My first time

[Arash.F he/him]

I started the Way of kings just just 6 months ago and ended up reading all the main books on Cosmere since then! And I'm reading Bands of Mourning now!

[Mr paez]

The first time I picked up a Brandon Sanderson book I was walking around in a library looking to pass the time because there was a haboob outside. I was not a reader and had not read a book since highschool(12 years ). I just grabbed one off the return cart and started reading. It was The Way of Kings. Let me tell you... The book changed my life in more ways than I ever thought possible. Now, reading is a huge part of my life and I have learned about new authors and exciting worlds. Brandon is the best and his books rule!

[AnikoliNightmareVision she/her]

My first time reading Brandon happened last october. I read WoK. Before Sanderson, I have read just Harry Potter, A song of ice and fire and a couple of Discworld books from fantasy genre. And at that time I was in some crise when I thought I'm not such fantasy fan, because I had read just some YA sci-fi recently. But then I went to bookstore and between the blade itself, name of the wind and WoK, I decided to buy WoK. And I never regret it! I was amazed with the way of kings and just then realised that it's the best fantasy I ever read. And I'm still thinking that. And I won't change my mind.

[Penumbra]

The first time I heard about Brandon Sanderson was when my mother, who is a long time Wheel of Time-fan, read the last book in the series. I wasn't that into WoT though, I'd kinda lost hope in fantasy books for a while back then and read very little in my spare time. Then later my boyfriend came over and brought The Way of Kings with him. He recommended it to me with a comment along the lines of: "It's the kind of fantasy you'd like: it's got a unique setting and a cool magic system that makes sense." I recalled that it was the same author that had finished WoT and thought that "Yeah, this author seems to be pretty good, this book should be all right".

So I decided to give WoK a shot, and I remember being instantly intrigued by the world and how different it was from anything else I'd read. It didn't take long before I realized that WoK was far beyond "all right", it was probably the best fantasy book I'd read. My old hunger for reading came back after that and I devoured WoR as soon as I was done with WoK, and then went on to the Mistborn books which made me find out about the Cosmere and ... then the rest of the Cosmere books followed. Aaand here I am.

[Lexodio]

I decided (after many of my friends calmed that books were better than movies) to start listening to Audiobooks. I listened to the LotR trilogy, then some Elder Scrolls novels. I bought all of those on audible.com and was out of ideas of what to "read" next. One of the suggestions was WoK.

I picked it up and was hooked. For the last 3 years, books by Brandon are the only audiobooks that I've listened to (except the WoT books that were written by Robert Jordan).

[IndigoAjah he/him]

First thing I had read by him (had heard of him as an author but never gotten around to reading his books) was when he finished Wheel of Time and got the somewhat meandering story back on track with impressive verve, and captured all the voices well (except Mat. He really couldn't do Mat). I was impressed, and really enjoyed the Gathering Storm but was busy and didn't have time to start many new series, though the Towers of Midnight impressed me too. Then my brother bought me Way of Kings part 1 for Christmas and I was really impressed. I read part 2 and invested in the SA, getting WoR as soon as it came out on my iPhone, was further encouraged by its quality and the short Silence/Threnody story, and then eventually got around to reading TFE which was more clumsily written (I think he has grown hugely as a writer since, SA is superior prose) But had great concepts and a couple of fantastic characters. I read Well of Ascension too fast and thought it was better on some ways but worse in others. Then I read Alloy of Law which was fun but overhyped. Then its sequels, which were better, as they came out, then Well of Ascension again properly and I decided it was a much better book that I gave it credit for and a much better book than TFE. I finally read Hero of Ages and thought it was thrilling a few days ago. secret history next

[AliasSheep]

I read the Mistborn series a few years ago, when I was still in primary school, at the recommendation of my dad.  I remember absolutely loving them, and also remember getting teased over the cover art (don't ask me why, kids are weird).  From there, I went on to read Elantris on the Kindle and The Way of Kings.  By this point, WoR still wasn't out, and neither was the second Mistborn trilogy.  After all this, I didn't read any more Sanderson, and I specifically avoided Alloy of Law because I didn't think I would like the setting.

