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Brandon Sanderson / Just finished Elantris
« on: August 01, 2006, 12:06:08 AM »
I just finished Elantris a few minutes ago, and I paid a visit to your website seeking for a way to congragulate you on a novel well-crafted. I hope I've found it.
Anyway, I enjoyed Elantris immensely. The characters were particularly impressive--Galladon and Hrathen leading the pack for me--and I enjoyed watching the various conflicts and character relationships develop. The resolutions didn't disappoint.
(SPOILERS)
When I started reading, one of my main worries was that Hrathen/Shu-Dereth was going to be a big slam on traditional religion--that's something which always irritates me. It was great to see that Hrathen was a complex character who, in the end, made perhaps the book's most powerful choice for good without sacrificing his faith in God--his last thought is of standing before Jaddeth. Even Dilaf rose about the usual stereotype of the religious fantatic. All I can say is, bravo! And thanks for an awesome read, Brandon (Mr. Sanderson?)
I write science-fiction/fantasy myself--I've probably written about 800,000 words in the past five years, including four novel rough drafts and a whole mess of short stories. I've had some success in small-presses with my shorts--Silver Lake Publishing released my first short story collection, entitled Six with Flinteye, a year or so back (six space opera tales about Jalazar Flinteye, mercenary, bounty hunter, and body guard, available on Amazon.com, B&N.com, Fictionwise.com, and the publisher's website). I've also made a couple sales to Pitch-Black Publishing (www.pitchblackbooks.com) and various e-zines and small-print magazines.
Anyway...I've got a publishing question for you, if you have a little time to burn: I'm a couple weeks away from completing a novel (with revision and all--it's the first book I've actually revised and prepared for publication). My question is: Do you recommend sending the book straight to publishers who accept unsolicited subs (Baen, DAW, and Tor), or would you advise starting off with query letters to agents? Or is there a third option?
Thanks! I'll definitely be reading Mistborn, although financial and storage space limitations will probably force me to wait for the paperback...
Anyway, I enjoyed Elantris immensely. The characters were particularly impressive--Galladon and Hrathen leading the pack for me--and I enjoyed watching the various conflicts and character relationships develop. The resolutions didn't disappoint.
(SPOILERS)
When I started reading, one of my main worries was that Hrathen/Shu-Dereth was going to be a big slam on traditional religion--that's something which always irritates me. It was great to see that Hrathen was a complex character who, in the end, made perhaps the book's most powerful choice for good without sacrificing his faith in God--his last thought is of standing before Jaddeth. Even Dilaf rose about the usual stereotype of the religious fantatic. All I can say is, bravo! And thanks for an awesome read, Brandon (Mr. Sanderson?)
I write science-fiction/fantasy myself--I've probably written about 800,000 words in the past five years, including four novel rough drafts and a whole mess of short stories. I've had some success in small-presses with my shorts--Silver Lake Publishing released my first short story collection, entitled Six with Flinteye, a year or so back (six space opera tales about Jalazar Flinteye, mercenary, bounty hunter, and body guard, available on Amazon.com, B&N.com, Fictionwise.com, and the publisher's website). I've also made a couple sales to Pitch-Black Publishing (www.pitchblackbooks.com) and various e-zines and small-print magazines.
Anyway...I've got a publishing question for you, if you have a little time to burn: I'm a couple weeks away from completing a novel (with revision and all--it's the first book I've actually revised and prepared for publication). My question is: Do you recommend sending the book straight to publishers who accept unsolicited subs (Baen, DAW, and Tor), or would you advise starting off with query letters to agents? Or is there a third option?
Thanks! I'll definitely be reading Mistborn, although financial and storage space limitations will probably force me to wait for the paperback...