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Great video!

Rhythm was the the worst for me, partially because I read it 8 months after I read the previous 3 one after the other right away (the 4th wasn’t released in my language yet). I thought I remembered enough but it turned out I forgot a lot of the small mysteries about the world, which I felt were important to enjoy the plotlines of this book. On the other hand, it has a dog and a dragon chapter, which is one of the best things Brandon ever wrote 🤷🏻‍♀️

I would love videos on what people think works and doesn't work for The Way of Kings and Oathbringer as well! And of course we need your Wind and Truth thoughts!

Thank you for this very thoughtful introduction.

Thank you for including Frasier

If I had to rank them 1-4, because I still have 300 pages left of 5, yea rhythm is 4. The light experiments and Venli slows it down a bit. Imo we're talking about the difference between a 4.6 and a 4.2/5

Sometimes I wonder if, in some alternate universe, Brandon Sanderson is a niche author who wrote a handful of short books and then vanished into obscurity. I'm half in jest, but I do wonder if the books from Oathbringer onward would have overall better quality if the series was "only" five books long.

I came for the Stormlight analysis and stayed for the Book Guy showing off his singing talents. 😁😁😁

New subscriber to the channel and honestly might be my favorite booktube channel on TH-cam. I love RoW and every stormlight book but you do a great job of bringing both sides of the arguments when it comes to the reactions to these books. January 8th I’ll definitely buy your books!

Wow, this was excellent! I have been looking for a video like this for a long time. I love the Witcher series but i don’t have the academic background to talk about what makes it different as effectively as you have here. I really enjoyed this video from FantasyCounterProgramming on the Witcher series and its feminist themes. A huge one that i didn’t grasp until seeing this was how the entire plot is about bodily autonomy. Just think about all the major powers trying to control Ciri or her literal uterus throughout the series… th-cam.com/video/oLsV6N_KP8s/w-d-xo.htmlsi=IczLDRgjsnMpFIrV

I love Stormlight, Shallan may be my favorite character or maybe it's Dalinar. I was really enjoying this video, right up until the point that you lazily dismissed all criticism of Shallan as being based on misogyny. An absolute pathetic take. The level of intellectual dishonesty and just pure lazines astounds me. Instead of watching any further, I'm just going to put you on the Do Not Recommend list. Try to be better.

I would love to see _Stormlight Archive_ as an anime show.

You can share knowledge and still be self indulgent. The science stuff is boring in the beginning when we basically get walls of explanation text. But it does get better. Reading is funny but I found the pacing for this better than Oathbringer. I liked at the character stuff and liked that we got less action. I also called Kaladin “twist” - I felt it was pretty well laid out. Not sure I would call it a twist

I had to force myself through this book. It's significantly worse than 3. And 3 was a bit worse than 2. I am really struggling to read 5 at the moment but I feel obligated to get to the ending

I loved rhythm of war. It's better than oathbringer for me. I didn't like the science heavy stuff but the finale just slayed me ❤️all the tie ins to cosmere in rhythm of war were just chef's kiss.

Can't watch the whole thing because spoilers but commenting for the algorithm 🎉

Even though I love Words of Radiance the most out of the whole series, I would never state that RoW is worse. Each of the books is wonderful in its way. I absolutely loved Navani in this one and was happy to finally see some healing for Kaladin and Shallan. And the story about the dog and the dragon is my favorite scene ever with Wit. At the same time, I think this one has the least favorite flashbacks as I am not really invested in Venli’s story.

Immediately no… before even watching… I loved ROW

I think "Weakest Stormlight Book" is a better way of putting it. "Worst Stormlight Book" makes it sound like it's a bad book.

Awesome video with great analysis, as always! I liked ROW very much, it has its downsides but I enjoyed it a lot. I'm glad to hear you are getting a break and resting after a year full of work. Happy Holliday's 🙌🏼

We're supposed to pretend there is no worst Stormlight book

To me the development of the relationship between Navani and Raboniel, and the emotional struggle Kaladin goes through in order to forgive himself and accept the impossibility of protecting all those he loves, as well as the ascension of Taravangian to godhood, were worth the five stars I gave to this book. Moreover, being a physics student myself, the focus on the ‘magical physics’ that governs the planet of Roshar was one of the aspects that I enjoyed the most.

