Personally, as someone who loves happy endings, even if they’re a bit contrived, I’m really glad Emily Sanderson does, too. And I do think that “everyone deserves to be happy” is a fundamental theme of this book. Yeah, just because you deserve something doesn’t mean it realistically will happen, but it’s a fantasy. Reality comes second. Edit: And, while it didn’t get into investiture mechanics, “reality bender bent reality after being convinced it was okay to think about herself for once” is a perfectly fine explanation, imo.
Its also more consistent with the message that it is not good to treat people like machines. She lived such a selfless life for 1700 years, so it would be a bit counter-intuitive given the message if she then remained as self-sacrificing. I'm not saying that the self-sacrificing ending could not have been done well, but I feel the journey led a happy ending to be consistent and a good one. Also, we would need a MUCH longer epilogue to then get a satisfactory conclusion to Painter's story, as he would be going through some dark s**t. Him simply reconnecting with his old pals for a scene would be way too insufficient.
Have to disagree with you about the ending. Painter saving Yumi at the last second actually makes a lot of sense thematically. Yumi's arc throughout the entire book is about learning to be her own person and have her own life rather than her sole and only purpose being to serve the world. If her final act had been to sacrifice herself for the greater good of the world, that would effectively undo everything the story had been building to with her character. What actually happened is more of a fulfillment of her arc.
Yes. Thank you for pointing this out. I loved the first ending and would have still loved the book if it ended there, but I have always thought that the second was actually more thematically appropriate for exactly the reasons you listed, and have been very confused by people saying otherwise.
I considered Tojin's portrayal as a matter of perspective. Painter in his bitterness sees him as just the muscle guy. But as Yumi comes to understand better the people around her she begins to see that neither Painter nor the other painters are right. They both have skewed perspectives that need to change for the better.
What I really like about the book especially is Liyun. At the beginning, I was going to create a subreddit called "F**K LIYUN!" in the same vein as the Moash equivalent. However, by the time we start getting revelations as to how the system worked, I could not help but sympathize with her as yet another victim to a toxic culture that makes machines of us all, even before the AI takeover. The way Sanderson made us feel sympathy for a character that arguably did worse things than Moash (before RoW), really shows how much he's improved as a writer in a short span of time.
By the end Liyun is a sympathetic character but I was pretty annoyed that Painter made peace with her before the twist was revealed. She was an emotionally abusive, manipulative person and Painter suddenly starts to "understand her".
Yes, I totally agree! I think Liyun is an even better example than Tojin of Sanderson subverting expectations in this book. The way she just gets increasingly emotional and frantic as Yumi/Painter continues to neglect protocol really made me feel awful for her and how much she herself has been indoctrinated.
My take on the resurrection at the end is that it makes sense given the rules of the cosmere as a whole. Painter's whole magic system is that he's really good at taking investiture and giving it a physical form. Given her level of investiture, after dying Yumi should stick around as a cognitive shadow for quite a while. There's no reason painter shouldn't be able to tie her into a physical form given their connection and there's no given reason why either of them wouldn't want to do that. While thematically it does feel like sanderson is backing out of a sad ending, I think it makes more mechanical sense than if they just decided not to save her life.
Furthermore, I think she'd been a Cognitive Shadow since the initial machine activation. So, as I view it, the ending works like this: In the cosmere perception matters to the point that someone could limit their own capabilities through misconception. Szeth thought he needed ten heartbreats with the Honorblade, and Yumi, likewise, thought she was really about to die. Yet, the belief that she deserves to have things her way aftrr everything snapped her out of that misconception, expressed as her no longer feeling the tug of the Beyond. The only reason she was about to perish in the first place was her lasting mindset, thinking she had to sacrifice herself when it came to doing the greater good.
Regarding the machine, I think it didn't take the nomads' souls because it only needed so much investiture to get started. And it wasn't able to plan not because a machine can't plan, but because a machine can't plan unless directed to do so.
I completely agree about Brandon's "no time travel policy": it always creates more problems than it fixes, and invites contradictions and inconsistencies. I've seen it done well (but only really at 88mph), so I'm sure he could do a decent job, but imo it's just not worth it. I mean, having every third main character being resurrected or functionally immortal is bad enough, but this takes the idea of "Pandora's Box" to a whole new level! Anyway, sorry for the ramble, I'm really loooking forward to reading this - I've only got about 3 million other things to read first... which are now being pushed down one place in my heirarchy... *sigh*
Yeah, I think time travel stories only tend to work when the story is mostly about time travel. What I can't stand is when it's introduced into a story where it doesn't belong, and just ends up wreaking havoc on continuity.
