RadiantNights Posted March 30, 2014 Report Share Posted March 30, 2014 OK so I've read a lot of books in my time (every book b. Sanderson has put out) and I find myself being extremely disappointed in non-sanderson books Like I read joe Abercrombies the first law series and was so mad at the ending of that series. Seriously like in 10 years when the first half of this series is out I believe people will be thinking "George r r who? Tolken who?" I still have my favorites like 'ready player one' and the eragon series but i feel like other authors can't match his writing skill and story telling ability. Does anyone else feel this way? Like Sanderson is completely taking over the high fantasy genre? 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fifth of Daybreak Posted March 30, 2014 Report Share Posted March 30, 2014 I tell people Sanderson has ruined other authors for me. A friend lent me a book a couple months ago, and instead I reread almost every Sanderson book. 9 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Levian Posted March 31, 2014 Report Share Posted March 31, 2014 When I started reading, it was Harry Potter when I was 10. I was reading smaller books in between in the Xanth series, then progressed to Sword of Truth in grade 8, when I was about 13 or so. That book blew my mind, it had some concepts I hadn't ever thought of at that point in my life before and made me consider my beliefs and values. I moved on to Wheel of Time after that, and then books like ASOIAF, Demon Cycle, Name of the Wind, and then ultimately I read the Mistborn trilogy after finishing the last three books in WoT. While I currently LOVE the Kingkiller Chronicles (in my top 5 easily), the Demon Cycle even though it's more of a young adult book, Sanderson's books have just left the older books I used to love with a bitter taste in my mouth when I re-read them. Wheel of Time is still a great epic story, and Kingkiller is probably the only book series that can hold it's own against Sanderson's works, but honestly after reading Mistborn, Warbreaker, and the first two in Stormlight Archive it just feels like every other book series is severely lacking. The plots feels so predictable (yes I know I've read them, but Sanderson's books are always surprising in ways you don't expect), the magic systems feels bland and stale, and characters are usually one dimensional with really limited growth. I don't know what I can possibly read after Sanderson's books. It's a gift and a curse at the same time! 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IllNsickly Posted March 31, 2014 Report Share Posted March 31, 2014 This was me in 1993 when i started WoT, i found SoT in 95 i think and ASoIaF in 96.. Eddings was my first foray into Epic Fantasy. I can read most anything these days, however, Mr. Sanderson is my favourite author actively creating in the last ~6 years. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cracknut Posted March 31, 2014 Report Share Posted March 31, 2014 I don't see how could BS ruin Abercrombie for anyone. Those two are writing totally different stuff and their books can't be compared but as in High Fantasy books, BS tends to do that. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChaosBorn Posted March 31, 2014 Report Share Posted March 31, 2014 Just made an account to comment on this, so hi everyone. I do know how you feel, I remember catching up with the wheel of time series before the last book and I just didn't want to read anything else. However there are loads of other brilliant fantasy books out there, so don't lose hope. If you haven't read it, definitely read The Name of The Wind by Patrick Rothfuss. It is literally amazing (on par with Sanderson). Also I would recommend the Malazan Book of The Fallen by Steven Erikson. These books are so different to anything else in the genre, because they're both brutal and beautiful. (Whereas the first law is just brutal and WoT is just beautiful). So they're definitely worth a read if you can stand an emotional rollercoster. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garlick Posted March 31, 2014 Report Share Posted March 31, 2014 I agree with the original poster Sanderson is on a level higher then anyone I've read. But I read havent nearly enough authors so im sure there are some out there that wont be a complete disappointment. I love the sword of truth series but goodkind is turning into a one trick pony. Give your charactors awesome powers then take them away so they are rarley if ever used....separate the main charactors and drone on how much the miss each other, Martin just moves to slow, Jordan was great i loved the WoT and thats how i learned who sanderson was well ill stop the author bashing but Mr Sanderson is a genius writer thats the best word i know to describe his skill Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dihatimus Posted March 31, 2014 Report Share Posted March 31, 2014 Everyone on this site knows sanderson is a shard of adolnasium when it comes to writing fantasy. It is hard for me to get into other book series. I have been spoiled by jordan, jim butcher (codex of alera is amazing), grrm, and of course the cosmere. If anyone can suggest a series that holds a candle to these giants, i have 5 audible credits burning a hole. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adolin_Dustbringer Posted March 31, 2014 Report Share Posted March 31, 2014 This is something I see in online communities so often - where people say that after reading their favorite authors book/ playing their favorite game/ etc., they stop liking other people's works. I just do not understand this at all. Brandon Sanderson's my favorite author, sure, but I still enjoy Rothfuss, Butcher, Martin, Lynch, etc. Every author has their strengths and weaknesses. A Song of Ice and Fire's plot is a bit plodding at times, but his characters and world are still top-notch. Rothfuss's prose is beautifully written and engaging. The scope and depth of Erikson's Malazan series is jaw-dropping. To condemn them just because they don't quite fit your tastes seems a bit foolish to me. 10 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coltaine Posted March 31, 2014 Report Share Posted March 31, 2014 Dihatimus, if you want a series you can power through that's already over, check out The Malazan Book of the Fallen series by Steve Erikson. 10 books of pure awesome with a scope and depth I've rarely seen before with a Magic system that rivals any of BS's. If you're looking for something still in the works that would be an awesome reading compliment over the years in between Cosmere books, check out the Gentleman Bastard series by Scott Lynch. He's a fresh new voice in the fantasy genre with a very promising future. Of you want some more suggestions, PM me. I have a huge collection that I'm always more than happy to share with others. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Travis1984 Posted March 31, 2014 Report Share Posted March 31, 2014 Read Scott Lynch, The Lies of Locke Lamora. I loved it! 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FlatLine Posted March 31, 2014 Report Share Posted March 31, 2014 Haha yes. I finished reading WoR and got a hold of Allegiant. I hadn't read the other two books since a while ago, but I remember them being pretty decent. I started reading Allegiant and I was just like, "Oh my goodness Roth writes so terrible." It's in first person and is just really subpar reading. Sanderson is really incredible with how he writes. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RadiantNights Posted March 31, 2014 Author Report Share Posted March 31, 2014 So I should read king killer, malazan the fallen and wheel of time? I mean we have at least two and a half years till the next storm light book comes out and I can't just reread Sanderson books till then. I might go crazy 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shinintendo Posted March 31, 2014 Report Share Posted March 31, 2014 Guys I will add the series Codex Alera, Night Angel trilogy and some YA goodies such as Bartimaeus and Monster Hunter International. I dunno what about you but I find Abercrombie characters and fighting scenes on per with Stormlight Archieve books, just his story and scope (and endings) give much to desire. BS knows how to combine well crafted story, grand scope and fine characters wich develops over time and Isn't scared to kill them off if the story demends it. The little tidbits about the cosmere and foreshadowing he throws in after the xxx number of drafts shows he really cares. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LSU Tiger Posted March 31, 2014 Report Share Posted March 31, 2014 You can't get the whole Malazan series on at audible but they are great. you have to commit to them I lessen while I work and if you get distracted from the story your lost. It may not be a Cosmere but it a big world and they use it all and then some. Other then that Brett's Demon Cycle, Miles Cameron's Red Knight is every entertaining and worth a credit at 30hrs, Brent Weeks stuff is really good and getting better with each book but I'll warn you the Black Prism is read by a special needs surfer, Blood Song by Anthony Ryan was one of my favorite books last year and Sullivans Riyria was good. I agree they are not doing what Sanderson is but I'll have Ryan, Weeks, Cameron and Brett's next books the day they come out also. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ati Posted March 31, 2014 Report Share Posted March 31, 2014 I'd suggest checking out Blood Song: A Raven's Shadow by Anthony Ryan. That's the only full novel he has out (sequel following in a few months) but he's one of the very few I've read who can stack up. Adolin, I agree with the idea behind what you're saying, but I'm not sure that's exactly the issue here. Yes, every author has strengths and weaknesses, but Sanderson, in my opinion, manages to write in such a way that his weakness(es) (yes, he has at least one, don't hate me guys!) are seriously minimized. I still have other authors whose work I love, Butcher (Dresden), Gaiman, Anthony Ryan and Brian McClellan both strike me as serious up and comers, Rothfuss has phenomenal prose (agreed). But Sanderson...Sanderson has managed to put himself in a different weight class as far as I'm concerned. So, it's not that I don't enjoy other authors, it's just that Goodkind is like a $10 bottle of wine, Lynch is more like a $30, and Sanderson is one of those limited 20 year old vintages that goes for amounts that my bank account has yet to reach. It's not that you can't enjoy a $10 bottle, but you might not want to drink it right after a really really really good bottle. (For reference, GRRM now "writes" mad dog 20/20). For me at least, part of what sets Brandon apart is his Cosmere concept, where you're not just reading a one dimensional series (in the sense that there is a great deal of continuity with primarily a change in time). Instead, each of Brandon's series are the analogue of that one dimensional series from anyone else, but they also interact with each other. As a result, each book or series that you read within the cosmere brings its own qualities, but also enriches and is enriched by the rest of the related works. I've seem similar methods, at least to a degree, in other mediums, but certainly never to this extent in fantasy literature. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tamzin Ashevai Posted March 31, 2014 Report Share Posted March 31, 2014 The Lies of Locke Lamora is a definite! There's so many other novels/series/epics I could recommend, but this isn't the thread for it. Even so ... "Bastards"! Go for it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1nikhil9 Posted March 31, 2014 Report Share Posted March 31, 2014 I like Sanderson's books but they were never as satisfying as Malazan or Bakker's Second Apocalypse. I don't know why you don't like First Law. It was also very good. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kaellok Posted March 31, 2014 Report Share Posted March 31, 2014 (edited) I don't do audio-books. I can't. After listening to someone talk for ~10-15 minutes, then my brain tunes them out as white noise that's not something actually real going on. So, if you have to do audio books, I have no idea what quality they come in, and I'm sorry. Also, my taste in books isn't the same as everyone else, so I'll also mention books that I dislike so that you can compare likes and dislikes. Obviously, we at least somewhat agree, because Sanderson is freaking amazing. GRRM last two Song of Ice and Fire books were terrible, each one worse than the one before it. The first three are really, really good. Abercrombie has terribly written characters in boring worlds (with an INCREDIBLY notable exception of Best Served Cold, which you should read). Drastically different style than Sanderson; incredibly good. Avoid the rest of his books like the plague. I never could get into Erikson's Malazan series, but will be giving it another go soon. Too many people whose opinion I trust and taste in books is similar to mine keep saying it's good for me to give up after only two tries. I love Mass Effect, and it took me 5 tries to get into the game at all, so /shrug. Terry Goodkind's books are, with one notable exception, awful. Wizard's First Rule, the first of the Sword of Truth series is jaw-droppingly good. The next two are not nearly as good, but I still made it through. Halfway through book 4 I dropped it, stopped, and never looked back. At the time, this was the first time that I had made it more than three chapters into a book and stopped reading it. Non-Sanderson great books that people have mentioned that I will repeat for added emphasis, as well as a few new ones: Scott Lynch -- Remember Kelsier and Crew from Mistborn? Think that, but they have no magic. And written incredibly well. Patrick Rothfuss -- Beautiful prose. I love the books. A common complaint is that they're somewhat boring (definitely not non-stop action-packed, so if that's what you want stay away.) Brent Weeks -- Over-the-top ridiculously awesome, take everything up to 11, and then maybe 12 or even 13. God I love this guy. If you want realism, stay away. If you want a fantastically good time, then dive in. Peter Brett -- Darker and more gritty than Weeks, just as well written. I like 'em, some of my friends hate them. I bought Book 1 because the cover art on Book 2 was so amazing that I was willing to pay $7 for the paperback just to have it. I now own the three that are out, and consider it the best impulse book-buy I've ever made. Jim Butcher -- His Dresden Files (Urban Fantasy) series starts out somewhat rough, but gets better; as I recall, after book 4 each one is substantially better than the one before it--and none of them are bad. Codex Aleria (Epic/High Fantasy) is really, really good. He uses some of the same basic principles of Sanderson (Heroes should be Heroic), and uses them well. The magic system used, and the way that it affected the development of the world is one of the most clear-sighted, well-thought out and natural presentations I've ever seen. Michael Sullivan -- The Riyiria books are definitely worth a read. While solid, they read very much like First Published Novels. I'm not really sure how to explain it, except to compare Elantris to Mistborn. No disrespect intended at all, just that he obviously gets better as the series goes on, and there comes a point where pretty much everything that happens is what, why, and how you would expect (or at least I did. But I was tipsy at the time, which occasionally induces prescience in me. Or at least the feeling that I'm prescient. Which really isn't the same thing at all.) Michelle Sagara/Michelle West -- Same author, writes under both names. Has a different series for each one, with rather substantial different 'feel.' I love her books, and she has written plenty of them. As Michelle West, she writes high fantasy, with a wide cast of characters and points of view that mesh together very well. Incredibly believable characters, that are also all distinct and unique individuals. Lots of politics and intrigue, mixed with some great fights and just good fun. Her prose is good, but relies more on suggestion and painting a picture of what's happening than Rothfuss. If Sanderson is my favorite author, she's my second favorite; both have rather different styles, but one thing they both do so well is create believable, relatable characters--and then we get to see how they react in situations that range from dire and deadly to fun and fabulous. She also has another series, which is Cast in <Insert-Noun-Here>. They're more--hrm. High fantasy police procedural? Yes--that's probably the best description. Much shorter than her other novels (which are ~700-800 pages long), they read faster, but still have the same trait of great characters. A substantially smaller cast, as there is just one POV character, too. Mira Grant -- I originally