Timewaster's Guide Archive
Local Authors => Brandon Sanderson => Topic started by: Felastizairu on December 06, 2008, 11:47:16 PM
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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.
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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
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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?
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I would love to read it too, but I'm not at BYU anymore... :-\
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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)...
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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.
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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.
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Vatdoro--are you Shelly's brother? (This is based on having the same username as someone I know...if you're not him, sorry. :) )
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Hummm...... (http://www.amazon.ca/Dragonsteel-Brandon-Sanderson/dp/0765360063)
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hahahaha Who keeps adding unpublished/unwritten books to Amazon? What happens if people actually order it?
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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. :)
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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.
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By what you have said it sound like something I would read. Maybe I'll check it out.
Bastille
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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.
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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.
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Vatdoro- :) Yeah, small world. I called you Shelly's brother because I didn't want to "out" your name on this incase you didn't want it outed.
I read Dragonsteel because my sister worked with him at BYU (Leading Edge maybe? I don't remember), and he let her borrow it to edit it (she's an editor)--and she lent it to me and my other sister to edit as well. I read it in like day or two, and at that point I was a slow reader, was editing it and was probably in school at the time...so I really liked it.
Maybe I'll ask Brandon and see if I can somehow get a copy, but I doubt it, and he gets like a million emails...I don't want to bother him.
Yeah, the ending was a complete surprise and I really wanted to know more... to me this series had a lot of potential...but maybe not compared to his other ideas. I know I'm weird and am way too caught up in "who gets together" aspect of the story, but I really wanted Jerick to get together with the Princess. *sigh* Oh well, I'll just appreciate it for what it is, because I doubt he'll continue it. He has "The Way of Kings" and other projects to focus on.
I'm a little nervous about his next series, "The Way of Kings," because it's 10 books long. I've had just about enough of that with WOT. I love WOT, but I found Brandon's shorter stories to be very refreshing. Some people are really excited about having a long series, but when I think about it it's just like "Ick...another LONG series." I'll probably read it and love it, but it makes me sad to know I'll probably be at least 15 years older before I get to the end. 15 years is scary.
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The Iraqi guy throwing his shoes at Bush today gave me fond memories of Dragonsteel (though right now I can't remember the guy's name...I weell keell heem...).
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Ha! That's right, I'd totally forgotten about him. The only names I can remember from the book are Jerick and Topaz. I can't even remember the girl's name. Sad.
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This sounds like something I need to read. Sadly I live in Canada and none of the local Universities have copies of it on hand. Since I haven't been a student at any of them in a very long time it seems unlikely that they will be ablet o track it down for me.
I wonder if anyone might know how to get a copy. I, like achren99 don't want to bother Mr. Sanderson especially while he is working on Memory of Light but if anyone else has a copy and his permission to distribute it I would love to get a look at it.
p.s. first post, booyah.
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The only copy which Brandon has authorized anyone to distribute is the physical copy held by the BYU Library. Brandon is not likely to let you read it any other way because it reveals things about his universe's cosmology and contains story ideas that he now prefers the reader to encounter via his other forthcoming books such as Way of Kings.
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Curses, my library just got back to me and it'll be a while before there's even a chance of me getting it *unpleasant noises of irritation*. From what everyone else has said I really want to read it now.
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I really wanted Jerick to get together with the Princess. *sigh*
You did? Did you read the same book I did?
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Ha ha ha...yeah...what did Jerick ever see in that girl?
Well. It's been so long since I read it that I can remember very little of a lot of it.
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Hahaha It's been a long time since I read it too, so I don't really remember. I guess I thought she was young and she often was a victim of her circumstances. I thought in later books she would develop further. :) Plus, I kind of have a weird imagination when it comes to romances...but I did guess all of Harry Potter's from book one. Those weren't that hard to see, though.
I'm such a nerd, though. Most of my favorite parts in Brandon's books are the romance parts. *very slight spoiler for mistborn ahead*
The ball scenes were like my favorite. I remember some people saying how they hated the balls and how long and boring they were, but I was like counting the pages until the next ball.
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My poor </3
Gonna have to enroll in BYU for a semester to read it. Not go to class mind you, just get my hands on the book and rub it in the face of the friends I've hooked on mistborn...
