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Local Authors => Brandon Sanderson => Topic started by: Hobbun on June 24, 2010, 07:43:50 PM

Title: Which book should I read first?
Post by: Hobbun on June 24, 2010, 07:43:50 PM
I will admit, I have not had the pleasure to read Brandon’s books as of yet (I know, shame on me) but I am in the process of finishing a series before I head off to GenCon.

However, I do plan to start up Brandon’s books afterwards. Now, which book/series do you recommend I start first? I was thinking of going with Mistborn as that series is completed (well, at least I think it is), but would it be better to go with Elantris or Warbreaker first?

I guess I just want to avoid the “Oh, that’s a good series, but I would have started with ________, first.”

What do you suggest?
Title: Re: Which book should I read first?
Post by: Phaz on June 24, 2010, 08:37:55 PM
I will admit, I have not had the pleasure to read Brandon’s books as of yet (I know, shame on me) but I am in the process of finishing a series before I head off to GenCon.

However, I do plan to start up Brandon’s books afterwards. Now, which book/series do you recommend I start first? I was thinking of going with Mistborn as that series is completed (well, at least I think it is), but would it be better to go with Elantris or Warbreaker first?

I guess I just want to avoid the “Oh, that’s a good series, but I would have started with ________, first.”

What do you suggest?


There is no right answer.  I've now gotten well over 150 people to read Sanderson's books, and have dealt with this issue a lot, on which book to recommend first.

It really depends on the kind of person.  If someone is a WoT fan, than obviously they should start with TGS.  If someone really likes good action but isn't a typical fantasy reader I would probably have them start with warbreaker.  If they read fantasy and like series than I would go with Mistborn.  If they typically read more sci-fi than I would recommend Elantris.

If I know someone will really enjoy his work and I want them to get as much as possible out of reading him, than I would do the following.

First, I'd start with Elantris.  Brandon's endings are simply amazing.  Once things get going it really starts to go, they are literally impossible to put down at that point.  So many people I know who have read Elantris say that the ending just blew them away more than any other book they have ever read.  It really has that impact.

After that I would probably say to move on to Warbreaker.  It's another stand alone that really starts to turn them on to one of Brandon's other major strengths, his magic systems.  The magic system in this book is really unique and intriguing.  It's also just a nice fun read.

At this point the reader is usually thinking, wow, this guy is amazing, his endings are phenomenal and his magic systems are jaw dropping awesome.  How does he do this?

Then I would have them read Mistborn.  IMO the Mistborn books have the best endings and magic systems of what's currently out there.  They will already be blown away by those aspects of his writing, but then blown away again by reading Mistborn. 
Title: Re: Which book should I read first?
Post by: Valkynphyre on June 24, 2010, 08:38:54 PM
There's really no bad place to start except in the middle of mistborn. I started with Elantris, myself. I, personally would probably start with mistborn if I could do it all again.

Or maybe the Way of Kings. That could be awesome and terrible at the same time.
Title: Re: Which book should I read first?
Post by: Miyabi on June 24, 2010, 08:47:01 PM

In my opinion you should read them in the order they were released. 

Elantris, Mistborn Trilogy, Warbreaker.  Also, read Alcatraz in there somewhere, it's a really funny YA series.
Title: Re: Which book should I read first?
Post by: Valkynphyre on June 24, 2010, 08:49:59 PM
How could I have forgotten Alcatraz? Definently good books. Their humor reminds me a little of Douglas Adams.
Title: Re: Which book should I read first?
Post by: Hobbun on June 24, 2010, 08:53:04 PM
Awesome write up, thanks Phaz.  I am a WoT fan, but am holding off on TGS as I am going to do a reread of the series. I actually like your suggestion and am leaning towards that.

There's really no bad place to start except in the middle of mistborn. I started with Elantris, myself. I, personally would probably start with mistborn if I could do it all again.

Or maybe the Way of Kings. That could be awesome and terrible at the same time.


Ok, now this is what I am referring to, in “If I could do it over, I would start with Mistborn, first (instead of Elantris).”  Can I ask why you feel this way?
Title: Re: Which book should I read first?
Post by: Valkynphyre on June 24, 2010, 09:01:51 PM
Let's see if I can nail down my feelings precisely. Elantris is great, but has little action for a large chunk of the book. Mainly political drama, tension, a little romance, and a hint of horror, which is great.

