I just finished reading this book and I loved it. I really liked your review, and even though I think we have different opinions, I think it was definitely entertaining to see your opinion. It's fascinating how we can read the same book and have completely different experiences. I also love how you bingo'd the whole plot lol
Honestly as a fan of Sanderson who has watched a lot of his podcasts and goes to his convention I think he would agree with you and your critisisms. He's openly talked about how clumbsy his attempts at writing women, classism, and other sensitive topics have been in the past. He has also said that writing is how he navigates his way through unerstanding the world and other people. I think he took these critisisms to heart and has since genuinely tried to do better by hireing consultants to review his work. For example as he explores mental health in the Stormlight archives he has professionals in those fields, people with those conditions, and other qualified individuals review his work to try and avoid harmful stareotypes. In Mistborn era 1 we get a snapshot of how Sanderson understood the world 20 years ago. And as a Sanderson fan who also enjoyed this book I appreciate your oppionion. You have a lot of very valid points. I think what a lot of fans forget is that you can enjoy something and recognize it has flaws. If the flaws don't put you off it and you still enjoy it then carry on. No need to be mean to folks who dont like what you like.
Sanderson has also been very clear that one of the first things that he would do differently if he were to write this again, and which he has done as he has been working on a screenplay version, is change some of the main characters to women. For example Ham, and I think Dockson have been re-written as female. With Ham being a character that is a Thug on one who uses Pewter for enhance strength, there is not need for that character to be a bulky looking male. Some fans disagree. You can also see the change in how he includes women in the second Era of Mistborn, especially books 2-4 as the main characters are more balanced. However, that series tends to be the one that fans either love or call it the weakest. Just proves that not all books hit with all readers.
I’m sorry you didn’t like it, I personally absolutely loved everything I’ve read by Sanderson (although Well of Ascension was probably my least favorite of them), and I’ve read almost everything by him. I guess everyone has their own tastes 🤷♀️
I listened to this on Audible Audiobook format and the narrator of the whole thing is in Sazed's character speaking voice so that also totally kind of spoiled that super reveal for me too, lol. One thing that I noticed while listening to this is that i could totally fall asleep while listening, and wake up and still know exactly what was going on. A lot like one of those slow moving recap heavy soap operas you could skip a few days or a week of, and still be totally caught up. I guess Sanderson is one of those authors that is just a like fantasy world Disney ride. -Anytime something totally made me scratch my head, or start to question things, I would be like, "just let it go"... Leigh Bardugo's "Six of Crows" take on this type of world, added way more personality to the characters and dialogue, and left me with so much more of that truly fulfilled and satisfied feeling at the end.
A week ago, I finished reading the Hero of Ages for the first time and I rated the book 5 stars; it got me hooked and I greatly enjoyed myself reading it. The Mistborn trilogy (which I later came to find was only the beginning of a larger span of books) got me out of a years-long reading slump, so I can't help but regard this series with a certain fondness. I actually find it really funny that I should find your video such a short time after fiishing HoA, where you voice some of the same concerns I had while reading but never paid enough attention to. The explanation given for the treatment of the skaa people left me utterly dumbfounded and confused, the callousness with which thousands of years of oppression and violence were rationalized definitely made me give the book a bombastic side-eye on occasion (the whole "aww, maybe the Lord Ruler was't so bad" shtick was a massive L). I had the exact same thoughts about the bits of information that kick-off every chapter, they seemed a fantastic choice during book one, but became a subtle yet glaringly obvious trick to explain that which the characters had no way to know by themselves. I still found a lot of satisfaction from finally seeing the mysteries of the world through, but mostly I think the points you make in this video are so clearly valuable and worth talking about, I'm glad I stumbled upon this video. Even if we had pretty different experiences with this saga, I truly appreciate this video. Thanks Katey!
Thank you for such a thoughtful comment! I’m so glad you had a good reading experience, especially given you’d been in a reading slump! I think that’s wonderful! I’m glad, too, you were able to enjoy my video for what it was without negating your own experience with the book. May you have many more great reading experiences to come! ❤️
Your right about this series being repetitive and you raised many points I didn’t pick up on consciously but help me understand why I didn’t like it very much. Very thoughtful and a bit funny. Keep it up Katy
Thanks Ari, glad to hear I’m not alone in not loving this series the way the rest of the internet seems to! Have you read any fantasy that’s easy to read and fun that you’d recommend instead?
As a fan of Sanderson's work I would like to say that I hope you didn't feel attacked by the fanbase, I hope most of us recognise that others might take different things from the books than we did and that a few people didn't taint your view of his entire fanbase.
Thank you, that is very considerate of you to say. I had some super thoughtful and interesting conversations with fans of Sanderson amidst the less nice stuff!
@@KateyOneMoreTime I'm glad that people have actually had thoughtful discussions about this. You not liking a book/series doesn't give anyone the right to insult or sleight you. Personally, I'm a big fan if Sanderson and I've really enjoyed the books I've read from him. However, I'm really glad that people like you who haven't enjoyed them are speaking their minds. You've given me a new perspective on his works
I appreciate that you read this book to A. finish the series and check it off the list and B. appease the people who jumped your shit for a bad review. However... LIFE IS TOO SHORT TO READ BOOKS YOU HATE! Halfway through this book, you had every right to DNF it. Not everyone is going to like popular books. And that's okay! Fill your soul with books you enjoy.
I know, I DNF’d 2 other books this month! Something in me just wanted to finish this off once and for all. I hear so much about all of Sanderson’s books online that it’s hard not to be curious about them. I needed to do this to confirm for myself once and for all that Sanderson is not the author for me!
Have you read the Stormlight Archives series? Idk if you can make it through those books but after watching this video I would love to watch you pick apart that series given how big a part mental health plays in that series. The 4th book is most people's favorite but it was my least favorite.
I haven’t read Stormlight. I’ve only read Mistborn and the first two in Skyward. Aside from someone ‘picking my next read’ on Patreon, I doubt I’d ever put myself through that voluntarily! … but I’m clearly a glutton for punishment, so never say never, I guess?! 😂 I mean, after reading Mistborn, I am honestly gobsmacked that the problematic elements in the books are things I just never hear the fantasy community talk about. Not saying people can’t like Mistborn, but it’d be nice if there was a bit more balanced conversations, you know? I saw Merphy do a video in which she professed to discuss the pros and cons of Sanderson, but these sort of things weren’t even on her radar as reasons people might not like his books! Ahh anyway, thank you for your comments, I got a good laugh out of reading through them and knowing exactly where you were in the video! 😂
I was surprised at myself for not noticing a lot of the things you pointed out. I'm in a Cosmere FB group but I've had it muted for months. Everyone there is so obsessed with his books. They might mention a few issues here and there but largely praise him for his writing and planning, which I think is funny after you called him out for being a paint by number author. 🤣 Honestly as much as I would love your critique of Stormlight Archives, I also wouldn't wish it upon you to sit through those books. They're very long and get very boring until the "Sanderlanche" at the end. And a lot of the mental health stuff is triggering and weird. He relies heavily upon it in this series. At first I appreciated him incorporating mental health into character development since it's something a lot of people deal with in real life, but to me it was overkill. Like, way beyond overkill.
Thank you for this Video. Sanderbros made me feel "stupid" for not liking Mistborn or Brandon Sandersons Books as a whole. Whenever I try to explain to people while I'm not interested in reading more of his books they seem to have an excuse/reason for why my critic is "wrong". Frankly i started to feel insane for not liking his books - and I read like four of them before giving up. (Warbreaker, Skywards, Mistborn 1 and The Way of Kings) I can totally understand why someone would love these books if the Sanderlanche at the end actually works for them - but the journey is just soooo long for an end that will maybe be satisfying. And from these four books Warbreaker was the only one where I actually felt like the end was satisfying enough for the length of the book :'D Its nice to know that I am not alone and I actually do have taste, cuz frankly the fandom made me feel like im just "not smart enough for high fantasy". (Listen, Sandersons Books are not difficult to understand - they are just long. And I cannot "understand" things that will make sense in three books. (But to be fair, i actually think way of kings could have been a great book if they just cut out the repetitions. That would have made the book so much shorter and made everything work better.) Just like you I tried to get into high fantasy - Brandon was the person everyone pointed me too - and now im not sure if I will read more high fantasy. Excited to follow your channel because maybe you can point me to some :'D (Not high fantasy but i do think "Lockwood and Co." from Jonathan Stroud has a fun "magic" System and really enjoyable characters. I also quiet liked the Six of crows Duology but you have to be ready for the edgiest 17teen year old. but luckily I liked the rest of the cast enough + he actually has such an well handled relationship arc that i cannot even be too angry.)
Well, I now know way more about a book I'll never read than I really need to, but I have thoroughly enjoyed your video! May your next fantasy series be one that you love.
