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AlternateNu posted:I'm nearing the end of Rhythm of War (Dalinar just faced Ishar for the first time and Szeth is now freaking out because he has his honorblade. and man, I'm not even sure what to think. There's so much to process and I'm terrible at post-read analyses. All of RoW is Sanderson indulging himself in some of his worst tendancies.
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Sep 26, 2023 00:08
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AlternateNu posted:I'm nearing the end of Rhythm of War (Dalinar just faced Ishar for the first time and Szeth is now freaking out because he has his honorblade. and man, I'm not even sure what to think. There's so much to process and I'm terrible at post-read analyses. My experience is most people don't like those parts and I agree. Between that and the Venli flashbacks, RoW drags the worst of any of the our novels. I was just thinking, because of the dunking on TWoK, how would we rank the flashbacks? My re-read did not shift #1 and #4 but Shallan's are now my second favorite, I think. Dalinar > Shallan > Kaladin > Venli
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Sep 26, 2023 00:15
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NikkolasKing posted:My experience is most people don't like those parts and I agree. Between that and the Venli flashbacks, RoW drags the worst of any of the our novels. Agreed. Also I can't stress enough that I like TWoK
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Sep 26, 2023 00:19
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I enjoyed RoW but saying he indulged in his worst habits does sound a true statement. It's not at all a bad book because of it, but just the least inspiring of the collection It is if you will, bamboo
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Sep 26, 2023 01:02
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M_Gargantua posted:I enjoyed RoW but saying he indulged in his worst habits does sound a true statement. It's not at all a bad book because of it, but just the least inspiring of the collection I think what did it to me was the line he used to describe the final mixture Navani was working on. Something along the lines of "the tone of chaos synchronized with the tone of cultivation; 'something something something something'; the tone of SCIENCE!" and it took everything I had to not audibly groan. I literally had to put the book down for a minute. Congratulations, Brandon. You out-dorked even my sensibilities. 
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Sep 26, 2023 02:09
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socialsecurity posted:All of RoW is Sanderson indulging himself in some of his worst tendancies.
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Sep 26, 2023 16:53
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Iirc he said something about irow's edit bring harder because it was hard to distinguish between the book being miserable and the year it was edited and written being miserable
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Sep 26, 2023 16:58
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I must be in the minority because I loved RoW and thought the deep dive into magical science was a lot of fun and interesting, especially on the second read. I put this as my second favorite Stormlight book after Oathbringer.
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Sep 26, 2023 17:09
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Lucas Archer posted:I must be in the minority because I loved RoW and thought the deep dive into magical science was a lot of fun and interesting, especially on the second read. I put this as my second favorite Stormlight book after Oathbringer.
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Sep 26, 2023 17:41
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CapnAndy posted:The problem is that so much of it is two people in a plotless room so Sanderson can go MY MAGICAL SYSTEMS LET ME SHOW YOU THEM and meanwhile, all the plots just spend the whole book spinning their wheels before finally getting to the next thing we all saw coming anyway at the very end. Yeah and the whole hide and seek game Kaladin played was far too long and really boring. The book suffered from pacing issues and seemingly pointless excursions at times. Such a shame as it started off with engaging scenarios (Kaladin opening up to his parents a bit and showing off his role/powers was pretty touching).
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Sep 26, 2023 17:49
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RoW is such an accurate depiction of the struggles with chronic depression that reading it made me feel more depressed.
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Sep 26, 2023 17:54
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CapnAndy posted:The problem is that so much of it is two people in a plotless room so Sanderson can go MY MAGICAL SYSTEMS LET ME SHOW YOU THEM and meanwhile, all the plots just spend the whole book spinning their wheels before finally getting to the next thing we all saw coming anyway at the very end. I mean, that's probably more interesting than WoK just being endlessly people standing around complaining and literally nothing else happening.
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Sep 26, 2023 18:06
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Mordiceius posted:I mean, that's probably more interesting than WoK just being endlessly people standing around complaining and literally nothing else happening.
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Sep 26, 2023 18:12
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Row feels like the first part of a two part story. Viewed within the context of the next book it might be much better, but we won’t find out until next year.
