dungeonfood he/him Posted October 30, 2013 Posted October 30, 2013 Ok, so I'll preface with two quick facts: I've read all the main Cosmere stories (excepting companion books) I'm an INCREDIBLY slow reader This leads me to to my question: Is it worth getting into the non-Cosmere works? I have many books and series on the horizon (e.g. Wise Man's Fear, Assassin's Apprentice, Wheel of Time series) and have to be a bit choosy with what I spend my time on because each book is a major commitment for me. That said, Way of Kings is my favorite book I've ever read. If I were to read some of the non-Cosmere books, which should I read? While I love Brandon Sanderson to death, I thought Elantris was so-so and permanently put down Alloy of Law after 2 chapters.
Argent he/him Posted October 30, 2013 Posted October 30, 2013 I don't know... I loved them, but I also loved everything else by Brandon. Try Legion since it's the shortest, see if you like it.
Kurkistan he/him Posted October 30, 2013 Posted October 30, 2013 I don't know... I loved them, but I also loved everything else by Brandon. Try Legion since it's the shortest, see if you like it. Legion isn't exactly his best work... Have you read TES yet? It's short and awesome.
cem he/him Posted October 30, 2013 Posted October 30, 2013 The Alloy of Law is pretty good actually. I would even say it's better than the first Mistborn trilogy but that's my opinion. Maybe the guns and the cowboy put you off a bit instead of a medieval setting. But I recommend you give it a second try. Non-cosmere, I agree with Argent. Give Legion a try. It's short and pretty good so maybe you'll have an idea what to expect from the rest. If you want a full-length novel I recommend Steelheart. 2
Argent he/him Posted October 30, 2013 Posted October 30, 2013 Silly Kurk, the question is in the Non-Cosmere subforum.
Kurkistan he/him Posted October 30, 2013 Posted October 30, 2013 'Twasn't sure whether he was counting TES as a "companion" book.
dungeonfood he/him Posted October 30, 2013 Author Posted October 30, 2013 I haven't checked out Emperor's Soul yet- hadn't heard much about it. That is what I meant by "companion book", though. Would you guys say, in the realm of non-Cosmere works, Legion is the way to go?
Argent he/him Posted October 30, 2013 Posted October 30, 2013 It's probably not the best in terms of quality (I reserve that for The Rithmatist, because it has a cosmere-y feel to it), but it's something you can go through in a few of hours, even if you are slooow reader.
Ete'ni Posted October 30, 2013 Posted October 30, 2013 You did what?! Put the Alloy of Law aside before Wayne appears?! That's bad... I personally think that Wax is boring, but when Wayne comes messing with him, it's downright funny That and Wayne's lucky hat. And Wayne's actually mentioned in the prologue but then it's chapter 2. It's better then Mistborn series, you just have to suffer Wax a bit. 3
FeatherWriter she/her Posted October 30, 2013 Posted October 30, 2013 My faves are probably the Infinity Blade novellas, because they've got the best high-fantasy feel (though the Infinity Blade universe is actually sci-fi that presents itself like fantasy.) Unfortunately, the novellas fit into the storyline with the games, so if you haven't/can't play the Infinity Blade games, it's hard to get into them quite as well. I did end up making a quick guide to the games' stories for people who want to read the novellas and get the whole narrative. That's here on this forum. I absolutely adore Infinity Blade, both as a game and as a story, so I'd love to see more people getting into them and reading them. The novellas are short, if games are your thing then the games are fantastic, and it's just a good time all around. I will say that I think the second novella, Redemption, is even better than the first one, Awakening. They really are amazing.
Shardlet he/him Posted October 30, 2013 Posted October 30, 2013 Would you guys say, in the realm of non-Cosmere works, Legion is the way to go? My favorite non-cosmere is the Rithmatist.
