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Steelheart sounds like it'd make a good TV show, every week a new superhuman gets murdered!
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May 14, 2013 17:29
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PlushCow posted:Steelheart sounds like it'd make a good TV show, every week a new superhuman gets murdered! Well he's already shopping Legion around. One long-shot pilot at a time, please.
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May 14, 2013 19:30
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fordan posted:Which kinda makes sense since it's aimed at the 5th-7th grade, same as his other YA series, Alcatraz. Yeah, this. 12-year-olds cannot imagine anything cooler than being 16, so it's pretty natural for books aimed at 12-year-olds to feature 16-year-old characters that act like 12-year-olds.
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May 14, 2013 22:42
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From his newsletters, for those that aren't on the mailing list:Brandon Sanderson posted:WORDS OF RADIANCE UPDATE  You can do it by November, Brandon! Take a trip!
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May 14, 2013 23:11
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Rithmatist isn't really that bad, but it is Young Adult. I find the chalk system and the world rather interesting, but the plot isn't his best work. I'm only halfway though and haven't hit the avalanche yet. If you like Sanderson overall, it's still worth getting. But I wouldn't pay more than ebook price for it. Edit: I finished it last night. The avalanche isn't as  or  as his normal books. But I really enjoyed the final fight with The Scribler.. If you hate Sanderson's female characters, you'll really loathe Melody...Still, I did enjoy the ending and look forward to a sequel. It's a much better effort than his Alcatraz books. Cartoon Man fucked around with this message at 09:58 on May 15, 2013 |
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May 15, 2013 00:13
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This Post Sucks posted:From his newsletters, for those that aren't on the mailing list: I would love a November release, but I won't lose any sleep if he takes a bit longer. I'm honestly shocked he didn't need to take a break after Wheel of Time was done.
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May 15, 2013 17:46
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Troll Bridgington posted:I would love a November release, but I won't lose any sleep if he takes a bit longer. I'm honestly shocked he didn't need to take a break after Wheel of Time was done. But he did take a break! How do you think Emperors Soul got written 
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May 15, 2013 18:30
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I actually have really liked Sanderson's female characters until Shallan. It's only book one of ten so there's probably a lot of character development to come, but so far I roll my eyes every time I read her name.
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May 15, 2013 18:34
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Eric the Mauve posted:I actually have really liked Sanderson's female characters until Shallan. It's only book one of ten so there's probably a lot of character development to come, but so far I roll my eyes every time I read her name. I like her. Sure her jokes are incredibly lame, but, well, Sanderson. I'm also intrigued by the past things she tries to hide.
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May 15, 2013 18:51
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Decius posted:I like her. Sure her jokes are incredibly lame, but, well, Sanderson. I'm also intrigued by the past things she tries to hide.
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May 15, 2013 19:20
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I read Rithmatist today. I'd forgotten I pre-ordered it, so it was nice to see a new book awaiting me while I lay in bed sick. Rithmatist is the first Sanderson book I've ever read without the avalanche at the end. The pacing throughout the book is much more consistent, building steadily. That's completely unlike all of his other works, which are often slow, especially in the middle third, and then end with 200 pages of awesome. This is good, in a way, because many of his books suffer from having all the awesome at the very end. Even The Way of Kings suffered a bit from this, and it was his strongest book to date. But overall, Rithmatist was fairly mediocre. It wasn't his best work. It wasn't his worst. It's certainly better than Elantris, and Mistborn 2, and about on par with Warbreaker. It's not nearly as good as Way of Kings, Mistborn 1&3, or Alloy of Law. There was just too much disconnect between Joel's hopes of becoming a Rithmatist and the primary mystery of who was attacking the students. The ending, in which the rear end in a top hat teacher whose name I cannot spell correctly. Nilvien? Whatever. The ending where he's revealed to actually be the big bad guy falls entirely flat. First he's good. Then he's bad. Then he's good. Then he's SUPER bad. The twists don't have any weight. Otherwise, it's fun. The magic system is neat, and I wanted to know more--a lot more--about the sociopolitical and geographical nature of the world. Overall, this is a very middling Sanderson work. It doesn't show any of the author's recent growth, except for the pacing, which is very steady throughout. But the idea is fun and the characters make sense and the world itself is neat.
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May 16, 2013 01:19
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Decius posted:I like her. Sure her jokes are incredibly lame, but, well, Sanderson. I'm also intrigued by the past things she tries to hide. I've always thought the point of her humour was to show that she was ridiculously sheltered growing up and as a result is more than a little awkward around people who either aren't directly related to her or who work for her family. She's acting how she thinks she's supposed to act and fails because she just doesn't know how the world outside of her family's lands (i.e. social norms you don't learn from a book) works.
