I'm not sure if this is an unpopular opinion or not, but listening to Bookborn pronounce Jasnah's name wrong hurts my soul. It's like a knife to the heart EVERY SINGLE TIME!!! PS: Bookborn if you are reading this, never change haha XD Seriously, the moment you start saying her name correctly is the moment we'll all have to assume that the real you has been slain and replaced by a kandra
Totallyyy! And like… I just don’t need spicy scenes. Don’t like em lol. I also like that dalinar and Navani aren’t super young. Adults can have romance too!
I LOVELOVELOVE Warbreaker! The character development, the humor, and the magic system are all fantastic. It’s probably my favorite Sanderson novel, as well. I am definitely a fan of audiobooks, however, because I listen to them a lot on some of my longer drives each week.
Oh yes this wasn’t a dig at audiobooks which I think are amazing for drives or monotonous work or chores but my brain just daydreams wayyy too much so I’m not effective with them 🤣
So glad, you are so open about it. My favorite Sanderson book is also Warbreaker because of a couple of reasons First, Vivenna is my favorite character, and the way her character develops over time, the way she gets challenged about her beliefs was so relatable for me. Second, plot twists, specially the scene - in which we see the animals, I was terrified .
I think Vivenna is one of the most interesting characters written in the Cosmere. She's not my favorite, but I'm always so impressed how my opinion changes SO DRASTICALLY about her over the novel. She really evolves.
No hate, but what did you think of the other characters? I thought Warbreaker was his worst book by far - plot crazy predictable and boring, most characters poorly written. Vivenna was solid, but Lightsong? The boy-god? What were your thoughts there?
@@granthoffman315 I dont know if you are asking me or BOOKBORN..if me Then, I liked other characters like blushweaver and Siri. I agree that the characters are not well developed in this book, but maybe it was just an experiment by Sanderson. And the lightsong, he was kind of annoying but still funny. The special thing about him was that he didn't assume facts based on norms created by religion/society.
Glad to see the Warbreaker love. I just read it a couple of weeks ago and while it's not my favorite Sanderson story I absolutely loved it and prefer it over Mistborn.
I think a lot of the love for Michael Kramer and Kate Reading comes from the people that were introduced to Sanderson from Wheel of Time. They are the voices of WoT and after you spend hundreds of hours with them consuming a series you love continuing that through Sanderson's works feels good. I have listened to a lot of audiobooks over the past couple years and will say that they are good narrators, but other narrators out there are just as good.
100%!!! I started listening to fantasy books at 25-27 maybe. Books were not very popular when I grew up or maybe where I grew up. The first thing I ever listened to was WOT read by Michael and Kate. At the end of the series I experienced that "loss" like something was missing from my daily routine, from my life even. Than I searched the wiki for all books read by the duo, I needed to hear their voice more and that's how I found Sanderson. If he had used other narators, my life and I'm not exaggerating would most likely be different :) But he did and I can't be happier! My unpopular opinion is that books are meant to be listened to and not read. The natural way of storytelling was mouth to ear, so everyone hating on audiobook users - start consuming stories the way they were meant to! :)
I love Warbreaker! I always recommend it as a starting point for Sanderson Edit: I commented too early and now I have more to say ROW is also my jam and the sciency bits are my favourite! Jasnah for life too!! (I also mispronounce Adolin… but that’s definitely because Spanish is my first language)
Warbreaker is on my 2023 TBR. I'll be reading it in September. Also, I hope your appearance on Sanderson's channel brings your more subscribers. Your channel is so good and you deserve a larger following.
I completely agree about audiobooks (although I don't have an opinion about Michael Kramer specifically). For some reason I can listen to podcasts for hours, but 10 minutes in to an audiobook I'll realize I zoned out 5 minutes ago. I think it's because books tend to make me daydream, whether it's about the world, or it reminds me of something in real life, or a completely unrelated tangent. When I'm reading I can just stop for a few seconds while my mind chases that tangent and then pick up where I left off, whereas with audiobooks it just keeps going ahead without me.
Audiobooks are essential if you work 12-hour shifts and don't have much spare time. I can understand why people would rather read than listen, it is sometimes frustratingly slow when listening compared to reading. However, they're great when doing mundane tasks for long periods and also for listening late at night as you drop off to sleep as most apps have a timer to shut off after the designated time span. PS Graphic audiobooks have the additional benefit of having many voice actors and sound effects which helps the immersion, also I'm now over 50 so reading my kindle late at night causes neck injuries and cramps. Thanks for the vid and I do agree with many of your other opinions.
Oh to be clear: I am not anti-audiobook. I think they are incredible for long commutes, boring jobs/chores, and accessibility issues. I am just PERSONALLY not able to listen because I day dream too much and lose my place 🙃
The comment you made about Audiobooks as a format is so very true. I find it strange - I can listen to music for hours. Subconciously I will end up learning the lyrics even if it's in another language (for example Russian or Ukranian even if my understanding of the lyrics is 50% or so) but, when it comes to audio books.... I listen. I zone out. It goes in one ear, out the other and nothing is retained. I have to really pay attention to retain or enjoy any audiobook whilst I will often multi-task whilst reading without a similar issue of not taking something in.
Ok MEE!! I can even listen to podcasts and be there mostly! But something about knowing I could be reading the book instead of listening makes it so difficult for me. I just completely zone and then go "shoot, where was I?"
Ok I definitely thought I was the only only one with Michael and Kate because people seem to go nuts for them. They're clearly talented and I get why people like them if not my personal taste, but I listened to a couple Wheel of time books by them and it drove me nuts that they often pronounced names and things differently. You're in the same house!! Sort it out!
So much this. Kate Reading would pronounce the same name/word differently in the same freaking sentence. She drove me absolutely insane. Cannot stand her.
Thanks for sharing your opinions! You definitely highlighted some things for me that I never really ever thought of, for example comparing Cosmere to MCU. I agree with you, I never would make that comparison. I also appreciate your ability to come out and say you don't like a narrative audiobook, or just audiobooks in general. I respect that, and am happy you're in a space where you can openly share it. :)
As someone who liked Rhythm of War a lot less than the other Stormlight books (the overload of science stuff was not one of my main issues but did contribute a little to making the book drag), I honestly do agree with you that the specific thing you mentioned is one of my favorite parts. Two rival scientists forced to work together, becoming unlikely frenemies: it was great! One of my favorite female friendships that I've ever read.
Hey Bookborn! Just wanted to point it out in case anyone else had a hard time with it but the background music has this slight like sliding whistle sound and my brain kept fixating on it and not what you were saying. I know it’s quiet but it was just enough to distract my adhd brain haha
You know, this song is different than what I normally choose so the feedback is very helpful. I'll go back more lo-fi in the future so it's not distracting!
I did not read the cosmere books in the recommended order (I read Stormlight 1-3 first) and personally I didn't pick up on a lot of cosmere connections, but I think that picking up on them after the fact and having that aha moment later when you're rereading the book (or even if you are reading a different cosmere book that was published first) is still a lot of fun even if it's different than the path the fans who have been here since day 1 had. All I can say is there is a path for everybody, and that was the right one for me since I don't think I got to read all the other cosmere books through the lens of someone who was already a big fan of Stormlight.
I've seen Sanderson's lectures on writing fantasy. At some point he says how he hates editing. For me that really came through when reading Way of Kings. There was a lot of information that might become relevant 2 books later, but not at that point. I think that if I read it when it came out, I might have enjoyed it, but stuff like that annoys me nowadays. It also didnt help that I could not care one bit for Kaladin.
Warbreaker isn't my favorite book, but of all of Brandon's books I actually would want it to become a movie the most (although Tress might take that spot instead). Warbreaker's focus on colors and such, just makes me want to be able to actually have the visual and I think the visual could be stunning. Mistborn feels so dark (setting wise, not in the hopeless sense) that I feel like it would be one of those movies where you can hardly see anything. Stormlight would be great, but I'm always hesitant about books to TV series adaptations. They just never seem to work for me, and Stormlight is too much for just movies.
I’m so divided on a Warbreaker adaptation because I think the magic system would look incredible but I wonder how successfully nightblood or vivennas storyline could be conveyed accurately.
I think Tress has taken my top spot for wanting a Cosmere adaptation. I think it would have more mass appeal and less baggage than Mistborn or Stormlight.
@@Bookborn that's a fair concern. Maybe if they broke it into two movies they'd be able to have more time devoted to these story lines. Im just imagining having the first movie end with THE SCENE (of course after the scene is resolved). This might also help to distinguish between beginning Vivenna and ending Vivenna.
@@ramblingdad7764 Her storyline is one of my favorite Cosmere storylines - she's not an all time favorite character or anything but the way she changes and evolves is so good. So I like the idea of there being a split point there.
i was so scared to hear your warbreaker opinion cause warbreaker is also my favorite brandosando book! i always fear what people say about it (also i agree about the rhythm of war science stuff :3)
Thank you for allowing us who have not yet read most or all of the Brando Sando books yet to hop on without spoilers! I have warbreaker paperback that I luckily got at local library sale for a few bucks in fine shape! I think it proves a great intro before dive into Way of Kings proper even with the epic prologue! Great encouraging list and thoughts to take in! MCU in itself with its varying individual quality is overall high quality popular film genre tops! It cheapens BOTH mediums to compare Stormlight to the MCU just because of its interconnectedness. But it's the go-to across genres understanding the production differences between them and between novels and graphic novel comic books medium and industry output. Many hands make light work but don't enlighten audiences too often. Different mediums.
I know I usually do all spoiler vids so I'm trying to include more non-spoilery ones! Especially because there are more and more of Sanderson's works and it's getting harder for new fans to catch up haha
@@Bookborn Sando the Machine! Who needs AI when an awesome human being can be as prodigious as he! My unpopular opinion is that the epic WoK prologue so impressed that the sleek visuals of chapter one action sequence of Way of Kings confounded my spatial understanding and didn't help my lesser investment into that character for that sequence, whereas Warbreaker was for me an elegant entrancing intro into the magic, world, and odd characters from get-go, however strange it was. Reminded me a bit of Gaiman's Neverwhere.
I honestly agree that reading order isn't such a big deal. People on the internet especially, have a made big deal out of it and i fell like it might come off as gatekeeping to new readers or at least somewhat intimidating. (For example reading warbreaker before WoR or OB, or MB before SA, or BoM before Secret History). These are minor things that people can figure on their own by the time they are done with the whole thing.
Totally. I think it's also important to remember that there are a LOT of Sanderson fans who will just randomly pick something up in a bookstore and have no online fandom footprint. And...they seem to be doing ok!
I agree. If Stormlight gets an animated adaptation I would definitely be watching with my nose in the air and my arms crossed. I want live action. Give me live action!
