Timewaster's Guide Archive

I think that's definitely the politics behind the student eval, which was unfortunate.  But it was great to see Brandon's work just casually dropped in alongside other authors and ideas that any reader ought to know - almost like a footnote aside that "for purposes of this essay, I will assume familiarity with the works of Rawls, Nussbaum, Solzhenitsyn, C.S. Lewis, and Sanderson." 

I liked it, but I was a little underwhelmed as well.  (Sorry.)  Out of Elantris, Warbreaker, and Mistborn TFE, I liked this prologue the least, for a few reasons. 

Here, we're getting a *lot* of information dropped on us -- kingdoms and castes and religion and glimpses of complicated backstory, and in the middle of it all, a complicated fight and magic system we don't know.  This resulted for me in a choppy flow, because there were pieces that I picked up fast, but other pieces that were just confusing.  (And that's not why I read Brandon -- if I feel like reading something arcane-and-confusing, I pick up some China Mieville or Steven Erickson.)  So overall, for me, it made the fight and the magic system much less of a "wow" moment than either Mistborn or Warbreaker.  Sorry 'bout that.

One thing that I thought Mistborn TFE did perfectly was the gradual magic system reveal.  It starts out with just glimpses -- Kelsier burns down the noble's house, and we don't know how.  We realize that the magic is awesome, and then we're drawn into the world, and we're slowly primed to understand the back story, and ready to enjoy the magic system when it hits us.  Warbreaker does jump right in with the magic, but the flow and the new information rush seems more carefully calibrated.  We get glimpses of backstory, but it's not a drink from the firehose.  Here it just seemed like a little too much going on.  I'm vaguely hoping that this isn't really the prologue, but one of those fake-prologues that often come up as teasers.   (As I recall the paperback teaser that was used for Martin's ASOS was something like 8 chapters into the actual book.) 

I'm looking forward to the series, though -- it sounds like it's going to be very interesting. 

Another minor question --

What was Zane's hemalurgical power?  (Or was he just spiked for control?)

But Brandon has announced his next project (pending Tor approval) will be Way of Kings, a 10-volume epic fantasy. He'll sprinkle in a book from another project here and there, so the next Mistborn trilogy might start before Way of Kings is ended, but it will be years yet before there is any more Mistborn.

But Ookla, he already wrote that one!

Should we have a thread about buy reports (discussing what stores had it, when, how many)?  I didn't see any for this (though I didn't click all the threads - I have to work and can't finish the book today, and I don't want to see spoilers), and I think I remember reading before how this can be useful information.

So -- I bought my copy at Barnes and Noble in La Jolla (San Diego). 

I went into the store and checked and didn't see it in the SF/F new releases, and so I asked a store clerk about it.  Turns out that HoA wasn't on the SF/F shelf because it was on the overall new release table, right at the front of the store (first table in).  It was a very nice placement (except that it was on the back side of the table, so it was a little bit hidden behind the other books on the table).

Also, when we asked about HoA, the clerk volunteered (we didn't even ask this) that they had already sold another copy earlier in the day (and it was barely noon).  There were three left at the time (two, after I bought mine).  So that's probably a good sign, maybe that store will sell out and reorder. 

(Also, the SF/F section there had a solid EUOL section in general, paperbacks of Elantris and MB1 & 2.)

You know, besides Brandon.  To get you through till October. 

It seems to be kind of a dry spell lately, all around.  The Republic of Thieves isn't due for another 6 months.  Ditto for The Wise Man's Fear (which got bumped back).  And it's really anyone's guess when A Dance With Dragons will be out. 

I'm thinking of picking up the new Sc*lzi (which looks like it's getting good reviews).  Either that, or swallowing all pride and borrowing my wife's stack of Stephanie Meyer. 

But before I go that far, can I just take the group's pulse?  I may be missing something obvious.  What are y'all reading, lately?  Non-Sanderson category only, please.

I first read about Brandon Sanderson on Eric James Stone's blog, a year or two ago.  Eric's enthusiastic review led me to read Elantris, which led to Mistborn, and then Warbreaker. 

Later, I had a conversation over dinner with John Scalzi (really!) and some mutual friends, where Brandon's name came up.  Scalzi politely noted that Brandon was the world's only recipient of the Scalzi award.  And then we discussed whether or not snorting one's relatives' ashes is a form of cannibalism. 

Later, I got to interview Brandon for a blog. 

And now, I guess I'm going to have to pick up the post-Path of Daggers books in WoT and catch up, since the series is actually going to end.  I had all but given up on it. 

I'm sure that's pretty much what Tor had in mind when they hired Brandon:  Bringing aboard those uncounted legions of rabid Brandon fans to buy books from this Jordan fellow. 

In hardcover, of course.