121
Brandon Sanderson / Re: Brandon's Book Tour
« on: October 14, 2008, 08:39:16 PM »
Hey guys, see you in Provo tonight!!
I'm so pumped.
I'm so pumped.
News:
Max is a Shadowblade, a supernatural--and supernaturally competent--warrior bound to protect her witch Giselle. As a Shadowblade, Max doesn't age. She is better, faster, stronger than any ordinary human being. And she hates it. Giselle betrayed her trust to make Max what she is, and though she is magically compelled to protect Giselle and follow orders, Max works against her witch in every way she can. Continue reading Bitter Night
Review by Silk
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122
Brandon Sanderson / Re: Mistborn 3 Chapter 3
« on: October 02, 2008, 09:39:16 PM »
To the comment above me, or to bhthomas if someone posts before I do 
: Inquisitors do age, or at least, they die of old age. I guess they might stay the same age until they die, but I doubt it.
And in normal times (meaning before Kelsier's crew messed everything up) I bet that an old Inquisitor would be used to make new Inquisitors. Pound the spike through the old one, you know?
Oh, and as for the chapter: WOW. That is all.
: Inquisitors do age, or at least, they die of old age. I guess they might stay the same age until they die, but I doubt it.And in normal times (meaning before Kelsier's crew messed everything up) I bet that an old Inquisitor would be used to make new Inquisitors. Pound the spike through the old one, you know?
Oh, and as for the chapter: WOW. That is all.
123
Brandon Sanderson / Re: The Comprehensive Kandra Thread
« on: September 19, 2008, 06:10:42 PM »
All right, I just read/scanned 5 pages, and I didn't see this mentioned anywhere. Why do kandra require atium to buy their Contract? Kelsier mentions using the last of his atium to buy OreSeur (before he robs Keep Venture), and later in the Final Empire (I think it's towards the end) someone says how difficult it is to get a kandra, because they only accept atium as payment.
Anyone know why that is?
Anyone know why that is?
124
Brandon Sanderson / Re: Curse you Mr. Sanderson, curses.
« on: September 04, 2008, 11:58:17 PM »
I'm quoting parts of Miyabi's reply, but I don't know how to show that other than writing it here 
. Dang, I'm a n00b again.
Yeah, I agree. Elantris was shown from the powerful rulers' PoV, and Mistborn from the common peasant.
I don't think Rashek represents self-doubt. I think the concept of the lord ruler, back when we thought he was both the writer of the logbook and TLR, would be closer. (That may have been what you meant though.)
I like the idea that it is the sudden connection to the "new" land and new Aons that drives them mad. Although it would almost make more sense for them to explode or short out once the connection renders their old Aon obsolete.
I guess I didn't clarify enough. Yeah, most baddies do think that they're in the right. But Hrathen truly wanted to save the people. At first it was for his ego, but I felt like at the end he truly cared for Arelon. He thought he was doing what was best for the people, while most villains (like Dilaf, for example) want their enemies to die bloody deaths. Dilaf thought he was in the right too, but I don't think even he could convince himself that everything he did was right.
I didn't know that posting in really old threads was... kosher. I'll remember that next time.
And yeah, I read the Hope of Elantris. I really like the backstory on it (why he wrote it). I can't imagine what that would feel like, for Mr. Sanderson or Matisse (the 8th grader).
And thanks to everyone for the welcome. I'm still getting used to this style of forum/messageboard, so I think I'll combine repies when I can for a while. Try and hide my n00bness as much as possible.
. Dang, I'm a n00b again.Quote
Random notes:-A male lead? That's interesting. But yeah, the female role does work better. Most fantasy males are macho tough guys *cough*Kelsier*cough*, so a more vulnerable PoV works better from a female. (I'm not trying to be sexist or anything.)
-Originally the 'Mistborn' series had a male lead named Vin, but then EUOL (Brandon's SN) decided that it worked better as a female roll when he converted it from Prime to Mistborn.
Quote
-I think Elantris was meant to focus mainly on Religious/Governmental/Social corruption. Mistborn was more focused on defeating an unbeatable foe and learning to trust in oneself. (IMO: TLR was an allegory to our own self-doubt.)
Yeah, I agree. Elantris was shown from the powerful rulers' PoV, and Mistborn from the common peasant.
I don't think Rashek represents self-doubt. I think the concept of the lord ruler, back when we thought he was both the writer of the logbook and TLR, would be closer. (That may have been what you meant though.)
Quote
-I wondered the same thing about the Seons. I think though, that because they are created there is a massive amount of power stored in them (in order to sustain cognition) and they run off of their own power, not the land's power like everything else. We do see that if their master is taken by the Shaod that they go insane. I think this has to do with the sudden connection to the power of the land and its defectiveness.
