Author Topic: Dragonsteel **SPOILERS**  (Read 16993 times)

Felastizairu

  • Level 3
  • ***
  • Posts: 31
  • Fell Points: 0
  • Defies gravity, and therefore physics.
    • View Profile
Dragonsteel **SPOILERS**
« on: December 06, 2008, 11:47:16 PM »
I went to Brandon's signing today and met him and Ookla.  I mentioned that I'd read Dragonsteel, and Ookla suggested that I come post a forum topic about it.  For those of you that don't know, Dragonsteel is Brandon's undergraduate Honor's thesis.  It just so happens that BYU has a copy of it at the library, so being a good Sanderson fan, I checked it out and settled in for a good read.

Has anyone else been able to get their hands on it?  If you have, what did you think of it?  I rather enjoyed it, even if it's one of Brandon's earlier pieces of writing and unpolished.  It has the characteristic unique magic system, and I can't help but wonder if it was influenced by Brandon's early undergraduate days as a biochemistry major (because I'm a biochemistry major).  I also see some parallels between Dragonsteel characters and characters that have shown up in other books.  I think Jerick and Elend are quite alike, as are Topaz and Kelsier.  I'll have to check it out again and figure find Hoid references for you theorists out there.

The downside to the book is the ending is killer.  I started reading thinking it was a stand-alone novel--not so!  The ending has one of the biggest cliffhangers I've seen anywhere.  The worst part about that is that when I talked to Brandon today he said he probably wouldn't finish the series. :'( 

At any rate, I'd love to discuss it with everyone that has read it, or even those that haven't.
« Last Edit: December 14, 2008, 12:57:02 AM by Tage »
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.
~Thomas

achren99

  • Level 4
  • *
  • Posts: 64
  • Fell Points: 0
    • View Profile
Re: Dragonsteel
« Reply #1 on: December 08, 2008, 03:35:12 PM »
Yeah, I loved Dragonsteel.  At that point, it was one of my favorite books ever.  (I don't know anymore, since I hadn't read any of Brandon's other books at that point.)  Dragonsteel is the whole reason I even know about Brandon--I remembered his name because I loved the book and from time to time looked to see if he had any books published.  When Elantris came out I was very excited.  I read it, made my roommates read it, and then they took Brandon's class, got to edit Mistborn 3 and are in his acknowledgments.  Oh life ain't always fair is it? ;)  (I had no time to take another "fun" class.)

For some reason, Topaz reminds me a lot of Lightsong--kind of like a mix of Kelsier's boldness with Lightsong's humor?  I loved Topaz.  The girl who could bend light (it's been a while--like 7 years or so), reminds me of Vin a little.

The magic system was really cool--I liked how he could break apart things--and the whole fighting for dragonsteel thing was an interesting conflict. 

Yeah, the ending was quite...crazy!  I loved all the characters (even the princess) and really wanted to see where it was going.  The fact that he's not going to write more, probably, is one of the great tragedies of the world... ;) ok, I shouldn't go THAT far, but it makes me sad.  I really wish I could read Dragonsteel again *hint hint is there a way?*, but I'm nowhere near BYU anymore.

I'm glad someone else read it and liked it. :)  The only thing I disliked about it was the fact he kept saying "en masse." haha


Vatdoro

  • Level 4
  • *
  • Posts: 94
  • Fell Points: 0
    • View Profile
Re: Dragonsteel
« Reply #2 on: December 08, 2008, 07:20:34 PM »
Your comments on Dragonsteel were totally getting me pumped to read it, until I read it has a cliffhanger ending and Brandon doesn't have any plans to finish the story. I'm just not sure I want to subject myself to that kind of torture. But, then again, maybe I'd totally enjoy it even if there's not much closure at the end.