Found your channel today and I've subscribed to it as it seems we have similar taste. I totally agree with your review. Book 1 was fun and pretty good overall. Book 2 and 3 were boring, I simply didn't care for what was happening, I kept going because I wanted to know how more about the "mystery" surrounding the well of ascension, ruin etc. I speed-read through a lot of stuff. And the ending was so not worth it. Very lazy ending, where everything that is need to "win" is given to our hero's through coincidences and luck. I didn't even realize that some of the stuff was supposed to be "big reveals", it seemed painfully expected to me. And that ending pretty much means that everything that happened before is moot, as any consequence of it is "erased".
I had a date who lovedddddd the Stormlight Archive and I did finish the first in that series… but honestly, I didn’t find it all that compelling and also felt it was toooooo long for what was happening. Glad to hear this review from you - at least I feel more at peace with not reading more from him (for now) because I was wondering if I’m missing out.
I started crying 😂😂😂😂 when you said “I couldn’t think of anything more insufferable” 😂😂😂😂 Thank you so much for this series of vlogs. It was so enjoyable and I am so so sorry about the Sandobros. I subbed and cannot wait to listen to other reviews!
10:42 I think it’s more about if they’re in the clear position of power and how they’re acting, in the first part of the series no one suspected Spook would end up being that powerful but that was more because of his role and mannerisms?
I was just so happy he killed off Elend. I was basically cheering out loud when that happened. The self insert exactly was like you called it. Wow this was a hard trilogy to get through. So boring but I had to see how it wrapped up.(OCD not good writing) Great review.
I like these books, don’t love them. The next set of Mistborn books are my favourite of Sanderson’s though, I absolutely love them. They’re like magic westerns set at the dawn of a big technological revolution. Such a great setting.
I have been reading fantasy for over 35 yrs and somehow missed reading Sanderson, so like you got the Mistborn box set as a treat. I can understand why some new to reading would like it but for my part found it OK but all the so called twists seemed massively obvious. Also didn’t like the assumption that Vin would just turn into a girly girl. I have tried to pick up book 2 again and again, but literally anything else I pick up is more engaging. Stormlight sounds like it might be better so I am going try a sample of that. My current older series recommendation would be Daughter of the Empire. It stands the test of time extremely well. If you love Sword of Kaigen you will likely love DotE. Best other self published this year for me so far is the Ash and Sand series by Richard Nell. Love your reviews
For a great wee break after that slog, and just a stand out stand alone, spoil yourself with Spinning SIlver, Uprooted gets the hype, but I don’t know why. It’s good to find a circuit breaker after a difficult read. Steam punk style is also a handy circuit breaker and often stand alone books.
I’ve been reading a few graphic novels as a palette cleanser after HoA, which was definitely needed! Now I’m onto She Who Became the Sun and I’m loving it so far!
I actually enjoyed this series, but will say this one was my least favorite for a lot of the reasons you mentioned except the Elend part. I actually did like him as a character and seeing his internal struggle of who he was, who he wants to be, and who he needs to be. But other than that,I agree. I guessed the major plot twists and sighed heavily (with a little eye rolling) at the repetitiveness.
23:34 I didn’t see it as that (I’m a Christian-for reference, not cuz I’m mad at what you said lol) I more saw it as an interesting perspective on what actually makes a religion, I found it really intriguing but I might be the only one who thought of it that way. It seemed more like the Church of the Survivor and Sazed’s spiritual searching were a commentary on the essence of what purpose religions serve
this is a really intelligent review with biting insight. thanks for that. totally agree with your comments around ableism/feminism etc., though i do think sanderson himself concedes this and has improved significantly in these areas. i didnt really feel sazed as a self-insert but can see how one might. his arc was definitely my favourite, all things considered. above all, though, i resonate with your criticism on the pacing and plot, particularly the sanderlanche structuring and storytelling method. it does definitely make the final few chapters fun, but at the expense of the other 90% of the book being dreadfully dull. its egregious in this book in particular due to ruins influence, as you say. i couldnt help but feel like nothing anyone did mattered until the final few pages when we learn everything. likewise, totally agree with sazed’s epigraphs being a big miss in this book. the ones in the first two books were a cool addition and intriguing mystery, but here they felt like wiki entries. all said, though, i enjoyed it a little more than you, i think.
These weren’t even the worst of the comments! 🫣 The Emperor’s soul is one of the books I had on my shelf, but I just need to go cold turkey after this! 😅
Like you I didn't love these books (I also read them because youtubers keep recommending them) and I haven't read any other Sanderson books to know what to predict. I completely disagree with the mental health stuff though. I felt he wrote depression really well - it is boring being stuck in a cycle and I think he conveyed the anergia/anhedonia of depression really successfully.
@@KateyOneMoreTime Fair enough, is that because it suggests that schizophrenia = dangerous? It's true that the majority of people with psychosis are more likely to be harmed than harmful, and so I can understand the frustration. I didn't personally take that from my reading so it didn't bother me - what bothered me more (and you mention this) is how all the characters lose agency when you find out Ruin is influencing them.
I agree on every point with you, regarding repetition, previsibility and so, but for for Final Empire. God! I hated it so much, I didn't even bother to think about the rest of the books.
I had to watch this after DNFing the series after the first book. 😂 it’s like the rude Sanderfans forget that reviews are opinions. And Sazanderson absolutely did me in. I love it. 😂😂😂 Also, seriously spare yourself Elantris. It’s his first book and holy hell it’s so obvious. I was like how are all these amazing TH-camrs missing how terrible this is?!?! And the thinly veiled references to christian sects warring it out, coupled with NLOG energy? No thank you! ETA: commented about Elantris before you finished the video- I noticed you have decided to even not continue with Skyward, which I can appreciate tbh, even though I love it. Our time is better spent reading things we love. Also, soz for the wall of text. X
I had a good chuckle myself when I thought of Sazanderson! Glad you enjoyed! About Skyward - maybe I could enjoy the last two books, but this journey with Mistborn has left me feeling like I’ve seen behind the curtain too much. Like, I knew Sazed was the hero because ‘that seems like something Sanderson would do’ 😂😂 I’ve seen his patterns as an author and I just don’t see myself being able to come back from that!
I think many love it to death because I suspect it was their first fantasy series so it’s nostalgia that brims over. Have to say if a book tuber froths about Mistborn and can’t get into Robin Hobb at all then it’s my hint to exit their page 😊
I feel weirdly vindicated by your review 😅 Sanderson’s so focused on plot twists and tying loose ends that (for me) compelling narration gets lost in the weeds. It’s like… factory-made fantasy. I think he’d be perfect as a video game writer or something like a blockbuster action movie, because even though this trilogy left me feeling nothing, it might be super successful if you mix it with other types of media or if it’s supported by other narrative tools. While listening to the rest of your review (which I agree with), what strikes me about Mistborn’s “commentary” on religion, social structures and human behavior is how surface-level it is; specially with the 3rd book it felt like he has nothing to say beyond Mormon talking points. I sort of see what he was trying to get at with Sazed but because Sanderson himself doesn’t know much about philosophy or sociology then he couldn’t impart that onto his characters if that makes sense.
I thought I was going mad. I just finished book 3 of this series and I didn't really like any of the books. So many people rave about this trilogy. They say keep reading, the ending is so good. It never got better for me! I was really looking forward to reading it. I just don't get the hype. The characters were so bland, the writing was repetivie and basic. The plot was okay but there wasn't enough to keep it interesting. I wonder what other people see in it that I don't. I think I like my books to have a bit more complexity and more polished writing. This series felt like it needed more editing.
I feel you! I think these books are basically the Marvel movies of the reading world. They’re big and flashy and the fight scenes are cool, but ultimately have little substance. 🤷🏻♀️
I tried to listen to the first book on Audible, but just couldn't get through it. It's not that I outright hated it, but it was just really boring to me.
I’m trying to read some doorstopper fantasies and I’ll be trying to read the first stormlight archive book, I’m so glad I didn’t pick mistborn because I haaaaate reading about religion, I would never have guessed it would be such a major element. Hopefully it’s less so in the way of kings…. Idk who I’m kidding because I fully expect to DNF it anyway 🙃
it is not that big a part of the series as she made it seem, it is a BIG part of that specific character tho (he is litteraly from a race that it's sole purpose is to store the memories of all lost religions.), i also don't really like religion, but most of brandon sanderson books are good at depicting fictional religions with good things and bad things just as any real religion. One part i didn't really get was when she said "And then he used his religion knowleadge to rebuild the world, but that's not religion, that's science", like she didn't know in the old times most religions were used to understand nature.