Warbreaker is very fun. A little dark at times, and wonderful complex characters. It takes itself a little less seriously than others.

Mistborn has plenty of action, complex, wonderful characters, awesome magic, the hero's journey, thieves, slaves, tyranny, betrayal, laughs, romance,  and gritty action sequences spaced throughout. Not to mention, every book is better than the last and the endings are fantastic. Hero of Ages has one of the best endings I've ever read. Every time I read it i get an adrenaline rush in places. It's dark and brooding. If I were to read one book of Brandon's I would read the final Empire. Not because It's my favorite, 'cause it's not. But because .. . . ach, IDK. my feelings hate me.

The freelings and opinions expressed by Valkynphyre do not necessarily accurately represent the feelings of Valkynphyre or any of his associates. Feed the sheep. They're hungry.
Title: Re: Which book should I read first?
Post by: Chaos on June 24, 2010, 11:20:42 PM
Warbreaker. Of his published works, it is the one with the best prose. It's lighter than Mistborn, which makes Warbreaker a superior introduction.

Of course, any of them are a great place to start. I began with Elantris simply because it was the only one out at that point, but don't let that stop you. Nowadays I would easily recommend Warbreaker as an introduction, despite the fact that the first Mistborn is actually my favorite of his books.
Title: Re: Which book should I read first?
Post by: Creative_Vortx on June 24, 2010, 11:29:04 PM
I was thinking of going with Mistborn as that series is completed (well, at least I think it is)

All the series are technically complete. Elantris' sequel is more or less Mistborn. Warbreaker's sequel isn't in the works yet so don't hold off reading it just because it's not "complete" since it stands on it's own. Mistborn is currently complete as it's the first trilogy in a series. It's like saying the first 3 star wars don't stand on their own without the second 3 (that I pretend don't exist).

Anyways.......

Warbreaker. If I could have started with that I would have, very good book. Lots of humor and good action. Then i'd go on to Elantris and then Mistborn.
Title: Re: Which book should I read first?
Post by: Inkthinker on June 25, 2010, 01:28:34 AM
Heck, I think the first book in Mistborn stands well on its own. Start off either there, or with Warbreaker.

Title: Re: Which book should I read first?
Post by: Patriotic Kaz on June 25, 2010, 04:43:27 AM
Elantris or Final Empire
Title: Re: Which book should I read first?
Post by: Ari54 on June 25, 2010, 05:01:46 AM
Brandon doesn't have any bad or difficult books in my opinion, so you're probably safe picking up anything. I'd say it depends on your tastes. Mistborn is a great low fantasy book, Elantris and Warbreaker are probably pretty compatible with anyone who likes fantasy at all, and if you're willing to slog through the first eleven books, it's definitely worth reading the Wheel of Time series if you have any interest in more traditional epic fantasy.
Title: Re: Which book should I read first?
Post by: TyranAmiros on June 25, 2010, 07:28:52 AM
My first Brandon Sanderson novel was Elantris, and I'd really recommend it as a place to start.  It's good because it's a stand-alone, so if you don't like it for any reason ( :-\) you aren't only 1/3 of the way through a story.  It's also a good introduction to Brandon's style, particularly how he approaches magic and philosophy in all of his work.

For me, as a Wheel of Time fan, Gathering Storm was a better read having read BS' other work because you're already used to the writing style.
Title: Re: Which book should I read first?
Post by: MaeLavanya on June 25, 2010, 10:23:53 AM
I too started with Elantris, because it was Brandon's first novel. Then I read Mistborn, then Warbreaker, so in order of release. I liked it that way, honestly! I read the Alcatraz novels most recently, and they're really a lot of fun if you want an easy and quick read.
Title: Re: Which book should I read first?
Post by: Hobbun on June 25, 2010, 01:31:43 PM
Ok, thank you everyone for your suggestions.  I am probably going to start with Elantris or Warbreaker, first. But I haven’t decided, yet.

As for someone suggesting ‘slogging through the first 11 books of the WoT is worth it if you like traditional fantasy”, I definitely do like traditional fantasy and have every intention of rereading the series. I actually read up to book 8 of the series and stopped. But I stopped reading in general, not just WoT (long story). So I just want to reread the series again because I have forgotten so much and then also read 9, 10 and 11 before I start TGS.