I like the idea that it is the sudden connection to the "new" land and new Aons that drives them mad. Although it would almost make more sense for them to explode or short out once the connection renders their old Aon obsolete.
Quote
-Hrathen did do what he thought was right for the people, but then again don't most "bad guys" think that what they're doing is the right thing? I really loved Hrathen's perspectives and he was actually my favorite to read, because you are given insight and understanding as to why the bad guy is doing what they are doing, not just a "they're doing it."
I guess I didn't clarify enough. Yeah, most baddies do think that they're in the right. But Hrathen truly wanted to save the people. At first it was for his ego, but I felt like at the end he truly cared for Arelon. He thought he was doing what was best for the people, while most villains (like Dilaf, for example) want their enemies to die bloody deaths. Dilaf thought he was in the right too, but I don't think even he could convince himself that everything he did was right.
Quote
-Going back a few pages and reviving those old Elantris threads is perfectly acceptable so long as you have something useful to say or a competent question. Wink
-Also, you can buy 'The Hope of Elantris' for only $.49. It gives you an extra chapter that is a nice read.
Again, welcome to the boards and I hope to see more of you.
I didn't know that posting in really old threads was... kosher
. I'll remember that next time.And yeah, I read the Hope of Elantris. I really like the backstory on it (why he wrote it). I can't imagine what that would feel like, for Mr. Sanderson or Matisse (the 8th grader).
And thanks to everyone for the welcome. I'm still getting used to this style of forum/messageboard, so I think I'll combine repies when I can for a while. Try and hide my n00bness as much as possible.
125
Brandon Sanderson / Curse you Mr. Sanderson, curses.
« on: September 04, 2008, 12:52:36 AM »
You have cost me so many hours of sleep. 
No, but seriously I have really enjoyed these books. I'm (im)patiently waiting for October, and I've been following the blog and the forum here fairly closely.
I first heard about Mr. Sanderson when it was announced that he was going to finish The Wheel of Time. I remember thinking, "Who? Great, they hired the cheapest bidder or something, didn't they?"
But then, I heard good things about him. People posted to say they thought he was a good choice. He actually posted on our board (at Wotmania) and eased some fears. So I decided I would at least check his stuff out. Signed up at Tor for their e-book giveaway, and started reading the Final Empire. And finished it, about a day later. And searched the internet for more books by Mr. Sanderson. And then found out that not only was he an amazing fantasy author, he lived in Utah, and he was a Mormon! And I know, I know. that kind of stuff shouldn't matter. But I thought it was pretty awesome. Plus, he went to BYU. (Go Cougars!)
I searched everywhere, and I couldn't find the Well of Ascension in any library, bookstore, anywhere. Gave up, then found it at my local grocery store, of all places. I read it whenever I had spare time, and had to beat my brother away (looking back, I should have got him hooked after I had already read all the books).
By now, I no longer doubt or have any concern about AMOL. I know that it will turn out amazing, and they picked the right guy for the job.
So that's my history, and kind of my introductory post.
But I'm really posting to talk about Elantris. I just barely finished it today, and I guess I missed all the discussions on it. Everyone's talking about Mistborn (and I have been diligently following all the topics), but maybe this will be a nice distraction while we wait for October. Or maybe you'll all copy+paste your old posts and replies. Either way:
I guess because I went "backward" and read Mistborn first, then Elantris, I did a lot of comparing between the two stories. The books are kind of similar. Strong female lead, interesting magic systems (I prefer the ones in MB, personally), strong religious presence in both (more so in Elantris, IMO), surprising plot twists, and both are good, exciting books. Shuden and Galladon both reminded me slightly of Sazed (one of my favorite characters), but not too much.
To me though, it was apparent that Elantris was his first novel. Extremely good, better than many books I've read, but he definitely got better and worked out some kinks before Mistborn. I'm not talking story-wise, the story in Elantris was very good. Mistborn just flowed better, and seemed more... polished. It feels kind of weird saying that here, where I know a lot of his friends and family hang out, and he supposedly visits from time to time, but if any of them are reading this, I don't mean to sound critical. Any complaints or questions here are minor things in my head.
As for the Elantrians, and the Reod/Shaod, I thought that it was very interesting concept, and it was described so well that I remember my toe hurting whenever there was a Raoden PoV there for a while. The society in Elantris (or lack thereof), was interesting and believable. I enjoyed Raoden's schemes for New Elantris. His banter with Galladon was fun (and reminded me of Kelsier's crew's banter sometimes) (that's not a bad thing).
Hrathen was interesting, and sufficiently gray for me (I very much prefer gray to black or white in my stories). He was working for the destruction of what the Good Guys™ believed in, but he did have good intentions. He had doubt, he had his own enemies, I really enjoyed his character, though I enjoyed his PoV the least of the three (which doesn't mean much).