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Sep 26, 2023 18:18
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CapnAndy posted:I happen to agree with you, it is better than WoK. I know it seems like I endlessly complain about WoK but goddamn I feel like so much of my issue with the story would have been solved with just some sort of action happening occasionally. In 22 hours of audiobook, there have been two major action scenes (if you include the prologue) and two-ish minor action scenes? Compare this with The Final Empire, whose audiobook is 25 hours long. If you're going to make a book that is 2x as long as The Final Empire, I am expecting 2x as much action in the story. Instead, he just stretched the talking out to take up more space. The book has left me feeling so... neutral? Which is weird. It was a little rough to get into at the start, but once I got my bearings, it just has felt very.... flat? I don't know. That's probably not the best word to describe it. It just hasn't elicited much in the way of emotional response from me. Nothing in the story has made me angry, but nothing has made me want to hoot and holler. If I were to sum up the first half of WoK as an emoji, it would be  Which is funny because I end up getting a bunch of BookTok content on Tiktok and one woman was talking about WoK and said "Every page is important. Every word is important. This book is perfect." and I'm wondering what book she was reading.
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Sep 26, 2023 18:25
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Subvisual Haze posted:RoW is such an accurate depiction of the struggles with chronic depression that reading it made me feel more depressed. And people claim that Sanderson is a merely competent writer, not a master of the trade.
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Sep 26, 2023 18:34
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Mordiceius posted:I know it seems like I endlessly complain about WoK but goddamn I feel like so much of my issue with the story would have been solved with just some sort of action happening occasionally. In 22 hours of audiobook, there have been two major action scenes (if you include the prologue) and two-ish minor action scenes? Nah you're not wrong, I think calling TWOK neutral is is totally fair, especially with the current context you have. I'd be confident in saying the woman who said each page of TWOK is important has read up to RoW and all the novellas, which provides the 20/20 hindsight needed to appreciate the foundation TWOK laid down. I felt the same exact way with book one of The First Law series. It was borrrrrrrrrrrring, slow world building with minor action and prose that served more to build characters than establish plot. It wasn't until 400 pages in (100 pages from the end) that it finally got interesting. But, that first book did a wonderful job of setting up the next two. I've yet to read the second trilogy but it's not totally uncommon in fantasy to have one book in a series lack context for a while.
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Sep 26, 2023 18:34
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In way, I am more excited for a reread of WoK than the initial read? Like, once I'm current on SA, I'll probably do a full reread of it. Which is also kind of annoying. "Yeah, it's kinda bland the first time, but the second time, it's better!"
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Sep 26, 2023 18:42
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Leading up to RoW, I re-read the first three books and enjoyed them more the second time. Granted, I don’t read with the in-depth analysis that some of the other folks here do. I don’t even try to pick up on subtle clues or guess the outcomes of events — I just enjoy being pleasantly surprised by turns and twists. So, with a re-read, I can appreciate the world building and foreshadowing a bit more. But it took me 3 months to get through RoW the first time, sooooo not doing that again.
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Sep 26, 2023 19:38
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I'm also one of the "just go with the flow/bad at theorizing and analyzing" readers. The first thing I ever did a "read along" to was ASOIAF and I remember people pointing out all the things foreshadowed there and posting massive, massive blogs of theories and poo poo. I imagine it's the same for Brandon's stuff. More power to the smart, critical fans. I just sit back and listen to the audiobook and let the narrative take me where it will.
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Sep 26, 2023 21:56
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CapnAndy posted:The problem is that so much of it is two people in a plotless room so Sanderson can go MY MAGICAL SYSTEMS LET ME SHOW YOU THEM and meanwhile, all the plots just spend the whole book spinning their wheels before finally getting to the next thing we all saw coming anyway at the very end.
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Sep 27, 2023 02:06
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Yeah I did not find the “research” remotely interesting. For all Sanderson is about wrangling rules for magic into wacky combinations, he didn’t write a compelling process of discovery. Probably because for him it’s mostly trying to logically work through the possibilities and combinations of systems as if they’re magic cards.
