Is White Sand worth reading?

[Asasasyn in White he/him]

Hello!

I am thinking of buying it on Amazon, because it won't be released in my country. I am not sure yet. I'll probably buy hardcover, but it is kinda expensive. So can someone tell me:

- Should I buy it?

- Hardcover or not

I hope you will help me.

[Zathoth]

I like it so far, but honestly the price they are asking is a little steep for what you are getting.

What I would do, if you want to save money, is to wait until all three are out and collected in one book.

[Oversleep]

@Asasasyn in White

Since I ordered it from amazon, I think my story can be useful. First of all, amazon charged me $7.98 for shipping to Poland. That came as surprise as I expected $3.99. Be warned.

I ordered it on July 4th (the price was $17.72) and it will ship soon (the latest schedule was "shipping on 14th" but it still says "shipping today"...sooo). Estimated Time of Arrival is Aug 9 - Aug 29.

All in all I payed $25.70 (about 102 PLN) so it was still less than what I'd pay in most of the Polish stores. Apart from that one, they're the cheapest and they want 89 PLN + shipping (between 6 and 9 PLN), but they currently have none copies in stock. I mailed them on June 29th and they said they will probably have it in stock soon. Apart from the obvious fact that it's 2.5 weeks later and 'soon' hasn't arrived, I can recommend them as their customer service is flawless, never had any issues with them.

Or you can wait at least 2 years for three-in-one like @Morzathoth suggested. I hope my post was of help to you

EDIT: It was shipped yesterday and ETA is now August 10th.

Edited July 17, 2016 by Oversleep

[Radiant Returned he/him]

The price was definitely very steep for the enjoyment I got out of the book (I live in Texas, paid about $27 for it, so almost as much as a hardcover novel). It was interesting even though I am not at all a fan of graphic novels. Really, it kinda depends on where you are as far as how much a fan you are of Sanderson. I have authors that have written stories I loved, but then they wrote other ones I disliked so I was okay with not buying them. To me, Sanderson is one of a handful of authors I will buy anything they write because I'm invested in the author and his work and want the full collection. 

If you're in that group as far as Sanderson works go, I'd buy it, because it does (and will in future installments) have interesting Cosmere bits here and there. But if you just enjoy Sanderson's works individually and want to know if this independent story is worth the cost, I would say no. 

[Rasarr she/her]

I've bought it, and waited some 20 days for it to get to Poland, but I don't really regret it. It's nice, it's quite beautiful (the colors are far more vibrant than what you see in the previous), and I like the story so far. The only thing is, it's pretty short, so the price is pretty high for such a short thing. But overall, I'd say read it. 

Edited July 17, 2016 by Rasarr

[Ammanas]

On Saturday, July 16, 2016 at 0:14 PM, Morzathoth said:

I like it so far, but honestly the price they are asking is a little steep for what you are getting.

What I would do, if you want to save money, is to wait until all three are out and collected in one book.

Well there are no assurances that it will be collected in a omnibus. I heard that they are not even doing a paperback release. I don't know much about the comic industry, but the graphic novel adaption of The First Law trilogy by Joe Abercrombie is now selling for hundreds of dollars on amazon. That probably will not happen with White Sand, but why risk it? I just bit the bullet and payed for it.

[dendrophobe he/him]

Same, no word on a collection... But the future of volume 4 and beyond depends on how well 1-3 sell... So I'd strongly encourage purchasing (and reading!) each volume in turn. I'm not a huge fan of graphic novels (haven't read a comic book since about age 10, though I used to love them) but I was hooked on White Sand. Not perfect, but pretty fantastic all the same.

[Iarwainiel I she/her]

I haven't read comics / graphic novels since I was a child (and dinosaurs roamed the earth). So I came to White Sand with a totally open mind - no expectations other than wanting to experience the Taldain story as Brandon was presenting it.

I very much enjoyed the book, and gleaned more stuff on my 2nd and 3rd re-reads.

I paid list price as I wanted to support my local brick-and-mortar (so happy thay had it on the shelf!!). I plan do the same with future volumes.

IMO it's just a different reading experience - not the same as a novel, but enjoyable in its own way. Especially I liked seeing how the artist and colorist contributed to depict things we'd normally read as prose descriptions. I felt almost like it was a new language I was learning, developing skill in picking things up visually. Folks who've read a lot of graphic novels / comics / manga would already have this skill, but for me it was new and refreshing - I always enjoy learning new things.

[Amaror]

Personally I would say no, despite being a huge Sanderson fan. The price is just too high for the amount of content that is offered here. I do recommend reading the prose version though, it's really really good. 

[Darkness Ascendant he/him]

11 hours ago, Amaror said:

Personally I would say no, despite being a huge Sanderson fan. The price is just too high for the amount of content that is offered here. I do recommend reading the prose version though, it's really really good. 

Hmm yes, I've read quite alot of graphic novels and comics in my life and they all have one thing in common. They're too darn storming SHORT. Even collected editions only give me a couple of hours of entertainment, and I can never be bothered reading them again as I already know all that has happened simply in the way the story is presented. As much as I love them I like novels more as there is ALWAYS something you have missed in the sea of words. And the price is also unreasonable. I will probably wait for the hardcover to be released in Australia

[Radiant Returned he/him]

18 hours ago, Amaror said:

Personally I would say no, despite being a huge Sanderson fan. The price is just too high for the amount of content that is offered here. I do recommend reading the prose version though, it's really really good. 

How did you get the prose version? I know you're supposed to email the site and ask pretty please but I've done that twice over the last couple years and never got a response. Is it a matter of persistence or just luck?

[missionaryofgod he/him]

It´s Brandon sanderson and the book version (Word) was very intresting so of course it´s worth reading. Hope for the sequel "Lord Mastrell" to appear in comic format too!

[Amaror]

23 hours ago, Radiant Returned said:

How did you get the prose version? I know you're supposed to email the site and ask pretty please but I've done that twice over the last couple years and never got a response. Is it a matter of persistence or just luck?

Go to Brandons website and under the tab "About Brandon" choose "Contact Brandon". 

Afterwards just use that formular to ask politely for a copy of the prose version of White Sand and you should get an email with it afterwards.

I did read somewhere that it has taken months for people to receive their copies, but personally I received it just mere minutes after sending my letter. Though it was from Brandons assistant and not Brandon himself.

You should keep in mind that it is an unfinished work though. It's still a fantastic read, but it has more spelling mistakes than usual and things like that.

Edited July 21, 2016 by Amaror

[Wychmire he/him]

I read the Prose version first and was pretty disappointed in the Comic. They changed the gender of someone, made the mounts look crazy, and was rather expensive for the amount of content you get in it. But it's still a good read. I finished my copy in twenty minutes.

[Ecthelion III he/him]

Who did they change the gender of?

[Wychmire he/him]

Ais.

[Stick. she/her]

No way! They changed Ais' gender? That's hilarious! Wow. Does anyone know his new name? Or did it never change?

[Wychmire he/him]

Nah. As far I know the name didn't change.

Edit: I believe they changed Eric's name to Aarik or something like that.

Edited July 29, 2016 by Wychmire

[Ecthelion III he/him]

So Aarik is Chaos' namesake?

[Wychmire he/him]

Huh?

[Stormgate he/him]

In the prose version, his name is Eric, (I assume it's pronounced the same), so I doubt that it's named for Chaos.

[Chaos he/him]

On 7/29/2016 at 0:12 PM, Ecthelion III said:

So Aarik is Chaos' namesake?

He wrote White Sand before Elantris was published so the name could not be a reference to me.