Sarene was interesting. I thought of the Aes Sedia Sarene the first time I saw her name (Yeah, I'm a geek), but I got over that quick enough. I liked how she presented such a strong, confident air, but her inner thoughts were often anything but.
One complaint however, was that the Good Guys™ were too competent. I remember cringing when Lukel (I think it was Lukel) mentioned how Raoden was good at everything but cards. However, their struggles were intense, and the suspense, especially at the end, was incredible. I couldn't see any way out of the Blue Pool/Lake.
I do have one big question though. How could the Seons survive if their Aons were rendered obsolete/incomplete? Wouldn't they die/decay like Elantris and the Elantrians did? I was very interested in the Seons, and was disappointed we didn't find out more about them, and where exactly they came from. Oh well. I notice Mr. Sanderson has tentative plans for a sequel.
I'll probably edit in some more questions, but I need to wait for my mind to settle a bit. It's still a little too fresh.
No, but seriously I have really enjoyed these books. I'm (im)patiently waiting for October, and I've been following the blog and the forum here fairly closely.
I first heard about Mr. Sanderson when it was announced that he was going to finish The Wheel of Time. I remember thinking, "Who? Great, they hired the cheapest bidder or something, didn't they?"
But then, I heard good things about him. People posted to say they thought he was a good choice. He actually posted on our board (at Wotmania) and eased some fears. So I decided I would at least check his stuff out. Signed up at Tor for their e-book giveaway, and started reading the Final Empire. And finished it, about a day later. And searched the internet for more books by Mr. Sanderson. And then found out that not only was he an amazing fantasy author, he lived in Utah, and he was a Mormon! And I know, I know. that kind of stuff shouldn't matter. But I thought it was pretty awesome. Plus, he went to BYU. (Go Cougars!)
I searched everywhere, and I couldn't find the Well of Ascension in any library, bookstore, anywhere. Gave up, then found it at my local grocery store, of all places. I read it whenever I had spare time, and had to beat my brother away (looking back, I should have got him hooked after I had already read all the books).
By now, I no longer doubt or have any concern about AMOL. I know that it will turn out amazing, and they picked the right guy for the job.
So that's my history, and kind of my introductory post.
But I'm really posting to talk about Elantris. I just barely finished it today, and I guess I missed all the discussions on it. Everyone's talking about Mistborn (and I have been diligently following all the topics), but maybe this will be a nice distraction while we wait for October. Or maybe you'll all copy+paste your old posts and replies. Either way:
I guess because I went "backward" and read Mistborn first, then Elantris, I did a lot of comparing between the two stories. The books are kind of similar. Strong female lead, interesting magic systems (I prefer the ones in MB, personally), strong religious presence in both (more so in Elantris, IMO), surprising plot twists, and both are good, exciting books. Shuden and Galladon both reminded me slightly of Sazed (one of my favorite characters), but not too much.
To me though, it was apparent that Elantris was his first novel. Extremely good, better than many books I've read, but he definitely got better and worked out some kinks before Mistborn. I'm not talking story-wise, the story in Elantris was very good. Mistborn just flowed better, and seemed more... polished. It feels kind of weird saying that here, where I know a lot of his friends and family hang out, and he supposedly visits from time to time, but if any of them are reading this, I don't mean to sound critical. Any complaints or questions here are minor things in my head.
As for the Elantrians, and the Reod/Shaod, I thought that it was very interesting concept, and it was described so well that I remember my toe hurting whenever there was a Raoden PoV there for a while. The society in Elantris (or lack thereof), was interesting and believable. I enjoyed Raoden's schemes for New Elantris. His banter with Galladon was fun (and reminded me of Kelsier's crew's banter sometimes) (that's not a bad thing).
Hrathen was interesting, and sufficiently gray for me (I very much prefer gray to black or white in my stories). He was working for the destruction of what the Good Guys™ believed in, but he did have good intentions. He had doubt, he had his own enemies, I really enjoyed his character, though I enjoyed his PoV the least of the three (which doesn't mean much).
Sarene was interesting. I thought of the Aes Sedia Sarene the first time I saw her name (Yeah, I'm a geek
), but I got over that quick enough. I liked how she presented such a strong, confident air, but her inner thoughts were often anything but.One complaint however, was that the Good Guys™ were too competent. I remember cringing when Lukel (I think it was Lukel) mentioned how Raoden was good at everything but cards. However, their struggles were intense, and the suspense, especially at the end, was incredible. I couldn't see any way out of the Blue Pool/Lake.
I do have one big question though. How could the Seons survive if their Aons were rendered obsolete/incomplete? Wouldn't they die/decay like Elantris and the Elantrians did? I was very interested in the Seons, and was disappointed we didn't find out more about them, and where exactly they came from. Oh well. I notice Mr. Sanderson has tentative plans for a sequel.
I'll probably edit in some more questions, but I need to wait for my mind to settle a bit. It's still a little too fresh.