Unpopular Brandon Sanderson Opinions

[Ghanderflaffle she/her]

4 hours ago, McWafy said:

*GASP* 

"BLASPHEMY!!!!"

Not necessarily unpopular, but Elantris was my least favorite Sanderson book. (There's a couple I haven’t gotten to yet, like White Sand and Legion). I know it is his first published work and all that, but it just isn’t super great. I had to struggle through a lot of it and will only reread it if there's a sequel. I just think it could’ve been done better. (Yes, I know he's learned since then, but just Mistborn compared to Elantris is like night and day to me).

Mini rant over, continue with your lives.

[Use the Falchion]

On 9/7/2020 at 9:48 PM, Ghanderflaffle said:

I had to struggle through a lot of it and will only reread it if there's a sequel.

Well, there are two sequels planned, so...

(Also Elantris was Book 6 of roughly 13 Sanderson's pre-published books, while Mistborn was his first post-published book. 

If it's any help, I really struggled with Warbreaker my first time reading it. It was just weird and not very interesting. But a couple years later I reread it. After finding my perfect soundtrack for the book and reading the annotations as I went along, I found that I could enjoy Warbreaker much more. 

Maybe something similar will happen for you and Elantris. Time, distance, personal growth, and perspective make things read far differently after all. 

[Ghanderflaffle she/her]

1 hour ago, Use the Falchion said:

Well, there are two sequels planned, so...

(Also Elantris was Book 6 of roughly 13 Sanderson's pre-published books, while Mistborn was his first post-published book. 

If it's any help, I really struggled with Warbreaker my first time reading it. It was just weird and not very interesting. But a couple years later I reread it. After finding my perfect soundtrack for the book and reading the annotations as I went along, I found that I could enjoy Warbreaker much more. 

Maybe something similar will happen for you and Elantris. Time, distance, personal growth, and perspective make things read far differently after all. 

I hope so. I have to try and find my way through the first part of WoT first though. (Attempt number 2)

[Hen she/her]

Okay here's my most unpopular unpopular opinion. I really didn't like Mistborn Era 1. Don't kill me, please. 

[Frustration]

7 minutes ago, Hentient said:

Okay here's my most unpopular unpopular opinion. I really didn't like Mistborn Era 1. Don't kill me, please. 

I respect you for sharing that, so long as that's and actual opinion.

[Kishore]

I feel like Dalinar and Elend didn't deserve the power they got in Stormlight archive and Mistborn respectively.

Dalinar is good but his bonding with stormfather happened randomly for me and his position as a leader of Knights Radiant felt undeserved.

 

[Zephrun’s Imperium they/he]

3 minutes ago, Kishore said:

I feel like Dalinar and Elend didn't deserve the power they got in Stormlight archive and Mistborn respectively.

Dalinar is good but his bonding with stormfather happened randomly for me and his position as a leader of Knights Radiant felt undeserved.

I definitely agree with the Elend part.

[Shard of Reading he/him]

I personal think that elantris is way too long. I think it's a cool idea for a book, but I don't think it needs to be a full novel. If it was my first sanderson book I would not be here.

[Use the Falchion]

I'm still more excited for Skyward 3, W&W 4, and Mistborn Era 3 than I am for Stormlight 4 & 5. I love Stormlight, but I love Mistborn even more, and I'm just far too excited to see what's happening on Scadrial than I am on Roshar right now. Maybe that will change, but part of me doubts it. As for Skyward, I just like seeing what Brandon does there. I feel like Sanderson has his largest stretches of improvement on Stormlight books and he polishes those gains on smaller books and series like W&W and Skyward. (Starsight was probably a reversal, as I think he was stepping into non-binary characters for things that have been hinted at in previous books and I'm assuming will pop up in Rhythm of War.)

The downside to this will show up in sequels for Elantris, Warbreaker, and The Rithmatist however. By the time the sequels come out for each book, they'll all be over ten years old (Elantris will be nearly twenty!). Brandon will have improved so much as a writer that the transition from the first book to the second will probably be incredibly jarring for most readers. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, but it is a thing. 

