To all those in a world I've just recently discovered,
Two years have passed since I first heard of Brandon Sanderson, and I'd be lying if I said his books haven't had an impact on me. But it's been a journey, and it definitely had a rough beginning. I was fifteen years old, still wet behind my ears when it came to fantasy since all I had read were the Inheritance Cycle and the Ranger's Apprentice series (and all books relating to it). I didn't really know what good fantasy looked like - no disrespect to Paolini or Flanagan, but Sanderson's work leaves almost everyone in the dust. I was introduced to Brandon's books by someone I barely knew, and for the first month or so I was a little skeptical of the book he had lent me: a huge, thick, 1000-page tome titled "The Way of Kings." I believe I got through the first 150 pages or so, but by that time I had had the copy so long that the owner began to wonder if I intended to give it back. So I did, and for a few weeks I completely forgot about it. Then I met another fan of Sanderson who told me that The Way of Kings was probably not the best place to start, and recommended Mistborn and The Reckoners. So I read the Reckoners, and my mind was blown. I went back to The Way of Kings soon after, this time with an amount of trust in this Brandon Sanderson person, whoever he was. I read The Way of Kings in about three weeks, which isn't anything special, and again my mind was blown. It was like nothing I'd ever read before, and even LOTR seemed slow and inconsequential in comparison. Two years and dozens upon dozens of hours of reading later, I'm firmly convinced that Sanderson is the best fantasy author today. I haven't even read all his books (Mistborn Era 1, Warbreaker, Elantris, and of course Arcanum Unbounded are still on my list) but I know they will, as always, blow my mind and leave the competition far behind. This is a special and important era in the world of fantasy, and we are the ones lucky enough to see it happen in our day. These past two years have only been the beginning.
- Liranaril