Register a SA Forums Account here!
JOINING THE SA FORUMS WILL REMOVE THIS BIG AD, THE ANNOYING UNDERLINED ADS, AND STUPID INTERSTITIAL ADS!!!

You can: log in, read the tech support FAQ, or request your lost password. This dumb message (and those ads) will appear on every screen until you register! Get rid of this crap by registering your own SA Forums Account and joining roughly 150,000 Goons, for the one-time price of $9.95! We charge money because it costs us money per month for bills, and since we don't believe in showing ads to our users, we try to make the money back through forum registrations.
 
  • Post
  • Reply
Cartoon Man
Jan 31, 2004


veekie posted:

With Sanderson just about anything would make a new book.

Can anyone crosscheck on this: Is ClayShan(from Elantris) actually magic ballet or am I reading too much into it?

I was thinking more like magical Yoga or Tai Chi. It shows up in Stormlight too.

Adbot
ADBOT LOVES YOU

Tunicate
May 15, 2012

Cartoon Man posted:

I was thinking more like magical Yoga or Tai Chi. It shows up in Stormlight too.

Really? I hadn't spotted that. Where is it?

Tanon
Mar 14, 2011

I has a hat..
I think he's talking about kammar, which is the martial art that Szeth uses. Chayshan (from what I've read about it) is more of a magical martial art; Kammar is just a mundane fighting style that Szeth enhanced with Surgebinding.

Also, does anyone think that it's odd that Syl was talking about how she felt weird around the Shardblade (Dalinar's in particular) considering that the Knights Radiant (who apparently gain their Surgebinding abilities from Honorspren) used both Shardblades and Shardplate? Also, I thought it was interesting how Szeth talks about how Shardplate interferes with his Surgebinding (during the prologue) when we find out that the Radiants had no problems combining it with their own Shards as they fought.

Clinton1011
Jul 11, 2007
Yea that is odd, wouldn't Surgebinding drain the Shardplate of it's Stormlight? During the book it is shown that Shardplate with drained gems didn't function correctly and couldn't regrow.

Unless the Knights Radiant don't need Stormlight to Surgebind since they get their powers from Honorspren?

It's been to long since I have read this book, I want to start a re-read but I know I will be kicking myself when done since the new book wont be out for some time now.

Paracelsus
Apr 6, 2009

bless this post ~kya
Finally got The Alloy of Law in paperback.

I'm ashamed to admit that it wasn't until around page 130 that I got the Wax/Wane joke.

wellwhoopdedooo
Nov 23, 2007

Pound Trooper!

Clinton1011 posted:

Yea that is odd, wouldn't Surgebinding drain the Shardplate of it's Stormlight? During the book it is shown that Shardplate with drained gems didn't function correctly and couldn't regrow.

Unless the Knights Radiant don't need Stormlight to Surgebind since they get their powers from Honorspren?

It's been to long since I have read this book, I want to start a re-read but I know I will be kicking myself when done since the new book wont be out for some time now.

I don't have a source for this, but could I swear I remember hearing either in the book, or from a Sanderson interview (or let's be honest maybe a random theorycrafter on 17thShard), that the KR didn't use gems in their armor.

Cicero
Dec 17, 2003

Jumpjet, melta, jumpjet. Repeat for ten minutes or until victory is assured.

Paracelsus posted:

I'm ashamed to admit that it wasn't until around page 130 that I got the Wax/Wane joke.
:aaa:

edit: In my defense, I basically turn off my brain when I read fiction.

Mahlertov Cocktail
Mar 1, 2010

I ate your Mahler avatar! Hahahaha!

Cicero posted:

edit: In my defense, I basically turn off my brain when I read fiction.

:confused: That's... about the worst defense you could come up with.

Velius
Feb 27, 2001

Tanon posted:

I think he's talking about kammar, which is the martial art that Szeth uses. Chayshan (from what I've read about it) is more of a magical martial art; Kammar is just a mundane fighting style that Szeth enhanced with Surgebinding.

Also, does anyone think that it's odd that Syl was talking about how she felt weird around the Shardblade (Dalinar's in particular) considering that the Knights Radiant (who apparently gain their Surgebinding abilities from Honorspren) used both Shardblades and Shardplate? Also, I thought it was interesting how Szeth talks about how Shardplate interferes with his Surgebinding (during the prologue) when we find out that the Radiants had no problems combining it with their own Shards as they fought.

