Timewaster's Guide Archive
Local Authors => Brandon Sanderson => Topic started by: badmrpotatohead on January 20, 2008, 03:39:06 PM
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As per Brandons blog he asks for a bit of feedback, so I figured I'd start a topic and throw my thoughts in. His possibilities are:
Warbreaker sequel
Elantris sequel (Different characters, same world.)
Big Epic (five or six books on a new project)
Random Stand Alone
Dragonsteel (Which is written, but now I don't know when to release it.)
More books in the Mistborn world
(Note: Again, I wouldn't do any more with the same characters. Their story is done after book three, as I promised it would be.)
First off, I'm sure all of these projects would be interesting, it's just a matter of choosing the best one.
Warbreaker: Its frutrating knowing there is more to the story but that you have to wait FOREVER for the sequel...when I finished Elantris I wanted to read the next book right away and was sad there wasn't one. However, I agree with your sentiment that the time is right to REALLY make your mark and a sequel might not be the best way to do that.
Elantris: Same problem as Warbreaker. If/when you DO write this sequel though Brandon, I hope you don't compeltely ignore the characters from the first book....don't make them the main focus by any means, but it would nice to still have them affecting the world still (perhaps only from a political standpoint, what is that new government in Elantris going to do now, mentioning what the characters are doing even if we don't ever see them again). My sentimental side likes the continuity of that.
Big Epic: This is my vote as to what you should do...Read "The Carrots Revenge by Brandond Sanderson, co-author of AmoL, book 1 of the When Vegetables Attack chronicles!!" You have such a huge opportunity here to build your name and identity up with the other heavyweights of the Scifi/fantasy genre that I think starting fresh and setting up the giant series to followup your giant series conclusion is going to do that the best. (could you even get a chapter preview of it in the AmOL hardcover like they do in paperback? mm, good times)
Random STand Alone - Definitely vote against this. Standalones are fine in between series usually, but not in this opportunity...you need to build something. Standalones you read and put down, series you HAVE to get the next book to see what happens.
Dragonsteel - didnt know this book existed...if you didnt already have warbreaker, Id say do somethign liek that with it online....other than that, you could just save it till you find yourself in a slump and need to get somethign new out. Its your emergency reserve! :)
Mistborn 4:Alien invasion! I would vote gainst this....as much as I have enjoyed MB and its world, once youve finished the series theres no real reason to head back into it, at least not soon. The other projects have more success potential in my mind.
My thoughts...what say you peanut gallery?
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I agree, the best choice is: Big Epic (five or six books on a new project)
There is not going to be any bigger chance to keep the momentum going than after WOT. Thats your chance at further capturing the readership and give them something to keep living on now that WOT will be over.
I came here because of WOT, but now after reading Mistborn I probably will keep reading your stuff no matter what you pick to do, but I think it will be an overall better choice to launch a major epic.
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I don't write, I don't publish, and I don't pick up new authors randomly. Brandon posted on another author's site, whom I love, and we chose Elantris as our reading group book of the month and I have been hooked ever since. He is the only author that I plan to have a full hard back library of, for the entirety of his career. That being said, I am a huge fan of trilogies, but I have a problem with epic series. Anne McCaffrey possibly being the exception, but I buy her stuff in paperback because there is so much of it. I will probably get and read the Wheel of Time series, because I have heard so much good about it, and Brandon is writing the final book.
If I had to choose what I would like for him to do next, I would say whatever his creative mind has for him to write down. If there is too much to sift through in there, then do the Warbreaker sequel, and finish that story off, as much as you choose to. I think anyone who has read any of your books to this point will be more than willing to read whatever you put on the shelves, at least to give it a fighting chance. I am not saying everyone will love everything you put out, but, if they love what you have done so far they will try out what you do later. That is from a fan stand-point though, not a business one. :)
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Epic, most definately. I need another series to get hooked onto not that Harry Potter (call me cliche I don't care I still love it) is over and Mistborn will be too. So I would say Epic.
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I'm up for the mistborn series part two, because he's said what he's going to do is take the world and jump it forward a few thousand years and then write characters that have the abilities, but are in a more modern setting. Like I said on the blog it's a great way to draw readers into the old series, prove he can think differently than mosts authors as well as being a three part series, so new readers are getting hooked to his style without just saying "Ah, that one was good, but I don't know if I'd like the others."