I think his accessibility is both his strongest and weakest point. His simplistic prose(especially in his early works) allows a lot of people to get into his books very easily, but I think as a result it makes it also easier to dismiss the work he does. He's not my favorite author but I certainty respect his consistency and what he's done for the genre. Plus Warbreaker is 100% his best work and I wish he wrote more standalones like that. :)
I'd agree.. he's actually incredible in his work ethic and consistency, his magic system and world building creativity etc; but theres also somethign stale and simple about his prose. It pains me but I admire much of his writing, but it also is 'boring' somehow, turning me off; like.. it feels like those sci-fi shows where the ships are clean and tidy and spotless, not lived in with some dings and dents and little homey touches; its missimg 'texture' somewhere, .... _nuance_ perhaps? So he is clever beyond belief, and only getting better, but at least his early works I've read are fun... but ultiamtely turning me off. It pains me, I want to love it all more, but... can't? I feel like I need to skip to more current works and give him a retry :)
@@skeezixcodejedi By all means feel free to try his newer stuff. But the same authors aren't for everybody. If prose that is more than transparent is your thing, Sanderson is never going to be your thing. I personally quite enjoy most of his stuff, but I hate some other very popular authors, though I'd never say it like that if I were saying specific authors because I try not to be mean/nasty. :) Yay different authors for different tastes.
Warbreaker is my husband's favorite Cosmere book. It's high on my list too, though I prefer Words of Radiance. I adore the science bits in Rhythm of War. I also don't want an animated storming adaptation. My unpopular Cosmere opinion: Shallan is the Cosmere character that I am the most invested in.
Personally, Wayne is my favorite, but I also love Shallan. I agree with some (though not all) of the common frustrations about her, but I feel like she gets an unreasonable amount of hate for it. I love how many layers she has, and how she uses humor and other distractions as a coping mechanism.
Yesssss love that you mentioned the MCU thing. I really like the MCU and its really fun when we get to the Avengers films and we see all these heroes team up. But I highly doubt the culmination of a lifetime of novels and series will simply be to say, "Hey look, Kaladin and Kelsier and Dalinar and Tress and everyone else are all fighting together in one book!" It's going to be way, way deeper than that. I feel ya with Jasnah. Pretty sure I pronounced Hermione wrong for like six years growing up until I saw the first HP movie.
Ok ALSO such a good point. It's not about "one epic battle" but rather the intricacies of how the characters will interact for the final Cosmere-wide showdown (and that it's so far in the future, many of our characters simply won't be around anymore). In fairness, didn't we ALL pronounce Hermione's name wrong until the first movie came out 🤣
I think the Cosmere has more in common with Marvel comics than the MCU, but the MCU is an apt comparison as well imo. I don't see it as a pejorative though. Peaks and valleys aside, the MCU is the most popular shared universe ever for a reason. It's good stuff.
This is the first video I've watched on your channel. I learned about it from the Tress book club. I am actually pretty on board with most of these opinions. RoW is my favorite in the Stormlight Archive, and Warbreaker is SERIOUSLY underrated. I think I like Wayne and Lift a little more, but they do feel more like characters in a story rather than an actual person.
My unpopular Sanderson opinion is that I actually enjoy his humor. Also, I don’t get The Emperor’s Soul hype 🤷🏻♀️ I agree with a lot of your unpopular opinions…I didn’t expect your random hate for Spensa’s name though lmao 😂I think her name is cute!
I haven't read it in awhile, but I seem to recall the issues with the Rhythm of War "science" scenes being mostly Sanderson's gratuitous overindulgence in dialogue and over-explanation of mechanics. Most of it probably could've been cut out with no big issues
I find the MCU comparison kind of funny, because I was recently re-reading Yumi (I devoured it in like a day or two when it came out, so I wanted to now go back and take my time with it), and it led to me trying to explain the Cosmere. His first reaction when I explained it as sort of a series of worlds in the same universe with their own different magic systems was "So, it's like a multiverse or the MCU?" And, to me, that just felt inaccurate. The answer I gave was it was kind of like Star Wars, prior to interplanetary travel (for the most part), except the Force is powered differently on each world and that allows its to do different things. Not the most accurate explanation, but this was to someone who doesn't really enjoy fantasy, beyond LOTR.
The book club is what led me to your channel. I am glad it did, because I enjoy your perspective! We have a lot of overlap on what we have read and tend to like, and you have put a few books on my list to be read after my current Cosmere reread. You are, however, 100% wrong about Kramer. Lol. His action scene readings are iconic!
I listen to audio books almost all day every day. My job requires me to spend a lot of time alone, without requiring a lot of my mental capacity. I found it difficult at first to listen to audio, but it didn't take too long to get over it when I could "read" all day while working, and then read actual text in the evening. There are some narrators that are more difficult than others. The narrator for "The Gunslinger". the first book in Stephen Kings Darktower series, sounds so much like Mel Brooks that I have a hard time not picturing Yogurt from Sapceballs. I recently had a friend ask for reading suggestions as he also has a job where he can listen to books all day. I set him up with Kingkiller first. I figured I would see how he liked a smaller fantasy series first. He loved them, so I introduced him to the Cosmere. He asked for the proper reading order so I gave him one. Mistborn, Wax and Wayne, Warbreaker, Elantris, Stormlight, Mistborn, Warbreaker, Stormlight, and Wax and Wayne. I figured no matter where he started he was going to have to re-read everything after finishing it all anyway. You get so much more out of the stories when you have the entire knowlege set than when you read it all new.
1. Love that you are part of the book club! I hoped you are but you mislead me on insta with your question who we think is involved 😅 2. Just bought warbreaker for a reread and I'm excited for it! 3. I also don't love audio books. I listened to tress for like two chapters and I thought it was quite hard to listen to... But I read the ebook two times already because I looove tress!! Greetings from Germany ✌️😊
lol yes I had a little too much fun trolling people 🤣 Warbreaker on a reread is amazing. I think I've read it 3-4 times and I get as excited by the ending as the first time!
@@Bookborn Yeah exactly! But I honestly think i read it at the perfect time as well. The Lost Metal had just come out and Elantris was my last Cosmere novel to fully catch up after that. Plus I was in the political mindset after ASOIAF. It was the perfect (high)storm!
For audiobooks I always listen on at least 1.5x speed, otherwise I definitely feel like I could be reading so much faster. I personally feel that Kramer and Reading are perfect at about 1.5x. I also only listen to the audiobooks for rereads since I do definitely sometimes zone out and sometimes fall asleep before the sleep timer if I listen in bed 😅 Some of the voices they choose for characters throw me off, but some of them I would also miss if they ever adapt it with difference voices! In regards to Lift and Wayne, I actually find them to be among Sanderson’s best characters. Particularly for Wayne, there’s so much subtext in everything he says. He’s so vocally positive and optimistic but as you’re reading you realize the hurt and trauma that he’s actually describing. I admit that the humor behind each of them is often childish and immature (although I think, for example, Shallan’s “humor” is a little more annoying). Lift is still a child, and I would be willing to bet you that Stormlight Era 2 is going to change your mind on her on rereads.
Funny. I didn’t realize I held unpopular opinions, because I agree with you on all of these, except Warbreaker. That said, when I tried to think of my favorite, I couldn’t settle on one. Least favorite is probably second era Mistborn. Sanderson is one of my top authors. I am just blown away by the myriad different magic systems he has devised.
Now I have to read Warbreaker. I started with Mistborn Era 1 and then jumped into Stormlight and Mistborn Era 2 but have never read any of his other books because a part of me is bothered by the fact I read them out of order. But now I think I'm sold!
I truly don't think you'll feel like it's a big deal that you "read them out of order"! Fans are attached to their specific experiences, which I get, but I don't think it means you still won't have a great (if different) experience
Definitely agree on Lift and Wayne. And I love Warbreaker too - though not my favorite. I was sorely disappointed in the reunion of our two female leads in the end. They seemed to have very little love for each other. And made me realize that even though Sanderson is one of my favorite authors, I don’t recall any female characters having strong bonds/connection with each other. I love attack on titan and even though you don’t see Mikasa and our potato girl Sasha interacting too much - you know just by the few shots shown of them how much they love each other (Mikasa throwing Sasha under the bus then force feeding her bread, Sasha punching Mikasa’s boob when Mikasa tells Connie who is choking Sasha to take her out already before she eats all of the meat). There are no fun or loving or close interactions that I see between female characters in Sanderson’s books like I see in AoT. Makes me sad. I hope he improves on that.
So :) I love warbreaker but it isn't my favourite. I also think that Lyft especially is a fantastically fun character. Everything else I wholeheartedly agree with. Except... My favourite way to re-read stormlight is with the graphic audio unabridged productions, with a full cast of actors with music and sounds it's almost everything that i'd want from an adaption (animated or live action). Not for a first read but as A 2nd and viewing it as an adaption
1.) I also like Warbreaker the most, followed by The Final Empire and The Way of Kings. I think there's something to be said about a book that can stand alone. 2.) I also really like this romance. Relationship drama has always felt really cheap and trite to me. It's not really something I enjoy in almost anything, but Sanderson's like....High School romances are really refreshing and cute. Especially Susebron and Siri, which was just adorable. 3.) I don't mind Spensa's name either way, but I get it's kinda weird when you say it. (I'll say that being so exposed to it through the AudioBooks helps get used to it ;) ) 4.) Hard Disagree. I think Stormlight should be an animated series over any other format. I almost sit at a full 180 and think that I'd rather it be adapted to an animation or not at all. There's so much you can do with animation that you can "never" do with live action. And when done right the experience is superb. "Into the Spider-Verse" is a good example that stands above the live action versions because of how well it understands it's medium. Stormlight either has to wait until SFX catches up with them (and I have my doubts they can) or be led by a visionary of animation (which is likely equally rare) 5.) They're both among that archetype of Sanderson characters, along with Lopen that are comic relief for sure. And Lift has some backstory that I find interesting, but Wayne I think is potentially one of the best written characters in the series. There's a depth to him that Lopen and Lift don't have. One of Sanderson's best redemption characters imo. 6.) I love Rhythm of War. I don't get why people are so against it. I'm a big Adolin/Shallan fan and loved their bits. It was awesome to see more of Navani. The Science Lore was excellent. I love RoW. 7.) I definitely don't think people should "police" a reading order. But I am always always always an advocate for Order of Release. I think it's almost without exception the superior reading experience. Still, I know people who read Stormlight first because they just wanna dive into the "good stuff" and I support it if that's what they want. 8.) Yasnah for life. 9.) I love the Audiobooks, but yeah I get it. However, I love they make them because in some cases one may not have experienced these stories at all. It's VERY common for someone to just say "Eh, i don't have time to read" and when I suggest Audiobooks in the car there's this stigma around it like it's not "really" reading. 10. I've never thought about how "MCU" sounds in this context. Personally, that's how I see MCU movies: vapid, popcorn and formulaic. I just assume "most" people read it as shorthand for "Lots of Crossovers"
Yeah I’m actually a die hard publication order person for myself whenever I enter and author or series, but I think with Sanderson it just doesn’t have to be done that way like everyone says. Also it’s interesting what you said about Into the Spiderverse - while I thought that was an excellent movie, I wouldn’t rank it as my favorite Spiderman, as I did prefer the live action ones. So maybe just a preference thing?
