Is reading Alcatraz worth it?

[DragonReborn he/him]

I've read most of Brandon's books and I am wondering if reading the Alcatraz series is worth it.

I know its a young adult series so I think I am too old for the series

Any opinions/suggestions?

[Link Von Kelsier Harvey he/him]

It's not even Young Adult actually. It's technically classified as "Middle Grade." That said, it is absolutely worth reading. It has everything you love about Brandon's adult novels, and has the bonus of being absolutely hilarious. Read it and rejoice in the reading, and then despair because we're still waiting on that last book.

[Joe ST he/him]

it is very very much worth reading

[Kurkistan he/him]

It's good stuff. It's a bit sad whenever everyone says "I've read all of Brandon's stuff besides Alcatraz..."

[Windrunner he/him]

I'm afraid that I'm one of those guys... (Except including his WoT stuff)

 

I really would like to read Alcatraz, but they're tough to get ahold of. I'm waiting on those future ebooks that have been mentioned a few times. I don't really feel like shipping the omnibus from the UK either.

[Iredomi]

I've tried to get in to them but something keeps stopping me. I'd say definitely give them a go though, absolutely hilarious, well at least the small part I've read.

[Elisheva]

Being a devout kindle reader, I held off for a while. I finally read them this past year and absolutely loved them. They are lighthearted but still have a very well defined magic system. I'd look on eBay or amazon to find them or even your local library. There are some things he does with the text that are going to be tough to replicate in an eBook. Highly recommend...

[ProfessorMLyon he/him]

Any book that starts off with "So, there I was, tied to an altar made from outdated encyclopedias, about to get sacrificed to the dark powers by a cult of evil Librarians" cries out to be read.

 

Of course, me being one of those Evil LIbrarians, I probably should recommend that it not be read. We wouldn't want you to know the truth of things.

Edited September 6, 2013 by ProfessorMLyon

[Lightflame he/him]

I haven't read them, but here's a little quality test. Go. Look up the cover of book one. Tell me whose name is on that.

 

That's right. Brandon. Hoiding. Sanderson.

 

Everything he makes is solid gold, so it's definitely worth reading. If I heard that Brandon was making a sandwich, I would line up six weeks in advance to see if I could get a taste of that sandwich. (Unless it was for himself. Then I would leave him to it, because he needs to eat if he wants to write.)

Edited September 7, 2013 by Lightflame

[Shardlet he/him]

Upvote for the Hoid-based expletive.

[king of nowhere]

I had a similar argument with my brother shortly ago. He said that since they were marked as "young adult" they were not worth reading, while I argued that I read every other book by sanderson and he never, ever let me down, so it's worth a shot. Well, I decided I want to read them. We'll wait until WoR comes out to make a big order and save on shipping expences (across the atlantic is quite a lot).

 

Plus,

Any book that starts off with "So, there I was, tied to an altar made from outdated encyclopedias, about to get sacrificed to the dark powers by a cult of evil Librarians" cries out to be read.

I have to agree with this. Now that I saw that line, I MUST read it.

[Kurkistan he/him]

I think Brandon has a UK publisher for Alcatraz, FYI.

[Shardlet he/him]

I think you are right Kurk.  I think you would also have a difficult time ordering it from the states since the books are out of print here.  That means they are super expensive on most sites.  I think there is (or is going to be) an omnibus edition of the the four Alcatraz books published in the UK.

[variety.of.passions she/her]

I was skeptical at first, but I really enjoyed them. Yes, they are Middle Grade, but I loved the quirkiness of all four. Mostly, the Alcatraz books are different because: they are full of humor, are written in first-person, and are much shorter than his epic fantasy novels. The writing is still brilliant, the characters are unique and interesting, and the story is amazing. I highly recommend reading them. They got me through these past few months when Brandon wasn't releasing anything new!

 

EDIT:

Oh, I forgot to add the ONE criticism that I heard. Some people--not me--don't like how the Alcatraz books talk about how an author writes. Brandon mentioned this in one of the Writing Excuses podcasts (season 4). For example, he talks about how some authors start books with cliff hangers, just like he starts Alcatraz Versus the Evil Librarians. As a writer, I think it's genius and I wonder why no one else has thought of doing that. Of course, he does it in a way that is satirical and absolutely hilarious.

Edited September 8, 2013 by Windrunner
Please don't double post, just edit your original. Thanks!:)

[Ete'ni]

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Edited June 23, 2014 by Ete'ni

[Gamma Fiend he/him]

What would you say is the youngest age you would recommend reading this book at? Or where at in level reading would you rank it? (Say, compared to Harry Potter or something)

Reason I ask is cause I have a niece in 3rd grade who loves reading and is at a slightly advanced pace for her age, and I started reading the Harry Potter series in 4th grade which I think was an appropriate level then for me, and I was going to give her books and stuff for next year in 4th grade and wondering if I should throw the Alcatraz series in there for her too.

[GreyPilgrim he/him]

I haven't read them myself, but I believe they are in the 9-12 age category. So, basically, they are the perfect level for a fourth grader. They are definitely beneath the Harry Potter reading level (which is more of a true young adult, at least after the first couple books.)

[Shardlet he/him]

BS described it as being a great series for an 11 year-old who is too smart for his own good.  My daughter is nine and I expect to try he on it in about 6 mos. or so.  She has the capability of reading it just find.  But she is unlikely to recognize a fair amount of the humor and would be less likely to really enjoy it much.

[Scriptorian he/him]

READ ALCATRAZ!!! 

It should be standard reading in public schools. One of the best series I've ever read, besides Mistborn and Stormlight.

[Miyabi he/him]

They're quick reads, only a couple hours a piece at most.

They also happen to be the funniest books I have ever read.

[Serial]

It is a good book series but when reading it you can tell the audiance level is a little lower than most of his other books... Still a good read though and well worth it.  You can definately tell it is one of his books just by the feel of the storyline.

Edited September 16, 2013 by Serial

[Transmuter]

I just need to add that the audiobook version of the series is absolutely fantastic! Ramon De Ocampo reads the books with phenomenal comedic timing and style. I personally feel that audiobook is the best way to go for this series (with the exception of a couple of jokes that rely on the reader flipping pages and such). I highly recommend taking a listen.

[Peng the Just he/him]

I actually don't love the alcatraz series as much as his other books. The sarcastic first person narritive is not something I usually like. However, it is still  definitely worth reading, and is quite funny.

[Shardlet he/him]

I generally dislike first person in general (which is why I have not read hunger games, first person present tense, blech!).  Alcatraz though, has a great voice to it and the first person works exceptionally well.  Steelheart, which is also first person (and present tense) works because of the film noir feel to the voice (though not as heavy in the use of simile).  Although, I don't enjoy the voice of Steelheart nearly as much as Alcatraz.

[variety.of.passions she/her]

I also love the series because it shows Brandon's versatility as an author. My favorite authors are those that can write for different ages and create beautiful stories in different genres. Yes, he mostly stays in fiction, but I love that he's starting to do more science fiction, I think it might be interesting to see if he does any regular fiction someday...