You mentioned confusion as to the machine not killing the nomads and I think the book actually explained it. The Machine didn't need to. It absorbed the souls of living being as fuel to start stacking, once it had done so it was able to draw on the spirits for energy and there was no reason to keep killing.
This is a really good point, and I take back what I said about that. I think there was just so much information thrown out in those last few chapters that it will require multiple readings to absorb it all. (Similar to the Hero of Ages in that way, imo.)
I gotta admit getting to see you there at TBCC was just amazing because I love all your content. Thank you for letting me get a pic. My wife tried to talk me out of saying hi because we were two people behind you and I wasn't completely sure until you turned around. She still didn't believe me and thought I was going to embarrass myself lol. Had a great time and can't wait to go to another someday.
No problem, thanks for reaching out! You were the first person to ever recognize me in public, so I'm glad I also got a picture to remember the moment.😊
In some ways I didn't mind the Hoid info dump simply because the twist gave me so much whiplash that I needed the catharsis of an immediate explanation to chill a bit and move forward through the book. I do agree though that there does seem to be a slight disconnect where at the beginning it does seem like Painter is just awkward and there isn't necessarily a history between him and the other painters when there is (although I don't mind the twist and actually leads to one of my favorite moments in the book when it talks about what it means to be liar).
Tampa Bay Comic Con was so wonderful for the reason you described. I know it’s silly, but I had really never actually wrapped my head around the size of his fanbase until the event. He is so down to earth for a guy who literally had hundreds of people gathering around his booth just to hear him talk. I went with my roommate who knows nothing about Sanderson and I think she was taken aback by the sheer amount of people frothing over the Dragonsteel booth.
What I love about the ending is Hoid criticizing the happier ending to the story, just like you did. It’s just brilliant in my opinion. Because while the happy ending is more satisfying and romantic, it does feel less deep and profound than the more tragic ending. 😂
From the book club series on Brandon's TH-cam channel, Emily says she likes happy endings. The info dump also apparently helped (things were more confusing in earlier drafts), though I agree it still felt a bit awkward, though I'm not sure how to make that work.
Aw, where can I find me a husband who will write me stories as a gift? That is so sweet! I might have to find some of these shorter/standalone stories. I did love The Way of Kings. But that was before I knew it was going to be such a long series. There's no way I'm able to commit to something like that. If I'm still alive after they're all done, sure. But I'm not going to get waist deep into a series that's not complete. And I must the only person on the planet that didn't really get into the Mistborn books. I remember being distracted by Real World stuff at the time. Maybe if I tried them again I'd have a better experience. But I do enjoy his writing, so something shorter and not part of a series would be fun.
Coming near the end of the book I was crying because it looked like Yumi was going to die ... and then she didn't and I was a little upset! 😆 Guess that means I like sad romances best!
This was my favorite of the secret projects, for sure. I think it may be my favorite Brandon Sanderson book too. I also found the ending a bit disappointing, but was at the same time happy with it, if that makes any sense at all. Both options would have been enjoyable. I would like to see the now immortal Yumi as a character in later space age Cosmere after painter has died. It would be interesting to see how she deals with that, and whether she could in good conscience sit out the conflict that we see developing in Kingmaker. As to your criticism of painter's relationship with his friends, I agree it wasn't very well explained why he could not simply go and talk to them at the beginning. But I think the whole lie scenario is actually pretty realistic. I have see groups of friends who otherwise had no problems with each other torn apart by one big lie before. As to why painter is consistently sympathetic and not really that bad of a guy, I think it goes back to another of the themes that is consistent throughout Brandon's work, forgiveness. It is less that Brandon is saying that Painter's actions weren't bad, and more about him being repentant for them. I think Yumi's ultimate forgiveness of Painter's lies and her understanding of his weaknesses is meant to contrast with his friends. I think the Dreamwatcher segment also is much more about showing that Painters value should not have been tied up in the Dreamwatch in the first place, rather than arguing that the lie was not that important. The key parts of Painters character is that he (ultimately) recognizes the wrong of his actions, but that he is to tied up in self pity to seek forgiveness.
there's no such thing as "the objective quality of a work of art." I suppose when a large number of people come to a common consensus about a work, we can treat that consensus as fact, but ultimately the true value of art can only be ascertained personally.
