Late to the Party

[Maze he/him]

I created this account under a different name months ago, but never did anything with it. I took that Knights Radiant quiz and three times got Lightweaver, so I picked the name Maze because it's short and sounds appropriately Cryptic.

I started my Cosmere journery all the way back in 2010 with The Way of Kings, but admittedly, I still haven't read most of what Sanderson has written. I've read or listened to the Mistborn novels three or four times. I've lost track of how many times I've read Stormlight. Sometimes when I'm at work, I'll switch on favorite chapters on my audio copies. 

I just recently finished Elantris. It was okay. It felt... condensed? Like the story was too big for the book we got. I also read the Reckoners series a few years ago. I don't see myself spending a lot of time on the non-cosmere stuff. Even though his Secret Project novels are still sitting unread on my shelf, I think Warbreaker will be my next read.

When I first made this account, I was just looking for an easy-to-use blog. I saw that offered here and thought I'd give it a try. I have no idea what I'd write about. Maybe everything. Probably nothing. I'd like to think of myself as an intellectual, but thankfully I'm smart enough to know better. 

[The Sibling she/her]

Welcome to the shard! I like the quote in your signature!

[Maze he/him]

3 hours ago, The Sibling said:

Welcome to the shard! I like the quote in your signature!

Thanks. I was introduced to Kierkagaard over a year ago, but only recently started diving into his work. It's been a fascinating journey, especially his views on religion and existence, but so far, I've only scratched the surface. That quote was my introduction and I find a measure of peace in it during moments of existential crisis. 

[Aeternum]

Welcome to the Shard! Enjoy Warbreaker, it's one of my favorites. Least favorite and favorite characters?

Hmmm... Maze -> Maize -> Mraize ... AHA I've figured out who you are  

[Maze he/him]

25 minutes ago, Aeternum said:

Welcome to the Shard! Enjoy Warbreaker, it's one of my favorites. Least favorite and favorite characters?

I don't do favorites lists because it always ends up changing depending on my mood.

I'm a big Sazed fan from Mistborn Era 1. I've always loved the savant servant archetype. And I love speculating on the parallels between Moash and Dalinar from Stormlight and how readers feel about and react to each one which is something I think I'd like to make a post on at some point.

As for least favorites, it's not something I've put a lot of thought into, but the first character that comes to mind is Lift, but I've warmed up to her on re-reads. One character that I've never warmed up to is Zane Venture. He felt more like a plot device to me than a fleshed-out character.

38 minutes ago, Aeternum said:

Hmmm... Maze -> Maize -> Mraize ... AHA I've figured out who you are  

No comment

[LightRinger he/him]

50 minutes ago, Aeternum said:

Hmmm... Maze -> Maize -> Mraize ... AHA I've figured out who you are

I think the second one holds more merit, and they’re secretly a corn plant. 
Welcome to the Shard! 
If you could eat any food from the Cosmere, what would it be, and how hard would it be to make?

[Faerie Braids she/her]

Hello, and welcome!

[Through The Living Glass She/They]

Hi Maze! Welcome to the Shard!

If you could visit any country on Roshar for a week, where would you go and why?

[Maze he/him]

1 hour ago, LightRinger said:

If you could eat any food from the Cosmere, what would it be, and how hard would it be to make?

I feel like chouta is the obvious answer, right? And even more obvious is Rock's stew, with the exception of his Sadeas Special, of course. But, listening to the distinction between men's food and women's food in Alethkar makes me want to gather up all of those recipes and combine them into some spicy-sweet goodness.

1 hour ago, Through The Living Glass said:

If you could visit any country on Roshar for a week, where would you go and why?

 The Reshi Isles. The only thing that gives me pause is the high humidity. But I love the beach and, well, I heard women go around with their safehands exposed.  And I'd love to go to Relu-na, because I've always loved the idea of an island that is in fact a giant creature. 

[Robin Sedai she/her]

Welcome!

[Mags she/they]

Welcome to the Shard! Do you have a favorite kind of bagel?

On 3/9/2024 at 5:59 AM, Maze said:

just recently finished Elantris. It was okay. It felt... condensed? Like the story was too big for the book we got.