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Sep 27, 2023 12:44
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Mordiceius posted:After chapter 13 would probably be a solid "post some thoughts" point. It's probably the closest thing to a clean break in the action. Mistborn Shadows of Self Chapter 5-13 (1st half of Part 2) @Mordiceius - there are some spren mechanic spoilers relating to how they come to remember things, which you might know by now? For the second time in a Mistborn era, the second book has very strong political themes, but this one is way more fun. It's also not strictly a political thriller in the same way the Well of Ascension was. I do like how some of what has the workers upset connects directly to Era 1, with the factory ash replacing the ashmounts. "Wasing the always of wanting of knowing" is High Imperial? And considered deep words? Spook. Please.  The mystery of Idashwy came and went pretty quickly, and with it an explosion of Hemalurgy knowledge for Wax, Wayne, Marasi, and even a few side characters. The pace of this book is so incredibly different from Stormlight, I understand why Mordiceius' opinions of it and WoK are so different. Paalm/Bleeder is certainly interesting, given that her existence (and some of the other kandra) disproves some ideas I held after the end of Era 1. I thought that the kandra who removed their spikes were lost to us, in terms of their personhood and identity. Kandra being the "faceless immortals" should have been obvious, but I thought it was just a silly name some group thought of, like the various religions. I'm guessing Sazed fixed that after ascending, but just didn't think about it on page. (Spren spoilers) I see some parallels to Syl and other spren here. In both cases the individual reverted to a base creature-like state, but once they're "complete" with spikes or a bond, they basically just remember their lost knowledge. (Spren spoilers) It's also incredible to me, after reading through the Wheel of Time, and now Mistborn Era 1 and a few Stormlight books, that characters are actually communicating with each other. It is not surprising that it literally took an intervention by God to make it happen. I really was happy to see Sazed back on page, (and Hoid in the same scene  ) and in classic Sazed fashion he starts off with "Unfortunately, ".I was right about Bloody Tan being a kandra though! I was surprised by the fact that it seems like he was ALWAYS a kandra, so far as in this story. Bleeder has been around for a long time, and that does explain how Tan was able to kill Lessie. Also explains why the prologue went back to her. Bleeder using only one spike is pretty wild though, and being able to use a Hemalurgic spike at that. The method of switching spikes is pretty metal too. I'm curious about the mechanics of Bleeder talking to Wax via the spike. Does she need a specific Allomantic/Feruchemic power to do that, or can anyone using Hemalurgy do that? MeLaan is back! And TenSoon is alive! I love it, and them. I am ashamed to say I did not make the Milan/MeLaan connection. Hilarious that she has already flirted with Wax and Wayne. Maybe Marasi is next on that list. Or Steris. She needs a friend given how Wayne treats her. MeLaan's solution for stopping Bleeder is to remove the spike, changing her back into a Mistwraith is an interesting one, but I wonder why she doesn't have them try to put another spike into Bleeder? If they were successful (and it's probably easier to add one, right?) then Sazed could just take control of her similar to how Ruin did in the end? Hell, Sazed even mentions not being able to control/see Bleeder because she's missing a spike. I think the passphrases will come back and bite Wax in the rear end. This is exactly the kind of thing that a kandra would be trained to torture out of someone they're taking over, and Bleeder has nothing holding her back from doing whatever it takes. I'm also curious who was right about the server being Bleeder. Wax was convinced he was, while Wayne thought the opposite. I could see a world where Bleeder is already the governor, and just taking Wax for a ride for a while. His public speech seemed designed to upset the people even more than they were already. The broadsheet clippings are fun, the TenSoon stuffed animal was adorable, Soonie pups. The headline for "visitors from another world", though I haven't seen the bottom left quarter to see if there's text. Then a baker claims to use atium flakes, I'm curious if that's a scam or if it's real and there is a new source of atium that has been discovered? The atium nugget in the metals exhibit didn't actually exist. Progress so far: 
pik_d fucked around with this message at 02:18 on Sep 28, 2023 |
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Sep 28, 2023 02:14
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pik_d posted:Mistborn Shadows of Self Chapter 5-13 (1st half of Part 2) I'll save my comments for the end but I'm glad you like things so far. You're at the dullest part of the dullest book in this era of mistborn so it'll only get better IMO
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Sep 28, 2023 02:49
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aparmenideanmonad posted:It's also extremely cringe if you've ever done any kind of research, bench or otherwise. There's been other moments when I've been taken out of his stories, but none as bad as this. He tried to get too detailed in his accounting of her discovery process and it got worse the more in depth he went. yes 1000%. it would have been more interesting if he had kept Navani as the "ideas guy" but made her a genuine visionary who understands the technical details, yet relies on people like Rushu to do research. That way all of the science could occur offscreen while we just got out of context bits from Rushu until something crazy happens
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Sep 28, 2023 02:52
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Once again impressed at some of the things you pick up on in a first read. You've got some solid predictions, but I won't tell you where you're right and where you're wrong. I won't spoil anything, but savor this book, thematically and character-wise book 2 is the best in all of mistborn IMO, including era 1, and gets darn close to some of the best parts of Stormlight too. (obviously plot and world stuff is extremely hard to top from era 1)
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Sep 28, 2023 03:25
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I loving love Shadows of Self and constantly flip flop on whether it or The Lost Metal are my fav. of era 2.