Wow, a semester of college and a lock box (for after I rub it in my friends faces) is gonna be rather expensive to read a book... WORTH IT! (I just got my box of 20 Final Empires in the mail and I'm handing those out too :))
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I just finished Dragonsteel last night. I LOVE that book. I enjoyed the story just as much as Mistborn, possibly a little bit more. Maybe it's because the main character is a guy in Dragonsteel. I enjoyed reading about Vin, but never felt a real strong connection to her.
Ookla - it is super funny that the reporter threw a shoe at Pres. Bush. Just like Bat'Chor. (I think that was his name.)
Achren - you wanted Jerick to hook up with the princess? That snot nosed little conniving mean spirited ...! My only regret is the princess didn't actually die at the end. :(
Well, here's my take on the book. I REALLY liked the first 90% of the book. I loved reading Jerick's story and how he develops as a person. I guess I'm just a sucker for the classic Hero's Journey. The last 10% of the book seemed a little bit like Brandon was trying to hurry and throw some new ideas into the book before he called it done. (The book really isn't "done" by any stretch of the imagination, but if you've read it, then you already know that.) Regardless of that, I really liked the characters and concepts that Brandon introduced in the book. I'm really looking forward to his next series (The Way of Kings). If it uses any of the concepts from Dragonsteel, I'm sure it will be awesome.
Now I want to become a Tzai Warrior!
Oh, and the last line of the book was AWESOME!
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I know--wasn't it AMAZING? It was seriously one of my favorite books I've ever read, and I'm VERY sad I probably can't ever read it again. This is also why I am so disappointed that this story isn't going to get published. I think it's better than the published ones (even though I adore those too...)! I know I'm very biased, but that's how I feel.
So--I look for POTENTIAL in relationships. The princess and Jerick's relationship had potential as they both grew as characters. The ending for the princess left her with tons of potential for growth as a character...and I played it all out in my mind. I wanted the prince (I think he was the prince...it's been a long time--) and the light-power girl to get together too...again potential.
Yes, the last line was amazing. I love Topaz. :( I'm SO JEALOUS you got to read it so recently. What were your favorite parts/aspects of the book? I loved the whole idea of fighting over dragonsteel and Jerick's power was really cool. And Topaz was the best...his parts were extremely entertaining. I like the part where he's like, "All of this work to get into this secret society and now I have to kill them all because they're sickos--oh crap." (Again, it's been like...7 years or something...so if I'm a bit off, that's why).
I also agree he did just try to dump everything in the end. I think he could have just cut all the theology out at that point and brought it up later.
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Achren - glad I'm not the only one who loved Dragonsteel. I think the story has more potential than Mistborn, but that's just my biased opinion. (I love the originality and magic system in Mistborn, but for some reason I didn't LOVE the Mistborn world. Maybe because it was always dark, ash-covered, and depressing.) Maybe Dragonsteel's potential is why Brandon decided not to publish it, publish a quick trilogy instead (Mistborn), and then include some of the Dragonsteel concepts in a much larger epic series. (I think I've read blog posts and forum posts suggesting that's what Brandon was planning.)
I really hope at some point he publishes some books that are similar to Dragonsteel, because I would love them, and I'm sure they would be very popular.
I loved the idea of the Eternal War - and the fact that the war isn't even about what most of the people think it is about. The scenes of fighting over dragonsteel on the shattered plains are awesome!
What are some of my favorite parts? Hmmmm... Maybe this is weird, but I really liked the parts where Jerick was being educated and developing his character in the palace. It was kind of sad that Brandon had to skip ahead so much through that time, since it was almost 4 years. I guess I'm a romantic, but I enjoyed every time Ryalla and Jerick got to see each other. Every scene with Topaz is great. He's such a crazy character. From the very first time we meet him, everything he does just has to be over the top.
I thought Topaz and Bat'Chor made a great (but very unlikely) pair of adventurers. When I was reading the book I sometimes thought "ya, ya, ya ... get back to Jerick's story". Now when I think back I really did enjoy Topaz and Bat'Chor on their crazy side stories. Having Bat'Chor dress up like a pregnant bride is classic!
You wanted Ryalla to hook up with Prince Yoharn and Jerick to hook up with Princess Courteth? Interesting idea. I have to admit the thought never crossed my mind. From the very first scene where Topaz has Ryalla introduce Jerick to the palace I just assumed those two would end up together. I REALLY didn't like Courteth, but you are right. There towards the end she was having a change of heart. You know - that would have been an interesting twist if the story kept on going. Somehow Jerick and Ryalla end up being related so they really can't get married (ends up more like a brother/sister relationship) and then Jerick does end up with Courteth and the Prince ends up with Ryalla. That would have definitely been a good plot twist. (But Courteth would definitely have had to somehow redeem all the mean things she did growing up.)