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I'm jumping on the bandwagon unashamedly (is that a word?) and saying go with the Big Epic.
I want to say "do more with Mistborn's world", but I can't until I've read book 3. And this Dragonsteel thing intrigues me, which means I'm probably going to be ripping my hair out til I find out what it is (hinthint)
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And this Dragonsteel thing intrigues me, which means I'm probably going to be ripping my hair out til I find out what it is (hinthint)
If you want to check it out, while EUOL was doing preview wednesday he put up a couple of the chapters in his blog.
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After what happenned to Robert Jordan and the Wheel of Time series, I think I no longer favor lengthy epics. As the book numbers increase, the authors take longer and longer to complete them, and there becomes the risk of the story arc never getting completed.
I am wondering if George rr Martin will ever complete the Ice and Fire series. I think epics should be limited to trilogies.
I think Brandon could make a good Elantris sequel. He certainly mentioned numerous opposing ways to access the Dor which could lead to further stories.
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I'm interested to see what Sanderson could do with humor. I enjoy his serious fantasies, and Elantris is one of my favs, but I find a book most satisfying when I'm laughing at least 50% of the time.
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If Brandon has the story for a big epic in his mind, I am all for that.
I much prefer one big story to sequels, even if I liked the first book.
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I wrote this whole long analysis, but ultimately I am selfish so it comes down to an easy choice. I will have been patiently waiting while Brandon writes a book I may never read, so since Dragonsteel is already written, might as well publish it. I will, of course, support whatever decision Mr. Sanderson makes.
For the curious, here is a brief rundown of my thoughts on all of the choices. You shoulda seen my earlier post:
Warbreaker did not feel like a standalone, necessitating a sequel.
An Elantris sequel would be terrible without continuing from the first book. I would like to know 1)how Raoden rebuilt the city, even if he does just use his magic abilities 2)how derethi created 'Elantrian' abilities without the shaod 3)how Raoden and Sarene's relationship can handle the mortal/near immortal dynamic 4)the battle that ensues. The derethis now know the Elantrians have returned; the shouldn't be as unprepared the second time around.
I haven't read Mistborn 3, so I don't know how a sequel would be. I would most likely prefer a prequel, considering we don't know what happened when Kelsier snapped and killed many men; how Kelsier met Gemmel and convinced him to tutor; how Kelsier found out about the 11th metal, etc. Besides, I grew tired of Terry Brooks later books when he would rehash the book's world with different characters and decendents.
Random Standalone would be great but it would have to be his best book to date, otherwise the wait between AMOL and writing the new one would be too much to bear, lol.
I would love an Epic, but a tiny part of me is worried that this will be the only book of Brandon's I don't like and he will be spending years devoted to it. Plus, I'm kind of impatient and an epic is hardly something you speed through in the writing process. If Brandon could put out a brief synopsis, I might change my mind.....
Dragonsteel. Already done. I wouldn't have to wait for more Sanderson content. If I don't like it, he will already be working on another book.
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I've only read Elantris and Mistborn One thus far (I was halfway through The Final Empire yesterday and I ended up spending the whole day finishing it...), but I'd be most interested in the Epic idea or more Mistborn novels. I think Mistborn's got a great world going for it, and I wouldn't mind lingering on that for a while. As for an Epic, great, but keep it focused. Five or six books would be perfect.
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I'm so excited to see a larger epic from Sanderson. I'd go with that choice. ;D
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I'm interested to see what Sanderson could do with humor. I enjoy his serious fantasies, and Elantris is one of my favs, but I find a book most satisfying when I'm laughing at least 50% of the time.
Have to agree here. Alcatraz had me rolling on the floor. I loved it. I would love to have more like this.
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Oh yeah, I forgot about that book... existing. Guess I'll check it out then *headpalms*
Okay, next BS (gotta love those initials) should show us a scary story. I don't like horror (well, Lovecraft, but whether or not he's a horror writer is debateable) but maybe EUOL's powerful writing could change my perspective. You know, like Lovecraft.
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Drag-on Steel! Dag-on Steal! Drag-on Steal!
