tubok Posted June 5, 2018 Report Share Posted June 5, 2018 I saw this today. Anyone read any of Brandon's YA stuff? I'm 49, are there any I should read? 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Left Posted June 5, 2018 Report Share Posted June 5, 2018 I think anyone can read the Alcatraz books and have fun with the humor and tropes. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sandra Posted June 6, 2018 Report Share Posted June 6, 2018 (edited) I'm currently reading the Reckoners and I think that's considered YA. It's a bit "easier" to read and shorter / more action than some of Brandon's other books. I like it so far (I'm on book 3 of the trilogy). If you like sci-fi/fantasy, I guess you would like this series. It's about bad superheroes. Edit: PS: I think the main difference about Brandon's adult and YA books is the length (= the depth of the story)... Edited June 6, 2018 by Sandra 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A Secret Corner Posted June 6, 2018 Report Share Posted June 6, 2018 Just about all of it. Alcatraz is for any age and is absolutely hilarious as a deconstruction of, well, pretty much everything. Rithmatist was a good book, available to all ages, but targeted more towards a YA audience (what @Sandra said about differences) Reckoners was good, and a rather interesting interpretation of superhero stuff IMO, but ending of third book was a bit more meh along some lines, as far as Brandon goes. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tubok Posted June 7, 2018 Author Report Share Posted June 7, 2018 I went ahead and bought Steelheart and The Rithmatist. I am pages away from finishing my second read of Oathbringer. I think I might read one of those before hitting White Sand prose and Aether of Night. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Weltall Posted June 12, 2018 Report Share Posted June 12, 2018 To chime in after the fact for anyone else who may be unsure about Brandon's YA books... do it! I held off reading them for a while until I (almost) ran out of his 'adult' books to read and then got started on Reckoners and I haven't regretted it. FYI I'm 35, so definitely above the age of the primary audience and I've enjoyed all of them. Like Sandra said, the biggest difference with his YA stuff isn't tonal* so much as it is length. The best illustration of this and also the best book to start with if you're uncertain about reading a YA book as an adult is Rithmatist. It was originally conceived as a Cosmere work before Brandon pulled it (due to the setting being an alternate universe Earth) and as a result the magic system could easily have been slotted into a Cosmere world and the way characters interact with it and it informs the setting are very much like you'd see on any of his other works. We've even gotten some neat Words of Brandon on Cosmere mechanics as a result of people asking Rithmatist questions, due to how the latter started as a part of the former. Reckoners is also a neat love letter to superhero comics, with a typically Brandonish twist. So if you grew up loving Superman, Batman or [insert your favorite superhero(es) here] then it's a really fun ride. The 'magic' of Reckoners is looser than a Cosmere system would be but you'll still get some of that familiar feeling when a character exploits some aspect of the system or makes a discovery and you look and realize 'hey, that makes perfect sense!'. I think it would be awesome if this got the graphic novel treatment, or maybe better a spinoff. And then there's Alcatraz, where the only thing you need to know is the premise to have an idea what you're in for: Boy discovers that his world is secretly run by a cult of Librarians (the 'Evil' is assumed) and the world is far bigger than they want you to believe. And the primary magic system are Smedry Talents, which are horribly inconvenient powers (like 'always being late' or 'being a terrible dancer') that their users make awesome. Think Harry Potter as narrated by the title character, with the Snark knob turned up all the way. And I've already preordered Skyward because it looks like it's going to be so much fun. Dragonriders of Pern meets Top Gun? Sign me up! * Alcatraz (mostly) excepted 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wandering Investor Posted June 13, 2018 Report Share Posted June 13, 2018 His YA books are good. I've haven't read the Alcatraz series, but the others are enjoyable read with some cool stuff. The general difference is less depth with more of a focus on a faster paced story, and more jokes/silliness/fun type stuff. For example in the Steelheart series, Brandon had the main character make a metaphor, and it turned out pretty bad. Then Brandon was like, but wait, what if that's his thing?! And then he ran with it. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kidpen Posted June 14, 2018 Report Share Posted June 14, 2018 +1 to Alcatraz. I've learned on here that not nearly enough people have read Alcatraz, cause they've heard things like it's more for kids. It's not more for kids. It's more appropriate for kids, as in very little content that anyone in the world would find iffy. But that doesn't make it for kids. It admittedly is more geared towards comedy than the rest of Brandon's books, but it still fits a really good story under there. Don't not read it just because you don't want to read a kids book. If you don't read it, make sure you have a better reason than that. End rant. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vogelsang Posted July 9, 2018 Report Share Posted July 9, 2018 I haven't read Alcatraz, (I know, I totally need to) but I can tell you that Reckoners and Rithmatist are both wonderful. (Warning you'll be begging for the sequel on Rithmatist) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wander89 Posted July 11, 2018 Report Share Posted July 11, 2018 Fairly new to everything outside of the Cosmere so excited to find out more information. I've read half of Steelheart but could not get into it at all. This was after reading Stormlight though. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thegatorgirl00 Posted July 12, 2018 Report Share Posted July 12, 2018 15 hours ago, Wander89 said: Fairly new to everything outside of the Cosmere so excited to find out more information. I've read half of Steelheart but could not get into it at all. This was after reading Stormlight though. Reckoners was easily my least favorite non-Cosmere thing. I would definitely recommend trying Rithmatist, especially if the magic systems are something you love in the books. Alcatraz is very unique, and also worth trying. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wander89 Posted July 12, 2018 Report Share Posted July 12, 2018 7 hours ago, thegatorgirl00 said: Reckoners was easily my least favorite non-Cosmere thing. I would definitely recommend trying Rithmatist, especially if the magic systems are something you love in the books. Alcatraz is very unique, and also worth trying. Thanks, I might give those series a try after I finish Oathbringer. The magic systems are something that keep me intrigued but I just could not get into Reckoners and I have no idea why haha. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScarletSabre Posted July 12, 2018 Report Share Posted July 12, 2018 (edited) 45 minutes ago, Wander89 said: Thanks, I might give those series a try after I finish Oathbringer. The magic systems are something that keep me intrigued but I just could not get into Reckoners and I have no idea why haha. I'd honestly recommend Snapshot, since it's in the Reckoners canon, if I remember rightly, but doesn't require any knowledge of the Reckoners, is a self contained and very interesting (at least to me), story, and I personally found it more engaging and easy to get into than the main Reckoners series! Edited July 12, 2018 by ScarletSabre 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wander89 Posted July 12, 2018 Report Share Posted July 12, 2018 2 hours ago, ScarletSabre said: I'd honestly recommend Snapshot, since it's in the Reckoners canon, if I remember rightly, but doesn't require any knowledge of the Reckoners, is a self contained and very interesting (at least to me), story, and I personally found it more engaging and easy to get into than the main Reckoners series! Thanks very much, i'll have a look at those. Feel like I still have a biiiiig hole in my Sanderson-knowledge 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StrikerEZ Posted July 12, 2018 Report Share Posted July 12, 2018 8 hours ago, Wander89 said: Thanks very much, i'll have a look at those. Feel like I still have a biiiiig hole in my Sanderson-knowledge I have to second @ScarletSabre's recommendation of Snapshot. It's a reeeeeaaaaaallllly good story. It's a pretty quick read, too. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wander89 Posted July 13, 2018 Report Share Posted July 13, 2018 11 hours ago, StrikerEZ said: I have to second @ScarletSabre's recommendation of Snapshot. It's a reeeeeaaaaaallllly good story. It's a pretty quick read, too. Thanks to both you and @ScarletSabre. I'll pick it up and try and give it a read 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thegatorgirl00 Posted July 13, 2018 Report Share Posted July 13, 2018 On 7/12/2018 at 8:54 AM, Wander89 said: Thanks very much, i'll have a look at those. Feel like I still have a biiiiig hole in my Sanderson-knowledge Don't worry, I've read everything except a few short stories, and I still feel that way sometimes. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wander89 Posted July 14, 2018 Report Share Posted July 14, 2018 4 hours ago, thegatorgirl00 said: Don't worry, I've read everything except a few short stories, and I still feel that way sometimes. Good to know i'm not alone 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted August 3, 2018 Report Share Posted August 3, 2018 Sadly I still have not read his younger reader books. So many books, not enough money. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sandra Posted August 6, 2018 Report Share Posted August 6, 2018 On 04.08.2018 at 1:03 AM, Alicia Whiteheart said: Sadly I still have not read his younger reader books. So many books, not enough money. Try a library 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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