Full Dragonsteel Prime Spoilers

[AonEne]

I'm so glad everyone can now read this book, it's terrible and I love it. This is the book that got me to really fall in love with Hoid. Also Ryalla! My girl! And Frost! And Jerick, a disaster (affectionate). 

[Eternal Khol]

Been waiting for everyone to be able to read/talk about this one! Tis one of my favorites!

I love that everyone can finally meet meet and read all these characters but mostly my guy Bat'Chor! who is still canonically the closest thing Hoid has had to a best friend

Theres a lot to unpack and talk about but a couple Cosmere relations/tidbits id like to specifically mention are that, first, i love that even back then Brandon had the Dragons as these amazing mythical beings that could receive/answer prayers! Just always thought it was such a cool element and i loved to see being used back then and even now!....  Second, Frost is for sure Drephrast right!?! The leader of the Dragons!? And third.... "The Father".... thats got to be proto-Adonalsium?!

Its definitely worth a read and even though it is not canon, for those looking, i feel like the little nuggets or echoes of truth in it has helped better form the idea/story in my head of why in the Canon Cosmere, the Shattering happened

 

Edit: B$ has also said that a coupe characters from Dragonsteel Prime were in Aether of Night... I wonder who it is

Aether is supposed to be the first appearance of a Shard and Dragonsteel was supposed to be the story of the Shattering... so im assuming that some of the Dragonsteel characters eventually became the Shard(s) in Aether.... maybe Aronack was supposed to be Decay!???! It seems to fit with how Aronack was described in Dragonsteel and Decay in Aether

Edited March 30 by Eternal Khol

[Aronack]

What makes you so sure Aronack isn't a nice shard like Invention? He just really likes technology is all...

[Eran of Arcadia]

Well that was . . . whelming.

Certainly his writing improved between now and then. And the whole bridgeman arc, which is probably my favorite part of Stormlight, is kind of half baked here. And the magic system seemed too much like "explaining new powers when they're needed," which he got better at. But hey, some of the characters were kind of intriguing.

[Shardmancer]

Sooo Fun.

Thoughts on the Story: Overall, I appreciate how the writing evolved and how the characters underwent development, Sanderson has always been great at that and you can see the infancy of what evolved to his style today. It’s particularly fun to witness Pre-Kaladin (Jerrick) transformation into supermode, progressing at lightspeed character Arc. Ryalla’s portrayal is also fun—I enjoyed how she merged the slave-version proto-Shallan with nobility, Shallan had the wit that is missing a bit with Ryalla but as a slave I can't blame her. The pacing, a hallmark of Sanderson’s work, remains strong. Although the narrative occasionally jumps between different points of view, it still maintains a cohesive overall arc.

Highlights:

• Hoid: His presence is always captivating, even in his early days. His quirky wit endears him to readers.
• BatChor: A fun character who I always looked forward to his POV, I could see him going through some Moash style evil arc. 
• Axi and Magic: Exploring the prime version of world magic and the distinct systems within each realm was thoroughly enjoyable. The core principles of the three realms remain consistent but this seemed closer to an open magic system then Sanderson staple of Hard Magic. 

Areas for Improvement:

• Worldbuilding: While the world is richly imagined, I’d have appreciated more exploration, especially in Fallamore and the Shattered Plains and Shodel. 
• Slow Parts: Melleran and Yoharn felt somewhat bland. Instead, I’d have preferred additional focus on BatChor and General Tzern.
• Sho Del: A deeper dive into this aspect would have been welcome. We had 1 POV chapter, it almost felt out of place. 
• Magic System Explanation: A bit more clarity on the power systems—whether it adheres to a hard magic system—would enhance reader understanding.
  
  Overall a fun ride and I enjoyed hunting for some pre-cosmere easter eggs! 

 

[+Child of Hodor]

On 4/8/2024 at 12:24 PM, Shardmancer said:

Highlights:

• Hoid: His presence is always captivating, even in his early days. His quirky wit endears him to readers.

On 3/29/2024 at 11:34 PM, AonEne said:

I'm so glad everyone can now read this book, it's terrible and I love it. This is the book that got me to really fall in love with Hoid. Also Ryalla! My girl! And Frost! And Jerick, a disaster (affectionate). 

As someone who usually finds Hoid annoying if he's in a book too much I have to say this is the most I've enjoyed Hoid, ever, outside of some Hoid+Design stuff but that's mostly about how the delightful Design plays off him. 

His personality is basically the same. Same types of jokes, same jabs at a Sadeas-esque noble. Same running off to do other stuff. Same telling downtrodden heroes stories to influence them. I just find him much more engaging. It's nice to see him not know things and be afraid more. He's usually incredibly smug giving cryptic, know-it-all answers to questions. 

It's sort of nice to already know the basics of the magic system going in "Oh this is Division. This is Lightweaving" otherwise I would be much more bored or frustrated with the "learn the magic system" sections. They aren't done as well as they would be later. 

On 3/30/2024 at 2:08 AM, Eternal Khol said:

Edit: B$ has also said that a coupe characters from Dragonsteel Prime were in Aether of Night... I wonder who it is

LOL. I forgot about B-Money.