@@Bookborn Yeah, there's no "right" order, I just prefer the release order because I learn things the same way everyone else learned things. I'm not much of a fan of the live action spider-man's, personally. But for sure animation is a preference. Spider-Verse is just an example of a movie that you can tell the animators made highly intentional choices. That movie couldn't have been made any other way, imo.
i agree with almost everything you said and i love it, but opinion 8 really made me laugh so much because YES HAHAHAHA brandon himself said that you can call the characters' names by anything you want. the pronunciation really doesn't matter. kelsier will forever be "kel-si-yer" for me as well as jasnah will forever be "jas-nah" for me
Yeeees! Warbreaker is great! Awakening is awesome. I need mooooore! 1000% agree! I also like romance the way it is in his books. Nothing more is needed. However "love" triangles shouldn't exist at all (like Vin Zane). I hate them. I like animation so I want SA in animated format, however I also want it live action so I understand you. Tbf I would want everything be animated so :P While I love science, I was a bit overwhelmed by it in RoW mainly because fabrials are still to "vage" for me - I need more details. I agree with the order of the cosmere books. I read all his books after WoR release and didn't pick up they are in the same universe, so it didn't really matter to me, but if you know they are, reading order can help you have a bit better experience. Jasnah is pronounced Jasna like jasna in Polish which mean bright! It hurts my ears to pronounce it differently - unsubscribe!!! (jk, never) With audiobooks, I didn't use them, I only "read words", but comparing narrators from US and Polish versions, I prefere so much more Polish version. I can't explain why, because I didn't listen to anything more than the WoK prologue. Well I'm not a fan of MCU, nor did I watch it, so yes, I agree :P My unpopular opinion - he's writing too slow. I want more :D
Lol I almost said he writes too slow too 🤣🤣 which is insane but I want more constantly so it feels that way 😂 Yeah I have read in pub order so I guess technically I’ve done the “correct order” since I became a fan awhile ago but I really just don’t think it matters that much
people say its like the mcu to pitch it to people its obviously much deeper than that but when someone say "what's the cosmere" what are you gonna say to someone that only consumes mainstream media you'd probably say the mcu because its the only thing in the mainstream that's anywhere near the cosmere in concept
I still have Warbreaker to look forward to! I keep hearing how amazing it is so hopefully I can squeeze it into a TBR soon. Completely agree with your reading order opinion. I have just been picking up whichever of his series intrigues me more in the moment and I have no complaints so far. I personally don't think easter eggs lose their enjoyment if you discover them in reverse (similar to what you were saying in your spoilers video about how spoilers don't affect enjoyment as much as we assume).
I used to not fret about a reading order for the cosmere, but after Lost Metal... I feel like you really should read Stormlight Before jumping into Era 2 at this point. That or recommend a bunch of the short stories and the standalones in between Era 2 and starting stormlight. Anything to fade the memory of Ghostblood so that reveal can be a surprise.
I’m relatively new to the Cosmere (have read Stormlight, Warbreaker, and starting Mistborn). RoW has been my favorite book so far because of all the science stuff! And Warbreaker is my #2 favorite at this point. I think if I ever go back and reread any Sanderson it will start with Warbreaker. Didn’t realize I was running into so many unpopular opinions!😂
Warbreaker isn't necessarily my favorite but it's the one I recommend to people who want to get into Sanderson. It's also the one I got a leatherbound edition on. I also don't care about Cosmere reading order and actually I am disliking the trend of the more recent books (mostly Stormlight and Lost Metal) that seem to be making the cross-universe stuff more explicit. That might be an unpopular opinion in itself, haha.
It's mostly more unpopular, but it's not like your opinion is a tiny minority. I'm in the somewhat majority in that I love the explicit crossover. He's danced long enough, time to party for real. But, sorry that you haven't liked the newer ones as much. :(
I don’t even think that one matters 🙊 it’s a very cool reveal so I think I’d prefer if people read or after…more because it’s nice to think that character is gone for a longer amount of time. But I think reading right after era 1 technically works too
@@Bookborn I personally totally prefer reading it after Era 1. But I don't get quite as worked up or as impressed by spoilers as some people. Also, I did read them when they came out, so got the effect that most people prefer others to have with their "recommended reading order", so I might just prefer it directly after Era 1 on rereads. Hard to say, since I had already read it a first time.
Agree: -Love Warbreaker, not my favorite but it's great -Brandon romances are fine -Wayne is meh Disagree: -I love Michael and Kate! I only rank Travis Baldree above them. ( But I love audio) -I've loved Lift since her first interlude -Reading order, I'm a publication order guy, but only because I think see sanderson grow as a writer was part of WHT I love about his books My own: I love Elantris! I picked up in the new fiction section of my college library and instantly had a new favorite author. Hrathen's redemption arch is still one of my favorite Sanderson character archs. -I'm not a huge WOT fan. I had DNF'd it years before Sanderson's announcement and only went back when he was finishing it. -I didn't love Skyward and have thought the series actually has gotten increasingly better with each entry, with Cytonic by far being my favorite
Skyward is one of the few things I barely get through by Sanderson. I know it's utterly a ME thing. I'm sure everybody's had first person books where they couldn't stand the main character. Well, for me, that's Spensa. I want to shake her and talk sense into her. I know she's a teenager, and I should cut her slack, but argggg! Anyway, I only continued with the series because Sanderson is a favorite author of mine. I will say amusingly that the Janci books were a high point in the series for me. This rather logically follows as Spensa is barely in them. :)
I love you!!!!!! Warbreaker is my fave❤ I too pronounce Jasnah with a J😂 I hated Elantris🥱 I’m not fussed on reading order either📚 Kelsier is a meh character for me🫢
I feel I have a ton of unpopular opinions. The biggest one is that… and you’re gonna kill me for this… I don’t care about Jasnah. Like she has some 10/10 moments like the one with Renarin at the end of Oathbringer but overall I don’t get why she is so popular. She is sooo mean at times (specially to Shallan) and honestly I’m not fond of the “Jasnah’s always right” thing. Ok but so you don’t hate me I’ll say this: I do agree, the science parts in Rythm of War are all bangers. Not only do they tie exceptionally well into Navani’s character arc but they are also sooo cool (science nerd here obviously)
Warbreaker is not my favorite Sanderson book, but it's still fantastic. Wayne never really clicked for me. Steris though. She helped me get through Era 2.
Other than Michael Kramer opinion I agree with you! I often listen to audiobooks on long drives or while in traffic during my commute. Warbreaker has always been one of my favorite Sanderson books, though I really enjoy The Emperor's Soul as well.
I’m with you on Warbreaker! That and Emperor’s Soul are my favorites. My unpopular opinions: I didn’t care for Tress at all (though I do think it’s a good book), I found Mistborn era 1 to be hugely disappointing, and I thought The Rithmatist was really good (seriously, no one ever mentions that one). Also I don’t really care about cosmere connections personally - I agree with you that it’s not that big of a deal 🤷🏻♂️
This was fun and don't seem unpopular opinions at all. I love Warbreaker and while I don't have a favourite, I think it would be up there. Names are just names. How the characters look, sound, and speak are unique to every reader and that's one of my favourite things about reading. I now am wondering how many names among the books I've read are still mispronounced in my mind. Haha. The Wax and Wayne books are my least favourite of the Cosmere novels so far. They're the first I was content to own in digital format and didn't feel the need to purchase hardcopy (I do have the first one).
I hesitantly agree with the Michael Kramer bit. There are so many narrators out there and I feel like we got stuck with Kramer because of Wheel of Time. Off the top of my head Luke Daniels Travis Baldree Sound booth theater (might be a stretch for Sanderson) R. C. Bray ... There are a lot more. That's just what I can recall. I listen to over 100 books a year. Many many different options. At least switch it up per series. Edit: this is not to say that I dislike Michael Kramer or Kate Reading but I feel like I'm listening to be the wheel of time every book. I've listened to books narrated by them from other authors and they do a great job. But all I get is wheel of time vibes for Sanderson books.
Not only I agree with the fact that there's no correct order to the Cosmere, I also think Era 2 could be adapted before Era 1 and then Era 1 could be that cool spinoff
I can see the argument. I don't really agree though. You're basically turning it into a prequel, and I rarely like those. Typically you already know all the major beats, and that hurts it for me.
Love the audiobooks! But I’m a big fan of voice acting, so the nuances of their craft are fun for me. I do think it’s harder to listen to a book when you already read the characters, because you have the tone you chose in your head for that character before the narrator does their version. My unpopular opinion is that Shallan is being set up to have the best story arc of all the stormlight characters. I have a strong feeling that she is being written a certain way on purpose, not because she’s an annoying character.
Ok so you NAILED it. It's really hard for me with audiobook because I want to feel like I'm in control of how I imagine characters and situations, and the audiobook narrator puts their own spin on things. While Shallan isn't my favorite character, people are SO hard on her, it doesn't make any sense.
I read Red Country as an audiobook! I still rather read Abercrombie physically (since that's my preferred method and I love his works so much) but Red Country is probably the second-best audiobook I've ever listened to. Pacey did a fantastic job.
Yeah, the MCU comparisons get on my nerves as well. MCU movies vary wildly in quality - some are genuine labors of love, others clearly are not - but if there's one thing that's clear about Sanderson, it's that every book is uniquely important to him. You can criticize his prose all you want, but I don't think you can say he doesn't care about making each book as good as he possibly can. The same can't be said for Marvel.
I’m not much of an audiobook person either and tried to listen to Era 2 to catch up before Lost Metal. I had to switch to the physical books halfway through because I wasn’t enjoying it 🤷🏻♂️ The audiobooks I’ve liked the most so far have been Joe Abercrombie. His narrator brought to life some characters I didn’t like as much in print and made me enjoy those books more
I did Red Country as audio and it for sure is the second best I've ever listened to after Gaiman. I still prefer physical just because I love Abercrombie and physical is my favorite way to consume a book, but Pacey did do a great job.
Completely unrelated to the topic of the video, but have you read any of John Bierce's Mage Errant series? If not, I highly recommend you check it out. It's one of my favourite fantasy series, and while certainly not perfect, it's still really enjoyable IMO.
@@Bookborn yeah, it is a criminally under appreciated series in my opinion. It starts off fairly generic, but as the series progresses it really blooms into its own. One thing I really appreciate about it is that the author very overtly uses it to deconstruct and subvert a number of the most overused villain cliches, some of which you yourself have addressed before. Most notably, villains always going off on long-winded monologues while the heroes just stand there and let them. There are plenty of villain monologues in the series, but without exception they always end up biting the bad guys in the ass because the heroes make good use of the time to set up their own plans, often commenting on how ridiculous it is that they would be given that time. Lol.
I love discussing different Brando opinions and I love the topics you bring up on your channel. With that said, and as a scientist myself, I can say with full factual evidence behind me that you are wrong about Michael Kramer and Kate Reading, lol. 🤠
#1 Haven't read Warbreaker yet but own it and have heard great things about it, so I'm looking forward to it! #2 Hard agree. No more no less. #3 I laughed, just one of those words I guess? #4 Harder agree. Don't touch Stormlight. Don't. Touch. It. #5 I see where you're coming from but I love Lift for her childish antics and she's just a nice break in the bleak landscape that is Roshar. #6 Rhythm of War had me in as deep as Words of Radiance because of the science. Loved it. #7 I started with Stormlight as my first venture into the Cosmere and yeah, some things you miss but when you go through the rest of his works you have those ah-ha moments. #8 I've always said it as Yahznuh. Lol. #9 Don't have an opinion, audiobooks turn me into a squirrel 🐿️ so I don't listen to them. #10 Not an MCU fan but I kind of agree with you on how it seems hardcore MCU fans try to diminish the Cosmere. Sorry for the long comment love your channel!
