ShawnMC Posted June 1, 2020 Report Share Posted June 1, 2020 Hi. I'm Shawn. I only just discovered this site and am excited to start exploring. I'm also a little hesitant as I'm going to try my best to avoid spoilers for the books I haven't read yet. I had considered waiting until I have a few more Sanderson novels on my shelf before joining but at the rate that the man writes, I'm afraid I'd never catch up. Not that, that's a bad thing. So with that said, here I am. I'm not sure how active I'll be on here as I am currently in a state of transition (for the better, I hope), but I'd still like to become a part of this community nevertheless. It's pretty cool that Brandon himself endorses this fan site which made me want to join all the more. My first Sanderson novel was The Way of Kings which I discovered entirely by mistake in some big chain bookstore. I recognized the cover art by one of my favorite artists, Michael Whelan, and the hardcover had been mistakenly priced down (by a lot) so I bought it as an impulse before a long car ride. I had never heard of Brandon before that but that was 10 years ago I've been a fan ever since. Seriously, the Stormlight books so far are the best fantasy novels I have ever read and I regularly refer to The Way of Kings as my favorite novel of all time. Despite having discovered his work so long ago, I still haven't read most of his other books. Other than the three Stormlight novels released so far and Edgedancer, I have only just recently started on the first Mistborn trilogy and even though I don't think it is nearly as good as Stormlight, I am still thoroughly enjoying the series so far (I'm on book 2). I would like to continue reading his Cosmere stories so feel free to share any recommendations on where I should explore next. I even find myself interested in his YA novels which is a genre that I've never had any interest in exploring before. Alright. That's enough out of me. Long-winded introduction coming to an abrupt end in 3, 2, 1... 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mist Posted June 1, 2020 Report Share Posted June 1, 2020 Welcome! I would recommend Warbreaker; you'll see some familiar faces. Content warning for that, although not severe. What's your favorite magic system? 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShawnMC Posted June 1, 2020 Author Report Share Posted June 1, 2020 2 minutes ago, Mist said: Welcome! I would recommend Warbreaker; you'll see some familiar faces. Content warning for that, although not severe. What's your favorite magic system? Thanks! I just found out recently that Warbreaker can be read for free so that seems like an obvious next read. I'll probably end up buying the Audible copy, too. As for the content warning, meh. I'm not sensitive to most graphic content but I still appreciate the heads up. As for my favorite magic system... that would have to be Surgebinding. I love how the magic is obtained and kept and how even the same Ideals seem to be subjective depending on the character swearing them. But to be fair, I'm only familiar with the systems found in Stormlight and Mistborn and any question of my favorite anything concerning Brandon's work is likely to lead back to Stormlight as I have such a ridiculously high opinion of the books I've read so far. This is the first time I've ever started reading such a long series that wasn't already finished and I find it both thrilling to be a part of and frustrating in its anticipation. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karger Posted June 1, 2020 Report Share Posted June 1, 2020 Welcome! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Honorless Posted June 1, 2020 Report Share Posted June 1, 2020 Welcome to the Shard, @ShawnMC What were your favourite moments from Stormlight? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
|TJ| Posted June 1, 2020 Report Share Posted June 1, 2020 Hi! Do check out Elantris and The Emperor's Soul as well! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TrдVψLшR 0115 Posted June 1, 2020 Report Share Posted June 1, 2020 Hello! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AonEne Posted June 1, 2020 Report Share Posted June 1, 2020 17 hours ago, ShawnMC said: I even find myself interested in his YA novels which is a genre that I've never had any interest in exploring before. Welcome to the Shard! I’ll confirm that his YA stuff is held to the same awesome standard. Even Alcatraz, which is written for younger kids, is great. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Selesria Posted June 1, 2020 Report Share Posted June 1, 2020 Hello and welcome! I know how you feel with the Stormlight Archive, read WoK and immediately became one of my favorites. I can't wait for RoW to come out in November, that's gonna be an awesome day. Luckily, Brandon is really good with keeping his fans updated on the progress and staying on top of all his series he is working on which I find amazing as a reader. There are other authors out there that are not as well organized as him. Who is your favorite character in Mistborn? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShawnMC Posted June 4, 2020 Author Report Share Posted June 4, 2020 (edited) I only just joined and have already been pulled away for a couple of days by life events. Oh well. Since then, I've managed to finish the second Mistborn novel and have started on The Hero of Ages. Anyways, thank you for the warm welcome to all those who have commented. On 5/31/2020 at 10:56 PM, R J said: Welcome to the Shard, @ShawnMC What were your favourite moments from Stormlight? Spoiler Those are some dangerous floodgates that you're knocking at. There are a lot of moments from Stormlight so far that could probably fill their own novel. I regularly refer to The Way of Kings as my favorite novel but that's only because it's the first in the series. If I'm being honest, my favorite novel so far has been Oathbringer, which seems to be the least favorite of most fans I've spoken to. I have a favorite character in each novel so far but of all of them, it's Dalinar's journey that really speaks to me, especially his scene with Odium in which he refused to give up his pain. There are so many great moments in Oathbringer that I don't want to choose but whenever I look back on the story, this scene always comes to mind. I've known people who refuse to take responsibility for their own actions. They have this "the Devil made me do it" excuse that makes them feel better about the poor decisions they've made but ultimately prevents them from growing from their mistakes and becoming better people. I've been one of those people and am still trying to do better so that I can become a better person than I was the day before. Granted, my own mistakes are nowhere near the magnitude of Dalinar's but that's one of the things that I love so much about fiction, especially fantasy. I also especially love that scene because I've often asked myself if a person can ever reach a point in their life in which they cannot be redeemed. Oathbringer doesn't give me a definite answer to that question (I'm not sure I'll ever find one, assuming there even is one) but I feel like it told a beautiful story in exploring that concept. On 6/1/2020 at 4:42 PM, Selesria said: Hello and welcome! I know how you feel with the Stormlight Archive, read WoK and immediately became one of my favorites. I can't wait for RoW to come out in November, that's gonna be an awesome day. Luckily, Brandon is really good with keeping his fans updated on the progress and staying on top of all his series he is working on which I find amazing as a reader. There are other authors out there that are not as well organized as him. Who is your favorite character in Mistborn? Spoiler Brandon is a writing machine. I only briefly followed his RoW updates on Twitter (I didn't even have a Twitter account until recently) but I'm blown away by how much the man can write in a day. It's inhuman, I say. I just finished the second Mistborn novel last night and have since started on The Hero of Ages. As much as I love Lestibournes (I gotta' say that I think Brandon could have chosen a better nickname for him...), I really like Sazed, especially his relationship with Vin. I think I'm about 15 chapters into HoA and I find myself feeling scared for the poor Terrisman after what he went through in the last book. I relate to his depressed apathy and I see it leading him down a dark path similar to one I've traveled myself (and still occasionally stumble into). Brandon has done a good job of showing how similar tragedies can affect different people in different ways and that even the best of us may be prone to dark feelings. Edited June 4, 2020 by ShawnMC 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Selesria Posted June 5, 2020 Report Share Posted June 5, 2020 8 hours ago, ShawnMC said: Hide contents Those are some dangerous floodgates that you're knocking at. There are a lot of moments from Stormlight so far that could probably fill their own novel. I regularly refer to The Way of Kings as my favorite novel but that's only because it's the first in the series. If I'm being honest, my favorite novel so far has been Oathbringer, which seems to be the least favorite of most fans I've spoken to. I have a favorite character in each novel so far but of all of them, it's Dalinar's journey that really speaks to me, especially his scene with Odium in which he refused to give up his pain. There are so many great moments in Oathbringer that I don't want to choose but whenever I look back on the story, this scene always comes to mind. I know what you mean. It's interesting to see because at the beginning one knows that Dalinar has a dark past but it doesn't really come out until Oathbringer. It is one of those character developments that just kind of blow you away; there is so much depth to all of Sandersons characters. I'm curious to find out more about them in the next book. Hide contents Brandon is a writing machine. I only briefly followed his RoW updates on Twitter (I didn't even have a Twitter account until recently) but I'm blown away by how much the man can write in a day. It's inhuman, I say. I just finished the second Mistborn novel last night and have since started on The Hero of Ages. As much as I love Lestibournes (I gotta' say that I think Brandon could have chosen a better nickname for him...), I really like Sazed, especially his relationship with Vin. I think I'm about 15 chapters into HoA and I find myself feeling scared for the poor Terrisman after what he went through in the last book. I relate to his depressed apathy and I see it leading him down a dark path similar to one I've traveled myself (and still occasionally stumble into). Brandon has done a good job of showing how similar tragedies can affect different people in different ways and that even the best of us may be prone to dark feelings. That's a good choice. I haven't gotten that far yet, still working on the second part, but I can certainly see that. I'm kinda scared of what's gonna happen because I can feel the tension building up...Hope you enjoy the last part, too! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Honorless Posted June 5, 2020 Report Share Posted June 5, 2020 @ShawnMC, well said. Oathbringer made me question that myself 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SingingMosaic Posted June 6, 2020 Report Share Posted June 6, 2020 Welcome! Don't feel bad. My intro was about five miles long and contained a massive list of musical references on top of that. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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