As for my comment of reading Mistborn because it is ‘complete’, I said that because of a rule I have instigated now (for myself) that I try to wait until the series is over, or at least to the point by the time I finish the second to last book in the series, the last one is just coming out. I basically want to read all of them together. I started that rule because of WoT. I had to reread the series over twice as it was just too long between books and I would forget a lot of the little things (and some bigger ones) from prior books.

Not saying Brandon is going to be that way, in having years between books, but it is something I have found with the epic 800-1000 page fantasy books. It’s great they are huge, but something like that, understandably so, is going to take a huge amount of time to write, edit, revise and print. That is also why I have waited on reading Martin’s series (Song, Fire and Ice) as well.

It is awesome hearing that the endings in Brandon’s books are that top notch. That is the problem I have run into a lot of book series where the story itself is great, but the ending is so anti-climatic. I am really looking forward to reading Brandon’s work!

Thanks again to all for your suggestions.  :)
Title: Re: Which book should I read first?
Post by: kari-no-sugata on June 25, 2010, 05:04:53 PM
However, I do plan to start up Brandon’s books afterwards. Now, which book/series do you recommend I start first? I was thinking of going with Mistborn as that series is completed (well, at least I think it is), but would it be better to go with Elantris or Warbreaker first?

I guess I just want to avoid the “Oh, that’s a good series, but I would have started with ________, first.”

What do you suggest?

Well, you can do what I did and download Warbreaker for free from the author's website:
http://www.brandonsanderson.com/portal/Warbreaker

I then ordered the hardback later. You can get a signed version too:
http://www.brandonsanderson.com/store/item/45/Signed-Warbreaker-andmdash-Hardcover

Apart from that there's no obvious order to read them in (except of course the Mistborn series should be read in series order).
Title: Re: Which book should I read first?
Post by: Hobbun on June 25, 2010, 05:24:43 PM
Oh, already have the paperback all ready to read.  And not just Warbreaker, but also the Mistborn series and Elantris. The only one I don't have is Alcatraz.

I probably will get the hardcovers as well, if I really like the books (which I am guessing I will). I do know about the pre-signed books on Brandon's site, but I am one who always prefers to get signatures personally, unless it is just not possible anymore.

Also, the Warbreaker signed books have the remainder marks on them. To some, it is not an issue, but I am picky with my books.   :)
Title: Re: Which book should I read first?
Post by: Creative_Vortx on June 25, 2010, 06:27:52 PM
As for my comment of reading Mistborn because it is ‘complete’, I said that because of a rule I have instigated now (for myself) that I try to wait until the series is over, or at least to the point by the time I finish the second to last book in the series, the last one is just coming out. I basically want to read all of them together. I started that rule because of WoT. I had to reread the series over twice as it was just too long between books and I would forget a lot of the little things (and some bigger ones) from prior books.

Thanks again to all for your suggestions.  :)


The only series he has that will be anywhere near that will be Way of Kings that is due out in August. Until then you are good with all his series being complete ones.

You're welcome. :D
Title: Re: Which book should I read first?
Post by: kari-no-sugata on June 25, 2010, 07:41:41 PM
Oh, already have the paperback all ready to read.  And not just Warbreaker, but also the Mistborn series and Elantris. The only one I don't have is Alcatraz.

Oooh, how about this then: read the first chapter each for Elantris, Mistborn #1 and Warbreaker. Then continue with the one you liked the best...

I'd be curious to see which one you pick.
Title: Re: Which book should I read first?
Post by: Patriotic Kaz on June 27, 2010, 04:38:28 AM
Mistborn is the quickest draw-in....
Title: Re: Which book should I read first?
Post by: Fireborn on June 27, 2010, 07:30:39 AM
I started with Mistborn and I think it was a good place to start.  I'm a big fan of Brandon's fight scenes and magic systems, and Mistborn has the blend that really got me hooked and led me into his less action/magic heavy Elantris (not saying that there is not plenty of magic in Elantris, simply that most of the magic is passive for the majority of the book and the type of magic use I prefer to read doesn't kick in until near the end) where I could be more focused on the character and plot.  Then I read Warbreaker, which is great and a bit more involved on the magic side than Elantris.  If I could go back I would say Mistborn, then Warbreaker, then Elantris.  Though you've got to read Alcatraz in between things, cuz it's just so much dang fun!
Title: Re: Which book should I read first?
Post by: Hobbun on June 28, 2010, 02:25:58 PM
Oh, already have the paperback all ready to read.  And not just Warbreaker, but also the Mistborn series and Elantris. The only one I don't have is Alcatraz.

Oooh, how about this then: read the first chapter each for Elantris, Mistborn #1 and Warbreaker. Then continue with the one you liked the best...

I'd be curious to see which one you pick.

To be honest, I would prefer to start with the one I like the “worst”, so each subsequent book just gets better and better. Very much like Phaz’s suggestion. And I am still seriously thinking about going with his suggestion and starting with Elantris first, then go to Warbreaker.

Obviously going by this reasoning, I am not going to read the Mistborn series out of order, even if the earlier books in the series are viewed as “better” (which I hope isn’t the case).

The only other question is going by my “worst” to best suggestions, where should Alcatraz be at?  I am pretty sure I am still going to start with Elantris and Warbreaker, but wonder if I should go to the Alcatraz books before reading Mistborn.

And the reason I was putting worst in quotes is I am not saying any of them are bad, but when you go from a book that is great to one that is awesome, that great book is the “worst” one.
Title: Re: Which book should I read first?
Post by: Valkynphyre on June 28, 2010, 03:10:28 PM
Alcatraz is fantastic, but short. Kid's books, you know? How bout an Alcatraz book after Elantris, One after Warbreaker, and one once you finish the Mistborn trilogy.
Title: Re: Which book should I read first?
Post by: Chaos on June 28, 2010, 03:13:49 PM
Quote
Obviously going by this reasoning, I am not going to read the Mistborn series out of order, even if the earlier books in the series are viewed as “better” (which I hope isn’t the case).

While I personally like Mistborn 1 the best of all of Brandon's novels, that really has a great deal of nostalgia attached to it. The endings of books two and three are superior to it. You'll become even more satisfied after each book.
Title: Re: Which book should I read first?
Post by: Hobbun on June 28, 2010, 03:30:32 PM
Alcatraz is fantastic, but short. Kid's books, you know? How bout an Alcatraz book after Elantris, One after Warbreaker, and one once you finish the Mistborn trilogy.

Yes, I do know they are shorter and are kid’s books.   :)  But also heard they are very good (like you said), so would like to give them a shot.

And yes, I suppose I could do that, throw one in between each book or series of books (Mistborn). 

Looking at the font now of these books, it’s pretty big (which is understandable considering the intended audience). And with the combined (shortened) length of the books overall, I am guessing I could whip through one of these a day. So I guess it doesn’t really matter when I read them compared to the other books.


Quote
Obviously going by this reasoning, I am not going to read the Mistborn series out of order, even if the earlier books in the series are viewed as “better” (which I hope isn’t the case).

While I personally like Mistborn 1 the best of all of Brandon's novels, that really has a great deal of nostalgia attached to it. The endings of books two and three are superior to it. You'll become even more satisfied after each book.

Awesome. That's what I wanted to hear. Thanks.   :)
Title: Re: Which book should I read first?
Post by: Chaos on June 28, 2010, 05:35:49 PM
I've whipped through an Alcatraz book in an evening, easily. Though that's only partially the font and mostly the excellence of the writing itself.
Title: Re: Which book should I read first?
Post by: Comatose on June 29, 2010, 02:22:27 AM
Quote
While I personally like Mistborn 1 the best of all of Brandon's novels, that really has a great deal of nostalgia attached to it. The endings of books two and three are superior to it. You'll become even more satisfied after each book.
Well I knew you weren't going to pick Well of Acsension, Chaos.  After all, you practically didn't read Zane's third of the book ;)  And if I remember correctly, it didn't have a god-villian for you.

For me, thought for different reasons, the first and the third were my favorites, I can't decide which.  Like Chaos said, the first has the nostalgia of the crew attached to it, and Kelsier of course.  The third is just so intense though, so it's a real toss up to me.
Title: Re: Which book should I read first?
Post by: Chaos on June 29, 2010, 03:30:52 AM
Quote
While I personally like Mistborn 1 the best of all of Brandon's novels, that really has a great deal of nostalgia attached to it. The endings of books two and three are superior to it. You'll become even more satisfied after each book.
Well I knew you weren't going to pick Well of Acsension, Chaos.  After all, you practically didn't read Zane's third of the book ;)  And if I remember correctly, it didn't have a god-villian for you.