Oooh finally someone who read Stormlight before Warbreaker. I’ll be super interested to hear your opinion on that one because people usually say that it’s vital to read Warbreaker before WoR for a very specific scene. Apparently didn’t matter for you which I’ve been saying this entire time!!
I'm an audiobook listener. Started by necessity, grew to love it. But this comment is about Warbreaker. It's not my favorite Cosmere book. It's pretty low in my ranking, in fact. Why? It may have to do with the narrator. There's a distinct quality to her voice (that I can't describe) that, in my opinion, alters the feel of the book. I wonder if I, and others, would feel differently about Warbreaker had we first read it via the traditional medium.
Huge tangent on audiobooks but I think I'd agree with you, I wouldn't like the ones with a lot of extra flourishes. I'm wary of audio in general because I don't like giving away so much control of the experience.
Ok yes EXACTLY. when I was listening to era 2, they made character choices that were wildly different from the first time I read them. I like controlling the tone of voice and character choices in my own head.
I also have a hard time with audiobooks. It goes through one ear and out the other. Which is a shame, because I can listen to audiobooks at work, but I'm not good at it. I'll be able to read so many books if I could! Ah, well. I'm glad I'm not the only one who struggles with this.
Ok RIGHT. It's literally the only book where I was like "If I hadn't listened to it, my experience wouldn't have been as good" His Thor voice is just SO funny.
I actually know of so many people that couldnt get into the mistborn audiobooks because they hate Kramer's narration. Personally I'm in the camp that likes him b/c it's unobtrusive, but there are lots of people that think his narration is boring and they can't handle it.
It's so funny that I think it's too expressive? Maybe I was listening weird but his voice just felt like a LOT. But everyone here who doesn't like it say it's boring.
I guess I don't check reddit boards often because I didn't realize these were unpopular lol. 100% agree that Warbreaker is his best book. Love it from start to finish. Great protagonists? ✅Cool magic system? ✅Great twist? ✅Emotional character sacrifices? ✅ And I'm with you on Wayne. He's a character that I think if you cut out half of his dialogue, I would love him. The moments where he is vulnerable and introspective are great but they would slap more if I didn't get so many crude jokes and forced humor.
Ok exactly with Wayne. I love the idea of his story line and the hat thing is fun but otherwise his humor is a huge no from me 😂 and yes maybe the answer here is to get off Reddit
Warbreaker is so important to the cosmere, nightblood, vasher, breaths, the nalthian tech, etc. Mainly nightblood and azures blade. Super important. Lift will change in everyones opinion in back five when she's older, she's gonna be a huge player, because of the stuff with cultivation mainly. I personally don't care for her. She's young and immature right now, but once she matures it's gonna be a huge shift
@@Bookborn don't get me wrong I love what he's doing with her, but yeah her sense of humor (his really) doesn't work for me most of the time. I don't love lift. Or Wayne. Or veil. Or pattern. But she is very interesting, doing all kinds of things she shouldnt be able to do, food into light, dalinars vision. Can't wait to see what happens with her
I find her pretty awesome most of the time, but that's because of the smaller doses we typically get. If she was around as often as Kalladin I'd probably loathe her. :) I fully expect to continue thinking she's amazing in back half when she gets tons of time, because she'll be older.
@@Aldric524 precisely. She's gonna be super important in training the new knight radiants, and the cultivation stuff will be further explored. We already know she had been planning what happened with odium for thousands of years. I'm so stoked for book five, but am scared because were gonna lose kaladin, dalinar, maybe adolin or shallan. Kaladin is gone as is dalinar, calling it now. Their arcs are gonna be complete Unless dalinar becoms unity. Which I think danilar might be on track to become, my crack theory is he reforms adonalsium, the whole cosmere started with a rebirth, it would only be fitting if it ended with one
Loved this vid! Totally with you on the Rhythm of War being perfect just the way it is, and being right down the middle mid on Wayne and Lyft, and enjoying the Sanderson romances! My unpopular Sando opinion as a mega fan is that I’m very mid on the Emperor’s Soul, and prefer every Cosmere novel over it.
I totally respect your opinion, but find it hard to quite believe that one emotionally. It's easy for me to believe you'd find Emperor's Soul middling. But to say, for example, Elantris, his first published novel ever, is superior? Even to say Alloy of Law is superior boggles my mind, though that one is a bit more controversial. Still, I think those two are probably my two weakest cosmere novels, unless we're counting super short stories like 11th metal. Anyway, I also loved Rhythm of War!
@@Aldric524 ah whether something is a “superior” work or not is beyond my analytical purview-in terms of how much I enjoyed reading those and my emotional investment in each story, Emperor’s Soul would be lower
War breaker is how I convinced my wife to read Sanderson. Stormlight is what made her take a break. Yes yes yes on the J in Jasnah. I never thought Stormlight would be animated and I would be very disappointed if it was (CGI Ok). I haven't listened to any of the books but I sure do enjoy the narrative by my inner voice!
probably not a hot take, but Adolin should never become a Knights Radiant. Him gaining magic powers would undercut his story, which is "you don't have to be a Radiant to be great/do good things in the world." At least that's how it seems to be evolving to me
I think this is a popular take...at least I totally agree with it. I'll be extremely bummed if he becomes radiant. It makes his character interactions so interesting with the others who ARE radiant!
I love listening to audiobooks except when it comes to fantasy books. 💯 agree with your sentiments on Sanderson books. The narrators make the story feel dry imo
Maybe not an unpopular opinion, but a lot of people say "I love Sanderson's books, but his prose isn't the best". And I really disagree with this. No, he doesn't write like Robin Hobb, but I find that his books flow really well and I'm never confused. I don't notice the prose for good or bad reasons, and that takes skill. But I also find his books are often thought-provoking and that isn't reliant on writing beautiful sentences. The only time I have issues with his prose is his humor doesn't always land for me (works about 80% of the time), but in general I really enjoy his writing style.
I'm with you. I wasnt' sure if this was unpopular or not - it seems a lot of people who DON'T like Sanderson say it's because of the prose, which is fair - like you said, it's specifically not like Hobb or Rothfuss. But I hate when people act like because it's not, his stories aren't deep - they absolutely are! But I think a lot of Sanderson fans agree with us there
@@Bookborn Endings are so important to me, and I've always found Oathbringer to have the best and most impactful ending of the first four. It's probably still my favorite Stormlight book to this day, which I know is a ridiculous hot take, since I think the typical fan likes it the least. Is also has easily the best, to me, flashbacks. EASILY!
Yeah I don't get the Kramer hype either, though for me it's the other way around when it comes to the plainness of it. I fell in love with Sanderson's books (and got back into reading books after a few years break) because of the full cast audiobooks from Graphic Audio, so Kramer and Reading just feel bland to me.
Jasnah pronounced with a "J" instead of "Y" sound is prettier to me...and I didn't know I was "wrong" until I listened to the Words of Radiance audiobook... Also...this is my first year of actually reading the thicc Stormlight Archive series. I'm just about to start Oathbringer.
People aren't good at imagining or understanding "original" or nuanced things--it's much easier to use comparisons and combinations to describe things. I think that's why people simplify the differences between the MCU & Cosmere to just the boiled down interconnectedness because the MCU is the closest thing similar to the Cosmere so it's easier to say "it's like X" rather than describe what it is truely like.
I don't mind MCU as a comparison when we are talking about interconnectedness, but I don't like that it's been used to say Sanderson is "popcorn media without value" because it's just not true.
![Rhythm of War - Spoiler Free Review [CC]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/t47XN5Lf0hY/mqdefault.jpg)
I'm not sure if this is an unpopular opinion or not, but listening to Bookborn pronounce Jasnah's name wrong hurts my soul. It's like a knife to the heart EVERY SINGLE TIME!!!
PS: Bookborn if you are reading this, never change haha XD Seriously, the moment you start saying her name correctly is the moment we'll all have to assume that the real you has been slain and replaced by a kandra
🤣🤣🤣
Dalinar and Navani are genuinely one of my favourite couples in all of fantasy. Romance doesn't need to be dramatic and flashy
Totallyyy! And like… I just don’t need spicy scenes. Don’t like em lol. I also like that dalinar and Navani aren’t super young. Adults can have romance too!
I LOVELOVELOVE Warbreaker! The character development, the humor, and the magic system are all fantastic. It’s probably my favorite Sanderson novel, as well. I am definitely a fan of audiobooks, however, because I listen to them a lot on some of my longer drives each week.
Oh yes this wasn’t a dig at audiobooks which I think are amazing for drives or monotonous work or chores but my brain just daydreams wayyy too much so I’m not effective with them 🤣
So glad, you are so open about it. My favorite Sanderson book is also Warbreaker because of a couple of reasons
First, Vivenna is my favorite character, and the way her character develops over time, the way she gets challenged about her beliefs was so relatable for me.
Second, plot twists, specially the scene - in which we see the animals, I was terrified .
I think Vivenna is one of the most interesting characters written in the Cosmere. She's not my favorite, but I'm always so impressed how my opinion changes SO DRASTICALLY about her over the novel. She really evolves.
No hate, but what did you think of the other characters? I thought Warbreaker was his worst book by far - plot crazy predictable and boring, most characters poorly written. Vivenna was solid, but Lightsong? The boy-god? What were your thoughts there?
@@granthoffman315 I dont know if you are asking me or BOOKBORN..if me
Then, I liked other characters like blushweaver and Siri. I agree that the characters are not well developed in this book, but maybe it was just an experiment by Sanderson. And the lightsong, he was kind of annoying but still funny. The special thing about him was that he didn't assume facts based on norms created by religion/society.
@@KhalidImran Understood! Thanks for the insight - Siri and Blushweaver were good characters as well, and your 'experiment' theory does make sense!
Glad to see the Warbreaker love. I just read it a couple of weeks ago and while it's not my favorite Sanderson story I absolutely loved it and prefer it over Mistborn.
The ending is just so good!
I think Warbreaker is all about how much Lightsong works for you
For me I think I actually like it because of Siri and Vivenna!
Lightsong for me is the best written character in the cosmere
Lightsong is the man.
I think a lot of the love for Michael Kramer and Kate Reading comes from the people that were introduced to Sanderson from Wheel of Time. They are the voices of WoT and after you spend hundreds of hours with them consuming a series you love continuing that through Sanderson's works feels good. I have listened to a lot of audiobooks over the past couple years and will say that they are good narrators, but other narrators out there are just as good.
I like that perspective a lot! I read WoT physically so that's also probably not helping my connection to the audio books.
100%!!! I started listening to fantasy books at 25-27 maybe. Books were not very popular when I grew up or maybe where I grew up. The first thing I ever listened to was WOT read by Michael and Kate. At the end of the series I experienced that "loss" like something was missing from my daily routine, from my life even. Than I searched the wiki for all books read by the duo, I needed to hear their voice more and that's how I found Sanderson. If he had used other narators, my life and I'm not exaggerating would most likely be different :) But he did and I can't be happier!
