books for enjoyment. I am actually combing through the text with a much more focused eye trying to see little details that i previously thought were just fluff that actually are interesting and connected to larger themes in the books. The fascinating thing to me was reading about the world of Roshar, As Navybrandt says it takes a while to get used to because it is completely different conceptually then most fantasy works i have read. But that was refreshing to me because it was so different from everything else i have read and i just wanted to immerse myself more in the world. The magic system is something i love for the way he built it. and the powers people can have

 

It takes a while to really get the adrenaline pumping but when it does it is can't put down reading. There is a enough interesting stuff happening i feel that makes up for it taking a while to get really rolling. You have to consider that Brandon is setting up a mammoth 10 book series so there is a lot of world building and backstory that is being laid out early on to set the stage for later books. The WOK was a little slow early, but the last 150 pages or so were exhilarating...anyone else want to add in on what they thought of the Tower scene in WOK? I thought it was awesome and couldn't stop reading. 

 

There are so many unanswered questions in WOK that you will want to go right into WOR. I think because of that WOR will have a lot more going on earlier on in the book. Then it too has an epic climax where the last portion of the book is intense and full of action. Then it too leaves you with more questions and more theories of what will happen, which will provide you with good ideas for posts on the forum.

 

So i wholeheartedly endorse the series. To me it is my favorite series right now. I am someone who loves Game of Thrones, Wheel of Time, Harry Potter, and many other series, but this one is my favorite and i think it will continue to be as more books get released. 

[kaellok]

Yes. Lots and lots of good stuff in it. It's also a fairly easy read with multiple levels (so it's enjoyable whether you ate reading it the first or third time, because there are lots of things it's easy to miss that aren't necessary, but adds to the experience) without being dense like Tolstoy (or even Tolkien.)

My sister couldn't do audio and had to read my hard copy version fora first read through because she was missing too much while at work (compared to Mistborn, which apparently wasn't that much of a problem.)

Stormlight Archive is epic fantasy done right, if you like to enjoy your books and stories rather than suffer from/through/because of them.

[ljósmóður]

Yes. I think so. It's hard for me to say whether someone who normally doesn't "do" fantasy would love it because I do love fantasy novels generally so don't have a problem with wading into very large tomes full of magic! But, I think the strength of the Stormlight Archive is that despite being resolutely fantasy (and specifically Brandon Sanderson cosmere fantasy at that) the characters are human with human qualities and failings, making human decisions (even the ones who aren't species-speaking human!). It's a brilliant example of fantasy discussing meaty issues (I think Mistborn did this too but SA feels deeper and more adult in its exploration of power/religion/war and pacifism and so much else). I worry that I've made it sound really worthy - it isn't it's a cracking read with some meat to it.

[Cold Fusion]

Every person on this page is saying the exact same thing, listen to them.

 

Honestly, it's a really good series, and really easy to read since it's still coming out and there's a break between each book.  I just finished the wheel of time about a year ago, and thought it had been a huge waste of time and pages. Unlike WoT, Stormlight is definitely worth it.

[maxal]

I would say SA is primarily character oriented, which means you will follow the ups and downs of several individuals. Their struggles are at the center of the story as opposed to other work where the world building takes precedence, not to say there is no world building in SA, there is quite a lot of it, but I feel I am reading more about people than a foreign universe. 

 

I have tried reading other series where the world looked awesome, but the character felt completely flat. You will not get this in SA. You will get emotionally involve with at least one character, typically Kaladin as he is, by far, the most develop character and his story arc hits sensitive cords in many readers. Who does not like the beaten down under-dog trope? In any advent, you will most likely find at least one character to root for.

 

I have read many books over the years and I must say I have never been as emotionally engaged in a book as much as SA. There is just something about this book that makes it irresistible and there is also the fact Brandon is a master at creating cliffhangers as well as action pact sequences. He also never leaves unresolved threads and he does make the story move forward. If your character start off with an issue, you are sure to see it resolved in a reasonable amount of time. In other words, he is not Jordan who was willing to let is character inner turmoil drag onto books over books without seeing any light at the end of the tunnel (I am looking at you Rand).

 

Should you read SA? YES. Definitely. The only people I would not recommend SA are those loving overly detailed descriptions and enhanced prose as you will not find this in SA. Brandon does not spend too many pages time describing his world or his characters. In fact, we hardly have any descriptive for some characters (I am looking at you Renarin)...