I find this to be an interesting opinion because most people I've met have said it was stretched too thin, and that it was too slow and too long. Specifically Sarene's chapters not having enough happen in them, but I digress 

[Maze he/him]

On 3/11/2024 at 1:33 PM, justice magician said:

Welcome to the Shard! Do you have a favorite kind of bagel?

Plain and toasted with cream cheese because I'm secretly lame and boring.

I'm kidding. It's not a secret. But bagels make me think of breakfast, my favorite meal of the day, and now I'm craving some homemade biscuits and sausage gravy. 

On 3/11/2024 at 1:33 PM, justice magician said:

I find this to be an interesting opinion because most people I've met have said it was stretched too thin, and that it was too slow and too long. Specifically Sarene's chapters not having enough happen in them, but I digress 

I agree that it is too long for what is actually happening in the story. There was a lot of potential for political intrigue around Sarene but it all felt very glossed over. I did like the beginning. Having the story immediately throw us into Raoden's transformation was an amazingly fast-paced set-up that came to a screeching halt by the rest of the story's slow pace and I'm someone who enjoys a slow burn. Just a case of where I enjoyed the premise more than I did the execution which was how I felt about Reckoners. 

[TedShiz he/him]

On 3/9/2024 at 4:59 AM, Maze said:

I created this account under a different name months ago, but never did anything with it. I took that Knights Radiant quiz and three times got Lightweaver, so I picked the name Maze because it's short and sounds appropriately Cryptic.

I started my Cosmere journery all the way back in 2010 with The Way of Kings, but admittedly, I still haven't read most of what Sanderson has written. I've read or listened to the Mistborn novels three or four times. I've lost track of how many times I've read Stormlight. Sometimes when I'm at work, I'll switch on favorite chapters on my audio copies. 

I just recently finished Elantris. It was okay. It felt... condensed? Like the story was too big for the book we got. I also read the Reckoners series a few years ago. I don't see myself spending a lot of time on the non-cosmere stuff. Even though his Secret Project novels are still sitting unread on my shelf, I think Warbreaker will be my next read.

When I first made this account, I was just looking for an easy-to-use blog. I saw that offered here and thought I'd give it a try. I have no idea what I'd write about. Maybe everything. Probably nothing. I'd like to think of myself as an intellectual, but thankfully I'm smart enough to know better. 

Hello! I just started reading the Cosmere in January and I think I may have read the same stuff you have. Just got done with Words of Radiance and yeah, I can say I will be rereading those chapters and whole books so much. What's your favorite of the Stormlight Archive so far?

[Maze he/him]

15 minutes ago, TedShiz said:

Hello! I just started reading the Cosmere in January and I think I may have read the same stuff you have. Just got done with Words of Radiance and yeah, I can say I will be rereading those chapters and whole books so much. What's your favorite of the Stormlight Archive so far?

I have a soft spot for The Way of Kings just because it kicked everything off. I know Kaladin was the story's major viewpoint, but I was immediately intrigued by Shallan and especially Dalinar. I loved this story of a person in power pushing against what their society and culture considers proper and normal, especially concerning leadership. Kaladin and Shallan were great, but it was Dalinar's chapters that I always looked forward to. A lot of that comes to a head in Oathbringer so I suppose you could call that my favorite of the series so far. 

Edited March 24, 2024 by Maze

[Mags she/they]

On 3/24/2024 at 12:41 AM, Maze said:

Plain and toasted with cream cheese because I'm secretly lame and boring.

I'm kidding. It's not a secret. But bagels make me think of breakfast, my favorite meal of the day, and now I'm craving some homemade biscuits and sausage gravy. 

I agree that it is too long for what is actually happening in the story. There was a lot of potential for political intrigue around Sarene but it all felt very glossed over. I did like the beginning. Having the story immediately throw us into Raoden's transformation was an amazingly fast-paced set-up that came to a screeching halt by the rest of the story's slow pace and I'm someone who enjoys a slow burn. Just a case of where I enjoyed the premise more than I did the execution which was how I felt about Reckoners. 

That's not boring, sometimes the simple option is the best one!
As for Elantris I agree that it had a more interesting premise, but I did really like how the romance played out. I think if we ever get in adaptation of this book specifically (like a movie or Tv-show) It'll be able to build on the story and refine it a little bit.