Corrupting My Brother

[Karger]

I have recently given my eldest brother my copy of WoKs.  He began reading it.  He reads fairly quickly and so he is already mostly through the book.  So far the only things he has told me are that there are too many characters, it would have been better to publish the one book as several volumes, and that nothing was happening.  Still he is reading and like me he is found of understatement.  I will continue to give his impressions but I am worried.  I hope the rest of you help me get him initiated into our cult as quickly as possible.

Edited June 28, 2020 by Karger

[+robardin]

It is true, while reading TWoK the first time I felt it kind of dragging - more accurately, "where is this going?" - for at least the first third or so. Each book is a trilogy unto itself, and the first third deals with a rather unlikable Elhokar framing Dalinar as he tangles with a slimy Sadeas, Kaladin just gettting crushed again and again, and Shallan acting kind of insane with her "seeing those figures" all the time and whatnot.

If he's past the halfway point, and past Kaladin surviving the highstorm and Jasnah zapping the thieves with Soulcasting, I can't see how that's not intriguing. But I definitely skim the Dalinar parts when re-reading TWoK because so much of it is annoying interactions with Elhokar, Sadeas, or both, or constantly repressing himself around Navani. The visions are the most curious things for the reader for his chapters.

Is this his first Cosmere work? I wouldn't use TWoK as that entry point, not that it's a bad work by any means, but it does require more commitment.

[Nathrangking]

I have always contended that Warbreaker is a great gateway story.

[Karger]

4 minutes ago, robardin said:

Is this his first Cosmere work? I wouldn't use TWoK as that entry point, not that it's a bad work by any means, but it does require more commitment.

I think he read MB a while ago.

2 minutes ago, Nathrangking said:

I have always contended that Warbreaker is a great gateway story.

I considered it but I don't think that is his thing and I am worried it will turn him off to other works.

[+robardin]

9 minutes ago, Nathrangking said:

I have always contended that Warbreaker is a great gateway story.

Or The Emperor's Soul

 

[Hen]

Personally I give Elantris as the introduction to the cosmere, just cause it’s the first he ever published and kind of light on the cosmere references, but still gets people hooked. I get his reaction to the beginning though, especially since the first 5 prelude/prologue/chapters jump around so much. He’s still reading though, so that’s a good sign.

Edited June 28, 2020 by Hentient

[Karger]

I am not really going for a full corruption just yet and I already gave him book one which he is currently reading and around 700 pages into.  I am just worried about him loose focus.  I only got him to read it in the first place by telling him that WoKs was really three books.

[+robardin]

5 minutes ago, Karger said:

I am not really going for a full corruption just yet and I already gave him book one which he is currently reading and around 700 pages into.  I am just worried about him loose focus.  I only got him to read it in the first place by telling him that WoKs was really three books.

That's funny. Telling someone who's hesitant about reading a book that "hey, it's actually THREE books" is usually not a winning strategy, but it depends on the person, eh!

[Karger]

Just now, robardin said:

That's funny. Telling someone who's hesitant about reading a book that "hey, it's actually THREE books" is usually not a winning strategy, but it depends on the person, eh!

It was more you oonly really have to read 1/3 of this.

[---]

2 hours ago, Hentient said:

Personally I give Elantris as the introduction to the cosmere

Technically that's where I started, but I read it many years ago before I knew who Brandon Sanderson was and what the Cosmere was. By the time I started actually reading his books knowing they were his books I had forgotten about Elantris to the point where all I could tell you of the book was that I remembered there was "apple and bread."

 

3 hours ago, robardin said:

It is true, while reading TWoK the first time I felt it kind of dragging - more accurately, "where is this going?" - for at least the first third or so. Each book is a trilogy unto itself, and the first third deals with a rather unlikable Elhokar framing Dalinar as he tangles with a slimy Sadeas, Kaladin just gettting crushed again and again, and Shallan acting kind of insane with her "seeing those figures" all the time and whatnot.

If he's past the halfway point, and past Kaladin surviving the highstorm and Jasnah zapping the thieves with Soulcasting, I can't see how that's not intriguing. But I definitely skim the Dalinar parts when re-reading TWoK because so much of it is annoying interactions with Elhokar, Sadeas, or both, or constantly repressing himself around Navani. The visions are the most curious things for the reader for his chapters.

Is this his first Cosmere work? I wouldn't use TWoK as that entry point, not that it's a bad work by any means, but it does require more commitment.

TWoK was my entry point to the Cosmere if you didn't count my reading of Elantris years back. I tried to read it for years before actually getting around to reading it. Because of my reluctance to read the entire book, I was confused at the Heralds and didn't understand what was going on. I also for some reason thought that Kaladin was Kalak. Yeah. 

I really had to force myself to read the Dalinar/Adolin PoVs and the Interludes in TWoK and I definitely didn't skip the Shallan/Dalinar flashbacks on my first reading of WoR/OB.

[Emi]

Actually when I started I had similar opinion to your brother. The book was very looong and I didn’t have any idea what’s going on. 