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May 16, 2013 01:43
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Well, another Words of Radiance Excerpt. Leaving this unspoilered for obvious reasons. quote:
quote:. .- -.-. .... / - .. -- . / -.-- --- ..- / .- .-.. .-.. --- .-- / - .... .. ... --..-- / .- -- .- .-. .- -- / ... .- .. -.. --..-- / .. - / -.. .-. .. ...- . ... / .- / .-- . -.. --. . / -... . - .-- . . -. / .... .. -- / .- -. -.. / - .... . / - .... .-. --- -. . .-.-.- / .- -- .- .-. .- -- / - --- --- -.- / -.. .- .-.. .. -. .- .-. / -... -.-- / - .... . / .- .-. -- --..-- / ... - --- .--. .--. .. -. --. / .... .. -- / ..-. .-. --- -- / -.-. --- -. - .. -. ..- .. -. --. / ..-. --- .-. .-- .- .-. -.. .-.-.- / .-- . / .... .- ...- . / -... .. --. --. . .-. / .--. .-. --- -... .-.. . -- ... / - .... .- -. / -.-- --- ..- / .- -. -.. / ... .- -.. . .- ... --..-- / -- -.-- / ..-. .-. .. . -. -.. .-.-.- / -.-- . ... --..-- / .... . / -... . - .-. .- -.-- . -.. / -.-- --- ..- .-.-.- / -.-- . ... --..-- / .... . / .-.. .. -.- . .-.. -.-- / .-- .. .-.. .-.. / .- --. .- .. -. .-.-.- / -... ..- - / .-- . / -.-. .- -. / - / .- ..-. ..-. --- .-. -.. / - --- / .-.. . - / - .... . / - .-- --- / --- ..-. / -.-- --- ..- / --. --- / - --- / .-- .- .-. .-.-.- / - .... . / ...- --- .. -.. -... .-. .. -. --. . .-. ... / .- .-. . / -.-. --- -- .. -. --. .-.-.- Tunicate fucked around with this message at 03:08 on May 16, 2013 |
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May 16, 2013 02:42
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^^^ That link in the reddit post showing images of signed books makes me want to pick up hardcover editions of all Stormlight Archives in the future. The illustrations look much better at full size than on my small original kindle screen. And from that spoiler passage, Kaladin is definitely going to kill Amaram at a bad time in the story and before Amaram can get important information out. ConfusedUs posted:Otherwise, it's fun. The magic system is neat, and I wanted to know more--a lot more--about the sociopolitical and geographical nature of the world. Democratic Pirate fucked around with this message at 03:13 on May 16, 2013 |
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May 16, 2013 03:09
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Democratic Pirate posted:So if I have Amazon gift card balance left over from christmas, I should check it out? If you like Sanderson, yes. Just don't expect it to be his best.
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May 16, 2013 03:10
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That's fine, thanks. I'm in the middle of my "sit at home and do nothing" first week of summer, so any new way to kill time is welcome.
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May 16, 2013 03:15
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If anyone is interested, Sanderson just posted a link to the prologue of Steelheart on his Twitter. http://www.avclub.com/articles/heres-an-exclusive-first-look-at-brandon-sanderson,97785/
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May 16, 2013 17:11
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OmniBeer posted:If anyone is interested, Sanderson just posted a link to the prologue of Steelheart on his Twitter. Sounds like a fun book.
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May 16, 2013 18:59
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That was definitely a fun read. I'm looking forward to reading the rest of it.
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May 16, 2013 19:05
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Record time to the Sanderson dialogue trade mark "Don't you see?" "Don't you see?" "Don't you see?" "Don't you see?" "Don't you see?" I love this guy, but he really needs to stop using that.
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May 16, 2013 19:46
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BananaNutkins posted:Record time to the Sanderson dialogue trade mark "Don't you see?" huh, i've never noticed him using it too much
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May 16, 2013 23:13
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treeboy posted:huh, i've never noticed him using it too much It happens every time someone is emotionally trying to explain something. The fact that it occurs during what are supposed to be emotionally poignant moments every book is what made me notice it, and now I just cringe, waiting for it, and it's like having prior knowledge that someone is going to fart in the middle of a eulogy and you don't know when. You can't prepare for it, and so you really can't focus on the words because you're afraid you're going to laugh out loud. So basically every emotional speech since Mistborn 1 has been ruined for me by waiting for the fart noise.
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May 17, 2013 01:33
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Steelheart promo was pretty awesome, definitely pre ordering the book. Rithmatist was an enjoyable read, especially for a YA novel. Melody did grate a bit by the end. I'd chalk it up there with the Percy Jackson books as YA series I'll keep up with as they come out. The Avalanche wasn't there, but the cliffhanger and unexplored questions that got raised were intriguing.
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May 17, 2013 04:15
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BananaNutkins posted:It happens every time someone is emotionally trying to explain something. The fact that it occurs during what are supposed to be emotionally poignant moments every book is what made me notice it, and now I just cringe, waiting for it, and it's like having prior knowledge that someone is going to fart in the middle of a eulogy and you don't know when. You can't prepare for it, and so you really can't focus on the words because you're afraid you're going to laugh out loud. 5x in Well of Ascension, 6x in Hero of ages, 7x in Way of Kings, but doesn't ever show up in Alloy of Law or Emperor's Soul.