Going off of the first paragraph, part of me is worried that Brandon will become either "the man who finished The Wheel of Time" or "the author of The Stormlight Archive." Brandon is both of those things, but he's also a YA author, a sci-fi author, and a mystery/thriller author at times (Legion & Snapshot). I love how our fandom has grown, but the hyper-focus on Stormlight worries me some. My intense favoritism towards Sanderson's non-Stormlight produces may partially rooted in that fear. I don't want Sanderson to end up like George RR Martin, where his entire career is boiled down to one series, and fans of that one series don't even bother trying his other works. Maybe it's because we're in Stormlight Season, but I'd really like to see more fans promoting Brandon's non-Cosmere works... 

(Not just here on the Shard, but also on Reddit. I'll probably be more active in this once The Original comes out next week.)

[Ishar]

On 8/14/2020 at 11:05 AM, I Used To Be A Fish said:

Adolin's gonna kick the bucket. 

This isn't an opinion. This is a fact. My unpopular opinion is that I will be happy to see him go.

On 8/14/2020 at 1:41 PM, Frustration said:

When did he advocate censorship?

Nightblood I believe, but honestly, I can't blame him too much for that. It would be like if somebody discovered how to build an anti-matter bomb and then advocated censorship of it.

[Frustration]

2 minutes ago, Ishar said:

Nightblood I believe, but honestly, I can't blame him too much for that. It would be like if somebody discovered how to build an anti-matter bomb and then advocated censorship of it.

That's not censorship, he just decided not to say anything.

[Ishar]

4 hours ago, Frustration said:

That's not censorship, he just decided not to say anything.

It's been a while since I read Warbreaker, but didn't he murder his colleague/Wife/I can't remember her name over it? Last I checked that is censorship.

[Frustration]

1 hour ago, Ishar said:

It's been a while since I read Warbreaker, but didn't he murder his colleague/Wife/I can't remember her name over it? Last I checked that is censorship.

......................

ok, you win.

[Snorkel]

Lopen is an annoying pain in the chull.  There, I said it.  X(

[I Am A Fish he/him]

11 hours ago, Snorkel said:

Lopen is an annoying pain in the chull.  There, I said it.  X(

 

[Hen she/her]

Oathbringer

Spoiler

Beard was the saddest death of the battle of Kholinar. 

 

[I Am A Fish he/him]

Shallan's wise cracks contain humor.

[Kishore]

 

On 9/10/2020 at 3:19 PM, Shard of Thought said:

I definitely agree with the Elend part.

Elend came close to spoiling Mistborn: Secret History for me as well. 

[+Ark1002]

On 8/30/2020 at 5:51 PM, Frustration said:

Shallan shouldn't exists

Adolin is boring

Venili is ok at best

Lopen and Rock are disposable side characters

Lift is near perfect and should never change

Stick is pointless and should be forgotten.

I... a... grrr.. aaa...

I find Odium as a villain a bit dull, frankly.

[Frustration]

20 minutes ago, Ark1002 said:

I... a... grrr.. aaa...

It's not I agrrraaa

it's I agree

22 minutes ago, Ark1002 said:

I find Odium as a villain a bit dull, frankly.

I don't have any arguments

[I Am A Fish he/him]

On 8/30/2020 at 8:51 PM, Frustration said:

Shallan shouldn't exists

This isn't unpopular.

Plus you added an extra "S"

[Frustration]

2 minutes ago, I Used To Be A Fish said:

This isn't unpopular.

Plus you added an extra "S"

Your as bad as @Condensation and @DramaQueen sometimes you know.

[DramaQueen she/he/neopronouns]

4 minutes ago, Frustration said:

Your as bad as @Condensation and @DramaQueen sometimes you know.

*You're

[Frustration]

1 minute ago, DramaQueen said:

*You're

I was just asking for that wasn't I?

At least I can take comfort in the fact that my mistakes cause you just as much pain as your corrections cause me.

even though I should be thankful for them.

but instead I'm Frustration.

[I Am A Fish he/him]

46 minutes ago, Frustration said:

Your as bad as @Condensation and @DramaQueen sometimes you know.

Yay! *Goes and starts club*