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Benghis son son Kahn

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  1. Thanks for the recs! I follow Mike's Book Reviews on Youtube pretty religiously since our tastes (and ages) align better than most booktubers, so I saw his Ruocchio interview and definitely want to dive into the Sun Eater series at some point. Call was not on my radar though and I'll throw his series on my TBR! And yeah, Malazan is a much tougher rec to make to more casual readers than crowdpleasers like Mistborn or Riyria. I'm pretty well-seasoned and have been able to follow plot threads w/o much trouble and make connections within and across books, but in the end it's not my desired reading experience. I'd prefer I think to just luxuriate in a fairly straightforward tale with characters I can fully root for and be invested in (Mistborn, Stormlight, Faithful and the Fallen, Dresden, and Riyria are my favorites). I can completely see why you'd like Stonewielder for its really well done theme of exploring faith, but at this point in my life I just don't have the interest in that side of literature. A few years ago I switched from mostly reading literary fiction to almost exclusively fantasy/sci-fi I think somewhat for that reason. No doubt Erikson does some of the deepest work with theme in the genre, and listening to academics like AP Canavan and Philip Chase break down the themes in each book on Youtube is interesting--but it seems like they get much more out of all that than I do. Thankfully there's so much else than just theme and symbolism to enjoy in MBotF, and on the whole I'm happy to have taken the plunge--I've definitely had some late nights when I needed to finish some of the books, and while I may not love all the thematic stuff, I have no doubt that the series has made my worldview more nuanced, complex, and empathetic than it was before.
  2. Thanks for such a thoughtful response, I really enjoyed reading yours and Ammanas's replies. It really doesn't surprise me to see you discussing Toll the Hounds as your favorite of the series, probably for many of the reasons it connected with me the least. It does seem like it's made up of the most distilled, pure MBotF essence (trademark, copyright) of all the ones I've finished so far at least. I agree that it had some intensely tragic arcs, but they were almost too much for me to handle altogether (I think I like a greater ratio of hopeful/non-tragic arcs to tragic ones than is in TtH for sure). I'm happy to hear Blood and Bone is worth the effort, and I may just skip Assail based on your note about it. And yeah, Page's Karsa is undoubtedly perfect and the main good thing to come out of the switch of narrators. Hearing Lister does Shogun makes me so happy, and it's gonna shoot up my TBR--I loved the movie the Last Samurai, so that whole setting and type of plot is very appealing to me.
  3. I'm 5 months in to my first Malazan world read and liking it a lot for the most part. With such a big TBR I wasn't sure if I would have it in me to come back to the world later so I'm reading MBotF together with ICE's Empire books, and I plan to finish up with Path to Ascendancy. 300 pages into Dust of Dreams right now. Besides for the middle 2 books of HoC, I really was liking every Erikson book better than the last one until Reaper's Gale, which I still liked but not as much as my favorite with Bonehunters. There were just a few too many Letheri POVs which were unnecessary in RG to love it as much. Then unfortunately TtH became a slogfest, and I don't care for immersion-breaking philosophizing, so it really was a huge step back. A good final 200 pages couldn't redeem 800 pages where I was simply bored. Dust of Dreams has mostly been back to form so far, but there are still sloggy moments and I fear more to come with the bad rep the book has. For first time readers, I would absolutely recommend reading Night of Knives and Orb Sceptre Throne along with the main 10. They're briskly paced and fun and added a lot to the main narrative for me, UNLIKE the disasters that were Return of the Crimson Guard and Stonewielder. I found these to be pale imitations of Erikson's books, with far too many POVs that were unnecessary or uninteresting or both. What is it with ICE and boring POV characters? It goes far beyond Kyle, too. I didn't find the books to be dense, but rather just disjointed and boring on the whole except for the climaxes, but as with TtH that's not a reading experience I appreciate. I was hoping all of ICE would read almost like palate cleansers like Night of Knives, but it wasn't to be. I wish I had more confidence in Blood and Bone and Assail, but given how hit or miss ICE has been I have no clue what to expect. At the very least I think I'll finish strong with the PtA books and will have the Karsa stuff to look forward to. There have been some incredible moments along the way (Beak might be a high point in all of my fantasy reading, highlighting Erikson's short story background I think with the force of some of his smaller vignettes), but the Malazan read I think has clarified for me what I love most, which is a style like Sanderson's that doesn't continually obscure key details from the reader and has more of a sense of progress on a first read. I also have a strong preference for Sanderson's clear-glass prose style over the more noticeable evocative/poetic language of Erikson, and I don't particularly enjoy muddling through prose with lots of subtext. I can fully understand why rereads are incredible experiences, but the slogginess sometimes I've felt due to characters/plot details being obscured is not what I like to feel on a first read. I also prefer a smaller cast of POV characters I can spend more time with and get more invested in like with Mistborn/Stormlight or the Faithful and the Fallen books by John Gwynne. That it's not my absolute preference doesn't take away from the incredible achievement that is the MBotF, and I really can't wait to see how it all ends soon. An extra note that I've been both reading it and listening to the audiobooks, and Lister absolutely killed it with most of the voices in books 1-3 (in a good way), and the Page transition in book 4 was rough, since he used slight variations on one dramatic-gravelly voice. They really should have switched to Page in book 5 with the new setting and cast (or never switched!), but he did get noticeably better. Page's Beak was amazing. Banks is ok but on a lower tier of narration for me for sure with decent voices but just less gravitas overall with the basic narration.
  4. Here's my review for Rhythm of War: Sanderson delivered exactly what I was hoping for...and so much more. He may have written about a Bondsmith 'unchained', but he's now in the glorious state of being an Author Unchained. In the middle of his magnum opus series, he's unapologetically gone Full Cosmere with Rhythm of War and Dawnshard, and the results are glorious to behold. My jaw dropped to the floor with Taravangian's arc, a mind-blowing twist set up so deliberately over 4 books yet still managing to knock the stuffing out of me completely. At the heart of the book, however, are the emotional journeys of characters I've come to love wholeheartedly (Kaladin & Navani I'm looking at you) or at least have come to empathize with and care about a lot (Venli, Adolin, and Shallan, hello). Dalinar made some appearances too of course, and he was awesome as usual, but taking a step out of the limelight after Oathbringer was called for (and it seems like he's stepping back in soon enough). Each of these main characters is dealing with such a different emotionally thorny journey with such incredibly loaded pasts, I just couldn't be blown away more by how Brandon is handling so many disparate arcs so well. Many authors I still love tend to create a lot of characters with similar traits and arcs, so it's the distinctiveness of this main cast and everyone's utter individuality (yet Connection!) that sets it apart. Rhythm of War in particular just seemed to handle character arcs in such a mature way compared to most fantasy books. Navani and Raboniel's arc was so mature and interesting: two enemy scientists bonding over shared passion of discovery. And Kaladin's mental health struggle and family issues were handled in such a real and relatable way--bravo, Brandon. These books would be character masterpieces if only for the main cast, but of course Brandon manages to pull us in completely to a multitude of other journeys as well with much less page time to do it in, too: the Dabbid and Rlain viewpoints were gripping as usual for his Bridge 4 crew, and other POVs like Lirin and Vyre were so dang strong and impactful in their own ways. Particular props for Adin's POV, which came so alive in the interlude and paid off so spectacularly during the climax. I'm an utter Stormlight fanatic, so I didn't mind the slower pacing of books 1-3 with their longer and more frequent flashbacks and longer/less obviously connected interludes. That being said, the pacing of Rhythm of War blew me away, as it never let up from the moment Go. I was genuinely worried beforehand that Eshonai flashbacks would grind proceedings to a halt, but I should've trusted Brandon to know how to handle it and keep them pared down to an absolute minimum--plus splitting them with Venli was brilliant, as he rounded out her past and arc in a way where I can finally really care for her. Eshonai's bits in this book if put together would make for a wonderful short story on its own, all so worth it for the incredibly touching ending for someone we knew had already died on the battlefield ingloriously (or so we thought). Back to the pacing--besides one Shallan chapter where she was trying to ferret out a spy (me knowing the answer would be a plot twist later made that whole scene seem so unnecessary) and the first two brief flashbacks, the book barely stopped moving. I think Brandon is continually improving as a writer as he goes now, and he is finding ways to trim all excess fat--almost to the point where I was missing the more deliberate pacing of earlier Stormlights, but not quite. I was so invested in the main plot thrust of Rhythm of War that I was thrilled with the book's focus and lack of digressions. His decision to move completely away from the Shadesmar plot for a huge portion of the book was a tremendous choice for this book and probably a difficult decision for him I'd imagine, and the scenes we did get there after the spy stuff were all impactful, fast, and with high stakes. And the interludes! Holy cow were they great! In the other books I generally felt like the interludes were interruptions I often had to slog through to get back to the main story I cared much more about--but not in this one! I found myself looking forward to the interludes in this one, as it was clear Brandon was staying closer to the action with them. I'm sure each future Stormlight book is going to be a bit different from the rest as the first 4 have been, but I do hope Brandon carries over some of the pacing from this book going forward. Rhythm of War is overall an absolutely worthy entry in what is becoming the greatest fantasy series of all time--a completely satisfying individual book with incredible emotional payoffs that also sets up the end of the 5-book arc masterfully with incredible suspense. Now that we have an Author Unchained, I need my next Cosmere fix and can't wait for what I'm sure will be a bombshell 4th Wax & Wayne book hopefully before too long.