Okay, this is a valid point. I like my god villains (I say that realizing that my current book I'm writing opens with me killing a god) but still. I hate Zane. The ending, however, as I've always said, that ending made the whole book worthwhile and then some.

Title: Re: Which book should I read first?
Post by: guessingo on June 29, 2010, 01:59:54 PM
One other thing. The audio books for WoT of time are excellent. There is a male and female narrator. If you do them on audio and listen to them in your car or while you are doing other things, its not much of a slog. These are best sellers so most libraries should have them. So you should not buy them. 

I have read the books and listened to t hem on audio. I listen to about 30+ audiobooks a year. The WoT audio is great. To be fair some of the pronunciations are wrong in The Eye of the World, but they get corrected after that. For example, Taveren is pronounced like Tavern.
Title: Re: Which book should I read first?
Post by: Hobbun on June 29, 2010, 02:19:01 PM
One other thing. The audio books for WoT of time are excellent. There is a male and female narrator. If you do them on audio and listen to them in your car or while you are doing other things, its not much of a slog. These are best sellers so most libraries should have them. So you should not buy them. 

I have read the books and listened to t hem on audio. I listen to about 30+ audiobooks a year. The WoT audio is great. To be fair some of the pronunciations are wrong in The Eye of the World, but they get corrected after that. For example, Taveren is pronounced like Tavern.

A friend of mine, when he used to be a truck driver, would listen to audio books on his trips. But I have all the books of WoT and prefer to read, anyways. But thanks for the suggestion.   :)

Besides, the books I was asking about was the one’s Brandon wrote on his own (Elantris, Warbreaker, Mistborn series, etc).  But, should have made that more clear in my post title, sorry.
Title: Re: Which book should I read first?
Post by: Ari54 on July 01, 2010, 07:13:11 AM
As for someone suggesting ‘slogging through the first 11 books of the WoT is worth it if you like traditional fantasy”, I definitely do like traditional fantasy and have every intention of rereading the series. I actually read up to book 8 of the series and stopped. But I stopped reading in general, not just WoT (long story). So I just want to reread the series again because I have forgotten so much and then also read 9, 10 and 11 before I start TGS.

That's what I would recommend with regards to WoT anyway. The series picks up a bit in 10 and 11, so you kinda stopped at a down anyway, so re-reading should be very enjoyable given that you can skim-read some of the slower bits.
Title: Re: Which book should I read first?
Post by: Hobbun on July 01, 2010, 01:29:41 PM
That's what I would recommend with regards to WoT anyway. The series picks up a bit in 10 and 11, so you kinda stopped at a down anyway, so re-reading should be very enjoyable given that you can skim-read some of the slower bits.

Yes, I heard at least from 9-11 are not quite up to par to the earlier books in the series. Which isn't why I stopped, btw. What I did was basically read up to Path of Daggers (which was the current book at the time) and when Winter's Heart came out, I had forgotten a lot of the little nuances and the series was far from fresh in my mind, so that is when I made the rule for myself that I am just going to wait until the series is done (or close to it as when I finish TGS, AMoL should be out or it will soon be).
Title: Re: Which book should I read first?
Post by: Patriotic Kaz on July 01, 2010, 04:54:28 PM
11 is awesome 9 and 10 are the ones that are lacking
Title: Re: Which book should I read first?
Post by: Hobbun on July 01, 2010, 08:37:49 PM
Well, from the reviews I have read about Knife of Dreams they are pretty mixed. A lot still are ‘meh’. In fact, the last ‘good’ book I am seeing is Lord of Chaos. I’d have to agree to an extent, at least speaking from Crown of Swords and Path of Daggers (as I haven’t read past that). CoS was ok and PoD was good, but they don’t compare to Lord of Chaos and the prior books.
Title: Re: Which book should I read first?
Post by: Shivertongue on July 01, 2010, 08:49:54 PM
11 is awesome 9 and 10 are the ones that are lacking

I loved 9. I'm probably one of the few who did, from the sound of things. 10, though, was very lacking.
Title: Re: Which book should I read first?
Post by: Obsessiforge on July 03, 2010, 12:09:55 AM
I just picked up Warbreaker, so I'm hoping to read that one next.
Title: Re: Which book should I read first?
Post by: Ari54 on July 04, 2010, 05:33:11 AM
11 is awesome 9 and 10 are the ones that are lacking

I loved 9. I'm probably one of the few who did, from the sound of things. 10, though, was very lacking.