Jerick's abilities were REALLY cool, he just never really developed them. He became an awesome Tzai, but his Microkinetic abilities never developed much. That's one reason why I think Brandon might want to use an epic series to explore these concepts more. It seems like people develop their micronetic abilities pretty slowly, so it's going to take much more than one book to really get to some cool stuff.
I loved the part where Jerick finally became a leader of Bridge Four and started developing his leadership skills and the groups camaraderie. That's one thing that didn't feel right about the end; what happens to Jerick's army and Bridge Four. But I've already mentioned there are a lot of things there at the end that didn't seem like they fit.
But when I read the last line of the book my first reaction was, "huh?". Then a second after thinking about it I was like, "OHHHH!". That line would definitely be a classic if he used something similar in one of his published works.
Edited to remove explicit spoilers - Thanks Ookla
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All the readers complained about bridge 4 at the end (you might want to remove your explicit spoiler), so Brandon said he would have them get affected by Topaz's mass effect blast. I don't know if he ended up writing a version with that though or not.
But anyway, bridge 4 and the eternal war may show up in Way of Kings, with Merin in the role of Jerick.
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Way of Kings may include bridge 4? That would be great! That kind of implies Way of Kings would be a rewrite (and continued story) of Dragonsteel. That would be a dream come true!
I was thinking Way of Kings might use Microkinetics (or whatever it's called) and maybe some of the world building from Dragonsteel. I wasn't thinking it might actually include the rest of the Dragonsteel story. Wow!
Now I don't know what I'm more excited for. AMOL or Way of Kings? :o
Ookla - I always enjoy your well informed tidbits of information in these forums. And thanks for the tip about the explicit spoiler. It's been removed.
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Does anyone happen to have a digital copy of Dragonsteel they could e-mail me?
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Does anyone happen to have a digital copy of Dragonsteel they could e-mail me?
ooh...just in case this is responded to via PM, I would also be very interested in such a thing.
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I think earlier in the thread they were saying something about not releasing it electronically because it would give spoilers to future works. I'm not 100% if that's for sure, though. Ookla would know more.
Vatdoro--Thanks for not thinking I'm completely insane for my ideas on romance in the book. Yes, I saw the two main characters becoming more like brother/sister or close friends. It could become a love square before evening out, though, of course.
Yeah, all of those parts were amazing. I loved the war scenes. If "Way of Kings" does use some of the ideas used in Dragonsteel, that would be awesome. I'm sure the series will be cool anyways, though.
I think my problem with being excited for "Way of Kings" is that the title sounds very mainstream, and I think Brandon's books (while still having mainstream elements), are cool because they branch out. I'm sure they'll be just as good as his other books, though, so I shouldn't let the name deter me.
I LOVED Mistborn, but I think my problem with the Mistborn world/story was that there was never really a sense of normalcy/downtime. In a world as ... destructive ... as the one they're living in, I guess that's what you get. So I felt like I could relate to the Dragonsteel world a little more. I also like scenes were characters are at school and learning. That sounds boring of me, but I really like the character growth and having a little break from doom.
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Brandon does not want Dragonsteel being e-mailed around.
I'm not saying Way of Kings will include most of Dragonsteel's plot. It won't. Just the Eternal War and the Shattered Plains, except they'll be fighting over something different (obviously not the dragonsteel) and the Sho'Del won't be there. The Sho'Del conflict and dragonsteel itself are still reserved for the Dragonsteel world.
As for why the Shattered Plains will end up in Way of Kings (note: this is still subject to change since Brandon has not started writing it), you have Inkthinker to blame.
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I guess I'll have to try and get an inter-library loan. Grr. .. What is the name of the library that has it?
Ha ha. Was his art that inspirational?
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Inkthinker actually read Brandon's mind without knowing it and drew the Way of Kings characters on the Shattered Plains from Dragonsteel (without having ever read it).
It's the Harold B. Lee Library at Brigham Young University.
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I think my problem with being excited for "Way of Kings" is that the title sounds very mainstream, and I think Brandon's books (while still having mainstream elements), are cool because they branch out. I'm sure they'll be just as good as his other books, though, so I shouldn't let the name deter me.
Way of Kings is, most likely, going to be the name of the series. The first book will have a different title.