I'm glad you were able to go to Comic Con & that it was a good experience! I've never been able to go to one of those events for any of my fandoms. It's always made me sad. But, at the same time... if I did have a bad experience either with meeting a celebrity or with the other fans, it would really sour things for me. So I guess it's best to keep it as a dream.
SPOLER SPOILER SPOILER!!!! Love the review but I kind of disagree with the Painter revealing he lied to/misled his friends bit being a weird twist. I think it's a very natural twist to have to be quite frank - I have both felt the overwhelming pressure of having to deliver and disappointing and have lived with people doing that. It's quite crushing and can lead to someone being paralyzed. It's not about it being hard to talk to other people, it's more about them feeling betrayed.
You're spending too much time around people who care too much about the "objective" quality of an artist's work, who compare their work to everyone else's. Yumi and the Nightmare Painter was one of the greatest books I've ever read. Brandon's characters feel more real to me than others I've read. I do not care about the eloquence of the prose, or the uniqueness necessarily of the characters - I care that his characters feel like people. People I see myself in. I do not bristle at others who do not like Brandon's work - but with those who are vocal about disliking it, I don't let them ruin my enjoyment. I'm not afraid to say it. I love his work, and I aspire to write things as meaningful as him someday.
This one is my favorite of the secret projects so far and I did not expect that. I read all the spoiler chapters a year ago and I thought Frugal Wizard would be my favorite. I do enjoy Frugal Wizard a ton, but find I connect with Yumi so much more. (Warning: spoilers in the comments below.) Also, considering the looming threat of AI replacing artists at this time, Yumi confronts a current issue with the conflict between the machine and the Yokihijo (spelling?😅). I don’t think AI will absorb all the spirits of the human race, at least I hope not. But up to the point you realize that is what is going on, it does feel like something artists are facing right now. Another issue we are currently dealing with, the commodification of art and how that can break an artist, is in Painter's story. And, I'm a large FF10 fan and saw all the connections to that game in the plot. I wonder if in the sequel Yumi and Painter will dress up in outfits to summon spirits. (Just kidding, but if you know you know. 😅)
Yeah, it was indeed a very timely book! And what's more impressive is that, as @TheAmyrlinSeat said, AI was not on most people's minds back when the book was written. (I actually was thinking about asking Brandon about some of his inspirations for that plotline, but alas, didn't end up doing so.)
I'm gonna have to outright disagree with you about Yumi's status at the end of the book SPOILERS Yumi's ENTIRE ARC through the whole novella was to understand that the way she's been raised is not the only way, and that she's her own person with her own desires and has a right TO those desires and dreams. Having her grow beyond her duty, what was once her entire world, what the most satisfying ending I could've asked for.
I Just stumbled on this and love your review of this story. This book is my favorite book of the year, I loved it that much. (I think it is the arrest in me.) The only book of Brandon Sanderson I have read is the first Mistborn, and then this one. I am mostly a fan of his podcast. With that said, I loved this book so much. I wanted to comment on your spoiler thoughts, you are not the first person to have that thought about the ending, and to that I say, (All in good fun,) Have you read romance? Happy Ever Afters is a must have. You can’t end the book without that. It’s a hard rule for Romance. A firm, hard, rule. Yes it’s sappy, and cheesie, but that is why most of us read romances, you go into it knowing there is going to be a Happy Eever After. So, yeah, not sure how to end this thought, anyway; Thanks for your review of the book. I love talking about this book with people that have read it. And thanks again.
Thanks for watching! And in answer to your question...ah, no, you're right in guessing that I don't really read romance. Still, tragic romance is a thing, and I figured the story might be heading that direction, especially given how it was foreshadowed earlier on. But either way, I thought the ending was overall quite strong.
Hello, i just found your channel and enjoyed your video! Spoilers for anyone reading! I wasn't sure about the ending when she was brought back, but i heard someone else's take on it and changed my mind. For all of Yumi's life she was expected to do anything to serve and do exactly what was expected of her without ever having a choice. She never got to choose for herself until she met painter. In the end she was able to choose to live her life with painter.