 

Fast forward about 5 years to the beginning of 2016.  I'm browsing /r/fantasy, and someone mentions that all of Brandon's books are related in some grand interconnected storyline called the Cosmere.  I. Break.  This was incredibly exciting to me; it was probably the coolest thing I'd heard of done in books in a while, and I hadn't read in a few months (the last thing I'd read was Crossroads of Twilight, which, in its disapointingness, put me off reading almost entirely - fun side story:  I started reading the Wheel of Time because I found out that Brandon was finishing them (this is back when I'd just finished reading his books for the first time).  I picked up Eye of the World, read it, couldn't get the next book, and so didn't continue with the series until 2015 when perchance I happened to pick up the book as I was bored, and found myself getting into the series again).  Anyway, being incredibly excited, and not being able to remember much of the details of the books (and of course needing to know all the details to understand all of the Cosmere), I decided I'd have myself a reread, working my way through from Elantris, to Mistborn, to Way of Kings, before getting onto the books I hadn't read yet.  I finished the reread about 3 weeks ago with Way of Kings, and took a short break (to read another, unrelated book) before reading Warbreaker and then Words of Radiance (I don't think I've ever been so excited about the ending of a book - it surpassed even Hero of Ages).   Reading Brandon's books again has cemented him very much as my favourite author.  I'm currently halfway through Alloy of Law and am still going strong - these are some brilliant books.

Edited April 1, 2016 by AliasSheep

[theuntaintedchild he/him]

When I was a kiddo I read Harry Potter  then the Lord of the Rings series. (Trilogy and Hobbit only) Also one summer I tried to read another fantasy novel (I think it was called Wizard's First Rule). That was the extent of my knowledge of the fantasy genre. I found that I wasn't a very big fan of traditional wizard/elf/dwarf fantasy stories. In fact if Harry Potter wasn't so finely plotted out I probably would have had issues with it as well. (By this I mean the overarching story of the Horcruxes and the fact that the story explained why the baddie kept showing up.) It wasn't until my junior year of college (2009) that my roommate decided I'd probably enjoy Mistborn. He told me it didn't have any of the traditional fantasy tropes I had learned to dislike. I was intrigued and he loaned me a copy of it. I am forever grateful that he did so. I have never been more impressed with a book series than I was with Mistborn. For the longest time I couldn't stop gushing over Mistborn long enough to actually start one of his other books. When I did start reading other books I slowly was introduced to the similarities between the stories and the Cosmere. Needless to say I will never be out of reading material for the rest of my life. 

Edited April 4, 2016 by theuntaintedchild

[Vissy]

Basically I read Sanderson's WoT books, absolutely loved them, then years later saw the title "Stormlight Archive" and I thought it sounded like the coolest thing ever. Surprise surprise, Mr. Sanderson is behind the steering wheel. Loved the series. 

[Ward]

By the time Robert Jordan passed, I was honestly a little tired of Wheel of Time. I felt the stories were getting slower and more disjointed. Then some dude named Sanderson was announced to finish the series, and I was all, "Psssh. It's going to be horrible. Don't trust it a bit."

I finally, reluctantly picked up the Gathering Storm and it blew me away (har). I felt guilty for liking it more than Jordan's own. Mat was actually funny ("Women are like goats...")! I tore through the rest of the series in a matter of weeks, staying up late and skipping classes.

When I reached the end, I went to the library and grabbed Mistborn, then Elantris, then Way of Kings, then I discovered the Cosmere and Words of Brandon and my life will never be the same.

[Radiant Returned he/him]

I grew up into fantasy with Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, Hunger Games and the like. Entering into high school I started A Song of Ice and Fire which really got me into serious fantasy/sci-fi, my sophomore year was all about Scott Lynch, Joe Abercrombie, and the only author I still have on the same pedestal as Sanderson in Patrick Rothfuss. Near the end of my junior year I discovered The Stormlight Archive off of an online list of books for people who enjoyed Dance with Dragons. Ever since I've been enthralled with the cosmere and Sanderson's writings and spent much of my senior year and now finishing up my freshman year at college reading and re-reading all he has to offer.

[jaimeleecee she/her]

By the time Robert Jordan passed, I was honestly a little tired of Wheel of Time. I felt the stories were getting slower and more disjointed. Then some dude named Sanderson was announced to finish the series, and I was all, "Psssh. It's going to be horrible. Don't trust it a bit."