My unpopular opinion is that books are meant to be listened to and not read. The natural way of storytelling was mouth to ear, so everyone hating on audiobook users - start consuming stories the way they were meant to! :)
I love Warbreaker! I always recommend it as a starting point for Sanderson
Edit: I commented too early and now I have more to say
ROW is also my jam and the sciency bits are my favourite!
Jasnah for life too!! (I also mispronounce Adolin… but that’s definitely because Spanish is my first language)
Ohhh how do you pronounce Adolin? I mispronounce everything tbh but Jasnah is the one I refuse to improve upon 🤣
@@Bookborn I pronounce it "ah- dolin".. and the j sound in Jasnah is also hard, but maybe a little softer than the english hard j
I'm from Mexico and for me Adolin is like ah-do-Lin
I didn't know there were ways to pronounce them. Jasnah por me is jazz-nah
@@RobMedellin Brandon Sanderson lo pronuncia yass-nah
@@BreakingStubad buscaré un video para escuchar la diferencia. Sé que ya lo he escuchado pero no puse atención en la pronunciación
Warbreaker is on my 2023 TBR. I'll be reading it in September. Also, I hope your appearance on Sanderson's channel brings your more subscribers. Your channel is so good and you deserve a larger following.
Thank you 🥹 I hope you like Warbreaker!
I completely agree about audiobooks (although I don't have an opinion about Michael Kramer specifically). For some reason I can listen to podcasts for hours, but 10 minutes in to an audiobook I'll realize I zoned out 5 minutes ago. I think it's because books tend to make me daydream, whether it's about the world, or it reminds me of something in real life, or a completely unrelated tangent. When I'm reading I can just stop for a few seconds while my mind chases that tangent and then pick up where I left off, whereas with audiobooks it just keeps going ahead without me.
Audiobooks are essential if you work 12-hour shifts and don't have much spare time. I can understand why people would rather read than listen, it is sometimes frustratingly slow when listening compared to reading. However, they're great when doing mundane tasks for long periods and also for listening late at night as you drop off to sleep as most apps have a timer to shut off after the designated time span. PS Graphic audiobooks have the additional benefit of having many voice actors and sound effects which helps the immersion, also I'm now over 50 so reading my kindle late at night causes neck injuries and cramps. Thanks for the vid and I do agree with many of your other opinions.
Oh to be clear: I am not anti-audiobook. I think they are incredible for long commutes, boring jobs/chores, and accessibility issues. I am just PERSONALLY not able to listen because I day dream too much and lose my place 🙃
The comment you made about Audiobooks as a format is so very true. I find it strange - I can listen to music for hours. Subconciously I will end up learning the lyrics even if it's in another language (for example Russian or Ukranian even if my understanding of the lyrics is 50% or so) but, when it comes to audio books.... I listen. I zone out. It goes in one ear, out the other and nothing is retained. I have to really pay attention to retain or enjoy any audiobook whilst I will often multi-task whilst reading without a similar issue of not taking something in.
Ok MEE!! I can even listen to podcasts and be there mostly! But something about knowing I could be reading the book instead of listening makes it so difficult for me. I just completely zone and then go "shoot, where was I?"
Ok I definitely thought I was the only only one with Michael and Kate because people seem to go nuts for them.
They're clearly talented and I get why people like them if not my personal taste, but I listened to a couple Wheel of time books by them and it drove me nuts that they often pronounced names and things differently. You're in the same house!! Sort it out!
LOL they pronounced names differently in the same books? That's so funny
So much this. Kate Reading would pronounce the same name/word differently in the same freaking sentence. She drove me absolutely insane. Cannot stand her.
YAY for Warbreaker love!! It is a great book and in my top-5 for sure.
*goes back to watch rest of video now*
Thanks for sharing your opinions!
You definitely highlighted some things for me that I never really ever thought of, for example comparing Cosmere to MCU. I agree with you, I never would make that comparison.
I also appreciate your ability to come out and say you don't like a narrative audiobook, or just audiobooks in general. I respect that, and am happy you're in a space where you can openly share it. :)
As someone who liked Rhythm of War a lot less than the other Stormlight books (the overload of science stuff was not one of my main issues but did contribute a little to making the book drag), I honestly do agree with you that the specific thing you mentioned is one of my favorite parts. Two rival scientists forced to work together, becoming unlikely frenemies: it was great! One of my favorite female friendships that I've ever read.
Hey Bookborn! Just wanted to point it out in case anyone else had a hard time with it but the background music has this slight like sliding whistle sound and my brain kept fixating on it and not what you were saying. I know it’s quiet but it was just enough to distract my adhd brain haha
You know, this song is different than what I normally choose so the feedback is very helpful. I'll go back more lo-fi in the future so it's not distracting!
Thanks for taking the feedback into consideration! I love your videos 😊
I'm soooo glad I'm not the only one thinking this! I kept thinking "what is that sound!?", thought I was losing it 😂
I did not read the cosmere books in the recommended order (I read Stormlight 1-3 first) and personally I didn't pick up on a lot of cosmere connections, but I think that picking up on them after the fact and having that aha moment later when you're rereading the book (or even if you are reading a different cosmere book that was published first) is still a lot of fun even if it's different than the path the fans who have been here since day 1 had. All I can say is there is a path for everybody, and that was the right one for me since I don't think I got to read all the other cosmere books through the lens of someone who was already a big fan of Stormlight.
I've seen Sanderson's lectures on writing fantasy. At some point he says how he hates editing. For me that really came through when reading Way of Kings. There was a lot of information that might become relevant 2 books later, but not at that point. I think that if I read it when it came out, I might have enjoyed it, but stuff like that annoys me nowadays.
It also didnt help that I could not care one bit for Kaladin.
I LOVED rhythm of war. But I don't know if I can choose a favourite from stormlight, they all satisfy something different in me
Warbreaker isn't my favorite book, but of all of Brandon's books I actually would want it to become a movie the most (although Tress might take that spot instead). Warbreaker's focus on colors and such, just makes me want to be able to actually have the visual and I think the visual could be stunning. Mistborn feels so dark (setting wise, not in the hopeless sense) that I feel like it would be one of those movies where you can hardly see anything. Stormlight would be great, but I'm always hesitant about books to TV series adaptations. They just never seem to work for me, and Stormlight is too much for just movies.
I’m so divided on a Warbreaker adaptation because I think the magic system would look incredible but I wonder how successfully nightblood or vivennas storyline could be conveyed accurately.
I think Tress has taken my top spot for wanting a Cosmere adaptation. I think it would have more mass appeal and less baggage than Mistborn or Stormlight.
It would be like The Giver
@@Bookborn that's a fair concern. Maybe if they broke it into two movies they'd be able to have more time devoted to these story lines. Im just imagining having the first movie end with THE SCENE (of course after the scene is resolved). This might also help to distinguish between beginning Vivenna and ending Vivenna.
@@ramblingdad7764 Her storyline is one of my favorite Cosmere storylines - she's not an all time favorite character or anything but the way she changes and evolves is so good. So I like the idea of there being a split point there.
i was so scared to hear your warbreaker opinion cause warbreaker is also my favorite brandosando book! i always fear what people say about it (also i agree about the rhythm of war science stuff :3)
Thank you for allowing us who have not yet read most or all of the Brando Sando books yet to hop on without spoilers! I have warbreaker paperback that I luckily got at local library sale for a few bucks in fine shape! I think it proves a great intro before dive into Way of Kings proper even with the epic prologue! Great encouraging list and thoughts to take in! MCU in itself with its varying individual quality is overall high quality popular film genre tops! It cheapens BOTH mediums to compare Stormlight to the MCU just because of its interconnectedness. But it's the go-to across genres understanding the production differences between them and between novels and graphic novel comic books medium and industry output. Many hands make light work but don't enlighten audiences too often. Different mediums.
I know I usually do all spoiler vids so I'm trying to include more non-spoilery ones! Especially because there are more and more of Sanderson's works and it's getting harder for new fans to catch up haha
@@Bookborn Sando the Machine! Who needs AI when an awesome human being can be as prodigious as he! My unpopular opinion is that the epic WoK prologue so impressed that the sleek visuals of chapter one action sequence of Way of Kings confounded my spatial understanding and didn't help my lesser investment into that character for that sequence, whereas Warbreaker was for me an elegant entrancing intro into the magic, world, and odd characters from get-go, however strange it was. Reminded me a bit of Gaiman's Neverwhere.
I hate people giving Sanderson cutesy nicknames. Brando Sando, Brandy Sandy… ugh… I’m sorry but please just stop.
Lol I love this one (I’m also guilty I’m sorry)
BRANDO SANDO BRANDO SANDO! BRANDON SANDO!! BRANDO SANDO!!!!!!!!
I honestly agree that reading order isn't such a big deal. People on the internet especially, have a made big deal out of it and i fell like it might come off as gatekeeping to new readers or at least somewhat intimidating. (For example reading warbreaker before WoR or OB, or MB before SA, or BoM before Secret History). These are minor things that people can figure on their own by the time they are done with the whole thing.
Totally. I think it's also important to remember that there are a LOT of Sanderson fans who will just randomly pick something up in a bookstore and have no online fandom footprint. And...they seem to be doing ok!
I agree. If Stormlight gets an animated adaptation I would definitely be watching with my nose in the air and my arms crossed. I want live action. Give me live action!
I honestly don't see a way live action can work in case of stormlight tbh
I think his accessibility is both his strongest and weakest point. His simplistic prose(especially in his early works) allows a lot of people to get into his books very easily, but I think as a result it makes it also easier to dismiss the work he does. He's not my favorite author but I certainty respect his consistency and what he's done for the genre. Plus Warbreaker is 100% his best work and I wish he wrote more standalones like that. :)
I'd agree.. he's actually incredible in his work ethic and consistency, his magic system and world building creativity etc; but theres also somethign stale and simple about his prose. It pains me but I admire much of his writing, but it also is 'boring' somehow, turning me off; like.. it feels like those sci-fi shows where the ships are clean and tidy and spotless, not lived in with some dings and dents and little homey touches; its missimg 'texture' somewhere, .... _nuance_ perhaps?
So he is clever beyond belief, and only getting better, but at least his early works I've read are fun... but ultiamtely turning me off. It pains me, I want to love it all more, but... can't?
I feel like I need to skip to more current works and give him a retry :)
@@skeezixcodejedi By all means feel free to try his newer stuff. But the same authors aren't for everybody. If prose that is more than transparent is your thing, Sanderson is never going to be your thing.
I personally quite enjoy most of his stuff, but I hate some other very popular authors, though I'd never say it like that if I were saying specific authors because I try not to be mean/nasty. :)
Yay different authors for different tastes.
Warbreaker is my husband's favorite Cosmere book. It's high on my list too, though I prefer Words of Radiance. I adore the science bits in Rhythm of War. I also don't want an animated storming adaptation.
My unpopular Cosmere opinion: Shallan is the Cosmere character that I am the most invested in.