I don't know if it's true that it is it's his most personal book.... Content wise.... There definitely was a loving gesture involved... Wanting to include romance in his writing because his wife felt like it was missing. I think a lot of the idea for it actually came from manga and Korean media though... Don't know that there was really in particular more of anything personal written into the characters
So I really enjoyed Tress. . .didn't enjoy Frugal Wizard as much. ..and Yumi falls somewhere inbetween. I enjoy Hoid's commentary in both books. . .it was a good cutaway (and honestly the info dump I found was needed. . .the context clues may have been there, but I appreciate it being spelled out). I can't decide if I like the happy ending or not. . . I'm okay with the happy ending. . .I would have been fine if she had died. I am also a sucker for happy endings though
I don't think it's worth overly analyzing Yumi machine in the context of AI developments which didn't yet exist at the time of writing. if Awakening is to be seen as AI, it definitely falls under the category of "weak" or "narrow" AI, especially since it is instantiated for a specific purpose by a specific original Command.
Yeah, I think you're right. Something about the ending just felt weird to me, and this is me gesturing to random thoughts I had trying to figure out what it is.
As a software engineer with some "AI" experience, I would not have called the machine an AI at all, and certainly not super intelligent... but I'm not sure now thinking about it further. Maybe I'm biased by Hoid's explanation, taking it at face value. I'll have to re-read!
Personally, as someone who loves happy endings, even if they’re a bit contrived, I’m really glad Emily Sanderson does, too. And I do think that “everyone deserves to be happy” is a fundamental theme of this book. Yeah, just because you deserve something doesn’t mean it realistically will happen, but it’s a fantasy. Reality comes second.
Edit: And, while it didn’t get into investiture mechanics, “reality bender bent reality after being convinced it was okay to think about herself for once” is a perfectly fine explanation, imo.
Its also more consistent with the message that it is not good to treat people like machines. She lived such a selfless life for 1700 years, so it would be a bit counter-intuitive given the message if she then remained as self-sacrificing. I'm not saying that the self-sacrificing ending could not have been done well, but I feel the journey led a happy ending to be consistent and a good one.
Also, we would need a MUCH longer epilogue to then get a satisfactory conclusion to Painter's story, as he would be going through some dark s**t. Him simply reconnecting with his old pals for a scene would be way too insufficient.
I somewhat agree and somewhat disagree, but all of this is completely subjective so I totally get your point here!
Have to disagree with you about the ending. Painter saving Yumi at the last second actually makes a lot of sense thematically. Yumi's arc throughout the entire book is about learning to be her own person and have her own life rather than her sole and only purpose being to serve the world. If her final act had been to sacrifice herself for the greater good of the world, that would effectively undo everything the story had been building to with her character. What actually happened is more of a fulfillment of her arc.
Actually very very well put, man
Yes. Thank you for pointing this out. I loved the first ending and would have still loved the book if it ended there, but I have always thought that the second was actually more thematically appropriate for exactly the reasons you listed, and have been very confused by people saying otherwise.
I agree, the second ending actually hit me harder for the exact reasons you have outlined.
I considered Tojin's portrayal as a matter of perspective. Painter in his bitterness sees him as just the muscle guy. But as Yumi comes to understand better the people around her she begins to see that neither Painter nor the other painters are right. They both have skewed perspectives that need to change for the better.
What I really like about the book especially is Liyun. At the beginning, I was going to create a subreddit called "F**K LIYUN!" in the same vein as the Moash equivalent. However, by the time we start getting revelations as to how the system worked, I could not help but sympathize with her as yet another victim to a toxic culture that makes machines of us all, even before the AI takeover. The way Sanderson made us feel sympathy for a character that arguably did worse things than Moash (before RoW), really shows how much he's improved as a writer in a short span of time.
By the end Liyun is a sympathetic character but I was pretty annoyed that Painter made peace with her before the twist was revealed. She was an emotionally abusive, manipulative person and Painter suddenly starts to "understand her".
Yes, I totally agree! I think Liyun is an even better example than Tojin of Sanderson subverting expectations in this book. The way she just gets increasingly emotional and frantic as Yumi/Painter continues to neglect protocol really made me feel awful for her and how much she herself has been indoctrinated.