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Last time I saw Brandon he said he keeps going back and forth on that. It could be both.
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OK. So I go to my library today to get an inter-library loan so that I can read Dragonsteel.
I go to the librarian and say, "I want to check out a book called Dragonsteel. It's one word and steel is spelled with two e's instead of e-a. It's by Brandon Sanderson. The only copy is at "Harold B. Lee Library at BYU Provo."
She commences to search IDAHO libraries only and says, "Well I'm not finding anything, let me try it with two words."
I begin to get slightly flustered and say, "You only searched in Idaho. The only copy is in Utah. You have to widen the search, and it's only ONE word."
She then pulls up the list of books called Dragon Steel in Idaho libraries and asks me if any of these are it.
I politely say, "No, none of those are by Brandon Sanderson, and you're still only searching in Idaho."
She then huffs at me and switches her search to include all of the area that would include Utah AND Idaho. She then searches for Dragon Steel again.
She pulls up a huge list and starts going through them and asks me to point it out if she gets to it.
I say, "It's only one word. It won't show up that way."
She retorts, "Last time I searched that I got no results."
I replied flatly, "That was when you searched only Idaho."
She glared at me and removed the space. The only result that showed on the screen. "Dragonsteel: Sanderson, Brandon. Location : BYU"
She looks at the screen and says, her voice becoming bubbly, "Oh look, it's at BYU."
HEAD - DESK - HEAD - DESK - HEAD -DESK!
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hahaha...maybe you should've written it down for her. When do you get it?
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miyabi - LOL. Sounds like quite the frustrating experience. At least they found it. Hopefully it doesn't take to long to get to you. It's a fun read.
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Probably in a week or so, which is good, because that way I can finish The Eye of the World before it gets here. ha ha. I can't wait to read it. It's his only published book I haven't read.
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and to think people get confused as to the cause of the decline in reading in the US.
this reminds me of the time after i quit the bookstore and I soon began losing touch with all the newest books coming out. I asked for the newest similar item like Harry Potter for my wife. They had no idea what I was talking about. This happens more often than you think. I don't ask questions in bookstores anymore. ever.
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Honestly, if it hadn't been a book I REALLY wanted to read I would have just walked away.
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I have a friend who works at the library. Don't judge him.
-He's not a librarian, though. He just shelves books :P
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i have two question. 1) when is brandon starting the way of kings? and 2) is dragonsteel the same thing (sub question) if not how can i get a copy of it?
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1) The Way of Kings I believe will come out next year. (2010) 2) No, they are not the same, but some elements from Dragonsteel will be used in it, as well as many other future books.
There is no way to get a copy of it, you can however do an inter library loan from Harold. B. Lee library at BYU Provo. That is the only copy of the book in existence. (as far as I know)
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I think my problem with being excited for "Way of Kings" is that the title sounds very mainstream, and I think Brandon's books (while still having mainstream elements), are cool because they branch out. I'm sure they'll be just as good as his other books, though, so I shouldn't let the name deter me.
I don't suppose I'll get in trouble for saying that from what very little I know about it, WoK is anything but "mainstream". At least not in the elves-n-orcs sense.
Y'all ought to know Sanderson better'n that by now. :)
I'll be pleased if anything I did makes it through to the final draft. But I'll be double-pleased if that concept that Ookla is talking about makes it.
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It does make it. Brandon told me again last week, and I assume he's writing it right now. (And will be for quite some time since it's a major part of the book.)
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if by mainstream you mean different magic systems introduced in every book, then sure i guess you could call it mainstream...
this is a series i am looking forward to immensely. can't wait to see a draft.
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Umm has anyone seen the cover art for Way of Kings on Amazon (tm). Quite disturbing. Certainly wouldn't entice me to buy.
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Renoard, if you haven't realized it, everything about that Amazon listing, from the cover art (which was user-submitted) to the reviews, is a joke. The real book has nothing to do with Elvis.
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i remember when that joke first hit Amazon. cracks me up every time...
as for his real cover, i tried to talk him into getting Swanland, but he isn't sure if it will fit the tone of his books. Though I think he's pulling for Michael Whelan...
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Remember the good old days with the Brother's Hildebrandt?
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of course. they made some good stuff.
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I know that Brandon doesn't write things that are mainstream/generic fantasy. When I heard the name, though, it didn't make me want to read it--I was just like, "Hmm...meh." It didn't sound interesting and it sounded generic/mainstream. So, yeah, I'm sure most people have no problem with the name or love the name, but that's just why it's harder for me to get excited about it. I'll still buy the book the day it comes out, though -- of course.