I loved 10/Crossroads of Twilight, but I read it knowing I'd have 11/Knife of Dreams to follow immediately after. I think a lot of the dissappointment around it is the whole "This is what we got after waiting years?" aspect. For people starting new or catching up again, I think it reads a lot better than it would have for someone on the bleeding edge of the series.

And yeah, I hated 9/Winter's Heart.

Well, from the reviews I have read about Knife of Dreams they are pretty mixed. A lot still are ‘meh’. In fact, the last ‘good’ book I am seeing is Lord of Chaos. I’d have to agree to an extent, at least speaking from Crown of Swords and Path of Daggers (as I haven’t read past that). CoS was ok and PoD was good, but they don’t compare to Lord of Chaos and the prior books.

It depends whether you're won over by Mat at that stage, I think. Knife of Dreams focuses heavily on him and really develops his character, so if you haven't started laughing at him whenever he shows up by then, then you're not really going to like it.

Knife of Dreams also goes a lot faster than the previous books did, and reads a lot more like The Gathering Storm.
Title: Re: Which book should I read first?
Post by: Hobbun on July 04, 2010, 01:46:34 PM
I loved 10/Crossroads of Twilight, but I read it knowing I'd have 11/Knife of Dreams to follow immediately after. I think a lot of the dissappointment around it is the whole "This is what we got after waiting years?" aspect. For people starting new or catching up again, I think it reads a lot better than it would have for someone on the bleeding edge of the series.

And yeah, I hated 9/Winter's Heart.

It depends whether you're won over by Mat at that stage, I think. Knife of Dreams focuses heavily on him and really develops his character, so if you haven't started laughing at him whenever he shows up by then, then you're not really going to like it.

Knife of Dreams also goes a lot faster than the previous books did, and reads a lot more like The Gathering Storm.

Ok, that's good. Sounds like I will have no issues with KoD as Mat was one of my favorite characters from early on.

Now can I ask why you didn't like Winter's Heart? Without giving a spoiler?
Title: Re: Which book should I read first?
Post by: Patriotic Kaz on July 05, 2010, 06:16:01 AM
When KoD came out I had just finished Crossroads about 2 months before and i still was disappointed. The whole book was a drawn out set-up for the end of the series and therefore little to no action and dull.
Title: Re: Which book should I read first?
Post by: Hobbun on July 06, 2010, 01:44:36 PM
I’ll admit, I try not to believe too much on user reviews on Amazon, especially considering when a lot of them go “It sucks!” “Boring!” or other very short and uninformative responses. But I do read the longer, more in depth reviews and I will say I was pretty shocked on not only the amount of overall negative reviews, but the percentage of them that were extremely low, and I am talking about the reviews by the readers who were informative, not the abovementioned useless one lined ‘reviews.’

Either way, I will still read Crossroads of Twilight as it is part of the series. But maybe if I go into it not expecting it to be that great, it will be better than I hope for. That method works for movies, at least.   :)
Title: Re: Which book should I read first?
Post by: Aranfan on July 06, 2010, 06:39:58 PM
I liked Winter's Heart.  It was epic.

Crossroads I'll admit wasn't so good.  IIRC it covers only about three days, and is mostly how the very, very large cast reacts to the climax of Winter's Heart.  I would suggest moving to Knife of Dreams within the same minute you finish Crossroads. 
Title: Re: Which book should I read first?
Post by: Hobbun on July 06, 2010, 06:49:11 PM
Yes, that's what I plan on doing as once I start my re-read of WoT, it is going to be straight through. With maybe the exception of New Spring after book 5.

Hopefully by the time I finish my re-read (and new books I haven't read in the series), I will be finishing up with Towers of Midnight right around when A Memory of Light is released, or soon before it.