(I loved that manuscript)
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And this Dragonsteel thing intrigues me, which means I'm probably going to be ripping my hair out til I find out what it is (hinthint)
If you want to check it out, while EUOL was doing preview wednesday he put up a couple of the chapters in his blog.
Do you happen to have a link? I can only find chapter 1, which really only introduces Midius with a hint of lightweaving.
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I'm torn about this. I love Brandon's work, and would love to see him take on a big epic. But, personally, I have trouble staying focused on big epics. I start them, and then while waiting for the next book to come out, I lose interest, or get sidetracked by a different series. So, standalone books work great for me, it let's me enjoy the author's work, without having to go back and re-read the previous books in the series so I can remember where things stand.
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His taxes.
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I really liked the world of Elantris. I would like to see more in that world.
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Dragonsteel IS supposed to be Epic though, I thought. I need that series to come out next. Unless EUOL feels that Dragonsteel won't have enough of a BANG to start off his next book with, in which case either start a big new epic, [By which I mean no more than5 books, or else I will hunt you down...] or else have that awesome standalone turn into a duology and release a big number of middleweights all at once. Other than the sucky ending and some clarifications of magic and Deus Ex Machina[literally] removals, Warbreaker is stand-aloney enough to live awhile all alone. Scribbler needs to come out soon to.[Is that the stand alone?]
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Scribbler needs to come out soon to.[Is that the stand alone?]
I thought I read somewhere that Scribbler would have to be pitched toward a different publisher like Scholastic or something.
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Scribbler is YA so it's a different audience then his normal Tor stuff, however Tor does publish YA so it could end up anywhere if he decided to sell it.
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I definitely vote to make Dragonsteel the "big epic." It was freakin' awesome. Best book ever. (Yeah, you probably shouldn't pay attention to my opinion--it's like Dragonsteel is a drug or something--I need to read more in that world!)
Honestly, though, I think you should go with what you're in the mood for and what you think will be best for your career. Getting all those WoT fans means getting fans who love big epics, so that might work for you. Of course, they might be a little sick of following large series after such a long time (especially one like WoT).
So--that's my preference 1. A Dragonsteel book (by itself or as the start of an epic) 2. Big "other" epic
Know, though, if you go with the "other" epic that you are torturing me by not releasing Dragonsteel. ;)
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Okay, this is embarrassing as I have not read Brandon's work, yet. I have Mistborn 1 in my shopping cart on Amazon and when I finally finish a portion of my plate of "to do", I will click "purchase" and start reading. However, I have looked over what kind of books and stories he has come out with so far, and I'm torn between "Stand Alone" and "Big Epic". Perhaps a "Stand Alone" that may evolve into a "Big Epic"? Or the first book can stand on its own but still have sequels to it? I've always liked those because it gives the reader a chance to decide if they really want to continue on this perilous quest without a cliffhanger or unanswered questions that force you to pick up the next one. Hard to say. The story dictates how involved it must go. Follow your instincts ;D .
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... why does no one besides me seem to think that Mistborn has an epic feel? A single book can be an "epic" in the truest sense of the word. Of course epics are especially long by definition, but a three book chunk is long...
Anyway, I don't care what comes out next, because I have full confidence that I will love it and be the first one at the bookstore to buy it. ;D
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Anyway, I don't care what comes out next, because I have full confidence that I will love it and be the first one at the bookstore to buy it. ;D
Guess again. I'm already camped out next to the cash register ready to purchase my preorder. ;D
Wonder how long I will have to wait; at least there's a Starbucks and a bathroom nearby. <twiddling thumbs>
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haha, ok I admit myself beaten... But I will re-arrange my schedule when one comes out so I can get it first thing and then spend the day reading as much as I possibly can. (Although I like to try to savor it. I know I purposely read more slowly when Knife of Dreams came out because I figured it would be forever until the next one came out. And I was kinda right... lol). I hope it comes out in the summer, though. Blasted college....
But you sound like you've got yourself a nice spot there... camped out in a bookstore, plus a Starbucks and a bathroom. What more could a person want?
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I am a fan of series because I like to dive in a world and read lots about it, but at the same time the world has to be right for it. I also love stand alone books. It is the story that counts, not how many books it takes to tell it. Honestly I think a good 2 booker would be great. Feed the need for deeper exploration of a world without the drag that often comes with a third book. And thats just my opinion.