My take on the resurrection at the end is that it makes sense given the rules of the cosmere as a whole. Painter's whole magic system is that he's really good at taking investiture and giving it a physical form. Given her level of investiture, after dying Yumi should stick around as a cognitive shadow for quite a while. There's no reason painter shouldn't be able to tie her into a physical form given their connection and there's no given reason why either of them wouldn't want to do that. While thematically it does feel like sanderson is backing out of a sad ending, I think it makes more mechanical sense than if they just decided not to save her life.
Furthermore, I think she'd been a Cognitive Shadow since the initial machine activation. So, as I view it, the ending works like this: In the cosmere perception matters to the point that someone could limit their own capabilities through misconception. Szeth thought he needed ten heartbreats with the Honorblade, and Yumi, likewise, thought she was really about to die. Yet, the belief that she deserves to have things her way aftrr everything snapped her out of that misconception, expressed as her no longer feeling the tug of the Beyond. The only reason she was about to perish in the first place was her lasting mindset, thinking she had to sacrifice herself when it came to doing the greater good.
Regarding the machine, I think it didn't take the nomads' souls because it only needed so much investiture to get started. And it wasn't able to plan not because a machine can't plan, but because a machine can't plan unless directed to do so.
I completely agree about Brandon's "no time travel policy": it always creates more problems than it fixes, and invites contradictions and inconsistencies. I've seen it done well (but only really at 88mph), so I'm sure he could do a decent job, but imo it's just not worth it. I mean, having every third main character being resurrected or functionally immortal is bad enough, but this takes the idea of "Pandora's Box" to a whole new level!
Anyway, sorry for the ramble, I'm really loooking forward to reading this - I've only got about 3 million other things to read first... which are now being pushed down one place in my heirarchy... *sigh*
Yeah, I think time travel stories only tend to work when the story is mostly about time travel. What I can't stand is when it's introduced into a story where it doesn't belong, and just ends up wreaking havoc on continuity.
You mentioned confusion as to the machine not killing the nomads and I think the book actually explained it. The Machine didn't need to. It absorbed the souls of living being as fuel to start stacking, once it had done so it was able to draw on the spirits for energy and there was no reason to keep killing.
This is a really good point, and I take back what I said about that. I think there was just so much information thrown out in those last few chapters that it will require multiple readings to absorb it all. (Similar to the Hero of Ages in that way, imo.)
I gotta admit getting to see you there at TBCC was just amazing because I love all your content. Thank you for letting me get a pic. My wife tried to talk me out of saying hi because we were two people behind you and I wasn't completely sure until you turned around. She still didn't believe me and thought I was going to embarrass myself lol. Had a great time and can't wait to go to another someday.
No problem, thanks for reaching out! You were the first person to ever recognize me in public, so I'm glad I also got a picture to remember the moment.😊
In some ways I didn't mind the Hoid info dump simply because the twist gave me so much whiplash that I needed the catharsis of an immediate explanation to chill a bit and move forward through the book.
I do agree though that there does seem to be a slight disconnect where at the beginning it does seem like Painter is just awkward and there isn't necessarily a history between him and the other painters when there is (although I don't mind the twist and actually leads to one of my favorite moments in the book when it talks about what it means to be liar).
Tampa Bay Comic Con was so wonderful for the reason you described. I know it’s silly, but I had really never actually wrapped my head around the size of his fanbase until the event. He is so down to earth for a guy who literally had hundreds of people gathering around his booth just to hear him talk. I went with my roommate who knows nothing about Sanderson and I think she was taken aback by the sheer amount of people frothing over the Dragonsteel booth.
Yeah, it was mind-blowing to me that he had more fans at his booth than were waiting in line to see most of the famous actors!
What I love about the ending is Hoid criticizing the happier ending to the story, just like you did. It’s just brilliant in my opinion. Because while the happy ending is more satisfying and romantic, it does feel less deep and profound than the more tragic ending. 😂
"profound"
"deep"
From the book club series on Brandon's TH-cam channel, Emily says she likes happy endings. The info dump also apparently helped (things were more confusing in earlier drafts), though I agree it still felt a bit awkward, though I'm not sure how to make that work.
Yes!! I love the “stay generic” sign off! Glad it’s back.
Bro! You went to TBCC! I’m sad I didn’t see you, I would’ve said hi.