Thank you for this video, oh my god. You read him for filth with those predictions. I didn’t think of Sazed as a Sando self-insert but now I see it. I just finished this book yesterday after it being hyped up as one of the best endings ever and the best in the series and I found myself dumbfounded. The book was as boring as WoA (which I also didn’t like) and the ending was even worse. I hate most of the tropes used in the ending, such as the main character martyr and the lovers suicide (there was no good reason to kill Elend in the first place because it does nothing for Vin as a character, but she also literally says she won’t cease to function without him moments before killing herself to stop Ruin because Elend was the last reason for her to live??) but also the weird religious stuff where it was like “there is merit in hoping that God will save you rather than you saving yourself” and “heaven is real actually…it’s too esoteric to actually show you but don’t worry it’s real” was super off putting and made me feel like I was reading an Orson Scott Card-ish Christian fantasy novel. I have no problem with religious themes or the characters being religious or even with gods actually being real in your fantasy world, at all, but the way this was done didn’t come across as “this is lore” but more “these are my religious views in real life influencing the story.” I’m just genuinely baffled. I enjoyed my time with the first book despite it not being spectacular, and even though I thought WoA sucked, now that I’ve read HoA I can look back and see some good aspects to WoA that HoA didn’t have. What a bummer of a book. Sazed was one of my favorite characters in books 1 and 2 also, so to see him basically turn into nothing but a really annoying, repetitive religious mouthpiece in book 3 was sad because I found him insufferable in this book. I know Sando wanted to portray depression accurately but as someone with depression I don’t feel he succeeded, and I know he’s mentioned having to revise the whole Sazed part of this book for it being too boring but I don’t see how he ended up with this, which is boring and repetitive. Also yeah the near total lack of women besides Vin and the lack of any female friendships for Vin throughout this whole series were big issues for me and leave a real bad taste in my mouth. And yeah I also called a lot of the “twists” early on so… meh. Also the whole “the Lord Ruler was actually a good guy” thing was super weird and off putting. I can’t stand when authors do this where they try to tell the reader that this person who was shown to be a violent and sadistic tyrant who enslaved, tortured and killed whole groups of people for a millennium, was actually misunderstood. Enough… I still plan to give Stormlight a try. I think Sando has a great imagination and great magic systems and some great ideas but I really hope he’s gotten a lot better since this series came out because yikes this didn’t age as well as some people think.
I agree with everything you said! It’s always reassuring to find people who feel similarly in the midst of so much hype! You’re braver that I! I hope you like Stormlight more, and if you remember, I would love to hear how you get on with it!
All of these criticism are super valid, and I feel that (as you said) giving an author even 4 chances to see if you'd like them, is more than any author deserves. Good on you for giving it a fifth! These books are, at their core, very cheesy, tropey, and predictable. To that point though, I'd say the same is true about most heroic fantasy, ESPECIALLY those fantasy series that follow a prophesied main character. See Wheel of Time, Harry Potter, The Belgariad, etc. All of these stories, while having interesting twists and turns, ultimately end up being the typical heroes journey, with a lot of the 'twists' being clearly telegraphed to you much earlier in the story. I think that, while Brandon Sanderson definitely isn't the author for you, I would also add that it seems like heroic fantasy isn't for you as well. At least, not in my experience with the subgenre. I definitely am a Sanderson fan, and I agree that if you didn't like Mistborn, you absolutely won't like his other stuff. Anyway, great video, I am very excited watching more of your stuff!
ALSO! Would really love to see a 'top sci-fi/fantasy books' from you! I don't see something like that on your channel, but I am genuinely interested in what kind of fantasy you do like!
That is an interesting observation. I don’t think I have enough experience with fantasy to confirm or deny at this stage! Of the series you mentioned, I’ve only read Harry Potter, which I grew up with and adored. To be honest, I’ve never been much of a plot-driven reader. I’m much more engaged by characters, themes and atmosphere - none of which I think are Brandon Sanderson’s strong points. I will definitely make a video soon talking about my journey with fantasy this year, but so far my favourites have probably been the Broken Earth Trilogy and Memoirs of Lady Trent. Both are very different, obviously, but I’ve been loving both. I’ve also loved Murderbot, on the sf end of things. Thanks for your very thoughtful comment!
@@KateyOneMoreTime I’m totally with you on loving character driven stories! You should check out The Farseer Trilogy by Robin Hobb or The Blade Itself by Joe Abercrombie. Both very different books but very character/development heavy. I loved the fifth season and I’ll be diving into obelisk gate in the next month or so. Will definitely be throwing Memoirs of Lady Trient on my TBR.
Well of Ascension is my favorite of the three, and Hero of Ages is my least favorite. I didn't dislike it as much as you did, but I still had a great time watching your video. The info-dumping, Christian fanfic, and repetitive points are the ones I agree with
I have never read a Sanderson book, but I do listen to Writing Excuses, a writing podcast where he is one of the hosts. So considering he gives writing advice it’s interesting to hear your thoughts on his books. Thanks for sharing.
I admire the fact you were able to finish this series when I DNF'd the first book 100 pages in. I had to stop because many of the problems you've mentioned here were already so glaringly obvious. Sanderson just seems to have a very naive view of the world, and the straw that broke the camel's back for me was the reveal of their revolution plan. The idea that a supreme ruler of an empire would keep all his wealth centralized in one location, that his soldiers would stop working for him just because he didn't have the money to pay them immediately, and that this collapse in society would lead to anything other than civil war is just so childish that I don't think I can ever take anything Sanderson does seriously anymore.
I deleted a previous comment cause of a typo 🙄 I've only read the first two cytonic books. They're the only Syfy books I've read, and the only Sanderson books so i don't have a good point of reference. But the things you mentioned him repeating in his books totally happened in the first two cytonic! Hero finding out last second they're the hero, female character dead, fake deaths, voices! Dude 🤣
I really liked the Mistborn books. Book 1 was very good, got me hooked with the fast paced plot driven story. I suffered through book 2, but Elend's idiocy spoke to me at a personal level, because I am also a similar idiot. Finished book 3 for a second time (first read was 2 years ago), and came here. All of your criticisms are valid. I still liked the book, but I would have murdered Vin myself, with her damn obsession to putting on that earring. What an insufferable dumb woman, goddamn!! Liked the story though, because the world of the book is ending - and our own world is also ending, in the middle of a climate apocalypse. Elend's quest to collect political power, seems like a necessary step in our own world as well. And ruin is capitalism hehe. I think that predicting plot points is a bad habit. A good story doesn't have to be unpredictable. I got your point that you did that only because of how boring you found the book, but c'mon. Your skaa vs noble analysis is just plain wrong. It was just "people resist change". Good young adult book, I think. Not a good "adult" "high fantasy". Felt like a budding author's early works. But a bunch of your criticism felt like, "the story is not morally righteous enough," to me. It's a YA fantasy novel, not some religious text lol. Skyward was ok. More mature. "A boy and his dragon" trope.
Thank you for this review. Sanderson seems to have a near cult following - and while I'm happy for people who enjoy this series - it reads like the equivalent of a Marvel movie. Super surface-level, no depth in characters, and his "Sanderlanche" endings where in 100 pages everything wraps up are just horrible for pacing. I really liked the world of Mistborn, I found the magic system super cool at first, though by the end of the series, I think it was completely RUINed (pun-intended). The introduction of preservation and ruin as actual characters made it very hard to relate and even care what is going on. I loved your point about how Ruin/Preservation seem to retroactively justify all plotholes, but beyond this, if you look into what the fans say, you have to go on and read the whole Cosmire or Sanderverse / Era 2 Mistborn to really understand what is going on. If you cant make the series work in a self-contained setting, you are not writing a complete series. Also, the "worldbuilding" fell flat to me. The world felt static completely except for wherever the POV main characters were at the time. The only place you really ever have a feel for is Luthadel, and I found that even in this book it didnt feel alive.
Absolutely loved your review. Just finished this yesterday and was ready to throw the book out the window 50 pages before it ended (when Vin was fighting Ruin in the sky). Why did no one tell me this is a christian fanfic? The first book was YA and then we went full Jesus mode. I feel like it’s a big conspiracy, lol, so dissapointed with this trilogy. Enjoyed Sazed’s POV the first two books and TenSoon and Spook’s, but that’s about it. Funny thing is people keep shitting on his first book Elantris, but I actually enjoyed that one more.
Christian Fanfic 😂😂 LITERALLY . That ending fell so flat for me. I'm shocked at how much praise this book gets - it was so hard to care about the "world ending / god vs god" ending. I found myself enjoying the book quite a bit as it filled in all the mysteries relating to the world, but in the last 150 pages it took a dive off a cliff.
Glad to hear you finished the trilogy. I loved the series but it’s 100% cool that you didn’t. You should read other authors. BS doesn’t sound like your speed.
Saying that Sanderson loves to kill female characters is SOO WRONG. By that you imply that he didn't kill any male characters which is obviously wrong. Many characters are dead, male AND female, and making it a feminist issue is so misplaced and tiring.
I totally disagree. From my memory, there were only three named female characters in each of the three books, so not only does Sanderson not include many female character of consequence, he kills them off at a pretty high percentage!
I am happy to find another person immune to acute Sandersonitis 😂 would he have been my introduction to fantasy I would have never touched a fantasy book ever again.