[InstantWalrus]

For me BS books have a very special tone which is strongest in the SA books.

 

I like to view his works in my minds eye as an anime.

 

Now this visualisation may put off anime haters but its just how i personally visualise the books.

 

So if you like (ill spoiler the thing just in case)

 

- Soldiers in power armour

- wielding posterior kicking oversized swords/lightsabers

- weird cutsey sidekicks with a significance

- in a world of crustaceans

- where people can go super seyan (sp?)

- and pull off superhumanly feats

- whilst at the same time being a compelling character driven story of epic magnitude

 

SA is deffo for you

 

edit: overexcited use of a naughty word, but cant think of a synonym that isnt naughty... mhmm

Edited June 4, 2015 by InstantWalrus

[hubrisnxs]

I have read pretty much every epic Fantasy published in the last 20 years, including self published ones, and this series towers above all of them.

So you don't feel like you are putting money on the line, create a Gmail account and get an audible credit. Download Way of Kings, good sir. In my experience, for a book this long, you usually see huge battles between partisans: Infinite Jest, Gravity's Rainbow...you get the point.

I have thrust this book on more friends than any other in my life (that's my habit), and I have yet to see someone get 20% in and not be thoroughly engrossed.

That said, Words of Radiance, imo, is far superior, although I have no idea how the story can really continue at this pace for 8 to 10 books.... Frankly, I'm baffled how the third book can be anything approaching what we who treasure this series would want... The POV is going to be largely focused on a character that we don't really want as a protagonist, and, again, the pace is so frantic at this point that I am hesitant to recommend this to people until the third book comes out.

It's kind of ironic, since I was just as engrossed by Wheel of Time when I was a kid, as were many of my peers... And I dread that it's going to be a bit like WoT books 5-8, though I actually loved those books. I just know almost all those peers set it aside until Brandon came in and finished it up.

Apologies for the length and lack of lucidity; I assure you, Brandon may write as much, but for some reason that is beyond my ken, he isn't tedious.

Hope you take the audible challenge, but elsewise wish you well,

BCH

[Orlion Blight]

That said, Words of Radiance, imo, is far superior, although I have no idea how the story can really continue at this pace for 8 to 10 books.... Frankly, I'm baffled how the third book can be anything approaching what we who treasure this series would want... The POV is going to be largely focused on a character that we don't really want as a protagonist, and, again, the pace is so frantic at this point that I am hesitant to recommend this to people until the third book comes out.

 

Speak for yourself! That character steals every one of the few scenes he's been in! Of course, it is not set in stone (*guffaw*) and the Lost-Style POV could be another character... we won't know for a few months, I imagine.

 

As far as maintaining the pace: remember, this will not be a flat-out 10 book series, it's essentially two five book series, which is more doable then if it was just a ten book series.

[Erai Sedai]

i had no idea what the cosmere was, i was just looking online for a good book to read (and i hadn't even read many books at the time) came across the way of kings, looked interesting, massive page count but thought i'd try it out.

For the first 500 pages, i thought it was okay, but couldn't work out why it had such amazing reviews. nothing special really.
Then the next 300 or so pages, i was more engaged and eager.
Then the final 200 pages had me on edge and up all night!

By the end, it was literally the best book i'd ever read! it NEEDED to be that long to appreciate everything. i wouldn't change a single thing about it.

Since then i've read a whole lot of fantasy including all other cosmere books, kingkiller chronicle, first 4 wheel of time books, first law, demon cycle, etc and nothing is as good as the stormlight archive in my opinion so far (though Wheel of Time is on par for me).

So please read it, just for the eventual experience.

[Guest]

Gotta love it when the Avalanche comes.

[Mckeedee123]

I know huge fans will say "yes, of course". But for someone who doesn't typically read humongous fantasy books but still loves Brandon's Cosmere and loved the Mistborn trilogy, is it still recommended? I'm just afraid of reading a book that takes forever to get the ball rolling and develop characters. Is that a downside to Stormlight or does Brandon pretty much avoid those problems?