What do you guys think? For someone who normally likes stories to have some kind of wrap up at the end, is it worth the anxiety I'll feel when nothing gets resolved?

melbatoast

  • Level 6
  • *
  • Posts: 152
  • Fell Points: 0
    • View Profile
    • My Shelfari Page
Re: Dragonsteel
« Reply #3 on: December 08, 2008, 07:33:35 PM »
I would love to read it too, but I'm not at BYU anymore...  :-\
"She is too fond of books, and it has addled her brain." - Louisa May Alcott

little wilson

  • Level 29
  • *
  • Posts: 1634
  • Fell Points: 0
  • Hero of Ages: Preservation
    • View Profile
    • My Myspace
Re: Dragonsteel
« Reply #4 on: December 09, 2008, 05:10:20 PM »
Hmm. I haven't read it, but I want to. And I have friends who go to BYU...I wonder if they would check the book out for me. I should ask them....Unless they do interlibrary loan. BYU-I is pretty much BYU (only cooler ;) ) . Too bad I'm leaving Rexburg at the end of the week (actually, it's not too bad...the weather here sucks)...
"You either die a hero or you live long enough to see yourself become the villain."

haroldthesage

  • Level 2
  • **
  • Posts: 12
  • Fell Points: 0
  • Yes I'm aware my avatar fails to match my username
    • View Profile
Re: Dragonsteel
« Reply #5 on: December 09, 2008, 09:23:04 PM »
I plan to go down to my local library this evening and do my best to Interlibrary loan it, I feel that if I am successful I will be waiting for it to come in long enough that by the time it comes in I will have forgotten about it and will be pleasantly surprised.
Fear my obscure references.

It makes me laugh to think of Mistborn testing metals and coming to Cesium

achren99

  • Level 4
  • *
  • Posts: 64
  • Fell Points: 0
    • View Profile
Re: Dragonsteel
« Reply #6 on: December 09, 2008, 10:16:41 PM »
Um...it was cliffhangery, but some things were still resolved.  I like closure too, and still liked it. 

Of course, I also am good with making up my own endings when things don't actually end.  This is why I think I was so vastly disappointed with Harry Potter 7--I already had ideas of what would be awesome, and she under-awed me by not even being as cool as my ideas...and she's the author. 

For those of you who have read Dragonsteel, I would have had much more of a problem with the story if the ending didn't have the VERY VERY end.  What happens there made it a lot better and awesome.

I would read it if I were you.  I loved it.  It's cliffhangeresque, but not as bad as like...the Empire Strikes Back.  It's still very enjoyable without an ending.

achren99

  • Level 4
  • *
  • Posts: 64
  • Fell Points: 0
    • View Profile
Re: Dragonsteel
« Reply #7 on: December 09, 2008, 10:18:41 PM »
Vatdoro--are you Shelly's brother?  (This is based on having the same username as someone I know...if you're not him, sorry. :) )

Peter Ahlstrom

  • Administrator
  • Level 59
  • *
  • Posts: 4902
  • Fell Points: 2
  • Assistant to Mr. Sanderson
    • View Profile
Re: Dragonsteel
« Reply #8 on: December 09, 2008, 10:24:34 PM »
All Saiyuki fans should check out Dazzle! Emotionally wrenching action-adventure and quirky humor! (At least read chapter 6 and tell me if you're not hooked.) Volume 10 out now!

achren99

  • Level 4
  • *
  • Posts: 64
  • Fell Points: 0
    • View Profile
Re: Dragonsteel
« Reply #9 on: December 09, 2008, 10:35:46 PM »
hahahaha  Who keeps adding unpublished/unwritten books to Amazon?  What happens if people actually order it?

Peter Ahlstrom

  • Administrator
  • Level 59
  • *
  • Posts: 4902
  • Fell Points: 2
  • Assistant to Mr. Sanderson
    • View Profile
Re: Dragonsteel
« Reply #10 on: December 09, 2008, 11:45:45 PM »
When it never comes out, they get their money back. Or they get their money back when they cancel the order.

This Amazon listing is actually for The Liar of Partinel, which as the first book of a duology was meant to act as a backdoor pilot to the overall Dragonsteel series. Brandon did get a contract with Tor for this when he sold them Warbreaker, and someone at Tor must have sent out their far-in-advance release schedule to Amazon. (That's the same way the Way of Kings listing got on Amazon.)

However, since The Liar of Partinel turned out so badly, and he's now focused on Way of Kings, it will be years before Brandon gets back to the Dragonsteel universe with a ground-up rewrite.