I honestly think the third book was my least favorite and the first one was my favorite and even the first one I didn't like that much. I had to force myself through it. So I understand your boredom and dislike with this series. 😅
I consider myself a brandon sanderson fan. I love Warbreaker and Stormlight. That being said, I didn’t like this series. The first book was good. I gave it 4 stars. But the second and third books were so boring and just dragged for me and had so many problems.
Great video, couldn't agree more that Sanderson is SO boring and cliche. I don't get the hype for his books. I un-hauled all his books I had bought before when thinking that he was a fantasy author I 'had' to love and thinking his next book would be the one that clicked for me - LOL nope. My GOAT of modern fantasy is Joe Abercrombie. Robin Hobb and John Gwynne are great too.
Thanks Lauren, it’s nice to hear I’m not alone! With most hyped things I can appreciate where the hype comes from even if I don’t personally love it… with Mistborn I honestly feel like everyone else on the internet read a different series! It’s mind boggling to me! Anyway, I do need to try out some more fantasy authors. Robin Hobb is on my list!
Great job with the review! I went through the Mistborn series after I dropped The name of the Wind. That shit was truly atrocious. After that, I searched for recommendations in the genre, and not surprisingly, Sanderson popped up. Boy did I regret picking this trilogy up. To be brief, I absolutely agree with most of the points you made when it comes to very shallow and formulaic characters, unbearable repetitiveness, total lack of style in writing and absence of anything interesting when author tried to make comments on (what he calls) philosophy, politics, leadership etc. While Sanderson is usually praised for worldbuilding, I couldn't for the life of me imagine his world work. It felt extremely artificial, and it got gradually worse as books and the state of the world progressed. Up to a point where the world was ending, with obvious signs of catastrophic events taking place, yet some random Kandra is taking the atium metal to sell it. Like, my dude, where are you going to sell it? What is the goal here? It baffles the mind and that's probably the most nitpicky thing I could think of, but it stayed with me because of how absurd it was. I have no idea why this is praised as a great fantasy. It's insultingly mediocre, yet no reviews are going to admit that. The disconnect one feels when trying to get through it, knowing there's a diehard fanbase out there who love it to death is difficult to describe and comprehend:D That being said, I do think you're reading too much into topics or issues, that irritate your sensibilities and you're taking your 'politics' (for the lack of better word) into the book. Zane and his 'mental illness', which shockingly (gasp!) turns out to be something completely else. Place of women in a made up fantasy world, where the the values of the world don't necessarily have to relate to our own, or to the author's beliefs. The unease you feel about the views of aristocracy in, again, fantasy world where the class system is fact of life. I almost want to say that all of those (modern) issues you have with the book are writing mistakes. There are no true skaa POW characters that would offer an explanation on how they feel once the whole world turned around for example. That would flesh out the world so much more. And as for the views of noblemen, those that we get to experience are so fucking simplistic, shallow and weird, that I would blame that on author again. Every time there's a chance for an act in a morally grey zone, dilemma of power, or questionable ethics with consequences, he just blasts past it to a next frown, smile, shrug or inner monologue how pretty dresses affect one's identity. It's criminal. So, I can safely say, that I don't plan to read any more of Sanderson's books, they don't agree with me. This whole thing was a huge lesson on trusting reviews and I still haven't processed, how small of a minority we are when it comes to rating and appraisal of Mistborn. Hope you'll have something to recommend next time.
It can feel like a big waste of time when you start a massively loved series and it ends up really pissing you off. When I originally read the Mistborn trilogy I really enjoyed it, but after seeing this video I can definitely see a lot of its issues, particularly with mental illness and how the story treats it. At the time I didnt really pay much attention to it and really just wanted to know more about the lore and magic of the world, but looking back on it in the perspective you expressed, I very much agree with you, and a lot of its representation in the story is very disrespectful.
Brandon Sanderson fans are WILD. 🤣 I like some of his books in the Cosmere but the Mistborn series, at the very least, does not deserve to be defended that intensely. Lmao.
The Mistborn trilogy is ok but it all falls apart under scrutiny. The books didn't need to be as long as they were, too much repetitions and unnecessary info dumps. I hated when the characters were given plot induced stupidity just so the story could progress. Characters who had been shown to be super clever somehow couldn't connect the dots. How couldn't Elend figure out what Preservation meant by pointing to him and his allomantic metals? I'm sure even the slowest person reading the book figured out what preservation was trying to say Why did Vin think just a frigging earing through Marsh's forehead would kill him??!! If anyone knows how to kill an Inquisitor IT IS VIN because she was LITERALLY taught that by none other than Marsh himself. Why didn't she immediately take out his spikes when he fell after the earing headshot?? The lord ruler was supposed to be able to control Chandras, Kollos and Inquisitors since he created them, so why didn't he just take control Marsh in the finale of book one and have him kill Vin? I also didn't like that Sanderson walked back EVERY bad thing the lord ruler did attributing it all to Ruin. Ruin was responsible for it all 😏
I feel like mistborn is a very plot driven series (so are many other epic fantasies), and so I think your opinion on it was very driven by a like for character driven stories. You didn’t have to force yourself to read the series, honestly! Don’t make yourself read something you don’t like again!
It’s true that I prefer character driven stories… but that doesn’t mean I can’t love plot heavy books. I did enjoy The Final Empire! I think my criticisms on HoA go far beyond me just being a character driven reader. The predictability, sexism, ableism, etc wouldn’t have been made more palatable by some good character work lol
I dnf'd the series after the first book, but then tried Warbringer. After that book I decided I would never read his books again. He used the term Pagan as an insult to the different religion in that book.
No better way to show how predictable a book is than to LITERALLY predict every major thing that happens in it before finishing it 😂😂😂 You ripped into the book with aplom
Well you got me to watch other you reviews just because you hated this. I might want to read every book you absolutely hate as we apparently have exact opposite taste in books 😂
fantastic video. yes, 5 books is super generous. TH-cam is suggesting an hour and twelve minute video, 'Lecture #9: Characters - Brandon Sanderson on writing science fiction and fantasy.' um, NO way 😅 there was so much wrong with this series. smh. anyway, on to the next ! can't wait for your next video. Thanks Katey !
Everyone is entitled to their opinion, unfortunately on social media it’s all too easy to be disrespectful and downright mean to people who disagree. I’ve never read anything by Sanderson, so can’t throw my hat in the ring. I just think it’s a shame to read books that don’t bring you satisfaction.
Oh my god bad take after bad take. There are a lot of criticisms to do to this book. The thing of gender and thebthing of selfinsert I think are unimportant Also how many men died in this books? Like probably three times more than women. How cares about the gender of the person dying ITS FICTION Also also saying "there are cliches in a Story" and pointing them out one by one is kind of stupid. Story's are made from cliches, you don't have to reinvent the wheel to make a compelling story. Nearly all story's use cliches because is kind of a anthropological way in which we view narrative.
I agree, this girl has a persecution complex or something, even if there are leanings and biases, so fucking what? Does everything in life or fiction have to be perfectly distributed and split down the middle? Thats homogonous and artificial
I just finished reading this book and I loved it. I really liked your review, and even though I think we have different opinions, I think it was definitely entertaining to see your opinion. It's fascinating how we can read the same book and have completely different experiences.
I also love how you bingo'd the whole plot lol
Glad you enjoyed it!
Honestly as a fan of Sanderson who has watched a lot of his podcasts and goes to his convention I think he would agree with you and your critisisms. He's openly talked about how clumbsy his attempts at writing women, classism, and other sensitive topics have been in the past. He has also said that writing is how he navigates his way through unerstanding the world and other people. I think he took these critisisms to heart and has since genuinely tried to do better by hireing consultants to review his work. For example as he explores mental health in the Stormlight archives he has professionals in those fields, people with those conditions, and other qualified individuals review his work to try and avoid harmful stareotypes.
In Mistborn era 1 we get a snapshot of how Sanderson understood the world 20 years ago.
And as a Sanderson fan who also enjoyed this book I appreciate your oppionion. You have a lot of very valid points. I think what a lot of fans forget is that you can enjoy something and recognize it has flaws. If the flaws don't put you off it and you still enjoy it then carry on. No need to be mean to folks who dont like what you like.
Thanks for your thoughtful comment.
Sanderson has also been very clear that one of the first things that he would do differently if he were to write this again, and which he has done as he has been working on a screenplay version, is change some of the main characters to women. For example Ham, and I think Dockson have been re-written as female. With Ham being a character that is a Thug on one who uses Pewter for enhance strength, there is not need for that character to be a bulky looking male. Some fans disagree.
You can also see the change in how he includes women in the second Era of Mistborn, especially books 2-4 as the main characters are more balanced. However, that series tends to be the one that fans either love or call it the weakest. Just proves that not all books hit with all readers.