forgot to include her. Read Feed, take whatever time you need to recover, then the rest of the trilogy of Deadline and Blackout. All three were nominated for Hugo award for best novel. Drastically different style, genre, everything from Sanderson--but some of the best books I've ever read in my entire life. There are no books I recommend more often or with more praise, I just forgot about them because they're post-zombie apocalypse. Don't let that turn you off, though; I was looking for a nice hour of reading before bed, and something light that I could not care about or focus on. 80 hour work-weeks tend to drag me down, and fluff-reading is a nice catharsis. I, er, ended up not sleeping that week--well, I got like 5 hours of sleep. Spread over the course of 5 days. If you are having troubles finding something to read, then read Feed. Edited March 31, 2014 by kaellok 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aleksiel Posted March 31, 2014 Report Share Posted March 31, 2014 I wouldn't say Brandon ruined any not his books for me, epic fantasy or not. I still love WoT - the magic system there is to this day my favorite. And Pratchett is still my number one. Brandon has amazing world-building and mind-blowing plot twists, but there's nothing like Pratchett's humor and wittiness. Take a break from epic fantasy for a while if you feel you can't enjoy anything non-Brandon in the genre now. There are lots of great books, try something you haven't read; explore a new genre where things work really different from fantasy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pechvarry Posted March 31, 2014 Report Share Posted March 31, 2014 (edited) Quite honestly, I just feel like characters from every other series I've ever read just annoy and frustrate me. This was never so obvious as it was in WoT, where seriously half the series could've been avoided through simple communication between the protagonists. Rothfuss isn't much different. I enjoyed the books so far, but Kvothe is infuriating. And everyone always praises his beautiful prose but it often feels pretentious to me. For a silence in three parts, you sure are rambling a lot, Pat. However, I absolutely love his first transition from "The Inn" into the story proper. And now that I think on it, it's only the sequences at the Inn that feel like rambling poetry. Kvothe's story is transparent enough. But I still think he's obnoxiously self-centered. EDIT: Oh, and this is weird, but I feel like an author's ethos really leaks through their narrative. I felt like Frank Herbert had a strong Nihilistic streak in him when I read Dune, and I feel like Rothfuss social perceptions are basically "Reddit culture" all wrapped into a single man. Meanwhile, Sanderson's writing focuses a lot on ethics without feeling preach-y in the slightest. And that appeals to me. Edited March 31, 2014 by Pechvarry 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seloun Posted March 31, 2014 Report Share Posted March 31, 2014 Lois McMaster Bujold. She's a multiple Hugo/Nebula winner for a reason. Good deal of social commentary and technological impact explored in incredibly readable and entertaining packages. Comes up with some truly amazingly pithy quotes (one of my favorite: weapons are devices for changing people's minds; some careful consideration shows how dense that definition is) Mostly famous for her sci-fi rather than fantasy (Vorkosigan saga) and for having good novels and really, really good sequels. Latest works are good but not quite as amazing as some of the ones in the middle (Mirror Dance is perhaps the best book I have ever read). Of her fantasy, the Chalion series is pretty good. I wasn't a fan of the Sharing Knife and would suggest staying away, but Vorkosigan saga should be a must-read if not strictly stuck on fantasy. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThreeArmedHerdazian Posted March 31, 2014 Report Share Posted March 31, 2014 Definitely agree with everyone here (hence why we're all here ), Sanderson is the best there is. I also second the Codex Alera. This is the series that brought me into fantasy (and reading in general, but that's a tale for another day). The alleged background of the stories creation is reason enough to read it. So the story goes, Butcher was dared by an online individual to take two ridiculous concepts and use them to inspire a book. Butcher let the individual pick the concepts and he picked Pokemon and the Lost Roman Legions. So, Butcher went ahead a wrote a story and, before posting it online (i think), realized 'hey... this is awesome' and thus the Codex Alera was born. I would also like to give a shout out to The Broken Empire by Mark Lawrence. While Jorg is a dark character (with plenty of reason to be), he is amazing. Some of my best memories in reading are from Jorg. Lawrence is poetic in his dialogue, both internal and external. They are also short, quick reads which is an added bonus. Being fairly new to reading, Lawrence is the only author other than Sanderson that I have re-read. That may not do much for your opinion, but it says a lot to me haha. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LSU Tiger Posted March 31, 2014 Report Share Posted March 31, 2014 Butcher let his writing group choose 2 ideas he had to work into a story. They chose pokemon and roman legions and Codex Alera was born and it is good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RadiantNights Posted March 31, 2014 Author Report Share Posted March 31, 2014 Pokemon and Roman legions? Sounds like my kind of book. Starting Codex alera as soon as I get off work. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts