Kvothe Posted April 12, 2013 Report Share Posted April 12, 2013 I've only read Way of Kings so far and it was great, but I'm not sure how much I've picked up from it as it relates to the big picture story with Hoid, the Cosmere, the Shards. I don't want to read too much about this stuff because it's spoiler territory, but at the same time, I don't want to miss what's going on in the background, beyond the story of the world the book is set in. So I'd like to ask for a recommendation, in terms of what order the books should be read in order to get the most out of the Cosmere story. What should I be looking out for in all of these books? I know Hoid has a lot to do with it. I think he also referred to himself as Odium? Which would essentially make him the enemy the Kalak called "the enemy" in the prologue, right? I've tried paying attention to what he does, but it feels like I only have a very small sliver of information about the overarching story after reading this book. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elwynn Posted April 12, 2013 Report Share Posted April 12, 2013 Welcome to the Cosmere! Try to forget the thought that Hoid is Odium, because it just isn't so. But don't worry, you'll definitely want to re-read WoK after you gobble up the rest of the Cosmere. It's vastly more rewarding (especially some of the epigraphs before each chapter). First and foremost, it doesn't really matter that much which order you read them. And you can always come here to pick up any nuances you've missed, and ask any questions you have. And in all honesty, if you enjoy him like we all do, you'll probably be reading certain sections/books multiple times. In my opinion, BS is probably the most rewarding author to re-read. He is a master of one-liners and hiding things in plain sight. But on to my recomendations... Mistborn 1. The Final Empire 2. The Well of Ascension (Hoid appears in this book, but is not specifically named.) 3. The Hero of Ages The mistborn series is the one that kind of broke the cosmere out of the shadows and gave us a whole heap of knowledge about it all. And it's just an amazing series to boot. It will give you a very good jumping off point to picking up everything. From there you have a couple of choices. Take the next few in any order you want really. If you are really enjoying the world and story go ahead and jump into...Mistborn: Alloy of Law. It's a few hundred years later but has some great treats that carry on several world building elements and even people from the original series. i.e. religions based off of very important events in the original series. If you're looking for a little break... Elantris would be my next suggestion. It's a very early work of his (actually his master's thesis), so the writing isn't as professionally oriented. Many people didn't like what was termed as the 'sanderson avalanche' which is an absolute crazy and I guess overwhelming climax for some people. Personally it was one of the things that drew me to him, I love it! You get some good knowlege about the groundwork he's creating for systematic development of all magic that perpetuates the Cosmere. Even more goodies come from annotations to the book and interview quotes he has given us. But you'll have to come back for those. If you enjoyed Elantris, I would recommend Emperor's Soul because it takes place on the same world. I would not recommend reading it before Elantris though. There aren't any spoilers in it, but there is an easter egg or two you can pick up about the world that identifies it as the same as Elantris. I won't bog you down with the different names of the planets, but come on back, we have those too! Emperor's Soul will give some really great metaphysical explanations for the way his worlds work. There are three planes of existence that permeate all the worlds, but you have plenty of time to learn about this stuff later and don't need any of it to thoroughly enjoy the book(s). If you're looking for something else, move on to Warbreaker. Warbreaker is beautifully imagined and wonderfully vibrant. It doesn't contain a heap of knowledge about the cosmere, but does have one or two very important things. And have no fear, Hoid is of course there (like all these books listed). That's it. Don't let any of it seem overwhelming, but keep a careful eye out at the same time, Sanderson is a foreshadowing master! And be sure to come back after every book is finished, there are seperate threads to help with any questions you have and won't contain any spoilers for the other books (be sure to finish the whole Mistborn series first though). Even Elantris and Emperor's Soul have seperated threads, so have no fear. And most of all...ENJOY! Sanderson's books are amazing. Can't wait to hear from you in the future. Now shoo! Get to reading. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Observer Posted April 12, 2013 Report Share Posted April 12, 2013 I have to agree with Elwynn, read Mistborn first, and then reak WoK last. Mistborn is a fantastic reference for Shardic lore, and WoK his just a huge Cosmere thing with some very creepy references to Mistborn. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kvothe Posted April 12, 2013 Author Report Share Posted April 12, 2013 Welcome to the Cosmere! Try to forget the thought that Hoid is Odium, because it just isn't so. But don't worry, you'll definitely want to re-read WoK after you gobble up the rest of the Cosmere. It's vastly more rewarding (especially some of the epigraphs before each chapter). .... Thanks for all the advice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nepene Posted April 12, 2013 Report Share Posted April 12, 2013 http://coppermind.net/wiki/The_Letter This letter, which you read in way of kings, was written by a person being pursued by the seventeenth shard and explains their views on Odium. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlairJ Posted April 12, 2013 Report Share Posted April 12, 2013 I am going to chime in and say, definitely read the Final Empire first. I think it gives a lot of insight in to what the Cosmere is in subtle ways and is really expounded upon in other books. From there, you might as well finish the current books in the Mistborn series (there will be more) and I would agree that WoK will be last. However, I do recommend getting to WoK as fast as you can so that you can anticipate WoR just as badly as we are. Welcome! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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