I’m sorry you didn’t like it, I personally absolutely loved everything I’ve read by Sanderson (although Well of Ascension was probably my least favorite of them), and I’ve read almost everything by him. I guess everyone has their own tastes 🤷♀️
I listened to this on Audible Audiobook format and the narrator of the whole thing is in Sazed's character speaking voice so that also totally kind of spoiled that super reveal for me too, lol. One thing that I noticed while listening to this is that i could totally fall asleep while listening, and wake up and still know exactly what was going on. A lot like one of those slow moving recap heavy soap operas you could skip a few days or a week of, and still be totally caught up. I guess Sanderson is one of those authors that is just a like fantasy world Disney ride. -Anytime something totally made me scratch my head, or start to question things, I would be like, "just let it go"... Leigh Bardugo's "Six of Crows" take on this type of world, added way more personality to the characters and dialogue, and left me with so much more of that truly fulfilled and satisfied feeling at the end.
A week ago, I finished reading the Hero of Ages for the first time and I rated the book 5 stars; it got me hooked and I greatly enjoyed myself reading it. The Mistborn trilogy (which I later came to find was only the beginning of a larger span of books) got me out of a years-long reading slump, so I can't help but regard this series with a certain fondness. I actually find it really funny that I should find your video such a short time after fiishing HoA, where you voice some of the same concerns I had while reading but never paid enough attention to. The explanation given for the treatment of the skaa people left me utterly dumbfounded and confused, the callousness with which thousands of years of oppression and violence were rationalized definitely made me give the book a bombastic side-eye on occasion (the whole "aww, maybe the Lord Ruler was't so bad" shtick was a massive L). I had the exact same thoughts about the bits of information that kick-off every chapter, they seemed a fantastic choice during book one, but became a subtle yet glaringly obvious trick to explain that which the characters had no way to know by themselves. I still found a lot of satisfaction from finally seeing the mysteries of the world through, but mostly I think the points you make in this video are so clearly valuable and worth talking about, I'm glad I stumbled upon this video. Even if we had pretty different experiences with this saga, I truly appreciate this video. Thanks Katey!
Thank you for such a thoughtful comment! I’m so glad you had a good reading experience, especially given you’d been in a reading slump! I think that’s wonderful! I’m glad, too, you were able to enjoy my video for what it was without negating your own experience with the book. May you have many more great reading experiences to come! ❤️
Your right about this series being repetitive and you raised many points I didn’t pick up on consciously but help me understand why I didn’t like it very much. Very thoughtful and a bit funny. Keep it up Katy
Thanks Ari, glad to hear I’m not alone in not loving this series the way the rest of the internet seems to! Have you read any fantasy that’s easy to read and fun that you’d recommend instead?
As a fan of Sanderson's work I would like to say that I hope you didn't feel attacked by the fanbase, I hope most of us recognise that others might take different things from the books than we did and that a few people didn't taint your view of his entire fanbase.
Thank you, that is very considerate of you to say. I had some super thoughtful and interesting conversations with fans of Sanderson amidst the less nice stuff!
@@KateyOneMoreTime That's good to hear. Good video, even if it hasn't changed my opinion of the books :)
@@KateyOneMoreTime I'm glad that people have actually had thoughtful discussions about this. You not liking a book/series doesn't give anyone the right to insult or sleight you.
Personally, I'm a big fan if Sanderson and I've really enjoyed the books I've read from him. However, I'm really glad that people like you who haven't enjoyed them are speaking their minds. You've given me a new perspective on his works
I appreciate that you read this book to A. finish the series and check it off the list and B. appease the people who jumped your shit for a bad review. However... LIFE IS TOO SHORT TO READ BOOKS YOU HATE! Halfway through this book, you had every right to DNF it.
Not everyone is going to like popular books. And that's okay! Fill your soul with books you enjoy.
I know, I DNF’d 2 other books this month! Something in me just wanted to finish this off once and for all. I hear so much about all of Sanderson’s books online that it’s hard not to be curious about them. I needed to do this to confirm for myself once and for all that Sanderson is not the author for me!
Have you read the Stormlight Archives series? Idk if you can make it through those books but after watching this video I would love to watch you pick apart that series given how big a part mental health plays in that series. The 4th book is most people's favorite but it was my least favorite.
I haven’t read Stormlight. I’ve only read Mistborn and the first two in Skyward. Aside from someone ‘picking my next read’ on Patreon, I doubt I’d ever put myself through that voluntarily! … but I’m clearly a glutton for punishment, so never say never, I guess?! 😂
I mean, after reading Mistborn, I am honestly gobsmacked that the problematic elements in the books are things I just never hear the fantasy community talk about. Not saying people can’t like Mistborn, but it’d be nice if there was a bit more balanced conversations, you know? I saw Merphy do a video in which she professed to discuss the pros and cons of Sanderson, but these sort of things weren’t even on her radar as reasons people might not like his books!
Ahh anyway, thank you for your comments, I got a good laugh out of reading through them and knowing exactly where you were in the video! 😂
I was surprised at myself for not noticing a lot of the things you pointed out.
I'm in a Cosmere FB group but I've had it muted for months. Everyone there is so obsessed with his books. They might mention a few issues here and there but largely praise him for his writing and planning, which I think is funny after you called him out for being a paint by number author. 🤣
Honestly as much as I would love your critique of Stormlight Archives, I also wouldn't wish it upon you to sit through those books. They're very long and get very boring until the "Sanderlanche" at the end.
And a lot of the mental health stuff is triggering and weird. He relies heavily upon it in this series. At first I appreciated him incorporating mental health into character development since it's something a lot of people deal with in real life, but to me it was overkill. Like, way beyond overkill.
I am glad this is a Sander Slander safe space!!
Happy to provide a small reprieve from the pro-Sanderson propaganda! 😂❤️
we're a persecuted class.
Thank you for this Video. Sanderbros made me feel "stupid" for not liking Mistborn or Brandon Sandersons Books as a whole. Whenever I try to explain to people while I'm not interested in reading more of his books they seem to have an excuse/reason for why my critic is "wrong". Frankly i started to feel insane for not liking his books - and I read like four of them before giving up. (Warbreaker, Skywards, Mistborn 1 and The Way of Kings)
I can totally understand why someone would love these books if the Sanderlanche at the end actually works for them - but the journey is just soooo long for an end that will maybe be satisfying. And from these four books Warbreaker was the only one where I actually felt like the end was satisfying enough for the length of the book :'D
Its nice to know that I am not alone and I actually do have taste, cuz frankly the fandom made me feel like im just "not smart enough for high fantasy". (Listen, Sandersons Books are not difficult to understand - they are just long. And I cannot "understand" things that will make sense in three books. (But to be fair, i actually think way of kings could have been a great book if they just cut out the repetitions. That would have made the book so much shorter and made everything work better.)
Just like you I tried to get into high fantasy - Brandon was the person everyone pointed me too - and now im not sure if I will read more high fantasy. Excited to follow your channel because maybe you can point me to some :'D
(Not high fantasy but i do think "Lockwood and Co." from Jonathan Stroud has a fun "magic" System and really enjoyable characters. I also quiet liked the Six of crows Duology but you have to be ready for the edgiest 17teen year old. but luckily I liked the rest of the cast enough + he actually has such an well handled relationship arc that i cannot even be too angry.)
You’re definitely not alone!
Well, I now know way more about a book I'll never read than I really need to, but I have thoroughly enjoyed your video! May your next fantasy series be one that you love.
😅 glad you enjoyed! And yes, I’m keeping my fingers crossed. I’ve been reading a lot of graphic novels actually, and having a good time with that. 😊
Found your channel today and I've subscribed to it as it seems we have similar taste. I totally agree with your review. Book 1 was fun and pretty good overall. Book 2 and 3 were boring, I simply didn't care for what was happening, I kept going because I wanted to know how more about the "mystery" surrounding the well of ascension, ruin etc. I speed-read through a lot of stuff.
And the ending was so not worth it. Very lazy ending, where everything that is need to "win" is given to our hero's through coincidences and luck.
I didn't even realize that some of the stuff was supposed to be "big reveals", it seemed painfully expected to me.
And that ending pretty much means that everything that happened before is moot, as any consequence of it is "erased".
I had a date who lovedddddd the Stormlight Archive and I did finish the first in that series… but honestly, I didn’t find it all that compelling and also felt it was toooooo long for what was happening. Glad to hear this review from you - at least I feel more at peace with not reading more from him (for now) because I was wondering if I’m missing out.
Well done on getting through that beast of a book! And I thought the Mistborn books were long! 😂
I started crying 😂😂😂😂 when you said “I couldn’t think of anything more insufferable” 😂😂😂😂
Thank you so much for this series of vlogs. It was so enjoyable and I am so so sorry about the Sandobros. I subbed and cannot wait to listen to other reviews!
Haha well I’m glad you enjoyed this journey more than I did! 😅😂❤️
10:42 I think it’s more about if they’re in the clear position of power and how they’re acting, in the first part of the series no one suspected Spook would end up being that powerful but that was more because of his role and mannerisms?
I was just so happy he killed off Elend. I was basically cheering out loud when that happened. The self insert exactly was like you called it. Wow this was a hard trilogy to get through. So boring but I had to see how it wrapped up.(OCD not good writing) Great review.
I like these books, don’t love them. The next set of Mistborn books are my favourite of Sanderson’s though, I absolutely love them. They’re like magic westerns set at the dawn of a big technological revolution. Such a great setting.
This was fun :)
Reading this book was the opposite of fun, so I’m glad some good came out of it! 😅❤️
I have been reading fantasy for over 35 yrs and somehow missed reading Sanderson, so like you got the Mistborn box set as a treat. I can understand why some new to reading would like it but for my part found it OK but all the so called twists seemed massively obvious. Also didn’t like the assumption that Vin would just turn into a girly girl. I have tried to pick up book 2 again and again, but literally anything else I pick up is more engaging.
Stormlight sounds like it might be better so I am going try a sample of that.
My current older series recommendation would be Daughter of the Empire. It stands the test of time extremely well. If you love Sword of Kaigen you will likely love DotE.
Best other self published this year for me so far is the Ash and Sand series by Richard Nell.
Love your reviews
I haven’t read Sword of Kaigen yet but it’s on my shelf! I need to get to it!
For a great wee break after that slog, and just a stand out stand alone, spoil yourself with Spinning SIlver, Uprooted gets the hype, but I don’t know why.
It’s good to find a circuit breaker after a difficult read.
Steam punk style is also a handy circuit breaker and often stand alone books.
I’ve been reading a few graphic novels as a palette cleanser after HoA, which was definitely needed! Now I’m onto She Who Became the Sun and I’m loving it so far!
I actually enjoyed this series, but will say this one was my least favorite for a lot of the reasons you mentioned except the Elend part. I actually did like him as a character and seeing his internal struggle of who he was, who he wants to be, and who he needs to be. But other than that,I agree. I guessed the major plot twists and sighed heavily (with a little eye rolling) at the repetitiveness.
23:34 I didn’t see it as that (I’m a Christian-for reference, not cuz I’m mad at what you said lol) I more saw it as an interesting perspective on what actually makes a religion, I found it really intriguing but I might be the only one who thought of it that way. It seemed more like the Church of the Survivor and Sazed’s spiritual searching were a commentary on the essence of what purpose religions serve
this is a really intelligent review with biting insight. thanks for that.
totally agree with your comments around ableism/feminism etc., though i do think sanderson himself concedes this and has improved significantly in these areas.
i didnt really feel sazed as a self-insert but can see how one might. his arc was definitely my favourite, all things considered.
above all, though, i resonate with your criticism on the pacing and plot, particularly the sanderlanche structuring and storytelling method. it does definitely make the final few chapters fun, but at the expense of the other 90% of the book being dreadfully dull. its egregious in this book in particular due to ruins influence, as you say. i couldnt help but feel like nothing anyone did mattered until the final few pages when we learn everything. likewise, totally agree with sazed’s epigraphs being a big miss in this book. the ones in the first two books were a cool addition and intriguing mystery, but here they felt like wiki entries.
all said, though, i enjoyed it a little more than you, i think.
Wow, the dudebro sanderfans came for you. LOL. The only Sanderson book I've loved is the Emperor's Soul.
These weren’t even the worst of the comments! 🫣 The Emperor’s soul is one of the books I had on my shelf, but I just need to go cold turkey after this! 😅
Like you I didn't love these books (I also read them because youtubers keep recommending them) and I haven't read any other Sanderson books to know what to predict. I completely disagree with the mental health stuff though. I felt he wrote depression really well - it is boring being stuck in a cycle and I think he conveyed the anergia/anhedonia of depression really successfully.
It was specifically the ‘hearing voices’ stuff I took issue with.
@@KateyOneMoreTime Fair enough, is that because it suggests that schizophrenia = dangerous? It's true that the majority of people with psychosis are more likely to be harmed than harmful, and so I can understand the frustration. I didn't personally take that from my reading so it didn't bother me - what bothered me more (and you mention this) is how all the characters lose agency when you find out Ruin is influencing them.
I agree on every point with you, regarding repetition, previsibility and so, but for for Final Empire. God! I hated it so much, I didn't even bother to think about the rest of the books.
Totally fair!
I had to watch this after DNFing the series after the first book. 😂 it’s like the rude Sanderfans forget that reviews are opinions.
And Sazanderson absolutely did me in. I love it. 😂😂😂
Also, seriously spare yourself Elantris. It’s his first book and holy hell it’s so obvious. I was like how are all these amazing TH-camrs missing how terrible this is?!?! And the thinly veiled references to christian sects warring it out, coupled with NLOG energy? No thank you!
ETA: commented about Elantris before you finished the video- I noticed you have decided to even not continue with Skyward, which I can appreciate tbh, even though I love it. Our time is better spent reading things we love. Also, soz for the wall of text. X
I had a good chuckle myself when I thought of Sazanderson! Glad you enjoyed!
About Skyward - maybe I could enjoy the last two books, but this journey with Mistborn has left me feeling like I’ve seen behind the curtain too much. Like, I knew Sazed was the hero because ‘that seems like something Sanderson would do’ 😂😂 I’ve seen his patterns as an author and I just don’t see myself being able to come back from that!
@@KateyOneMoreTime oooo that’s such a good point! I shall have to continue and see if your thoughts pan out in that series. 😉
I think many love it to death because I suspect it was their first fantasy series so it’s nostalgia that brims over.
Have to say if a book tuber froths about Mistborn and can’t get into Robin Hobb at all then it’s my hint to exit their page 😊
I feel weirdly vindicated by your review 😅 Sanderson’s so focused on plot twists and tying loose ends that (for me) compelling narration gets lost in the weeds. It’s like… factory-made fantasy. I think he’d be perfect as a video game writer or something like a blockbuster action movie, because even though this trilogy left me feeling nothing, it might be super successful if you mix it with other types of media or if it’s supported by other narrative tools.
While listening to the rest of your review (which I agree with), what strikes me about Mistborn’s “commentary” on religion, social structures and human behavior is how surface-level it is; specially with the 3rd book it felt like he has nothing to say beyond Mormon talking points. I sort of see what he was trying to get at with Sazed but because Sanderson himself doesn’t know much about philosophy or sociology then he couldn’t impart that onto his characters if that makes sense.
Surface-level is definitely the word. He went for some big themes but his exploration was so lacking in dimension and nuance that it fell flat.
I havent read a single book from him and I dont plan to start any time soon
Wise choice 🥰❤️
I thought I was going mad. I just finished book 3 of this series and I didn't really like any of the books. So many people rave about this trilogy. They say keep reading, the ending is so good. It never got better for me! I was really looking forward to reading it. I just don't get the hype. The characters were so bland, the writing was repetivie and basic. The plot was okay but there wasn't enough to keep it interesting. I wonder what other people see in it that I don't. I think I like my books to have a bit more complexity and more polished writing. This series felt like it needed more editing.
I feel you! I think these books are basically the Marvel movies of the reading world. They’re big and flashy and the fight scenes are cool, but ultimately have little substance. 🤷🏻♀️
I tried to listen to the first book on Audible, but just couldn't get through it. It's not that I outright hated it, but it was just really boring to me.
I’m trying to read some doorstopper fantasies and I’ll be trying to read the first stormlight archive book, I’m so glad I didn’t pick mistborn because I haaaaate reading about religion, I would never have guessed it would be such a major element. Hopefully it’s less so in the way of kings…. Idk who I’m kidding because I fully expect to DNF it anyway 🙃
Religion is a huuuge theme throughout the Mistborn era 1 trilogy, so definitely steer clear if that’s not your thing!
it is not that big a part of the series as she made it seem, it is a BIG part of that specific character tho (he is litteraly from a race that it's sole purpose is to store the memories of all lost religions.), i also don't really like religion, but most of brandon sanderson books are good at depicting fictional religions with good things and bad things just as any real religion.
One part i didn't really get was when she said "And then he used his religion knowleadge to rebuild the world, but that's not religion, that's science", like she didn't know in the old times most religions were used to understand nature.
I am laughing at your predictions 🤣🤣 because from what I recall they're almost all true. I should probably finish this video before commenting...
Love the in the moment commentary 😂
Thank you for this video, oh my god. You read him for filth with those predictions. I didn’t think of Sazed as a Sando self-insert but now I see it. I just finished this book yesterday after it being hyped up as one of the best endings ever and the best in the series and I found myself dumbfounded.
The book was as boring as WoA (which I also didn’t like) and the ending was even worse. I hate most of the tropes used in the ending, such as the main character martyr and the lovers suicide (there was no good reason to kill Elend in the first place because it does nothing for Vin as a character, but she also literally says she won’t cease to function without him moments before killing herself to stop Ruin because Elend was the last reason for her to live??) but also the weird religious stuff where it was like “there is merit in hoping that God will save you rather than you saving yourself” and “heaven is real actually…it’s too esoteric to actually show you but don’t worry it’s real” was super off putting and made me feel like I was reading an Orson Scott Card-ish Christian fantasy novel. I have no problem with religious themes or the characters being religious or even with gods actually being real in your fantasy world, at all, but the way this was done didn’t come across as “this is lore” but more “these are my religious views in real life influencing the story.”