Aw, where can I find me a husband who will write me stories as a gift? That is so sweet! I might have to find some of these shorter/standalone stories. I did love The Way of Kings. But that was before I knew it was going to be such a long series. There's no way I'm able to commit to something like that. If I'm still alive after they're all done, sure. But I'm not going to get waist deep into a series that's not complete. And I must the only person on the planet that didn't really get into the Mistborn books. I remember being distracted by Real World stuff at the time. Maybe if I tried them again I'd have a better experience. But I do enjoy his writing, so something shorter and not part of a series would be fun.
New catchphrase idea: "Stay entertainment!"
Coming near the end of the book I was crying because it looked like Yumi was going to die ... and then she didn't and I was a little upset! 😆 Guess that means I like sad romances best!
I thought Nathan was wearing an Amazon delivery uniform for about half the video lol.
This was my favorite of the secret projects, for sure. I think it may be my favorite Brandon Sanderson book too. I also found the ending a bit disappointing, but was at the same time happy with it, if that makes any sense at all. Both options would have been enjoyable. I would like to see the now immortal Yumi as a character in later space age Cosmere after painter has died. It would be interesting to see how she deals with that, and whether she could in good conscience sit out the conflict that we see developing in Kingmaker. As to your criticism of painter's relationship with his friends, I agree it wasn't very well explained why he could not simply go and talk to them at the beginning. But I think the whole lie scenario is actually pretty realistic. I have see groups of friends who otherwise had no problems with each other torn apart by one big lie before.
As to why painter is consistently sympathetic and not really that bad of a guy, I think it goes back to another of the themes that is consistent throughout Brandon's work, forgiveness. It is less that Brandon is saying that Painter's actions weren't bad, and more about him being repentant for them. I think Yumi's ultimate forgiveness of Painter's lies and her understanding of his weaknesses is meant to contrast with his friends. I think the Dreamwatcher segment also is much more about showing that Painters value should not have been tied up in the Dreamwatch in the first place, rather than arguing that the lie was not that important. The key parts of Painters character is that he (ultimately) recognizes the wrong of his actions, but that he is to tied up in self pity to seek forgiveness.
"Longform book review" bud this is literally 1/8th the length of a normal Shardcast episode I think you're fine.
This comment was definitely not born of my self-consious anxiety that nobody is actually interested in listening to me ramble for 16 minutes.
there's no such thing as "the objective quality of a work of art." I suppose when a large number of people come to a common consensus about a work, we can treat that consensus as fact, but ultimately the true value of art can only be ascertained personally.
I'm glad you were able to go to Comic Con & that it was a good experience! I've never been able to go to one of those events for any of my fandoms. It's always made me sad. But, at the same time... if I did have a bad experience either with meeting a celebrity or with the other fans, it would really sour things for me. So I guess it's best to keep it as a dream.
SPOLER SPOILER SPOILER!!!!
Love the review but I kind of disagree with the Painter revealing he lied to/misled his friends bit being a weird twist.
I think it's a very natural twist to have to be quite frank - I have both felt the overwhelming pressure of having to deliver and disappointing and have lived with people doing that.
It's quite crushing and can lead to someone being paralyzed.
It's not about it being hard to talk to other people, it's more about them feeling betrayed.
You're spending too much time around people who care too much about the "objective" quality of an artist's work, who compare their work to everyone else's.
Yumi and the Nightmare Painter was one of the greatest books I've ever read. Brandon's characters feel more real to me than others I've read.
I do not care about the eloquence of the prose, or the uniqueness necessarily of the characters - I care that his characters feel like people. People I see myself in.
I do not bristle at others who do not like Brandon's work - but with those who are vocal about disliking it, I don't let them ruin my enjoyment.
I'm not afraid to say it. I love his work, and I aspire to write things as meaningful as him someday.
This one is my favorite of the secret projects so far and I did not expect that. I read all the spoiler chapters a year ago and I thought Frugal Wizard would be my favorite. I do enjoy Frugal Wizard a ton, but find I connect with Yumi so much more. (Warning: spoilers in the comments below.)
Also, considering the looming threat of AI replacing artists at this time, Yumi confronts a current issue with the conflict between the machine and the Yokihijo (spelling?😅). I don’t think AI will absorb all the spirits of the human race, at least I hope not. But up to the point you realize that is what is going on, it does feel like something artists are facing right now. Another issue we are currently dealing with, the commodification of art and how that can break an artist, is in Painter's story.