I'm not sure that honorspren are the vehicle for all of the types Knights Radiant. Looking at the Ars Arcanum at the end of Stormlight Archives, there are 10 'historical essences' with different associations. Kaladin is clearly the Sapphire/Protecting/Leading type, while Shallan might be Garnet/Creative/Honest type. The former certainly is honor-centric, but I don't think Shallan's powers are.

Tanon
Mar 14, 2011

I has a hat..

Velius posted:

I'm not sure that honorspren are the vehicle for all of the types Knights Radiant. Looking at the Ars Arcanum at the end of Stormlight Archives, there are 10 'historical essences' with different associations. Kaladin is clearly the Sapphire/Protecting/Leading type, while Shallan might be Garnet/Creative/Honest type. The former certainly is honor-centric, but I don't think Shallan's powers are.

I think the symbol head creatures have something to do with Shallan gaining soul casting, and are probably some variety of spren. What I thought was peculiar was Syl's reaction to a Shardblade. She's an honor spren, who associate with at least one group of Knights Radiant, but was uncomfortable around shards. It just struck me as odd. I just finished my third reread of TWoK, and I can't wait for the next book. Too bad it's going to be at least a year :(

Xenix
Feb 21, 2003

Tanon posted:

I think the symbol head creatures have something to do with Shallan gaining soul casting, and are probably some variety of spren.

I believe Jasnah explicitly confirms that they are spren when Shallan explains that she "sees" them through her drawings.

Eric the Mauve
May 8, 2012

Making you happy for a buck since 199X
I'm pretty sure I read somewhere that the Truthspren or whatever they're called get attracted to people who are habitually lying about something major. Don't remember where though, it could have just been tvtropes or something. If that's true, the fact Elhokar sees them has interesting implications...

The Gunslinger
Jul 24, 2004

Do not forget the face of your father.
Fun Shoe
So I finished book 2 of Mistborn and thought it was overall a very poor book, the ending didn't redeem it at all for me. Rather than getting bogged down in the negativity though I decided to go through book 3 right away. I feel like he didn't know where he was going with it for a good third of the book but he brings it home well enough and I thought it was a worthy conclusion to the trilogy. I do think that the first book had a great balance between fantasy and heist, I really enjoyed that one the most. Kelsier was a much more interesting character than Vin or Elend even if a bit cliched.

I was surprised to see how much the side characters had grown on me once he started killing them off. I must have missed the part where TenSoon died though because someone mentions his death briefly but I don't recall it actually happening. The ending was a bit of a flurry so I probably just need to reread it though. Is Alloy of Law a standalone or is he going to do another trilogy in that universe after Stormlight? I've already read Way of Kings (great book) so I think I might just read this unless people are going to warn me its bad or something.

Clockwork Gadget
Oct 30, 2008

tick tock
Alloy of Law started as a standalone (his original plan was for a "trilogy of trilogies" within the Mistborn universe: a historic setting, a modern setting, and a futuristic setting), but I'm fairly certain he's mentioned wanting to go back to the Alloy of Law era to write some more in the future before moving on with the Mistborn series.

Mahlertov Cocktail
Mar 1, 2010

I ate your Mahler avatar! Hahahaha!
I really hope he does because if he doesn't then there's a sequel hook for a sequel that won't exist at the end.

VAGENDA OF MANOCIDE
Aug 1, 2004

whoa, what just happened here?







College Slice

The Gunslinger posted:

I must have missed the part where TenSoon died though because someone mentions his death briefly but I don't recall it actually happening.

He would have committed suicide with the rest of the kandra. Though Harmony may well have restored him at the end. The kandra as a race survive, of course.

PlushCow
Oct 19, 2005

The cow eats the grass

Mahlertov Cocktail posted:

I really hope he does because if he doesn't then there's a sequel hook for a sequel that won't exist at the end.

I read Alloy of Law a few weeks ago and felt annoyed at the ending. Felt like it was only half a book and not as stand-alone as it was portrayed.

It was enjoyable, sure, but incomplete. It will be really disappointing if he doesn't go back to it and wrap it all up.

But after some more Stormlight Archives books. The Way of Kings was so good.

Mahlertov Cocktail
Mar 1, 2010

I ate your Mahler avatar! Hahahaha!
It's not so much that it was incomplete, it's that he introduced a new plot thread that then went unresolved literally in the last scene.

So I'd like a sequel, but yeah. More Stormlight first. :D

whoops, gotta ninja-fix those spoiler tags

Xandu
Feb 19, 2006


It's hard to be humble when you're as great as I am.
Just finished the way of kings. I really liked it, definitely better written than Mistborn, though I wonder how necessary some of those interludes really were.

Is it just me or were the fight scenes involving Szeth weirdly mechanical compared to the rest of the book? Like I get that he wanted to introduce how the lashings worked, but none of those scenes really worked for me.

Kreeblah
May 17, 2004

INSERT QUACK TO CONTINUE


Taco Defender
He's big on "show, don't tell", but he still hasn't quite gotten how to do tutorial battles down without making them seem like it. He'll probably do a better job of it in future books, though, if his track record is anything to go by.

mcable
Apr 21, 2010

https://i.imgur.com/kCXRcxe.jpg
To me the interludes were some of my favorite chapters from the WOK. They act as sort of a palette cleanser from the main story arcs, which I found refreshing since for instance Kaladin's subplot was basically hundreds of pages of misery. And I'm pretty sure some of those interludes aren't just throwaway chapters but will be integrated with some of the main plots (like the Lady vandalizing the art).

Mahlertov Cocktail
Mar 1, 2010

I ate your Mahler avatar! Hahahaha!
I also thought that the spren-collector (it's been like two years since I read it and don't have it to hand) interlude was one of the most fun bits of world-building he's done and I hope he shows up again in future books.

Pimpmust
Oct 1, 2008

Yeah, I thought they were pretty interesting and quick looks into the rest of the world. In a big book like this, why not? Skimp out on a possible "3rd person limited secondary character" to instead have some world building with random people (who may not end up so random after all).

He used the various time jumps in perspective and the weird starting texts to all the chapters well too, even if that particular TWIST ended in a cliffhanger/TO BE CONTINUED- I'm not too concerned because he's one of the fastest writers I know (now if GRRM had done the same... ).

The Gunslinger
Jul 24, 2004

Do not forget the face of your father.
Fun Shoe
Alloy of Law was strange. The Marasi character was poorly written and annoyed me frequently (*BLUSH*) but he gets points for not having the obvious romantic triangle. The big showdown felt like it should have been the mid point for the book, I don't know the pacing was just all off. He does a good job of callbacks without directly inserting old characters then all of a sudden bam theres Marsh/Ironeyes out of nowhere. Overall I enjoyed it but it feels like it ends just as it gets going.

Sulphagnist
Oct 10, 2006

WARNING! INTRUDERS DETECTED

I just finished The Way of Kings myself. Christ, I probably should have waited for him to finish the series before I did that.

Koryk
Jun 5, 2007
Someone refresh my memory: what's the projected release date for WoK2?

Eric the Mauve
May 8, 2012

Making you happy for a buck since 199X

Koryk posted:

Someone refresh my memory: what's the projected release date for WoK2?

Aiming for late 2013, last I checked. I believe it's tentatively titled Book of Endless Pages, which suggests Shallan will be the primary star.

Ugly In The Morning
Jul 1, 2010
Pillbug

Mahlertov Cocktail posted:

It's not so much that it was incomplete, it's that he introduced a new plot thread that then went unresolved literally in the last scene.

So I'd like a sequel, but yeah. More Stormlight first. :D

whoops, gotta ninja-fix those spoiler tags

He has it planned, it references one of the old religions from the first Mistborn, and I asked him if they were connected at a book signing. He said they were, but obviously couldn't say how, exactly. Let me find the old post I made and I'll edit it in here.

EDIT:
Post 1:

Ugly In The Morning posted:

After I finished AoL today, I was flipping through the first book when something caught my eye. So, the (Alloy of Law/Next mistborn trilogy spoiler) Trell thing that Miles mentions as he's being executed? The diety in a religion Sazed tries to convert Vin to in Mistborn 1. They're the ones who worshipped stars. God dammit Sanderson, how do you keep track of all this poo poo?.

Ugly In The Morning posted:

I was at his book signing tonight, and I was right! The "Worship Trell" thing Miles said was from the old religion that Sazed was telling Vin about in Mistborn. My theory is that Terrismen who know an old religion of Trell (since who else would know the old religions?) will spark a holy war, and have been studying nicrosil (the last metal, and the only one not yet explained) feruchemy in secret.. Just a guess, though.

veekie
Dec 25, 2007

Dice of Chaos
So, I just finished the Emperor's Soul.