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May 17, 2013 04:51
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I also enjoyed The Rithmatist. I agree with everyone else, in that it wasn't near his best work. I think that in trying to write for a younger audience, he may have unintentionally dumbed himself down a bit? I haven't read any of the Alcatraz books, so hopefully it won't be standard for the rest of the Rithmancy (?) series. Edit: That said, if you're into Sanderson then I think it's worth your time to pick it up. It isn't absolutely bad, but be prepared to not get as much out of it as you would expect to. (USER WAS BANNED FOR THIS POST) Skavoovee fucked around with this message at 05:21 on May 17, 2013 |
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May 17, 2013 05:18
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Tunicate posted:5x in Well of Ascension, 6x in Hero of ages, 7x in Way of Kings, but doesn't ever show up in Alloy of Law or Emperor's Soul. This would almost be better if I thought you'd searched by hand instead of CTRL+F'd.
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May 17, 2013 05:20
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404GoonNotFound posted:This would almost be better if I thought you'd searched by hand instead of CTRL+F'd. On the plus side, it seems that the average 'don't you see' per page is declining.
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May 17, 2013 05:21
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To be fair, my favorite series is The Dresden Files so I'm used to repeated chunks of texts. Sanderson... he's good people.
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May 17, 2013 05:31
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404GoonNotFound posted:To be fair, my favorite series is The Dresden Files so I'm used to repeated chunks of texts. A chitinous susurrus of good people!
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May 17, 2013 05:49
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I guess what we should remember about The Rithmatist, is that it's core comes from six years ago. Even reworking it, how much of his older style is still showing through? I think the future books in the series will improve on this one. Also, I could not stop thinking of this story as a Harry Potter parallel. With
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May 18, 2013 05:27
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Welp, just picked up and finished the Rithmatist cause of all the talk going on this thread. I thought it was a lot of fun.
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May 18, 2013 05:56
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Shelled out for Rithmatist because, hey, I'm not reading anything else at the moment. Not that far into it yet, but yeah, this is the pro-Starcraft one, haha. Sanderson, you are a super-nerd among nerds.
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May 19, 2013 09:51
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Just finished the Rithmatist. The first five chapters are very bad, with too many unimportant characters introduced, presumably in an effort to make the school feel like a populated school. Its a bad way to achieve the effect. Too many names named too quickly with no personality or memorable attributes to go with them. Of the actual cast, only a few are given personalities interesting enough that I could remember who they were until much, much later in the story. Melody didn't bother me as much as other Sanderson girls. Her lines were eye-rolly, but appropriate for the setting. But man, put all of Brandon's lead females in the same room and you wouldn't be able to tell them apart [save for Vin]. The world building is a mixed bag. The gearpunk aspect of the story was ultimately just food coloring, save for a ham-fisted attempt to make it relevant, The same goes for the alternate history aspect. The swap of Indians for the chalk things was a weird choice, but I liked the idea of cave drawings coming alive . I write negative reviews. It's how I'm made, so unless a book is awesome , my opinions come out sounding like I hated it. The Rithmatist is not bad, after it hits its stride. The drawings were cool. The magic system was interesting and original. Worth reading, but not up to par with Brandon's best.
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May 19, 2013 10:02
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Superstring posted:Shelled out for Rithmatist because, hey, I'm not reading anything else at the moment. Not that far into it yet, but yeah, this is the pro-Starcraft one, haha. Sanderson, you are a super-nerd among nerds. 
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May 19, 2013 19:17
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So I just read the Steelheart prologue and... Newcago. Really, Brandon? I thought you were better at names than this.
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May 20, 2013 09:12
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404GoonNotFound posted:So I just read the Steelheart prologue and... Newcago. Really, Brandon? I thought you were better at names than this. I was smiling like an idiot the entire time I read that prologue, but I literally cringed when I read that part.
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May 20, 2013 18:41
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Clockwork Gadget posted:I was smiling like an idiot the entire time I read that prologue, but I literally cringed when I read that part. Wait until you see the sister city. Chic Jersey.
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May 20, 2013 19:34
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Honestly it sounds like the kind of name people would actually come up with.
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May 21, 2013 00:08
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Cicero posted:I love Starcraft so now I am seriously considering buying this. It's all the references to fantasy Korea that sealed it for me.
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May 21, 2013 01:09
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I was worried after the unenthusiastic reviews, but I really enjoyed The Rithmatist quite a lot. I mean sure, yeah it's YA, and it shows, and there's a few weak areas in the story, but they're unimportant to the overall experience, and the world was really rather fascinating, and although there was no 'Sanderson Avalanche' there's still a lot of pretty cool bits and reveals spread throughout, and I admit I'm really curious about what's going on with the Chalklings, Nebrask, the initiation room, the shadows, and Rithmatism in general. Plus, the whole real-time-strategy magic was surprisingly clever - and in the end surprisingly dark. The wild chalklings being vague nightmareish monster-scribbles that crawl along the floor and get into your skin and devour you alive ends up working a lot better than I thought when I heard of 'drawn chalk monsters'
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May 21, 2013 01:49
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