I finally, reluctantly picked up the Gathering Storm and it blew me away (har). I felt guilty for liking it more than Jordan's own. Mat was actually funny ("Women are like goats...")! I tore through the rest of the series in a matter of weeks, staying up late and skipping classes.

When I reached the end, I went to the library and grabbed Mistborn, then Elantris, then Way of Kings, then I discovered the Cosmere and Words of Brandon and my life will never be the same.

 

I had a very similar experience, Wheel of Time is my favorite series of all time, and unfortunately I too feel guilty saying Brandon's books were my favorite... I know that he was writing the true climax of the story so of course it was more fun and exciting than the earlier ones, but I agree that the last few Jordan wrote seemed... off.. I've heard he wasn't quite himself towards the end of his life and unfortunately I think it shows in his writing.  I do give him all the credit though for the story itself as he did indicate what was to happen and how in his notes, it's still his story, but Brandon gave it real life again.  I was head over heels in love with him from The Gathering Storm on.  

 

I went to Stormlight Archive first after WoT because it had a similar appeal to me in the sense that it was a long high fantasy series that I would also love for years and years.  After breezing through WoK I needed more! Mistborn came next, then the rest followed.  I think about the Cosmere all the time, I'm always going back and trying to learn new connections and re-read (or listen to the audio books) to pick up on stuff I missed the first time, Brandon has taken over my life (in a good way.) 

[Physicist of the Cosmere she/her]

I read Mistborn and loved it. It was so different. I started reading Hero of Ages, and the inappropriateness bothered me too much. It frustrated me because of how well-written the book was, and I wanted to know more, but I decided it wasn't worth how uncomfortable it made me, so I happily sold my soul to the Stormlight Archive instead.

[Mailliw73 he/him]

I read Mistborn and loved it. It was so different. I started reading Hero of Ages, and the inappropriateness bothered me too much. It frustrated me because of how well-written the book was, and I wanted to know more, but I decided it wasn't worth how uncomfortable it made me, so I happily sold my soul to the Stormlight Archive instead.

Can I ask what you mean by "inappropriateness"?

[Physicist of the Cosmere she/her]

Can I ask what you mean by "inappropriateness"?

The sexual stuff. I was very much not comfortable with it. Also, I'm super-duper sorry, but I accidentaly downvoted you. I'll upvote you on another post to balance it out.

 

Edited: Because storm it, I'm out of upvotes again. I pinkie promise I'll do it tomorrow.

Edited June 10, 2016 by Physicist of the Cosmere

[CaptainRyan he/him]

The sexual stuff. I was very much not comfortable with it. Also, I'm super-duper sorry, but I accidentaly downvoted you. I'll upvote you on another post to balance it out.

 

Edited: Because storm it, I'm out of upvotes again. I pinkie promise I'll do it tomorrow.

 

No worries, I added an upvote to negate your accidental downvote.

 

It has been a while since I read the Well of Ascension but I do not remember anything explicitly sexual and only pretty vague references to implicit sexual content. Are you referring to

Elend's father (Lord Straff?) and his creepiness?

or to something else?

[Physicist of the Cosmere she/her]

Yes, that as well as other things. It's just that I'm Mormon, and I like to avoid that kind of stuff.

[CaptainRyan he/him]

Yes, that as well as other things. It's just that I'm Mormon, and I like to avoid that kind of stuff.

 

Gotcha. Well, welcome to the forums! It is a wild, Cosmere-y place in here. Have fun!

 

P.S. Avoid the Reckoner's RPG!  

[Physicist of the Cosmere she/her]

Oh, I've heard about the Reckoner's RPG, but I still appreciate the warning. I've also heard to stay away from the Dark Alley.

[Ward]

Yes, that as well as other things. It's just that I'm Mormon, and I like to avoid that kind of stuff.

 

I think Brandon does a really good job of keeping the realities of sexuality "behind the scenes." I don't personally find it objectionable to say "Straff is a rapist" because we're not given any graphic detail for the theatre of our minds. Brandon doesn't try to pretend that stuff doesn't happen, but he also doesn't give you any details, a la GRRM, or even Orson Scott Card (who I'm convinced is absolutely obsessed with sex, but writes with just enough plausible deniability to maintain card-carrying Mormon status)

[Mailliw73 he/him]

Yes, that as well as other things. It's just that I'm Mormon, and I like to avoid that kind of stuff.