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Brandon has a cool new name for the series title that I hope he goes with. It's better than Oathshards, the old series title.
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The first one is due out next summer isn't it? Or is it being delayed because of AMoL?
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I think next fall. Seems like October is in my head for some reason.
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OK. I thought I had heard summer release somewhere though.
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Tor will want Brandon to tour for it and the next WOT book at the same time.
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I'd like to point out that I'd like to read this thing to...
But I don't even live in the US...so I just hope it'll get published someday...
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I think next fall. Seems like October is in my head for some reason.
Tor will want Brandon to tour for it and the next WOT book at the same time.
So, we're speculating the first book in Way of Kings/Dragonsteel/Whatever will be available October 2010, right?
Ookla, when you said "the next WOT book" you're talking about volume 2 of AMOL, right? I just want to make sure I'm following this correctly. It wouldn't make much sense for Brandon to tour for both WOT and Way of Kings this November if Way of Kings won't be out until fall 2010.
I can't wait for Way of Kings! I don't believe I'm actually saying this (since I love WOT), but I'm a little sad that Brandon has to put so much time into finishing up the WOT. I really enjoyed Dragonsteel and think any series with some of the same concepts will definitely be AWESOME. At the same time, one of the reasons I'm excited Brandon is working on WOT (besides having an end to the story) is that he will get the experience and practice of working in such a large and complex story. I'm hoping Way of Kings is kind of like WOT, in that it is a LONG series of THICK books set in a world of rich details.
Any idea when Brandon will decide for sure on the name of the first book and when he'll announce that to us? (And the series, for that matter.)
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yeah, next year.
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I'd like to point out that I'd like to read this thing to...
But I don't even live in the US...so I just hope it'll get published someday...
Odds are it will/won't be published all at the same time. The book is being almost entirely cannibalized (as I understand it) into other books. So, everything within the book will be put in pages on a shelf, but all together.
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It's like Christmas!!!!!!!!
(http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d37/miyabi_kami_desu/photo-2.jpg)
"]]]]]]
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you at BYU?
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he got his local library to get it on loan from BYU's.
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Heh. I was wondering............
;) ;)
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Honestly I'm surprised it actually got there that fast. I once had an ILL request that took 13 months to arrive. (And it was awesome. I still do not understand why Bugs Potter LIVE at Nickaninny was published only in Canada.)
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Yeah. I was surprised too. I expected it to take a few weeks at least.
But I was sitting at home getting ready for work and my grandma walks in with it, and I asked her what it was and she said the library called her and said they had a book for us. ha ha.
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I've decided that I really like the way teachers instruct in this book. It would most definitely make for more intelligent people in the world. Corporal punishment should still be around. IMO of course.
Also, despite it's roughness I am really enjoying this book. I can't wait to see what comes from it being cannibalized into other projects.
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Is this the version that has a prologue with a guy named Adsen in it?
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Sadly, there is no prologue. (I'm currently at the part with the one year skip in time. Strafen just beat Martis for the fact that Jerick is learning faster than him. Also where Topaz is talking about stealing books from the Tzendish temple.
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Tzendish? Sounds a bit derivative. What was that race invented for Star Fleet Battles? Oh yeah Kzinti (pronounced: zin'-de).
LOL
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WTF Kzinti thats a niven thing...
Is the only way to get the book on loan?
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Yes. There is only on copy of the book that is bound. It is sitting in front of me. It belongs to the BYU library. So the only way to get it is to either check it out of the BYU library or get an inter-library loan.
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Seriously, they need to bind a backup copy, in case Miyabi spills a drink on this one. . .
:PPPPPP
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Brandon later wrote a prologue for Dragonsteel that I just came across in my e-mails from 2001. Its concept is going into the Way of Kings prologue.
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Sigh I started the first volume in a series back in 05 before I'd ever heard of Euol. My working title for the series is The Wizard's Path. Now I know it's not the most unique formula ever but now that I hear about a new series from BS called The Way of Kings, I'm concerned that I'll be accused of derivation. Of course I have no idea of the plot of Dragonsteel.
So Way of Kings sounds like a title. Yeah. Working titles are not always the most original. :o
Yeah that's the ticket! ;D
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All you're worried about is that the titles will sound similar? I don't think its going to be an issue. So many fantasy books sound the same :(
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Ah I know. It was not a real issue. But sometimes irrational thinks stick with you till you mention them.
Of course it didn't help that the SQL server went down just as I tried to post that the first time. . .
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Darn. I was hoping that it not being in this copy would warrant me getting an email with it attached . . . that doesn't seem to be the case though now. Sad day.
Renoard . . . I would NEVER allow that to happen. I am too careful with books. Except the throw away copy in paper-back I buy specifically for reading in the bath-tub, knowing that it will be destroyed by the steam from the water anyway.
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Have you finished the book, miyabi?
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Yes I did. I just haven't had internet for the past little while. ha ha.
I can say that I loved the story, although there was too much "Oh no I'm losing, BAM I am awesome and won and have no idea why" I was really annoyed to get to the last page and it say end of book one. I was like, WHAT?! ha ha. Oh well.
All in all I liked the story and loved the characters. The complexity of the cultures and histories astounded me almost as much as the well put together dialects and accents.
Now to just find Brandon's old notes about what happens in the series so I know how it ends. >>' BUAHA.
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I was hoping this would end up in The Way of Kings (so I don't have to read it through ILL, which I will lose shortly when I graduate Western Washington University).
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You don't have to be in a university library. I went to the public library to get the loan.
It is definitely worth reading.
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Wait... you can get it loaned through a public library? Outside of Utah?
Oh, hell yes. I need to get in line quick, then.
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Ink - you should definitely read it (for selfish reasons). I want to see you draw a scene on the shattered plains! ;)
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He already did (without knowing it).
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Oh yeah! I forgot you mentioned that.
Inkthinker actually read Brandon's mind without knowing it and drew the Way of Kings characters on the Shattered Plains from Dragonsteel (without having ever read it).
Ink - is this drawing being saved for something special? Or are you able to throw it on these forums?
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No comment.
Gosh, I always wanted to be able to say that. ;D
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I think a picture of a Sho Del by Ink would be amazing. :] Or a picture of Microkinetic vision!
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No comment.
Gosh, I always wanted to be able to say that. ;D
Hahaha! Maybe some day I'll be important enough where I can say "no comment" and sound cool and mysterious.
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Brandon showed me Inkthinker's concept art today. It's entirely awesome and someday deserves to have a wider audience.
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I've been kinda purposefully not talking about it. Or even admitting I did anything. I assume that's what he wants, since it's his curtain to pull.
Not to mention that if I spoil the game, he might not let me play with his toys anymore.
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I lost the game.
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Why would you do that miyabi? :'(
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I blame Ink. It was his fault.
I have to admit, I was slightly perturbed when I reached the end and I realized that it ended so abruptly saying "Read book two". :(
It also has the same issue most of Brandon's books do before editing, too slow in the beginning then all the action at the end. ha ha.
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We call that the Brandon Avalanche, and yeah, Dragonsteel is a classic case.
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So it says spoilers so you know I skipped to the very end just to say that I just got it from ILL and my wife has already staked claim to it. *sigh* at least she reads fast and I'm about to have a break in classes to catch up :-)
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You'll definitely have to post your thoughts on it when you read it. Oh, or better yet, make your wife make an account and discuss her thoughts too. ha ha.
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I'm in the last 30 pages of it, and plan to finish it when I get home tonight. Should post my thoughts tomorrow or the next day..... Between this and a comment on the Twitter post I think I have a pretty good idea who "Hoid" really is, but I'm not entirely sure........GRRR
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Well I just posted a huge hint in the Hoid thread, so at this point everyone who's read the original Dragonsteel is bascially caught up with what *I* know, so we can all speculate together.
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Ok so I'm a little late.
I really enjoyed the overall story and really want to see where it goes from here. The only complaint I really had was a few times where the POV switched and it felt kind of disjointed. It made me feel a little bit lost a couple of times. Obviously this is a VERY early work and I'm sure that a published one would be so much better.
The story arc, magic, etc was great. At first I was a little worried about the whole "chosen one from small farm type community". Loved the twist at the end! Didn't really see that one coming at all.
Loved how Topaz grew a new head, which makes me question my initial theory regarding the true identity of Hoid. I believe I know who he is from the Liar sample chapters, but who that translates to in Dragonsteel, I've got it down to 2 charachters, but I'll go play in the Hoid thread for that.
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can whoever has dragonsteel finish it and return it quickly cuz i'm finally up at byu and have it on hold when it gets back. thanks :)