neuxue

When, one bright Sunday morning, you, having seen this Sanderson guy mentioned (and, based on the surname, wondered if he's some distant relative) pick up The Final Empire, read it, and think "This book. I like it. ANOTHER" [insert appropriate Thor gif here]. And then, almost exactly one week later, you realise you have read every published cosmere work. (I'm not going to survive the wait, am I?)

Granted, but you now have the attention span and memory of a goldfish. Do whatever you like! I wish to be immune to misfortune.

Top of my list, and possibly the most underrated/underread book I've ever read. It's incredible but so few people know of it. (The fact that it's been mentioned here fills me with joy). Beautifully written, wonderful story, intriguing (soft) magic system, great characters, some unusual twists. So my list would probably look something like 1) the Riddle Master trilogy, as mentioned above 2) His Dark Materials, by Philip Pullman. it gets surprisingly difficult to fill the last 3 slots, because there are so many I've read and loved for such different reasons... 3) I'm tempted to put Stormlight here, but as it's unfinished I'm not sure. Mistborn can sit in as a placeholder. 4) the Daughter of Smoke and Bone series by Laini Taylor. A different fantasy sub-genre, but very good. I particularly enjoy the price of magic in these, because nothing is more fun than watching characters suffer 5) The Young Wizards series (Diane Duane), if only because it's such a wonderfully different take on magic, and one that greatly appeals to a science geek like me. Loved these when I was younger, and was pleasantly surprised on recently re-reading.

Does anyone else worry that the 5th Ideal of the Windrunners could turn out to be something like 'I will give my life to protect others, if that is the only way' (or a more elegant phrasing implying self-sacrifice)? Maybe I just have trust issues from reading too many authors who kill my favourites and am therefore as paranoid as Elhokar. Let's hope that is the case.

Or perhaps the stormlight provides the power for the soulcasting, but the specific gem acts as a 'focus' of sorts. Which might partially explain the issue of Shallan investing stormlight first, and then the stones cracking later. Then again, I have no evidence to expressly support this, so it could very well be entirely wrong.

Any other Avatar: the Last Airbender fans around? If so, Iroh's 'Little Soldier Boy' song for Tien.

I will neither refute nor confirm I do have a tendency to lurk in places like this, and require something of a push to actually comment. Feel free to take the +1 ego

I like this idea, if only because there are so many parallels drawn between Talenelat and Kaladin that for most of TWoK I was convinced Kaladin was Taln, returning before the Desolation, unable to remember his past 'self' due to the fact that the rest of the Heralds abandoned the Oathpact. (Then of course Kaladin turned out to be a KR instead, and thus my theory died a very sad death) So maybe the parallels are coincidental, or just me seeing things that aren't there, but I'm joining the 'not supported by hard fact at all [but not] straight up refuted' side on this theory.