Ah, I figured. I am as well, but Brandon's never bothered me as he's Mormon as well and he tends to go very light on his sexual content.

[Physicist of the Cosmere she/her]

I have noticed that there are several Mormons on 17s. On one of the topic threads, one guy showed how he decorated his Trek bucket by spelling his name out in Aons.

[Tharatariel10 she/her]

So, my first Sanderson book I read was The Way of Kings back in June, quickly followed by Words of Radiance, White Sand and I'm currently working on Elantris.

My story goes like this: I happened upon Words of Radiance on vacation with my family last summer. My younger sister was reading it.  I am generally very critical of books (yes, I judge books by their covers) and most of my reading is old-timey (Jane Austen, Dickens, Collins, Tolkien, etc.) so I wasn't sure. But I opened it up and read a couple excerpts and thought: hmm, I like the way this guy writes.  So fast-forward to this June when I was looking for something fresh and new to read.  My sister was like: "Hey, you may like this guy Brandon Sanderson.  He wrote these books The Way of Kings, etc. etc. etc."  (She was trying not to over-hype it I guess.)  So I thought: hey, why not?  Maybe I'll like it.  It should be entertaining.

...

...

Well, here I am. On a fan forum in less than one month after reading my first Sanderson novel!

I think I devoured The Way of Kings in less than two weeks (keep in mind, life and such taking up most of my time.)  I would read it every night until like 1am and every chance I got beside.  I think I read Words of Radiance in about 5 days; one night staying up to about 2:45AM! 

Sooo, yeah, I'm a big fan.  I can honestly say the Stormlight Archive is now my favorite book(s) of all time.  i have never been so captivated by a story or loved characters so much.  I cried, I was afraid, I laughed and best of all I cheered.  Sanderson certainly knows how to write believable heroes! 

Thus far I'm very much enjoying Elantris and I'm looking forward to reading the Mistborn series after that. :-D

[esamitch she/her]

Honestly, I don't know if I'm remembering my first experience correctly! I'm preeeetty sure that I read Way of Kings first. It was recommended to me by a now former boyfriend around, oh, let's see....4 years ago? I loved it. Then I read Mistborn, and Well of Ascension, but I never wound up finishing Hero of Ages for whatever reason. I think it's because I started to read Way of Kings over again so that I could read Words of Radiance! I got all discombobulated. Earlier this year I read Elantris, and now I've re-read Mistborn and I'm working through Well of Ascension so I can finish that trilogy and finally read the Wax and Wayne books. I also took a brief break from WoA to read White Sand! 

I immediately connected with Branderson's writing style and his incredible ability to create characters. Not only do the books offer me endless hours of entertainment, but they also fuel my creative inspiration for art. 

After I broke up with my boyfriend who is a fan, almost three years ago, I basically suffered with all my feels alone because the Tumblr community of fans wasn't that big back then and I didn't know this forum existed. So when I told @Tharatariel10 to read Way of Kings this summer, I was secretly hoping that she'd like it enough to blab to me about it. After a few weeks of daily phonecalls, 6am texts, and lots of "AAAAAAAAAAAAAUGH"s, I've created a monster. Now I'm not alone anymore! 

Next step: converting Tharatariel's husband...we've got him started on White Sand!

[Aerithen she/her]

When Mistborn first came out in paperback I spotted it among a local book store's new releases. The title stood out and the cover was attractive so I read the first few pages and was hooked. It'd been a long time since a fantasy novel really piqued my interest since there's just so much of the same rehashed stories and worlds all over the place. The fresh new ideas and well-realized characters in Mistborn completely rejuvenated my love of the genre!

As soon as I finished it I snapped up Elantris and prepared for a long, anxious wait between Sanderson releases. Little did I know he is an incredible writing machine so the relatively short delay was bearable. Ever since then I've picked up his books as soon as they were released, preordering most to avoid spoilers from the no one else I knew who reads his stuff. XD

It's nice to finally be on a forum where I actually have to worry about spoilage! Plus ~last month I converted my new roomie. Fellow fans, yaaaaaay!

Edited July 22, 2016 by Aerithen
Didn't realize even censored cussing was against the rules, removed the offending word