  5. I'm nearing the end of Wrath, the 4th book in the Faithful and the Fallen series by John Gwynne. This series is absolutely incredible!!!!!!!!!!! Most I've been gripped by anything since reading Mistborn and the 3 Stormlight books 2 years ago. For Sanderson fans looking for other things to match the sheer emotional investment in the story and characters they feel when reading Cosmere books, with the same tremendous pacing, the Faithful and the Fallen will deliver. This forum gave me a great gift with the Dresden Files popping up time and time again and encouraging me to pick them up, but also a huge misfire with Lightbringer as a common rec I saw for something similar to Sanderson (honestly the reading experience is nothing like reading Sanderson on that one, so I fear the hard magic system was too obvious a link). But let me shout it to the rafters to fellow Sanderson lovers that Gwynne can scratch that same itch (with a lot more gore to go with the violence, so if you're ok with that aspect and love the Cosmere then it's a no-brainer).
  6. oh man I feel for you--LB 5 is the single worst book I've ever forced myself through in any genre If it were a standalone or earlier in the series I just would have DNF'ed, but it being the end it was just a relief to finish and put it all behind me. Funnily enough it was through recs on this board years ago and in similar forums here for "If you like Sanderson, try..." that I got turned onto it. And indeed I really loved book 1 and liked books 2-3, so I can totally see where a lot of those recs were coming from. After the slog of B4 and the horrendous monstrosity of 5 though, I'm unsurprisingly seeing so many fewer recs for LB than a few years ago. Luckily First Law picked me back up after LB, and now I'm onto the Farseer trilogy and really really enjoying it as I'm starting book 3. Looks like I'll be lost in the Realm of the Elderlings for a long while!
  7. Friendly argument is greatly enriching and always welcome, so no need to apologize for it! It's interesting that you are partial to books 3 and 5 while I'm partial to 1 and 2, which I think speaks to how different/inconsistent the series feels overall. Maybe that's not surprising given how books 1 and 2 were supposed to be the first 2/3 of a trilogy, but then Weeks got to book 3 and decided he needed to blow the plan up and expand it well beyond what he had originally had in mind. I really think it feels like 2 separate series almost in terms of the pacing and shift to more philosophical matters, which makes sense then that there would be major differences in which half of the series people prefer. If you were in my camp in loving the beginning but losing interest as it went, that's more demoralizing as a reader I think than if you're gaining steam with a series as it progresses. The deus ex machina didn't bother me much, not nearly as much as the many meandering plotlines in the back half of the series that never resulted in any meaningful payoff, as well as the lack of character development and differentiation. I think he could have cut a lot out and maintained somewhat of a brisk pace even with getting more philosophical in a third book. I respect his wish to create the way he wanted to, though, especially after he said he felt so crushed by his publisher with his first series in not being able to include everything he wanted (however, sometimes expert editors and publishers know what they're talking about in terms of helping create better art and can do more than just nosying in with financial/commercial concerns--I'm worried his negative experience led to an over-correction on his part to take the reins and not kill off any of his darlings that may have needed to die as Sanderson would put it). That being said, I'm happy he wrote the books he wanted to and just have to accept that Weeks isn't going to be for me.
  8. I just finished Abercrombie's First Law trilogy (all on audiobook), and I loved it--Steven Pacey's narration is gangbusters--just off-the charts engaging and entertaining. I loved the eclectic mix of main and secondary characters, especially how the viewpoints all had such drastically different voices and mindsets. Plot arcs and twists were never entirely predictable even with foreshadowing always there to alert you something had to be up, but after major things happened they had that sense of retrospective inevitability about them--a combination of authorly tricks I think the best are able to pull off. I just started Best Served Cold, and I think I'm going to read straight through all the First Law world books to the current trilogy so I can be ready for the new book coming out later this year. Abercrombie has jumped up to I think a tie for my second favorite fantasy author with Jim Butcher (behind Sanderson). With Rhythm of War, TWO new Dresdens, and a First Law book coming out later this year there is a veritable bounty of goodies coming our way!