Great video as usual, but I think I'll need to watch this after reading the book. Apparently there are some spoilers in it :) (like the description of the 3 action scenes). I love that the silly piano sounds during the black screen texts ceased to exist :D

RoW feels to me like a pressure cooker. Our heroes have spent 3 books making progress and building momentum, and then the lid gets slammed down on them. Each of our protagonists now has to find a way to work with the pressure or else be broken by it. The loss of each node serves well as a pressure gauge. Navani's decision making gets more desperate (though no less cunning and calculated) as total loss becomes not just imminent but seemingly inevitable. My wife kept getting frustrated that Navani trusted her captor, but I think Navani showed wisdom and keen forethought in doing so. Yes, in doing so she sacrificed the fruits of her labor to the enemy, but she always found a way to use that to her advantage. Navani shows that she's not just Dalinar's partner; she is every bit his equal.

23:32 i think its important to note that as series progress, people who enjoy the earlier books or are just generally fans of the author are more likely to continue reading than those who are more critical. I think its pretty likely that those who had problems with pacing in Oathbringer would have rated RoW even lower, but many of them (as seen by review count) did not read/rate RoW. So having a consistent review score is actually not necessarily a positive thing.

Rhythm is awesome. I was so glad to spend the most time with singer/fused characters.

I actually enjoyed Rhythm of War. I know a big complaint is the “why are all these characters super broken still” thing…. But Rhythm of War took the time to finally explain WHY some of these characters, like Shallan, are broken. Not only that, but we FINALLY got both Shallan and Kaladin on a path to HEAL. This book felt like it was meant to show how strained bonds can be, and how it takes WORK and TIME to set things on a course to heal those strained bonds and make them stronger. We also have some incredibly hyped moments, like Kaladin finally getting his armor and Navani becoming a radiant. Genuinely, this book was great. I would consider it one of the weaker entries in the series, but slightly weak is a much different term than “the worst.” There isn’t a “worst” Stormlight book, as they are all incredibly enjoyable reads. Also, first.

So the stories focus on Geralt and Ciri as characters rather than a war but because it's "literary fiction" it isn't character focused? And Yennefer is just like Princess Leia? I think you need to work on your research skills before speaking as some kind of authority on what literature is.

One of the best things about WoR and why I flew through it so quickly was the character dynamics. This was a unique point in the story where we as readers are more familiar with the main characters than they are with each others, so it was exciting to see how they interacts and how they’re goals merged with the greater storyline. The fact that it was bumpy and messy made the moments where they finally connected even more memorable. It’s why the chasm scene with Shallan and Kal or the “honour is dead but I’ll see what I do” moments were so freaking iconic. Idk maybe I’m just a sucker for hero team up scenes, and it feels well earned by the end of WoR.

I'm with you about the New Adult genre. When my niece was still in her early teens I bought her ACOTAR. Once I'd read it I realized the mistake I'd made--she was like 14 or so at the time--so I told her it wasn't appropriate for her, took it back, and took her took a bookstore to pick a new book. She's 22 now and reads the craziest things... my baby's all grown up🥲. She was the one who actually gave me these two books, she'd bought them for her brother who's 15, and when he found out about the sexy sex scenes, he said "No thanks" so she gave them to me because for some reason she wasn't interested in reading them at the time. P.S.: I've watched a handful of your YA (or YA adjacent) reviews today and my favorite of your lines is "Also, he's super hot... that's very important to the plot" or something along those lines. 🤣🤣🤣🤣

I read about two thirds of a game of thrones when I was about 14, and I was definitely two young for it. A few weeks ago I started the tv series & have just finished the fifth season. I’m at the point where I think I’m going to give the books another try. This video has definitely cemented it for me. I main internal argument about not trying out the books again has been the lack of ending, but as another knight radiant, I must remember “journey before destination.”

While I really liked ACOTAR, my favorite SJM series has to be Throne of Glass. I'll admit the first book is just meh, and the second one is okay... but starting from the 3rd book the series gets really strong in my opinion. I'm also the kind of person, that while I like reading romance, I also really like books where there's romance, but not as the primary plot point, which is why I think I prefer ToG to ACOTAR.

All those reasons seem pretty valid. I do think Shallan’s story is a bit traumatizing. I think a big part of why WoR is my favorite are the reveals and the battles are just a lot of my favorites in the whole series. So I guess it’s that personal taste thing lol.