We'll probably see Way of Kings in 2010 and it was announced in 2003; using the same interval, maybe The Liar of Partinel (or a replacement book) will come out in 2014. :)
All Saiyuki fans should check out Dazzle! Emotionally wrenching action-adventure and quirky humor! (At least read chapter 6 and tell me if you're not hooked.) Volume 10 out now!

Vatdoro

  • Level 4
  • *
  • Posts: 94
  • Fell Points: 0
    • View Profile
Re: Dragonsteel
« Reply #11 on: December 10, 2008, 06:47:18 PM »
Vatdoro--are you Shelly's brother?  (This is based on having the same username as someone I know...if you're not him, sorry. :) )

Yup, I'm the brother of Shelly.  :D I should have know that you were Achren99. I almost asked if that was you. Anyway, for everyone else reading, it's a small world (forum?). Didn't think I would see my little sister's best friend in these forums. I guess good minds have the same taste in books/authors.  :)

You've all convinced me that I won't be completely devistated at the end of Dragonsteel, so I definitely want to read it. I live in the "greater BYU area" and should be able to find a family member or friend who can get it from the library for me.

I'll let you know what I think. It might be a long wait if haroldthesage has it out on Interlibrary loan.

Bastille

  • Level 10
  • *
  • Posts: 389
  • Fell Points: 0
    • View Profile
Re: Dragonsteel
« Reply #12 on: December 11, 2008, 12:40:29 AM »
By what you have said it sound like something I would read. Maybe I'll check it out.

Bastille
Nature's first green is gold
Her hardest hue to hold. Her early leaf's a flower;
But only so an hour. Then leaf subsides to leaf.
So Eden sank to grief, So dawn goes down to day.
Nothing gold can stay.

Felastizairu

  • Level 3
  • ***
  • Posts: 31
  • Fell Points: 0
  • Defies gravity, and therefore physics.
    • View Profile
Re: Dragonsteel
« Reply #13 on: December 13, 2008, 07:40:46 PM »
Yeah, I loved Dragonsteel.  At that point, it was one of my favorite books ever.  (I don't know anymore, since I hadn't read any of Brandon's other books at that point.)  Dragonsteel is the whole reason I even know about Brandon--I remembered his name because I loved the book and from time to time looked to see if he had any books published.  When Elantris came out I was very excited.  I read it, made my roommates read it, and then they took Brandon's class, got to edit Mistborn 3 and are in his acknowledgments.  Oh life ain't always fair is it? ;)  (I had no time to take another "fun" class.)

What prompted you to check it out?  Did you know about Brandon before or did you just pick it up on a whim?  I wouldn't go searching in the Honor's Thesis section for reading material, but that's just me...  I've thought about taking his class, but I've heard it's hard to get into, and while I like writing, I don't think I'm up to anything epic and I don't have a lot of time to write. *sigh*

The cliffhanger was unexpected on my part.  I kept wondering when Jerick would go back to the city and resolve the issues he left behind, but it never happened, and then the city was demolished before he even seriously thought about going back.  I wanted to know what happened to all the characters that weren't explicitly mentioned.  And I really wanted to know how Jerick's new found realization about the death of his father would change his attitude.  I guess at this point I kind of imagine him going Strider/Aragorn on the world.  I also wanted to know what's *really* going on with the Sho Del.  They seem untrustworthy, but I just can't bring myself to believe that they're the real enemies.

I don't know if you can read it if you don't go to BYU or can't get someone to check it out for you.  And I don't know if BYU would do Interlibrary Loan with an Honor's Thesis, but who knows?  Maybe if Brandon has a draft saved somewhere and you asked nicely, he'd send you a copy, but I have no idea.
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.
~Thomas

Tage

  • Moderator
  • Level 29
  • *****
  • Posts: 1615
  • Fell Points: 2
  • That thing exing the machina? That's Deus.
    • View Profile
Re: Dragonsteel **SPOILERS**
« Reply #14 on: December 14, 2008, 12:57:33 AM »
I'm marking this thread as a spoiler thread in case people decide they want to try to get their hands on the original Dragonsteel.
"The Maintenance Shed will sometimes spontaneously explode after being built."