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I'm already camped out next to the cash register ready to purchase my preorder. ;D
Wow, there's actually people camping out already? But... the next book doesn't come out until October. (Again, anyone know if there's going to be a release party?)
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Prolly not a pre-release thing like for the other 2 books, but I doubt that would be official until July or August. There are definite benefits to an early release (plus the track-record to prove that it will succeed), but I can see why Tor might not want to.
As for what he should do next - whatever he feels like. I would personally prefer his to wait before doing more Mistborn. Since he has just finished a trilogy of Mistborn, I fear that doing more in the universe so soon would peg him as a "one-trick-pony" in the minds of different readers. We dont want Brandon getting the "Terry Brooks Syndrome."
Dragon Steel would be sweet, but I would like to see a longer series (5-6 books). I think Brandon will have a better idea of long term planning (even better than he already does) once finished with WoT, and that this would be a good time to flex those metaphoric muscles. I also think a Big Series would be the smartest thing to do from a marketing perspective at this point - ride the wave and all that.
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That's a really good point, both of those.
And I know that it won't be a pre-release. He was saying with WoA that Tor changed the rules so he couldn't do them anymore, and the only reason he got to do it with WoA was because he had it all planned for like months, and it was like three weeks from the release.
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I'd say epic would be the way to go for your career.
Not a WOT sized epic though please. I gave up after book 5 as the story seemed to get stale and slowed down to a crawl (I did like Jordan's style thoguh). 4-6 books is a decent sized epic in my view (and I probably would have finished WOT if there were a couple more books to go not more than half a dozen more).
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I would suggest going with an epic for several reason. One, commercially, it would be a good move. Authors deserve some monetary reward for their hard work, and you're in a unique position to really appeal to an audience you otherwise would not be able to. Awe a lot of potential fans with WOT12, and then give them more with an original epic. Half a dozen books is tons of room to tell a story, and short enough that you don't have as big of a danger of rehashing everything or putting in tons of filler.
However, since I would assume (I'm no writer - my attempts never evolve beyond a chapter or three) an epic of such size would take longer to prepare, perhaps releasing Dragonsteel to "tide over" the fans in between mistborn/wot and your next project would be a good idea.
I have to say, I'm anxious to read Dragonsteel (As well as your other unreleased works!), so that's partially influencing my opinion of sooner rather than later on it's release.
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Well, publishing Warbreaker and a sequel would be nice. (Obviously). I really liked how kind of bad-ass Vivenna and Vasher got at the end of the book, and then just you know, went meandering away with the worlds most emotionally impaired sword. (rofl). Seriously, Nightblood gets me every time.
I'm also pretty interested on what names they'll pop up under next, I don't know if this will actually happen but I just kind of got the feeling with Vivenna deciding to change her fated course or whatever and Vasher's already known penchant for changing names faster than a yucky handckerchief I got the feelign it might happen. Plus it would be cool to actually have the characters change name mid series rather than just hearing about them having gone by different names before the series started.
Uh, for Elantris I'd be more interested in a pre-timeline follow up for that. Either maybe a distopian Noir-esce fall from grace of elantris or a story set soemtime before that for me would be more interesting than a more dirrect follow on. Even a far-futured follow up in the same realm might be cool, not exactly set in the modern world I mean, but at a stage where they're really figuring out some very nifty, cool and excitign uses for elantrian tricks.
Before starting a new series or a big epic, maybe go for a world holiday Mr. Author~! it's always great to expand upon experiences and draw more influences into one's work especially before undertaking a large epic-type commitment. That's a bad thing that's really become noticeable with authors such as Eddings who's a bit stagnant now when it comes to ideas, but it's ncie to always strive to further develop yourself as a persona nd improve your awerness of a larger word anyway. And you can always label it as a ... what's the word? Sabbatical or whatever.
And hey~! who needs a real reason for a holiday. I mean, Sir Author must totally be *le tired* now after all the awesome books released thus far.
Who else votes: "Well deserved holiday away from demanding fan-mail." ? ;D
oooh, but lest we not forget: if he does a long multi-part series he can have the satisfaction of pulling a JKR and doing the whole "Well maybe I'll write X number of books but maybe I'll only write Y number of books in the series as you are already suspicious of."
Oh, what fun she must have had, toying with our hearts......