Quite the read, especially the many applications of Forging.

Also, a priest in red armor features, I guess more's to come there too.

veekie fucked around with this message at 11:43 on Jan 31, 2013

ShadowGlass
Nov 13, 2012

He's put up a video capture of writing a scene for Stormlight 2 (it's only the first part - pre-writing):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lxFySrqdi8E&hd=1

Also from twitter:

cobraspideyguy Wed Jan 23
@BrandSanderson #torchat What other stories/Project do you have working besides #Steelheart #Rithmatist #Unfettered #Dangerouswomen #Storm2

BrandSanderson Wed Jan 23
@cobraspideyguy Lol. As if I need more. Well, Alloy of Law sequel has some work done on it, as does a Legion sequel. #torchat

Frabba
May 30, 2008

Investing in chewy toy futures
Legion sequel! :dance:

404GoonNotFound
Aug 6, 2006

The McRib is back!?!?
Does... does this mean no one bought the pilot script? :ohdear:

Frabba
May 30, 2008

Investing in chewy toy futures
Just finished book two of Mistborn last night. I didn't find it as bad as some others in this thread led me to believe, but I'm definitely looking forward to seeing how the whole thing is wrapped up in book 3.

subx
Jan 12, 2003

If we hit that bullseye, the rest of the dominoes should fall like a house of cards. Checkmate.

Tourettes Echinda posted:

Just finished book two of Mistborn last night. I didn't find it as bad as some others in this thread led me to believe, but I'm definitely looking forward to seeing how the whole thing is wrapped up in book 3.

Most people here don't think it's "bad" - just the weakest of the trilogy. I liked it alright, though it did drag at points. Not that uncommon with stories in general though - you have strong world building at the start, and a great climax at the end, but the road to get from one to the other can be somewhat tedious.

MartingaleJack
Aug 26, 2004

I'll split you open and I don't even like coconuts.
I liked the "knives" section in book two. I know I'm in the minority, but I thought book 3 sucked.

The magic system got stretched to absurdity, the thing with the numbers was silly, and Elend somehow became more annoying.

soru
Apr 27, 2003

The Red God has his due, sweet girl, and only death may pay for life.
I went to a Sanderson book signing today and whether spren existed before (Way of Kings ending spoiler) Odium killed the Almighty and shattered the Honor shard. His answer was that some of the spren existed, but some were different, and new ones existed after it.

I honestly have no idea if this is already well known or not as far as Cosmere-ology goes but it was fun, and he was basically the nicest guy ever.

Lyric
Dec 16, 2008

subx posted:

Most people here don't think it's "bad" - just the weakest of the trilogy. I liked it alright, though it did drag at points. Not that uncommon with stories in general though - you have strong world building at the start, and a great climax at the end, but the road to get from one to the other can be somewhat tedious.

Great climax? The ending of the mistborn series is the weakest thing he's ever written.

MartingaleJack
Aug 26, 2004

I'll split you open and I don't even like coconuts.

Lyric posted:

Great climax? The ending of the mistborn series is the weakest thing he's ever written.

I'm pretty sure I read somewhere that his inspiration for the big Vin fight scene at the end of 3 was...The Matrix Revolutions

I'm the biggest Sanderson fan in the world, but...

The Gunslinger
Jul 24, 2004

Do not forget the face of your father.
Fun Shoe
I thought the (Mistborn) third book was solid but I think that's partly due to my dislike of book 2, I think it's easily the weakest thing hes written. I wasn't very impressed with the Sanderson "avalanche" though but maybe that's because I'm used to Erikson. I thought the first book was fantastic and Way of Kings represents a lot of his growth as a writer. Alloy of Law was interesting but some of the fight scenes are so frenetic that they're hard to visualize. I noticed in the third mistborn book and Alloy of Law that he's picked up a habit of establishing a magic system then throwing it out when convenient.

Adbot
ADBOT LOVES YOU

soru
Apr 27, 2003

The Red God has his due, sweet girl, and only death may pay for life.

The Gunslinger posted:

I noticed in the third mistborn book and Alloy of Law that he's picked up a habit of establishing a magic system then throwing it out when convenient.

What are you talking about?

  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
  • Post
  • Reply