I’m just genuinely baffled. I enjoyed my time with the first book despite it not being spectacular, and even though I thought WoA sucked, now that I’ve read HoA I can look back and see some good aspects to WoA that HoA didn’t have. What a bummer of a book. Sazed was one of my favorite characters in books 1 and 2 also, so to see him basically turn into nothing but a really annoying, repetitive religious mouthpiece in book 3 was sad because I found him insufferable in this book. I know Sando wanted to portray depression accurately but as someone with depression I don’t feel he succeeded, and I know he’s mentioned having to revise the whole Sazed part of this book for it being too boring but I don’t see how he ended up with this, which is boring and repetitive. Also yeah the near total lack of women besides Vin and the lack of any female friendships for Vin throughout this whole series were big issues for me and leave a real bad taste in my mouth. And yeah I also called a lot of the “twists” early on so… meh. Also the whole “the Lord Ruler was actually a good guy” thing was super weird and off putting. I can’t stand when authors do this where they try to tell the reader that this person who was shown to be a violent and sadistic tyrant who enslaved, tortured and killed whole groups of people for a millennium, was actually misunderstood. Enough…
I still plan to give Stormlight a try. I think Sando has a great imagination and great magic systems and some great ideas but I really hope he’s gotten a lot better since this series came out because yikes this didn’t age as well as some people think.
I agree with everything you said! It’s always reassuring to find people who feel similarly in the midst of so much hype! You’re braver that I! I hope you like Stormlight more, and if you remember, I would love to hear how you get on with it!
All of these criticism are super valid, and I feel that (as you said) giving an author even 4 chances to see if you'd like them, is more than any author deserves. Good on you for giving it a fifth! These books are, at their core, very cheesy, tropey, and predictable.
To that point though, I'd say the same is true about most heroic fantasy, ESPECIALLY those fantasy series that follow a prophesied main character. See Wheel of Time, Harry Potter, The Belgariad, etc. All of these stories, while having interesting twists and turns, ultimately end up being the typical heroes journey, with a lot of the 'twists' being clearly telegraphed to you much earlier in the story. I think that, while Brandon Sanderson definitely isn't the author for you, I would also add that it seems like heroic fantasy isn't for you as well. At least, not in my experience with the subgenre.
I definitely am a Sanderson fan, and I agree that if you didn't like Mistborn, you absolutely won't like his other stuff.
Anyway, great video, I am very excited watching more of your stuff!
ALSO! Would really love to see a 'top sci-fi/fantasy books' from you! I don't see something like that on your channel, but I am genuinely interested in what kind of fantasy you do like!
That is an interesting observation. I don’t think I have enough experience with fantasy to confirm or deny at this stage! Of the series you mentioned, I’ve only read Harry Potter, which I grew up with and adored. To be honest, I’ve never been much of a plot-driven reader. I’m much more engaged by characters, themes and atmosphere - none of which I think are Brandon Sanderson’s strong points.
I will definitely make a video soon talking about my journey with fantasy this year, but so far my favourites have probably been the Broken Earth Trilogy and Memoirs of Lady Trent. Both are very different, obviously, but I’ve been loving both. I’ve also loved Murderbot, on the sf end of things.
Thanks for your very thoughtful comment!
@@KateyOneMoreTime I’m totally with you on loving character driven stories! You should check out The Farseer Trilogy by Robin Hobb or The Blade Itself by Joe Abercrombie. Both very different books but very character/development heavy.
I loved the fifth season and I’ll be diving into obelisk gate in the next month or so. Will definitely be throwing Memoirs of Lady Trient on my TBR.
Well of Ascension is my favorite of the three, and Hero of Ages is my least favorite. I didn't dislike it as much as you did, but I still had a great time watching your video. The info-dumping, Christian fanfic, and repetitive points are the ones I agree with
i suspected everything and still enjoyed this book, but good job you're so smart.
I have never read a Sanderson book, but I do listen to Writing Excuses, a writing podcast where he is one of the hosts. So considering he gives writing advice it’s interesting to hear your thoughts on his books. Thanks for sharing.
Proceeds to give legends and lattes 5 stars 🙄
lol nice try. I gave l&l 2.5 stars.
I admire the fact you were able to finish this series when I DNF'd the first book 100 pages in. I had to stop because many of the problems you've mentioned here were already so glaringly obvious. Sanderson just seems to have a very naive view of the world, and the straw that broke the camel's back for me was the reveal of their revolution plan. The idea that a supreme ruler of an empire would keep all his wealth centralized in one location, that his soldiers would stop working for him just because he didn't have the money to pay them immediately, and that this collapse in society would lead to anything other than civil war is just so childish that I don't think I can ever take anything Sanderson does seriously anymore.
I deleted a previous comment cause of a typo 🙄
I've only read the first two cytonic books. They're the only Syfy books I've read, and the only Sanderson books so i don't have a good point of reference. But the things you mentioned him repeating in his books totally happened in the first two cytonic! Hero finding out last second they're the hero, female character dead, fake deaths, voices! Dude 🤣
😂😂😂 omg it’s been ages since I read those and I totally forgot! You’re right! One trick pony indeed!
I would have liked to been able to dislike this video multiple times, sadly youtube does not allow this.
That must’ve been so hard for you 😔
@@KateyOneMoreTime People like you, that are able to see black in everything, utterly disgust me.
This video was so healing. Thank you so much for it.
❤️❤️❤️
I really liked the Mistborn books. Book 1 was very good, got me hooked with the fast paced plot driven story. I suffered through book 2, but Elend's idiocy spoke to me at a personal level, because I am also a similar idiot.
Finished book 3 for a second time (first read was 2 years ago), and came here. All of your criticisms are valid. I still liked the book, but I would have murdered Vin myself, with her damn obsession to putting on that earring. What an insufferable dumb woman, goddamn!!
Liked the story though, because the world of the book is ending - and our own world is also ending, in the middle of a climate apocalypse. Elend's quest to collect political power, seems like a necessary step in our own world as well. And ruin is capitalism hehe.
I think that predicting plot points is a bad habit. A good story doesn't have to be unpredictable. I got your point that you did that only because of how boring you found the book, but c'mon.
Your skaa vs noble analysis is just plain wrong. It was just "people resist change".
Good young adult book, I think. Not a good "adult" "high fantasy". Felt like a budding author's early works.
But a bunch of your criticism felt like, "the story is not morally righteous enough," to me. It's a YA fantasy novel, not some religious text lol.
Skyward was ok. More mature. "A boy and his dragon" trope.
Thank you for this review. Sanderson seems to have a near cult following - and while I'm happy for people who enjoy this series - it reads like the equivalent of a Marvel movie. Super surface-level, no depth in characters, and his "Sanderlanche" endings where in 100 pages everything wraps up are just horrible for pacing. I really liked the world of Mistborn, I found the magic system super cool at first, though by the end of the series, I think it was completely RUINed (pun-intended). The introduction of preservation and ruin as actual characters made it very hard to relate and even care what is going on. I loved your point about how Ruin/Preservation seem to retroactively justify all plotholes, but beyond this, if you look into what the fans say, you have to go on and read the whole Cosmire or Sanderverse / Era 2 Mistborn to really understand what is going on. If you cant make the series work in a self-contained setting, you are not writing a complete series.
Also, the "worldbuilding" fell flat to me. The world felt static completely except for wherever the POV main characters were at the time. The only place you really ever have a feel for is Luthadel, and I found that even in this book it didnt feel alive.
Marvel movie vibes, for sure! That’s exactly how I described it to my partner! Big, flashy, but absolutely no substance. 😒
Oh noooo. I hate the fantasy bros.
😂❤️
Absolutely loved your review. Just finished this yesterday and was ready to throw the book out the window 50 pages before it ended (when Vin was fighting Ruin in the sky). Why did no one tell me this is a christian fanfic? The first book was YA and then we went full Jesus mode. I feel like it’s a big conspiracy, lol, so dissapointed with this trilogy. Enjoyed Sazed’s POV the first two books and TenSoon and Spook’s, but that’s about it. Funny thing is people keep shitting on his first book Elantris, but I actually enjoyed that one more.
Yeah the fantasy dude bros really out here trying to convince us all that Mistborn is the GOAT! I’m still kinda mad I read these! 🙄😑
Sanderson is a Mormon, a bastardized cult-form of christianity.
Christian Fanfic 😂😂 LITERALLY . That ending fell so flat for me. I'm shocked at how much praise this book gets - it was so hard to care about the "world ending / god vs god" ending. I found myself enjoying the book quite a bit as it filled in all the mysteries relating to the world, but in the last 150 pages it took a dive off a cliff.