I changed my opinion at the middle-end of WoK, while all those plot twists. While reading Sanderson you need to read the book till the end. Then you actually realize, that it’s ABSOLUTELY THE BEST BOOK EVER and I would say, that you need to persuade your brother to read the whole book and then he should just love SA like all of us.

[Goatbringer]

I'll definitely admit that Stormlight was still kind of a side series that I enjoyed after reading Way of Kings until Words of Radiance landed and it immediately skyrocketed into the top spot. 

[GoWibble]

1 hour ago, Emi said:

I changed my opinion at the middle-end of WoK, while all those plot twists. While reading Sanderson you need to read the book till the end. Then you actually realize, that it’s ABSOLUTELY THE BEST BOOK EVER and I would say, that you need to persuade your brother to read the whole book and then he should just love SA like all of us.

The Sanderlanche is definitely worth the buildup. 

I personally have gotten my first take on tWoK mixed with the other 3 times that I've read it, so I think that it is a good intro to the SA. 

Other than that, he might like era 2 of MB, or maybe Emperor's Soul like Robardin mentioned. 

He also might like the Non-cosmere stuff like Skyward or the Rithmatist, but that would really just to get him into more Brandon. 

[Karger]

OK update.  He has finished WoKs and has "given me permission" to bring him WoKs two as he calls it.  He still thinks that this should be more books and that the number of characters and plot elements is too much.  Do I have him?

[Frustration]

23 minutes ago, Karger said:

OK update.  He has finished WoKs and has "given me permission" to bring him WoKs two as he calls it.  He still thinks that this should be more books and that the number of characters and plot elements is too much.  Do I have him?

If not Saj-anat is a good back up, but if he's made it this far probably, Shallan might be a problem  though so be wary. 

[Karger]

18 hours ago, Frustration said:

If not Saj-anat is a good back up

Saj-anat is not in WoR so I am not sure what you mean.  He is also sad about Jasnah's death ATM and I am afraid I spoiled the book by not reacting strongly when he claimed to be sad because she was dead.

[Frustration]

23 minutes ago, Karger said:

Saj-anat is not in WoR so I am not sure what you mean.  

"Nothing is less funny than explaining humor." -Shallan WoR it's something along those lines I can't find it right now, just look at the thread title and laugh.

[Shard of Reading]

I got my sister to read mistborn after she ran out of books during quarintine. She just finished Bands of Mourning, and I am getting her arcanum unbounded to explain kelsier, and hopefully she will read the other stories and I can then get her into SA.

[Gilphon]

3 hours ago, Karger said:

Saj-anat is not in WoR so I am not sure what you mean.  He is also sad about Jasnah's death ATM and I am afraid I spoiled the book by not reacting strongly when he claimed to be sad because she was dead.

I mean, Brandon has talked about how he regrets putting as much effort as he did into convincing people that Jasnah was really dead. If you're going to indirectly spoil something with your emotions like that, this is a pretty good thing to spoil.

[Requiem17]

On 6/28/2020 at 3:42 PM, Karger said:

OK update.  He has finished WoKs and has "given me permission" to bring him WoKs two as he calls it.  He still thinks that this should be more books and that the number of characters and plot elements is too much.  Do I have him?

I recall being confused on a lot of characters, places, and vocabulary. Questions like: 

What are all the names of the Heralds? They seem to change every time I hear them. Am I supposed to know them? Do I just suck at reading fantasy? Etc. 

But it was really liking some characters and their struggles that made me want to keep reading all three, and then want to listen to podcasts and read all of the cosmere and figure out all this stuff I didn't understand on the first read-through. I'm worried that if there isn't at least one character he's excited about, that he won't want to put in that time investment? But the fact that he's sad about Jasnah's death bodes well I think. 

I hope it works out for you. I gave the book to my dad, who loves sci-fi / fantasy. But that guy is at an age where he barely understands TV shows, I don't know what I expected

[Karger]

Alright you finally finished WoR!  He says he will start the Edgedancer with the hope of finishing this weekend.  He was angry about Jasnah's resurrection.

Edited July 3, 2020 by Karger

[+Hoiditthroughthegrapevine]

Ok, so he read TWoK (1001 pgs), WoR (1087 pgs) and is going to finish Edgedancer (132 pgs) before the weekend is done. That means he will have read 2,220 pages of Brandon's best work, IMO, in a little over a week.

Yep, I think you got the hook in pretty deep. Also, at his rate of reading he'll probably have time to devour the rest of the Cosmere while he waits with the rest of us for RoW to come out, and most likely he'll be done way before November 17th, giving him time to explore the deeper mysteries on the 17th shard. I think your Hall of Theories is a good entry point for that too.

One thing you might tell him after he finishes Edgedancer is that the back of the book texts on the SA books were all written by Dysian Aimians and maybe tell him as well the interesting fact that the Sleepless will have a large role in the later Cosmere. Those are two pretty good hooks right there.

Edited July 3, 2020 by hoiditthroughthegrapevine

[Karger]

Finished edgedancer and liked it.  He will be traveling now but plans on reading OB.