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Sep 28, 2023 03:32
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Finished era 2 myself recently and loved it but ironically wanted another thousand pages on random setting details and day to day the way you get in early stormlight...
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Sep 28, 2023 03:52
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Half of Dracula posted:Finished era 2 myself recently and loved it but ironically wanted another thousand pages on random setting details and day to day the way you get in early stormlight... You’re a psychopath.
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Sep 28, 2023 04:11
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pik_d posted:"Wasing the always of wanting of knowing" is High Imperial? And considered deep words? Spook. Please.
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Sep 28, 2023 05:24
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Mordiceius posted:You’re a psychopath. Most of us are probably "damaged" by liking Wheel of Time and pages long descriptions of dresses and environments and braid tugging 
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Sep 28, 2023 06:34
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I wanted to hear more about how technologically stagnant or backward the world was due to Harmony. That's an interesting idea which wasn't really explored much at all.
Somebody fucked around with this message at 19:05 on Sep 28, 2023 |
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Sep 28, 2023 06:54
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Mordiceius posted:You’re a psychopath. I understand why most people start with Mistborn, but this is the risk you take - eating dessert first spoils your appetite for dinner.
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Sep 28, 2023 06:56
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NikkolasKing posted:I wanted to hear more about how technologically stagnant or backward the world was due to Harmony. That's an interesting idea which wasn't really explored much at all.
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Sep 28, 2023 07:52
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NikkolasKing posted:I wanted to hear more about how technologically stagnant or backward the world was due to Harmony. That's an interesting idea which wasn't really explored much at all. Lost Metal spoilers: But it demonstrably isn't. It's not stagnant at all. The Elend Basin people might be a little slower in inventing than if the basin wasn't such a paradise, but during the books, they invent electricity apart from any outside influences like the Southern Scadrians or Autonomy. They've progressed a lot from the Lord Ruler's time. The world was stagnant back then, when the Lord Ruler basically acted a bit like Preservation's avatar, but you' can't say the world is technologically stagnant under Harmony. And while we don't know how contemporary Nalthis or Sel look like, Scadrial is unquestionably more advanced than contemporary Roshar. Various WoBs make it pretty clear that only Taldain is more advanced than Scadrial, and that the rapid technological progress the Scadrians are achieving is actually what made Autonomy attack it in the first place, to take out a potential rival before they become too strong. So there wasn't really anything more to explore because the world wasn't stagnant or backward in the first place. Somebody fucked around with this message at 19:06 on Sep 28, 2023 |
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Sep 28, 2023 08:13
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Slanderer posted:You're at the dullest part of the dullest book in this era of mistborn so it'll only get better IMO Taffer posted:I won't spoil anything, but savor this book, thematically and character-wise book 2 is the best in all of mistborn IMO, including era 1, and gets darn close to some of the best parts of Stormlight too. (obviously plot and world stuff is extremely hard to top from era 1) Mordiceius posted:I loving love Shadows of Self and constantly flip flop on whether it or The Lost Metal are my fav. of era 2. Half of Dracula posted:Finished era 2 myself recently and loved it but ironically wanted another thousand pages on random setting details and day to day the way you get in early stormlight... lmao, glad you're all over the place on whether this is the best or worst book.
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Sep 28, 2023 12:56
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BoM is the best 2nd era book and it's not even close
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Sep 28, 2023 13:02
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big mean giraffe posted:BoM is the best 2nd era book and it's not even close Yeeeeeep. Ironically, while I was hype for The Lost Metal I ended up very meh on it.
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Sep 28, 2023 13:20
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Crossposting from the what did you just finish thread - was told to come here:McSpankWich posted:Finished The Hero of Ages. This one was much better than the 2nd book, I think. The ending was solid. I am kind of disappointed that there's no continuation of the series to hear what happens immediately after the events with the world and characters. Does Secret History address this or is it just a retelling of the history which already happened with added bits?
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Sep 28, 2023 13:30
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McSpankWich posted:Crossposting from the what did you just finish thread - was told to come here: There is a sequel series of 4 books set a few hundred years after HoA. Secret History was released after the third of those and concerns some things that were revealed in that book, although it is largely what you speculate. The first book is The Alloy of Law. You should absolutely read them, they are rad.
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Sep 28, 2023 13:36
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