That IS an unpopular opinion but I love it. Shallan gets too much hate
Personally, Wayne is my favorite, but I also love Shallan. I agree with some (though not all) of the common frustrations about her, but I feel like she gets an unreasonable amount of hate for it. I love how many layers she has, and how she uses humor and other distractions as a coping mechanism.
Yesssss love that you mentioned the MCU thing. I really like the MCU and its really fun when we get to the Avengers films and we see all these heroes team up. But I highly doubt the culmination of a lifetime of novels and series will simply be to say, "Hey look, Kaladin and Kelsier and Dalinar and Tress and everyone else are all fighting together in one book!" It's going to be way, way deeper than that.
I feel ya with Jasnah. Pretty sure I pronounced Hermione wrong for like six years growing up until I saw the first HP movie.
Ok ALSO such a good point. It's not about "one epic battle" but rather the intricacies of how the characters will interact for the final Cosmere-wide showdown (and that it's so far in the future, many of our characters simply won't be around anymore).
In fairness, didn't we ALL pronounce Hermione's name wrong until the first movie came out 🤣
@@Bookborn Nah. She broke down how to pronounce Hermione for Viktor Krum in book four. At least, that's when I learned it wasn't HER-mee-own. ;)
I think the Cosmere has more in common with Marvel comics than the MCU, but the MCU is an apt comparison as well imo. I don't see it as a pejorative though. Peaks and valleys aside, the MCU is the most popular shared universe ever for a reason. It's good stuff.
This is the first video I've watched on your channel. I learned about it from the Tress book club. I am actually pretty on board with most of these opinions. RoW is my favorite in the Stormlight Archive, and Warbreaker is SERIOUSLY underrated. I think I like Wayne and Lift a little more, but they do feel more like characters in a story rather than an actual person.
My unpopular Sanderson opinion is that I actually enjoy his humor. Also, I don’t get The Emperor’s Soul hype 🤷🏻♀️
I agree with a lot of your unpopular opinions…I didn’t expect your random hate for Spensa’s name though lmao 😂I think her name is cute!
I actually thinking not liking his humor is pretty popular! Or at least average - I’m not super into it either
@@Bookborn No I’m saying I DO like his humor haha don’t judge me 😝
Warbreaker and Firefight (The Reckoners #2) will provide the most colorful cinematic experience if they were to be adapted to big screen
I wonder how some of the character beats in warbreaker would translate on-screen, but I agree that the magic system would be BEAUTIFUL.
I haven't read it in awhile, but I seem to recall the issues with the Rhythm of War "science" scenes being mostly Sanderson's gratuitous overindulgence in dialogue and over-explanation of mechanics. Most of it probably could've been cut out with no big issues
I find the MCU comparison kind of funny, because I was recently re-reading Yumi (I devoured it in like a day or two when it came out, so I wanted to now go back and take my time with it), and it led to me trying to explain the Cosmere. His first reaction when I explained it as sort of a series of worlds in the same universe with their own different magic systems was "So, it's like a multiverse or the MCU?" And, to me, that just felt inaccurate. The answer I gave was it was kind of like Star Wars, prior to interplanetary travel (for the most part), except the Force is powered differently on each world and that allows its to do different things. Not the most accurate explanation, but this was to someone who doesn't really enjoy fantasy, beyond LOTR.
The book club is what led me to your channel. I am glad it did, because I enjoy your perspective! We have a lot of overlap on what we have read and tend to like, and you have put a few books on my list to be read after my current Cosmere reread.
You are, however, 100% wrong about Kramer. Lol. His action scene readings are iconic!
I listen to audio books almost all day every day. My job requires me to spend a lot of time alone, without requiring a lot of my mental capacity. I found it difficult at first to listen to audio, but it didn't take too long to get over it when I could "read" all day while working, and then read actual text in the evening. There are some narrators that are more difficult than others. The narrator for "The Gunslinger". the first book in Stephen Kings Darktower series, sounds so much like Mel Brooks that I have a hard time not picturing Yogurt from Sapceballs.
I recently had a friend ask for reading suggestions as he also has a job where he can listen to books all day. I set him up with Kingkiller first. I figured I would see how he liked a smaller fantasy series first. He loved them, so I introduced him to the Cosmere. He asked for the proper reading order so I gave him one. Mistborn, Wax and Wayne, Warbreaker, Elantris, Stormlight, Mistborn, Warbreaker, Stormlight, and Wax and Wayne.
I figured no matter where he started he was going to have to re-read everything after finishing it all anyway. You get so much more out of the stories when you have the entire knowlege set than when you read it all new.
1. Love that you are part of the book club! I hoped you are but you mislead me on insta with your question who we think is involved 😅
2. Just bought warbreaker for a reread and I'm excited for it!
3. I also don't love audio books. I listened to tress for like two chapters and I thought it was quite hard to listen to... But I read the ebook two times already because I looove tress!!
Greetings from Germany ✌️😊
lol yes I had a little too much fun trolling people 🤣 Warbreaker on a reread is amazing. I think I've read it 3-4 times and I get as excited by the ending as the first time!
My unpopular opinion: I enjoyed Elantris more than Warbreaker (though it’s mostly driven by expectations going into each).
That makes sense tbh, if everyone has told you elantris sucks then you'll read it and be like "this is fine" lol
@@Bookborn Yeah exactly! But I honestly think i read it at the perfect time as well. The Lost Metal had just come out and Elantris was my last Cosmere novel to fully catch up after that. Plus I was in the political mindset after ASOIAF. It was the perfect (high)storm!
For audiobooks I always listen on at least 1.5x speed, otherwise I definitely feel like I could be reading so much faster. I personally feel that Kramer and Reading are perfect at about 1.5x. I also only listen to the audiobooks for rereads since I do definitely sometimes zone out and sometimes fall asleep before the sleep timer if I listen in bed 😅 Some of the voices they choose for characters throw me off, but some of them I would also miss if they ever adapt it with difference voices!
In regards to Lift and Wayne, I actually find them to be among Sanderson’s best characters.
Particularly for Wayne, there’s so much subtext in everything he says. He’s so vocally positive and optimistic but as you’re reading you realize the hurt and trauma that he’s actually describing. I admit that the humor behind each of them is often childish and immature (although I think, for example, Shallan’s “humor” is a little more annoying).
Lift is still a child, and I would be willing to bet you that Stormlight Era 2 is going to change your mind on her on rereads.
Also, Bookborn, I may or may not listen to you at 1.75 speed 😂
Funny. I didn’t realize I held unpopular opinions, because I agree with you on all of these, except Warbreaker. That said, when I tried to think of my favorite, I couldn’t settle on one. Least favorite is probably second era Mistborn. Sanderson is one of my top authors. I am just blown away by the myriad different magic systems he has devised.
Now I have to read Warbreaker. I started with Mistborn Era 1 and then jumped into Stormlight and Mistborn Era 2 but have never read any of his other books because a part of me is bothered by the fact I read them out of order. But now I think I'm sold!
I truly don't think you'll feel like it's a big deal that you "read them out of order"! Fans are attached to their specific experiences, which I get, but I don't think it means you still won't have a great (if different) experience
Definitely agree on Lift and Wayne. And I love Warbreaker too - though not my favorite. I was sorely disappointed in the reunion of our two female leads in the end. They seemed to have very little love for each other. And made me realize that even though Sanderson is one of my favorite authors, I don’t recall any female characters having strong bonds/connection with each other. I love attack on titan and even though you don’t see Mikasa and our potato girl Sasha interacting too much - you know just by the few shots shown of them how much they love each other (Mikasa throwing Sasha under the bus then force feeding her bread, Sasha punching Mikasa’s boob when Mikasa tells Connie who is choking Sasha to take her out already before she eats all of the meat). There are no fun or loving or close interactions that I see between female characters in Sanderson’s books like I see in AoT. Makes me sad. I hope he improves on that.
So :) I love warbreaker but it isn't my favourite. I also think that Lyft especially is a fantastically fun character. Everything else I wholeheartedly agree with.
Except... My favourite way to re-read stormlight is with the graphic audio unabridged productions, with a full cast of actors with music and sounds it's almost everything that i'd want from an adaption (animated or live action). Not for a first read but as A 2nd and viewing it as an adaption
I cannot believe I didn't make the "No Mating" joke myself it was RIGHT THERE
1.) I also like Warbreaker the most, followed by The Final Empire and The Way of Kings. I think there's something to be said about a book that can stand alone.
2.) I also really like this romance. Relationship drama has always felt really cheap and trite to me. It's not really something I enjoy in almost anything, but Sanderson's like....High School romances are really refreshing and cute. Especially Susebron and Siri, which was just adorable.
3.) I don't mind Spensa's name either way, but I get it's kinda weird when you say it. (I'll say that being so exposed to it through the AudioBooks helps get used to it ;) )
4.) Hard Disagree. I think Stormlight should be an animated series over any other format. I almost sit at a full 180 and think that I'd rather it be adapted to an animation or not at all. There's so much you can do with animation that you can "never" do with live action. And when done right the experience is superb. "Into the Spider-Verse" is a good example that stands above the live action versions because of how well it understands it's medium. Stormlight either has to wait until SFX catches up with them (and I have my doubts they can) or be led by a visionary of animation (which is likely equally rare)
5.) They're both among that archetype of Sanderson characters, along with Lopen that are comic relief for sure. And Lift has some backstory that I find interesting, but Wayne I think is potentially one of the best written characters in the series. There's a depth to him that Lopen and Lift don't have. One of Sanderson's best redemption characters imo.
6.) I love Rhythm of War. I don't get why people are so against it. I'm a big Adolin/Shallan fan and loved their bits. It was awesome to see more of Navani. The Science Lore was excellent. I love RoW.
7.) I definitely don't think people should "police" a reading order. But I am always always always an advocate for Order of Release. I think it's almost without exception the superior reading experience. Still, I know people who read Stormlight first because they just wanna dive into the "good stuff" and I support it if that's what they want.
8.) Yasnah for life.
9.) I love the Audiobooks, but yeah I get it. However, I love they make them because in some cases one may not have experienced these stories at all. It's VERY common for someone to just say "Eh, i don't have time to read" and when I suggest Audiobooks in the car there's this stigma around it like it's not "really" reading.
10. I've never thought about how "MCU" sounds in this context. Personally, that's how I see MCU movies: vapid, popcorn and formulaic. I just assume "most" people read it as shorthand for "Lots of Crossovers"
Yeah I’m actually a die hard publication order person for myself whenever I enter and author or series, but I think with Sanderson it just doesn’t have to be done that way like everyone says.
Also it’s interesting what you said about Into the Spiderverse - while I thought that was an excellent movie, I wouldn’t rank it as my favorite Spiderman, as I did prefer the live action ones. So maybe just a preference thing?
@@Bookborn Yeah, there's no "right" order, I just prefer the release order because I learn things the same way everyone else learned things.
I'm not much of a fan of the live action spider-man's, personally. But for sure animation is a preference. Spider-Verse is just an example of a movie that you can tell the animators made highly intentional choices. That movie couldn't have been made any other way, imo.
i agree with almost everything you said and i love it, but opinion 8 really made me laugh so much because YES HAHAHAHA brandon himself said that you can call the characters' names by anything you want. the pronunciation really doesn't matter. kelsier will forever be "kel-si-yer" for me as well as jasnah will forever be "jas-nah" for me
Oh no. Is Kelsier....not "kel-si-yer"????