I have adhd and it has kept me away from reading. I have to listen to audiobooks and even that can be difficult. I listened to the girl on the train back in 2017 and I loved it. So I’ve been trying to get more into reading domestic horror/mystery since I find that genre to be really thrilling.

Won't watch this to no spoil myself, but here's a comment for the algorithm.

I'm not sure describing the books as episodic and self contained is really the right way to frame it. They're definitely NOT self-contained. You do get introduced to a ton of new stuff, QUITE frequently, but as the series goes on it's still building upon everything you're learning. The books are constantly throwing new things at you, but they're not self-contained. There's a TON of stuff that starts in one book then pays off in a different book. I kindof get why you might present it this way, but it's just not totally accurate, imo. Saying something is episodic and the books are self-contained makes it sound like you can just jump in wherever you want because each book is just doing its own thing which is very, VERY not the case.

It's not about the money! I just received The Complete Collected Works Of Mark Twain - $45 delivered! Now I'm set, for a while, should the power permanently go out. (buying used books is the way to go)

I honestly think the “white savior” trope in the dune series actually just reinforces the whole be watchful of charismatic leaders thing Frank Herbert was trying to say, I think it just adds a whole more historical layer on top of it, how many times do we see in history and movies where a white savior (who isn’t a savior) starts interacting with the local population, learns the language and culture, and then proceeds to bring in people to conquer them or they themselves cripple the local peoples in some sort of way. You see it all the time and I think showing it in this way through the books and movies is a good way to do it, you think Paul’s doing this for the Fremen people, but in reality it was for revenge and what he sees himself as the “right way” to rule, and then boom, billions of people die because of it. I think Paul being white just hits the “don’t follow charismatic leaders” thing that much harder.

To be honest, I didn’t start struggling with Malazan until book 4. 😂

Thank you for including #6. I have struggled with my health this year, and have tried to get back into reading multiple times. I read Jane Austen's Emma for "light summer reading" when I was 13, and I'm always trying to go back to her. 😂😂😂 I've made it trough 50 pages of an Einstein biography in 3 library check outs and I have to remind myself it's about the habit building; not finishing the book.

You can't stop me if i want to read as much of it all as I can!

You finished Wind and Truth in just 2 days!? You mad lad! I'm just over 600 pages into it. I've been taking it slow to savor it, only reading about 50 pages a day. Journey Before Destination.

I love discworld but i don't know as much as i would like! I have 3 amazing (german) audioplays I hear in bed "Guards! Guards!" "Lords and Ladies" and "Pyramids" and maybe its the work of those voice actors but i don't get why pyramids is considered the worst DW book, i liked it! Funny I actually started with colours of magic!

Nice video!

Just finished and neeeeed to process.

I honestly have found this book series (still first book) a little confusing. Initially I thought it was a medieval world, but then they talk about metal pipes (plumbing) and it confused me, later on they talk about modern day drugs to deal with illness and my brain felt blind sided. Did anyone else struggle to place the world in their mind from the writing? I'm wondering if I need to start this book series again to properly plant myself as everyone loves it, especially the world building. I feel like I must have messed up and missed something.

How tall and thick are Fire and Blood & A knight of the seven kingdoms? And how tall are your bookshelves?

Words of Radiance storm it might be the best sequel or 2nd book in a series. It's actually masterclass at setup and payoff. Stormlight slows a bit in book 3 and 4 but the pacing of 1 and 2 were nailed. I'm on ch 80 of Wind and Truth and depending on the last half it might rival Words of Radiance as my new favorite.

**VAGUE SPOILER WARNING** While I enjoyed WoR, overall, I did not enjoy the lack of consequences experienced by many main characters. Shallan, for example, got away with a lot at several points in her journey. There were times, especially In the beginning, when I was excited to see how she would work her way through the events or choices she made, only to find out it just... worked out, often without much agency on her end? The lack of consequences in Shallan's journey also makes me skeptical about whether a significant plot event at the end of WoR will lead to meaningful repercussions for the character involved. That said, I still intend to read Oathbringer and the series. However, my initial excitement after The Way of Kings has definitely waned. On a side note, Pattern is the best.

I agree with everything you said. But also the duel. Sooo good.