 

In my opinion, truly long and detailed Epic fantasy series like WoT and LoTR make Stormlight Archives look like Green Eggs and Ham. The book doesn't drone on with detailed descriptions, and all of the Worldbuilding that's mentioned is either: A- Relevant to the plot, or B- Incredibly cool. Kaladin, Shallan, and Dalinar are all pretty compelling characters once you get to know them (which shouldn't take too long seeing as you get a pretty good idea from the first few chapters where they're introduced.)

 

The Way of Kings was my first experience with Brandon Sanderson and fantasy in general. I was hooked by the end of Part One and was absolutely enamored with it by the time the climax was over.

 

By the time you get done with Part One, I can assure you that Kaladin's plotline will have you interested, at the very least. His story makes everything worth it, even if you think Shallan isn't all that great at this point.

[Bort]

anyone else want to add in on what they thought of the Tower scene in WOK? I thought it was awesome and couldn't stop reading. 

 

I didn't like this scene. Why? Because the damnation thing nearly got me fired! That's right. It is so compelling, that my 'reasonable time for bed' turned into a bit of a late one, causing me to sleep in, and (very) narrowly avoid being late for work the following day.

 

On a more serious note though, the Stormlight Archive very quickly brought Brandon to the Fantasy King throne that lives in Bort's head. The world is so detailed, so real almost, yet unlike Tolkien, he doesn't get bogged down in the tiny details. Instead, he sort of lets the scene set itself. The characters are great, the dialogue is brilliant, and the fight scenes are literally awesome. There are a few key 'Holy Chull!' moments, but the one scene in WoK that really sends shivers up my spine is the one where something changed, literally in a burst of light. It's in the Tower scene that gbazz4 brought up.

 

As for the comments about it being slow at the start, it is a little, but it's not a bad slow. It's more of a 'Let's take time to properly introduce our world and characters' kind of slow.

[maxal]

In my opinion, truly long and detailed Epic fantasy series like WoT and LoTR make Stormlight Archives look like Green Eggs and Ham. The book doesn't drone on with detailed descriptions, and all of the Worldbuilding that's mentioned is either: A- Relevant to the plot, or B- Incredibly cool. Kaladin, Shallan, and Dalinar are all pretty compelling characters once you get to know them (which shouldn't take too long seeing as you get a pretty good idea from the first few chapters where they're introduced.)

 

 

My main issue with SA and calling it Epic Fantasy is the fact Brandon kept on telling the book structure calls for one character to be prominently featured with additional flashbacks from another character, both can be or not be the same. This I am deeply annoyed by because it also means the current characters of SA may not have a large role to play through out the course of the series.

 

For me, what qualifies Epic Fantasy is this quality were we follow the same characters over multiple books and we get to see them grow/evolve. If the focus changes from current main characters to current side characters, then I may end up disinterested. Again, it may not happen, but I am deeply worried about it, even more so the character I want to read the most about is not scheduled to be one of the selected few. It is just plain cruel to start to develop a character, to lead the readers into believing he is as important as the other ones, just not as developed yet, only to perpetually keep him into the backseat, always being a plot device serving to help others grow as opposed to getting his own story arc. Worst is, as a reader, to see other currently less develop characters take the front seat, always leaving my character behind and me, to sole idiot to root for the side-kick who will never be more than a side-kick.

 

This is harsh. So for me, the danger with SA is the characters structure. As a character lover, I can't move my attachment from one character to another with the blink of an eye, especially since the characters I am told I must root for does not strive any passion within me. Albeit, this is a rather personal problem and I may be the only one stuck with it.

[Orlion Blight]

This is harsh. So for me, the danger with SA is the characters structure. As a character lover, I can't move my attachment from one character to another with the blink of an eye, especially since the characters I am told I must root for does not strive any passion within me. Albeit, this is a rather personal problem and I may be the only one stuck with it.

A valid concern. I'm a fan of the Chronicles of Thomas Covenant, and after the first trilogy there is a division about the quality of the books exactly because of this issue: Thomas Covenant becomes a background character in his own series! Didn't bother me, but it upset quite a few people (most famously, his then-editor Lester DelRey, who exclaimed "You don't make Jane the main character in a Tarzan story!")

 

As far as Stormlight, I imagine we will mostly follow the same characters for the first five books, at least. 

[Smye]

I speak with the rest when I say YES YES YES! If you're having trouble getting into it or if you're even just nervous about it, try the audiobook to get yourself going. It's incredible and Michael Kramer does a bang-up job!