@@Bookborn it is said to be "kel-si-ay" 😭
Michael Cramer with the accents in Era 2 is a delight. Too each their own I guess.
I said unpopular for a reason 🤣 I know I'm the problem
Yeeees! Warbreaker is great! Awakening is awesome. I need mooooore! 1000% agree!
I also like romance the way it is in his books. Nothing more is needed. However "love" triangles shouldn't exist at all (like Vin Zane). I hate them.
I like animation so I want SA in animated format, however I also want it live action so I understand you. Tbf I would want everything be animated so :P
While I love science, I was a bit overwhelmed by it in RoW mainly because fabrials are still to "vage" for me - I need more details.
I agree with the order of the cosmere books. I read all his books after WoR release and didn't pick up they are in the same universe, so it didn't really matter to me, but if you know they are, reading order can help you have a bit better experience.
Jasnah is pronounced Jasna like jasna in Polish which mean bright! It hurts my ears to pronounce it differently - unsubscribe!!! (jk, never)
With audiobooks, I didn't use them, I only "read words", but comparing narrators from US and Polish versions, I prefere so much more Polish version. I can't explain why, because I didn't listen to anything more than the WoK prologue.
Well I'm not a fan of MCU, nor did I watch it, so yes, I agree :P
My unpopular opinion - he's writing too slow. I want more :D
Lol I almost said he writes too slow too 🤣🤣 which is insane but I want more constantly so it feels that way 😂
Yeah I have read in pub order so I guess technically I’ve done the “correct order” since I became a fan awhile ago but I really just don’t think it matters that much
people say its like the mcu to pitch it to people its obviously much deeper than that but when someone say "what's the cosmere" what are you gonna say to someone that only consumes mainstream media you'd probably say the mcu because its the only thing in the mainstream that's anywhere near the cosmere in concept
yeah I don't mind the MCU comparison in theory, I just don't like how it's been weaponized (specifically on reddit) recently
I still have Warbreaker to look forward to! I keep hearing how amazing it is so hopefully I can squeeze it into a TBR soon.
Completely agree with your reading order opinion. I have just been picking up whichever of his series intrigues me more in the moment and I have no complaints so far. I personally don't think easter eggs lose their enjoyment if you discover them in reverse (similar to what you were saying in your spoilers video about how spoilers don't affect enjoyment as much as we assume).
I used to not fret about a reading order for the cosmere, but after Lost Metal... I feel like you really should read Stormlight Before jumping into Era 2 at this point. That or recommend a bunch of the short stories and the standalones in between Era 2 and starting stormlight. Anything to fade the memory of Ghostblood so that reveal can be a surprise.
I’m relatively new to the Cosmere (have read Stormlight, Warbreaker, and starting Mistborn). RoW has been my favorite book so far because of all the science stuff! And Warbreaker is my #2 favorite at this point. I think if I ever go back and reread any Sanderson it will start with Warbreaker. Didn’t realize I was running into so many unpopular opinions!😂
You're just right and everyone else is wrong, stay strong, be you 🤣
Warbreaker isn't necessarily my favorite but it's the one I recommend to people who want to get into Sanderson. It's also the one I got a leatherbound edition on.
I also don't care about Cosmere reading order and actually I am disliking the trend of the more recent books (mostly Stormlight and Lost Metal) that seem to be making the cross-universe stuff more explicit. That might be an unpopular opinion in itself, haha.
It's mostly more unpopular, but it's not like your opinion is a tiny minority. I'm in the somewhat majority in that I love the explicit crossover.
He's danced long enough, time to party for real.
But, sorry that you haven't liked the newer ones as much. :(
I completely agree with you about the Cosmere reading order, but my one caveat is reading Mistborn Secret History after the Bands of Mourning
I don’t even think that one matters 🙊 it’s a very cool reveal so I think I’d prefer if people read or after…more because it’s nice to think that character is gone for a longer amount of time. But I think reading right after era 1 technically works too
@@Bookborn I personally totally prefer reading it after Era 1. But I don't get quite as worked up or as impressed by spoilers as some people.
Also, I did read them when they came out, so got the effect that most people prefer others to have with their "recommended reading order", so I might just prefer it directly after Era 1 on rereads. Hard to say, since I had already read it a first time.
Tress was my first Sanderson book, loved it. May have missed some references but definitely didn’t notice it if I did.
Agree:
-Love Warbreaker, not my favorite but it's great
-Brandon romances are fine
-Wayne is meh
Disagree:
-I love Michael and Kate! I only rank Travis Baldree above them. ( But I love audio)
-I've loved Lift since her first interlude
-Reading order, I'm a publication order guy, but only because I think see sanderson grow as a writer was part of WHT I love about his books
My own: I love Elantris! I picked up in the new fiction section of my college library and instantly had a new favorite author. Hrathen's redemption arch is still one of my favorite Sanderson character archs.
-I'm not a huge WOT fan. I had DNF'd it years before Sanderson's announcement and only went back when he was finishing it.
-I didn't love Skyward and have thought the series actually has gotten increasingly better with each entry, with Cytonic by far being my favorite
Ok your skyward opinion is a huge hot take and I love that. Cytonic was the weakest for me by far personally
Skyward is one of the few things I barely get through by Sanderson. I know it's utterly a ME thing.
I'm sure everybody's had first person books where they couldn't stand the main character. Well, for me, that's Spensa. I want to shake her and talk sense into her. I know she's a teenager, and I should cut her slack, but argggg!
Anyway, I only continued with the series because Sanderson is a favorite author of mine. I will say amusingly that the Janci books were a high point in the series for me. This rather logically follows as Spensa is barely in them. :)
RoW is my 2nd favorite Stormlight book. I loved the science!
I love you!!!!!! Warbreaker is my fave❤
I too pronounce Jasnah with a J😂
I hated Elantris🥱
I’m not fussed on reading order either📚
Kelsier is a meh character for me🫢
I feel I have a ton of unpopular opinions. The biggest one is that… and you’re gonna kill me for this… I don’t care about Jasnah. Like she has some 10/10 moments like the one with Renarin at the end of Oathbringer but overall I don’t get why she is so popular. She is sooo mean at times (specially to Shallan) and honestly I’m not fond of the “Jasnah’s always right” thing.
Ok but so you don’t hate me I’ll say this: I do agree, the science parts in Rythm of War are all bangers. Not only do they tie exceptionally well into Navani’s character arc but they are also sooo cool (science nerd here obviously)
Agree re: Jasnah. She's probably the Stormlight character I am least interested in that ever gets a POV.
Warbreaker is not my favorite Sanderson book, but it's still fantastic. Wayne never really clicked for me. Steris though. She helped me get through Era 2.
Steris is the MVP of all of era 2 and I will hear no arguments against that.
Norse mythology read by Neil Gaiman audiobook was top tier! I'm finishing era 1 and starting warbreaker this week on a long flight - super excited!
Other than Michael Kramer opinion I agree with you! I often listen to audiobooks on long drives or while in traffic during my commute.
Warbreaker has always been one of my favorite Sanderson books, though I really enjoy The Emperor's Soul as well.
I’m with you on Warbreaker! That and Emperor’s Soul are my favorites. My unpopular opinions: I didn’t care for Tress at all (though I do think it’s a good book), I found Mistborn era 1 to be hugely disappointing, and I thought The Rithmatist was really good (seriously, no one ever mentions that one). Also I don’t really care about cosmere connections personally - I agree with you that it’s not that big of a deal 🤷🏻♂️
This was fun and don't seem unpopular opinions at all.
I love Warbreaker and while I don't have a favourite, I think it would be up there.
Names are just names. How the characters look, sound, and speak are unique to every reader and that's one of my favourite things about reading. I now am wondering how many names among the books I've read are still mispronounced in my mind. Haha.
The Wax and Wayne books are my least favourite of the Cosmere novels so far. They're the first I was content to own in digital format and didn't feel the need to purchase hardcopy (I do have the first one).
I hesitantly agree with the Michael Kramer bit. There are so many narrators out there and I feel like we got stuck with Kramer because of Wheel of Time.
Off the top of my head
Luke Daniels
Travis Baldree
Sound booth theater (might be a stretch for Sanderson)
R. C. Bray
... There are a lot more. That's just what I can recall. I listen to over 100 books a year. Many many different options. At least switch it up per series.
Edit: this is not to say that I dislike Michael Kramer or Kate Reading but I feel like I'm listening to be the wheel of time every book. I've listened to books narrated by them from other authors and they do a great job. But all I get is wheel of time vibes for Sanderson books.
Not only I agree with the fact that there's no correct order to the Cosmere, I also think Era 2 could be adapted before Era 1 and then Era 1 could be that cool spinoff
This hurts my soul a little bit but you aren’t wrong either is the thing
I can see the argument. I don't really agree though. You're basically turning it into a prequel, and I rarely like those. Typically you already know all the major beats, and that hurts it for me.
Love the audiobooks! But I’m a big fan of voice acting, so the nuances of their craft are fun for me. I do think it’s harder to listen to a book when you already read the characters, because you have the tone you chose in your head for that character before the narrator does their version.
My unpopular opinion is that Shallan is being set up to have the best story arc of all the stormlight characters. I have a strong feeling that she is being written a certain way on purpose, not because she’s an annoying character.
Ok so you NAILED it. It's really hard for me with audiobook because I want to feel like I'm in control of how I imagine characters and situations, and the audiobook narrator puts their own spin on things.
While Shallan isn't my favorite character, people are SO hard on her, it doesn't make any sense.
@@Bookborn The big advantage of listening to the audiobooks is that you'd know how to pronounce "Jasnah" correctly...
Bro the audiobook narrator's voice for Tress made me want to quit the book multiple times. His other voices were fine it was Just Tress. So I agree.
The only audiobook I’ve ever found to improve the experience is Steven Pacey with the first law, worth a shot if you haven’t tried it!
I read Red Country as an audiobook! I still rather read Abercrombie physically (since that's my preferred method and I love his works so much) but Red Country is probably the second-best audiobook I've ever listened to. Pacey did a fantastic job.
I never thought this day would come...
Romance is my least favourite part of a story...
Instant sub
Glad I’m not the only one 🤣 (I don’t even like elend and Vin together… don’t tell anyone)
@@Bookborn
Me too
Yeah, the MCU comparisons get on my nerves as well. MCU movies vary wildly in quality - some are genuine labors of love, others clearly are not - but if there's one thing that's clear about Sanderson, it's that every book is uniquely important to him. You can criticize his prose all you want, but I don't think you can say he doesn't care about making each book as good as he possibly can. The same can't be said for Marvel.
Ugh YES you said it perfectly. Nothing is phoned in with a Sanderson book. He’s doing each one because he loves it
I’m not much of an audiobook person either and tried to listen to Era 2 to catch up before Lost Metal. I had to switch to the physical books halfway through because I wasn’t enjoying it 🤷🏻♂️
The audiobooks I’ve liked the most so far have been Joe Abercrombie. His narrator brought to life some characters I didn’t like as much in print and made me enjoy those books more
I did Red Country as audio and it for sure is the second best I've ever listened to after Gaiman. I still prefer physical just because I love Abercrombie and physical is my favorite way to consume a book, but Pacey did do a great job.