And, I'm a large FF10 fan and saw all the connections to that game in the plot. I wonder if in the sequel Yumi and Painter will dress up in outfits to summon spirits. (Just kidding, but if you know you know. 😅)
Pretty crazy that he wrote it before AI was really an issue
Yeah, it was indeed a very timely book! And what's more impressive is that, as @TheAmyrlinSeat said, AI was not on most people's minds back when the book was written. (I actually was thinking about asking Brandon about some of his inspirations for that plotline, but alas, didn't end up doing so.)
I'm gonna have to outright disagree with you about Yumi's status at the end of the book
SPOILERS
Yumi's ENTIRE ARC through the whole novella was to understand that the way she's been raised is not the only way, and that she's her own person with her own desires and has a right TO those desires and dreams. Having her grow beyond her duty, what was once her entire world, what the most satisfying ending I could've asked for.
I'm the guy who shook your hand on the way out of the Brandon Sanderson spotlight 👍
this was a really good review, your points were great and I 100% agree with you gripes
Not the best characters in the world? His are the most relatable I’ve ever read!
I Just stumbled on this and love your review of this story. This book is my favorite book of the year, I loved it that much. (I think it is the arrest in me.) The only book of Brandon Sanderson I have read is the first Mistborn, and then this one. I am mostly a fan of his podcast. With that said, I loved this book so much. I wanted to comment on your spoiler thoughts, you are not the first person to have that thought about the ending, and to that I say, (All in good fun,) Have you read romance? Happy Ever Afters is a must have. You can’t end the book without that. It’s a hard rule for Romance. A firm, hard, rule. Yes it’s sappy, and cheesie, but that is why most of us read romances, you go into it knowing there is going to be a Happy Eever After. So, yeah, not sure how to end this thought, anyway; Thanks for your review of the book. I love talking about this book with people that have read it. And thanks again.
Thanks for watching! And in answer to your question...ah, no, you're right in guessing that I don't really read romance. Still, tragic romance is a thing, and I figured the story might be heading that direction, especially given how it was foreshadowed earlier on. But either way, I thought the ending was overall quite strong.
@@genericallyentertaining ok. Fair. I'm happy with the ending, and will probably make this book a reread for me.
I like your wall clock!
Hello, i just found your channel and enjoyed your video! Spoilers for anyone reading!
I wasn't sure about the ending when she was brought back, but i heard someone else's take on it and changed my mind. For all of Yumi's life she was expected to do anything to serve and do exactly what was expected of her without ever having a choice. She never got to choose for herself until she met painter. In the end she was able to choose to live her life with painter.
I don't know if it's true that it is it's his most personal book.... Content wise.... There definitely was a loving gesture involved... Wanting to include romance in his writing because his wife felt like it was missing. I think a lot of the idea for it actually came from manga and Korean media though... Don't know that there was really in particular more of anything personal written into the characters
I always assumed that it wasn't able to kill everyone because the nomads didn't have the Connection to it required.
So I really enjoyed Tress. . .didn't enjoy Frugal Wizard as much. ..and Yumi falls somewhere inbetween.
I enjoy Hoid's commentary in both books. . .it was a good cutaway (and honestly the info dump I found was needed. . .the context clues may have been there, but I appreciate it being spelled out). I can't decide if I like the happy ending or not. . . I'm okay with the happy ending. . .I would have been fine if she had died. I am also a sucker for happy endings though
Any chance of a review of any Jack Vance? Tales of the Dying Earth maybe?
I've never read a Brandon Sanderson book, but I'd be very curious to know if the story he wrote for his wife is the same story the public got.
I don't think it's worth overly analyzing Yumi machine in the context of AI developments which didn't yet exist at the time of writing. if Awakening is to be seen as AI, it definitely falls under the category of "weak" or "narrow" AI, especially since it is instantiated for a specific purpose by a specific original Command.
Yeah, I think you're right. Something about the ending just felt weird to me, and this is me gesturing to random thoughts I had trying to figure out what it is.
As a software engineer with some "AI" experience, I would not have called the machine an AI at all, and certainly not super intelligent... but I'm not sure now thinking about it further. Maybe I'm biased by Hoid's explanation, taking it at face value. I'll have to re-read!
Honestly my least favourite SP so far tbh…it was…way to obvious from the beginning and I didn’t like any of the characters…..