  9. I felt the EXACT same way about The Black Prism--given the solid and entertaining start to the series I gave it some slack as it slowed down in the next couple books, but when it slowed even further in book 4 and the writing quality seemed to drastically decline in that book and into book 5, I felt pissed off I had wasted so many hours on something that didn't deliver any payoffs or leave a lasting impression of any kind other than a sour taste for the squandered potential. By the end I barely cared about any of the main protagonists or antagonists and even less about every single one of the secondary characters, and nothing at all for the arc of the plot. My best advice, which I wish I would've done in retrospect: don't pick up any more of the books--pretend book 1 is a solid stand-alone novel and that the rest of the series doesn't even exist.
  10. Hah no but with a last name like Kahn, I once was dubbed Benghis by a friend (you can probably guess my first name). K-A-H-N is the Jewish spelling with a different origin than the more common K-H-A-N as in Ghenghis or Kublai--but with the same pronunciation I loved the nickname!
  11. Ah another tough one--even though the full complement of allomantic powers is quite tantalizing, having the Windrunner powers of flying and healing would probably be my pick. If I can access the other surges all the better, and if it comes with a spren/shardblade/shardplate then there's no competition
  12. Great question—I think I misguidedly associated those things with churning out low quality books as commodities. And at the time I also misguidedly thought of the true word smiths as those who struggle and battle themselves over every sentence, paragraph, and page—how dare an author churn through thousands of words a day and release books on a regular basis! I now know that Brandon spends a ton of time in a detailed outline stage and laboriously works through multiple stages of drafts after getting feedback from editors and beta readers—not to mention his window-pane philosophy of prose to make the writing itself unnoticeable lends itself to a faster pace. As I’ve grown older, I’ve come to appreciate more readable prose more than poetic or artful prose, as I think I now care more about my immersion into a story and emotional connections to characters and plots than I did before— and there’s no question those things are more important to me than plowing through more artful literary fiction that doesn’t connect as much. After watching as many of Brandon’s lectures and live streams as I’ve been able to find, it’s clear he is extraordinarily thorough about making sure his character arcs and plot beats and world building accomplish what he wants them to, and it most definitely shows in what I think are near perfect books. That he is able to accomplish these feats routinely and in good time is now simply impressive to me more than anything, a sign of his dedication to his craft and goals, and as an eagerly awaiting fan the progress bars are a great service and not the symbol of a book assembly line like I had ignorantly assumed before picking up any of the books for myself.
  13. Ahhh tough one. The character I probably have had the purest emotional negativity for is Kanpaar, for being selfish and betraying his people and for almost completely mucking it all up for our protagonists. Taravangian might win for gaining my highest degree of hatred, but that’s mostly because he’s written unbelievably well, and his sinister ends justify the means mentality leads to such abhorrent things. My least favorite character in terms of the good guys is probably Ham, since he just never got too fleshed out and his dialogue never really did much for me. I saw Brandon once said he also felt he missed something with Ham (don’t remember the exact quote), but that not all the crew could get perspectives so a couple characters had to kinda get shorted on their impact with the readers.
  14. Thanks for the thoughts, StormingTexan! I'm locked in on Powder Mage now for sure, and I love how already the first two replies I've gotten have very different opinions on Licanius--our enjoyment of art and literature is so subjective, and sometimes you just have to wade in and try something for yourself to know if it's for you or not. The famous WoT slog is daunting to me, since I have never skipped over books of a series before, but it would be such a shame to miss out on some of Brandon's major novels. Also, I'm a huge fan of Kramer and Reading's audiobooks, so that could make the experience well worth it on its own.
  15. Thanks I'll definitely start at the beginning then. I guess I could imagine reading Mistborn Era 2 without having read era 1 but so much wouldn't register and it wouldn't be the same. If the first trilogy is readable and solid on its own then it'd surely be worth it--I also do enjoy seeing an author's development over time, and like with Dresden Files where fans will assure you that it improves, knowing the quality at the beginning isn't where it stays can be an incentive to stick with it.
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