@@GamesToJumpMC Er he's Mormon, Not christian, at least not in the traditional sense.
Glad to hear you finished the trilogy. I loved the series but it’s 100% cool that you didn’t. You should read other authors. BS doesn’t sound like your speed.
That's the plan!
Saying that Sanderson loves to kill female characters is SOO WRONG. By that you imply that he didn't kill any male characters which is obviously wrong. Many characters are dead, male AND female, and making it a feminist issue is so misplaced and tiring.
I totally disagree. From my memory, there were only three named female characters in each of the three books, so not only does Sanderson not include many female character of consequence, he kills them off at a pretty high percentage!
@@CurieBohrif you think Vin is the most important character, I think you missed the whole point of the series. 🙈
@@KateyOneMoreTime Beldre and allrianne are alive at the end and both served important roles
I am happy to find another person immune to acute Sandersonitis 😂 would he have been my introduction to fantasy I would have never touched a fantasy book ever again.
Ruthless!!! And I am HERE for it 😂
I honestly think the third book was my least favorite and the first one was my favorite and even the first one I didn't like that much. I had to force myself through it. So I understand your boredom and dislike with this series. 😅
I consider myself a brandon sanderson fan. I love Warbreaker and Stormlight. That being said, I didn’t like this series. The first book was good. I gave it 4 stars. But the second and third books were so boring and just dragged for me and had so many problems.
Great video, couldn't agree more that Sanderson is SO boring and cliche. I don't get the hype for his books. I un-hauled all his books I had bought before when thinking that he was a fantasy author I 'had' to love and thinking his next book would be the one that clicked for me - LOL nope.
My GOAT of modern fantasy is Joe Abercrombie. Robin Hobb and John Gwynne are great too.
Thanks Lauren, it’s nice to hear I’m not alone! With most hyped things I can appreciate where the hype comes from even if I don’t personally love it… with Mistborn I honestly feel like everyone else on the internet read a different series! It’s mind boggling to me!
Anyway, I do need to try out some more fantasy authors. Robin Hobb is on my list!
Great job with the review! I went through the Mistborn series after I dropped The name of the Wind. That shit was truly atrocious. After that, I searched for recommendations in the genre, and not surprisingly, Sanderson popped up. Boy did I regret picking this trilogy up.
To be brief, I absolutely agree with most of the points you made when it comes to very shallow and formulaic characters, unbearable repetitiveness, total lack of style in writing and absence of anything interesting when author tried to make comments on (what he calls) philosophy, politics, leadership etc. While Sanderson is usually praised for worldbuilding, I couldn't for the life of me imagine his world work. It felt extremely artificial, and it got gradually worse as books and the state of the world progressed. Up to a point where the world was ending, with obvious signs of catastrophic events taking place, yet some random Kandra is taking the atium metal to sell it. Like, my dude, where are you going to sell it? What is the goal here? It baffles the mind and that's probably the most nitpicky thing I could think of, but it stayed with me because of how absurd it was.
I have no idea why this is praised as a great fantasy. It's insultingly mediocre, yet no reviews are going to admit that. The disconnect one feels when trying to get through it, knowing there's a diehard fanbase out there who love it to death is difficult to describe and comprehend:D
That being said, I do think you're reading too much into topics or issues, that irritate your sensibilities and you're taking your 'politics' (for the lack of better word) into the book. Zane and his 'mental illness', which shockingly (gasp!) turns out to be something completely else. Place of women in a made up fantasy world, where the the values of the world don't necessarily have to relate to our own, or to the author's beliefs. The unease you feel about the views of aristocracy in, again, fantasy world where the class system is fact of life. I almost want to say that all of those (modern) issues you have with the book are writing mistakes. There are no true skaa POW characters that would offer an explanation on how they feel once the whole world turned around for example. That would flesh out the world so much more. And as for the views of noblemen, those that we get to experience are so fucking simplistic, shallow and weird, that I would blame that on author again. Every time there's a chance for an act in a morally grey zone, dilemma of power, or questionable ethics with consequences, he just blasts past it to a next frown, smile, shrug or inner monologue how pretty dresses affect one's identity. It's criminal.
So, I can safely say, that I don't plan to read any more of Sanderson's books, they don't agree with me. This whole thing was a huge lesson on trusting reviews and I still haven't processed, how small of a minority we are when it comes to rating and appraisal of Mistborn. Hope you'll have something to recommend next time.
It can feel like a big waste of time when you start a massively loved series and it ends up really pissing you off. When I originally read the Mistborn trilogy I really enjoyed it, but after seeing this video I can definitely see a lot of its issues, particularly with mental illness and how the story treats it. At the time I didnt really pay much attention to it and really just wanted to know more about the lore and magic of the world, but looking back on it in the perspective you expressed, I very much agree with you, and a lot of its representation in the story is very disrespectful.
Thanks for your thoughtful comment. 😊
Brandon Sanderson fans are WILD. 🤣 I like some of his books in the Cosmere but the Mistborn series, at the very least, does not deserve to be defended that intensely. Lmao.
😂😂😂
This review is so validating for my experience with this book. Well said.
The Mistborn trilogy is ok but it all falls apart under scrutiny.
The books didn't need to be as long as they were, too much repetitions and unnecessary info dumps.
I hated when the characters were given plot induced stupidity just so the story could progress. Characters who had been shown to be super clever somehow couldn't connect the dots.
How couldn't Elend figure out what Preservation meant by pointing to him and his allomantic metals?
I'm sure even the slowest person reading the book figured out what preservation was trying to say
Why did Vin think just a frigging earing through Marsh's forehead would kill him??!! If anyone knows how to kill an Inquisitor IT IS VIN because she was LITERALLY taught that by none other than Marsh himself. Why didn't she immediately take out his spikes when he fell after the earing headshot??
The lord ruler was supposed to be able to control Chandras, Kollos and Inquisitors since he created them, so why didn't he just take control Marsh in the finale of book one and have him kill Vin?
I also didn't like that Sanderson walked back EVERY bad thing the lord ruler did attributing it all to Ruin.
Ruin was responsible for it all 😏
I feel like mistborn is a very plot driven series (so are many other epic fantasies), and so I think your opinion on it was very driven by a like for character driven stories. You didn’t have to force yourself to read the series, honestly! Don’t make yourself read something you don’t like again!
It’s true that I prefer character driven stories… but that doesn’t mean I can’t love plot heavy books. I did enjoy The Final Empire! I think my criticisms on HoA go far beyond me just being a character driven reader. The predictability, sexism, ableism, etc wouldn’t have been made more palatable by some good character work lol
i have to pinch myself every-time somebody praises Sanderson just to see if i'm in the correct reality. He's godawful, just awful.
😂❤️
I dnf'd the series after the first book, but then tried Warbringer. After that book I decided I would never read his books again. He used the term Pagan as an insult to the different religion in that book.
What's wrong with that? Not trying to be antagonistic just curious, is it offensive?
Don’t watch titanic.
yes dad
I know how much you loathe knowing the ending prematurely. I’m trying to save you from 4 hours of predictable cinema.
@@datmarshy thanks dad
No better way to show how predictable a book is than to LITERALLY predict every major thing that happens in it before finishing it 😂😂😂
You ripped into the book with aplom
As a sociology major i must say elend is the worst portray of a scholar I've came across till this day.
Well you got me to watch other you reviews just because you hated this. I might want to read every book you absolutely hate as we apparently have exact opposite taste in books 😂
I hope you have a great time!
fantastic video. yes, 5 books is super generous. TH-cam is suggesting an hour and twelve minute video, 'Lecture #9: Characters - Brandon Sanderson on writing science fiction and fantasy.' um, NO way 😅 there was so much wrong with this series. smh. anyway, on to the next ! can't wait for your next video. Thanks Katey !
🤣🤣🤣 Thanks Jill!
Wow this was miserable oof
Everyone is entitled to their opinion, unfortunately on social media it’s all too easy to be disrespectful and downright mean to people who disagree.
I’ve never read anything by Sanderson, so can’t throw my hat in the ring. I just think it’s a shame to read books that don’t bring you satisfaction.
Totally, which is why I DNF’d two other books this month! Unfortunately, some morbid sense of curiosity overtook me for this one!
Read more ya fantasy you'll probably like it better😂this is a YA fantasy and you definitely don't know much about it good video still
Oh my god bad take after bad take. There are a lot of criticisms to do to this book. The thing of gender and thebthing of selfinsert I think are unimportant
Also how many men died in this books? Like probably three times more than women. How cares about the gender of the person dying ITS FICTION
Also also saying "there are cliches in a Story" and pointing them out one by one is kind of stupid. Story's are made from cliches, you don't have to reinvent the wheel to make a compelling story. Nearly all story's use cliches because is kind of a anthropological way in which we view narrative.
Lol
I agree, this girl has a persecution complex or something, even if there are leanings and biases, so fucking what? Does everything in life or fiction have to be perfectly distributed and split down the middle? Thats homogonous and artificial