Completely unrelated to the topic of the video, but have you read any of John Bierce's Mage Errant series? If not, I highly recommend you check it out. It's one of my favourite fantasy series, and while certainly not perfect, it's still really enjoyable IMO.
I haven' even heard of it which I feel like is rare! I'll look into it.
@@Bookborn yeah, it is a criminally under appreciated series in my opinion. It starts off fairly generic, but as the series progresses it really blooms into its own. One thing I really appreciate about it is that the author very overtly uses it to deconstruct and subvert a number of the most overused villain cliches, some of which you yourself have addressed before. Most notably, villains always going off on long-winded monologues while the heroes just stand there and let them. There are plenty of villain monologues in the series, but without exception they always end up biting the bad guys in the ass because the heroes make good use of the time to set up their own plans, often commenting on how ridiculous it is that they would be given that time. Lol.
Oh you know I’m here for this -Christine
I love discussing different Brando opinions and I love the topics you bring up on your channel. With that said, and as a scientist myself, I can say with full factual evidence behind me that you are wrong about Michael Kramer and Kate Reading, lol. 🤠
#1 Haven't read Warbreaker yet but own it and have heard great things about it, so I'm looking forward to it!
#2 Hard agree. No more no less.
#3 I laughed, just one of those words I guess?
#4 Harder agree. Don't touch Stormlight. Don't. Touch. It.
#5 I see where you're coming from but I love Lift for her childish antics and she's just a nice break in the bleak landscape that is Roshar.
#6 Rhythm of War had me in as deep as Words of Radiance because of the science. Loved it.
#7 I started with Stormlight as my first venture into the Cosmere and yeah, some things you miss but when you go through the rest of his works you have those ah-ha moments.
#8 I've always said it as Yahznuh. Lol.
#9 Don't have an opinion, audiobooks turn me into a squirrel 🐿️ so I don't listen to them.
#10 Not an MCU fan but I kind of agree with you on how it seems hardcore MCU fans try to diminish the Cosmere.
Sorry for the long comment love your channel!
Oooh finally someone who read Stormlight before Warbreaker. I’ll be super interested to hear your opinion on that one because people usually say that it’s vital to read Warbreaker before WoR for a very specific scene. Apparently didn’t matter for you which I’ve been saying this entire time!!
I'm an audiobook listener. Started by necessity, grew to love it. But this comment is about Warbreaker. It's not my favorite Cosmere book. It's pretty low in my ranking, in fact. Why? It may have to do with the narrator. There's a distinct quality to her voice (that I can't describe) that, in my opinion, alters the feel of the book. I wonder if I, and others, would feel differently about Warbreaker had we first read it via the traditional medium.
Supposedly someone said Brandon himself doesn’t love the Warbreaker narration. Can’t prove it though lol
Huge tangent on audiobooks but I think I'd agree with you, I wouldn't like the ones with a lot of extra flourishes. I'm wary of audio in general because I don't like giving away so much control of the experience.
Ok yes EXACTLY. when I was listening to era 2, they made character choices that were wildly different from the first time I read them. I like controlling the tone of voice and character choices in my own head.
omg finally someone said it!! I consume 90% of my books by audio, and I don't really like Michael Kramer's narration too!
There's only a few of us, we must band together
yup, no more fear of society.
I also have a hard time with audiobooks. It goes through one ear and out the other. Which is a shame, because I can listen to audiobooks at work, but I'm not good at it. I'll be able to read so many books if I could! Ah, well. I'm glad I'm not the only one who struggles with this.
Hard J for Jasnah for life.
I also prefer neutral toned narrators.
Norse Mythology - Neil Gaiman audiobook is AMAZING.
Ok RIGHT. It's literally the only book where I was like "If I hadn't listened to it, my experience wouldn't have been as good" His Thor voice is just SO funny.
I actually know of so many people that couldnt get into the mistborn audiobooks because they hate Kramer's narration.
Personally I'm in the camp that likes him b/c it's unobtrusive, but there are lots of people that think his narration is boring and they can't handle it.
It's so funny that I think it's too expressive? Maybe I was listening weird but his voice just felt like a LOT. But everyone here who doesn't like it say it's boring.
I guess I don't check reddit boards often because I didn't realize these were unpopular lol.
100% agree that Warbreaker is his best book. Love it from start to finish. Great protagonists? ✅Cool magic system? ✅Great twist? ✅Emotional character sacrifices? ✅
And I'm with you on Wayne. He's a character that I think if you cut out half of his dialogue, I would love him. The moments where he is vulnerable and introspective are great but they would slap more if I didn't get so many crude jokes and forced humor.
Ok exactly with Wayne. I love the idea of his story line and the hat thing is fun but otherwise his humor is a huge no from me 😂 and yes maybe the answer here is to get off Reddit
I also hate the fact Jasnah is pronounced "Yas-nah." I refuse to say it that way.
And great point about the MCU comparison. I completely agree!
Warbreaker is so important to the cosmere, nightblood, vasher, breaths, the nalthian tech, etc.
Mainly nightblood and azures blade. Super important.
Lift will change in everyones opinion in back five when she's older, she's gonna be a huge player, because of the stuff with cultivation mainly. I personally don't care for her. She's young and immature right now, but once she matures it's gonna be a huge shift
I actually quite like her storyline; I like her relationship with Wyndle; but yeah she sort of grates on me. Probably because she's a kid 🤣
@@Bookborn don't get me wrong I love what he's doing with her, but yeah her sense of humor (his really) doesn't work for me most of the time. I don't love lift. Or Wayne. Or veil. Or pattern.
But she is very interesting, doing all kinds of things she shouldnt be able to do, food into light, dalinars vision. Can't wait to see what happens with her
I find her pretty awesome most of the time, but that's because of the smaller doses we typically get. If she was around as often as Kalladin I'd probably loathe her. :)
I fully expect to continue thinking she's amazing in back half when she gets tons of time, because she'll be older.
@@Aldric524 precisely. She's gonna be super important in training the new knight radiants, and the cultivation stuff will be further explored. We already know she had been planning what happened with odium for thousands of years. I'm so stoked for book five, but am scared because were gonna lose kaladin, dalinar, maybe adolin or shallan. Kaladin is gone as is dalinar, calling it now. Their arcs are gonna be complete
Unless dalinar becoms unity. Which I think danilar might be on track to become, my crack theory is he reforms adonalsium, the whole cosmere started with a rebirth, it would only be fitting if it ended with one
Half of these are like "yeah ok I get it", and the other half I'm like "HOW DARE YOU DONT LIKE LIFT". Lol
Loved this vid! Totally with you on the Rhythm of War being perfect just the way it is, and being right down the middle mid on Wayne and Lyft, and enjoying the Sanderson romances!
My unpopular Sando opinion as a mega fan is that I’m very mid on the Emperor’s Soul, and prefer every Cosmere novel over it.
I totally respect your opinion, but find it hard to quite believe that one emotionally.
It's easy for me to believe you'd find Emperor's Soul middling. But to say, for example, Elantris, his first published novel ever, is superior? Even to say Alloy of Law is superior boggles my mind, though that one is a bit more controversial. Still, I think those two are probably my two weakest cosmere novels, unless we're counting super short stories like 11th metal.
Anyway, I also loved Rhythm of War!
@@Aldric524 ah whether something is a “superior” work or not is beyond my analytical purview-in terms of how much I enjoyed reading those and my emotional investment in each story, Emperor’s Soul would be lower
War breaker is how I convinced my wife to read Sanderson. Stormlight is what made her take a break. Yes yes yes on the J in Jasnah. I never thought Stormlight would be animated and I would be very disappointed if it was (CGI Ok). I haven't listened to any of the books but I sure do enjoy the narrative by my inner voice!
probably not a hot take, but Adolin should never become a Knights Radiant. Him gaining magic powers would undercut his story, which is "you don't have to be a Radiant to be great/do good things in the world." At least that's how it seems to be evolving to me
I think this is a popular take...at least I totally agree with it. I'll be extremely bummed if he becomes radiant. It makes his character interactions so interesting with the others who ARE radiant!
I love listening to audiobooks except when it comes to fantasy books. 💯 agree with your sentiments on Sanderson books. The narrators make the story feel dry imo
Yeah I can usually do non-fiction great! But something about fantasy books just slides right off
As an Aussie if you name your kid Spencer they're still getting called Spensaaaa
Maybe not an unpopular opinion, but a lot of people say "I love Sanderson's books, but his prose isn't the best". And I really disagree with this. No, he doesn't write like Robin Hobb, but I find that his books flow really well and I'm never confused. I don't notice the prose for good or bad reasons, and that takes skill. But I also find his books are often thought-provoking and that isn't reliant on writing beautiful sentences. The only time I have issues with his prose is his humor doesn't always land for me (works about 80% of the time), but in general I really enjoy his writing style.
I'm with you. I wasnt' sure if this was unpopular or not - it seems a lot of people who DON'T like Sanderson say it's because of the prose, which is fair - like you said, it's specifically not like Hobb or Rothfuss. But I hate when people act like because it's not, his stories aren't deep - they absolutely are! But I think a lot of Sanderson fans agree with us there
I imagine Stormlight Archive as a Korean Drama. It would work so well as a tv show!
3:56 RoW Slaps! I think it just happens to be better after a re-read
Yeah, I wonder as people reread it for SA5 if it'll improve for them. Oathbringer was WAY better on a reread for me.
@@Bookborn Endings are so important to me, and I've always found Oathbringer to have the best and most impactful ending of the first four. It's probably still my favorite Stormlight book to this day, which I know is a ridiculous hot take, since I think the typical fan likes it the least. Is also has easily the best, to me, flashbacks. EASILY!
Yeah I don't get the Kramer hype either, though for me it's the other way around when it comes to the plainness of it. I fell in love with Sanderson's books (and got back into reading books after a few years break) because of the full cast audiobooks from Graphic Audio, so Kramer and Reading just feel bland to me.
Jasnah pronounced with a "J" instead of "Y" sound is prettier to me...and I didn't know I was "wrong" until I listened to the Words of Radiance audiobook...
Also...this is my first year of actually reading the thicc Stormlight Archive series. I'm just about to start Oathbringer.
Now I'm imagining you recoiling at a British person saying the name Spencer haha
Fun video! I also love Warbreaker and even Elantris. My least favorite Sanderson book has been Tress 😬. But there is no “bad” Sanderson book to me.
People aren't good at imagining or understanding "original" or nuanced things--it's much easier to use comparisons and combinations to describe things. I think that's why people simplify the differences between the MCU & Cosmere to just the boiled down interconnectedness because the MCU is the closest thing similar to the Cosmere so it's easier to say "it's like X" rather than describe what it is truely like.
I don't mind MCU as a comparison when we are talking about interconnectedness, but I don't like that it's been used to say Sanderson is "popcorn media without value" because it's just not true.