WeiryWriter he/him Posted October 30, 2013 Posted October 30, 2013 I agree, I think Rithmatist is his best non-cosmere. Steelheart is pretty good too though. And so is Alcatraz... Basically you can't really go wrong here. You should definitely check out The Emperor's Soul, it is easily Brandon's most beautiful work. It's my favorite cosmere "book" hands down.
Galavantes Posted December 4, 2013 Posted December 4, 2013 Haha there are so many different opinions. The only thing everyone really agrees on is that Sanderson is awesome. Personally I've read everything he's *published* (and one ot two things he hasn't) with the exception of Alkatraz and the Infinity Blade stuff. It's all good, but certain works will appeal to different people. My advice is this: If you've read The Name of the Wind why in god's name was Wise Man's Fear not at the top of your list? You should already be reading it. The Wheel of Time could conceivably take you years to finish if you're a very slow reader. It's worth it, especially since WoK is your favorite book, but that's your decisionAs for Sanderson. Read it all, I doubt you'll regret any of it. 1
Iredomi Posted December 6, 2013 Posted December 6, 2013 (edited) read emperors soul if you haven't. and give the other books a go. i haven't gotten very far into any of his non Cosmere works because they just don't interest me as much but you might like them and none of them are terribly long either really. edit: from what i have read go for the rithmatist, alcatraz might be a bit crazy and steelheart the less i say about that the better, it has a really poor start in my opinion, it may get better but i am still tossing up whether or not i will keep going. the others i definitely do plan on finishing. Edited December 6, 2013 by Iredomi
bartbug he/him Posted December 6, 2013 Posted December 6, 2013 I cannot say this enough. Read AoL. It is absolutely awesome, and even if you have to force yourself all the way through to the climax, there are 2 very vivid throwbacks to the old Mistborn that will make you cry with joy. And keep a lookout for High Imperial. That's not even counting the fact that those are some of Sanderson's best words. I love massive tomes with a deepseated joy in my soul, but TES is fantastic, just absolutely flows. Legion is hilarious, and Alcatraz too. If you can find Alcatraz, go with that, because they are short, sweet, and have some Spook speak. Read, my fellow Sharder, READ!
Delightful Posted February 24, 2014 Posted February 24, 2014 Sorry if this qualifies as thread-necroing...? But Alcatraz has Spook speak??? Like, proper Eastern Street Slang?
bartbug he/him Posted February 28, 2014 Posted February 28, 2014 Barely any, but yes, in chapter 16 of the first book.
kogs Posted March 21, 2014 Posted March 21, 2014 Personally I thought Alcatraz vs. The Evil Librarians and Legion were not to Sanderson's standards.
Moash Posted April 16, 2014 Posted April 16, 2014 I cannot say this enough. Read AoL. It is absolutely awesome, and even if you have to force yourself all the way through to the climax, there are 2 very vivid throwbacks to the old Mistborn that will make you cry with joy. And keep a lookout for High Imperial. That's not even counting the fact that those are some of Sanderson's best words. I love massive tomes with a deepseated joy in my soul, but TES is fantastic, just absolutely flows. Legion is hilarious, and Alcatraz too. If you can find Alcatraz, go with that, because they are short, sweet, and have some Spook speak. Read, my fellow Sharder, READ! Might I ask what High Imperial is?
GreyPilgrim he/him Posted April 17, 2014 Posted April 17, 2014 Might I ask what High Imperial is? High Imperial is the slang, originally called Eastern Street Slang, that Spook uses in the Mistborn Trilogy, particularly in book 1. In The Alloy of Law era, it is used in official situations, and is referred to as High Imperial.
Delightful Posted April 17, 2014 Posted April 17, 2014 (edited) Might I ask what High Imperial is? aka Eastern Street Slang, it's an intentionally confusing semi-English language spoken by a character called Spook/Lestibournes in Mistborn. I happen to be a fan of the language because it's just so cool and confusing. Edit: Ninja's because I didn't notice the 2nd page. Again. Notting of the noticing me. Edited April 17, 2014 by Delightful 1
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