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PaperclipPerfector  1mo ago (text post)   2534 thread views

Friday Fun Thread for September 19, 2025

Be advised: this thread is not for serious in-depth discussion of weighty topics (we have a link for that), this thread is not for anything Culture War related. This thread is for Fun. You got jokes? Share 'em. You got silly questions? Ask 'em.

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So I finally finished Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson. Not a bad book by any means, but I don't really get why people think this is one of the best things ever written. While I enjoyed the last 80% of the book, and the last 30% was really fantastic, I had to read almost an entire novel of confusing and soulless exposition in the first 20% of the book. Even in the "better" last 80%, Sanderson could really have used a more aggressive editor. The characters are interesting enough, although I found most of them to be two dimensional rather than three dimensional, although this may change in the later books. Prose seemed fine, although difficult to judge because I was reading in Spanish. Book also seems to lack any kind of nuanced themes, although there is some stuff about mental health, religion vs. atheism, and morality in general. All in all, fun if bloated, epic fantasy, that doesn't have anything particular to say about the human condition (other than being depressed doesn't relieve you of responsibility to other people).

That said, I was pleasantly surprised by Sanderson, and I probably will continue with the series. Friends have told me his writing improves over time, which bodes well for my future reading experience, and jives well with my veneration of consistent and patient work as the key to pretty much anything (Sanderson is a very reliable writer who is very transparent and consistent with his deadlines).

I'm a sucker for such scenes as Bridge Four turning back in Book 1, "Honor is dead, but I'll see what I can do" in Book 2, the last day of the trial in Book 4, Maya coming back with the cavalry in Book 5. And the anemic love triangle resolving among the proper social ranks. Other than that, this has been merely a decent fantasy series.

I think outside of the world building, there’s not much to Sanderson. It’s interesting in a kind of D&D setting way, but it lacks a lot of cultural elements, the characters and plot aren’t that interesting, the politics is nonexistent.

Are we talking about the Name of the Wind?

That is the joke

There is kind of annoying stuff in them, but I liked both books in the trilogy.

There is an internet theory that Patrick Rothfuss "father was his shadow writer. It’s Pats idea and world building, but his dad was the one who actually wrote it. After TNOTW and TWMF, Pat wanted to prove to himself that he could continue to write the books from now on. So he wrote TSROST all by himself. But he knew it wasn’t written the same and as the others. That’s why he says people won’t like the book because he knows it didn’t have the same feel as before."

Is that the second book in that series, or the entire series? I only remember reading the first one. And it was about the time I put down all Brandon Sanderson novels. I think he executes decently well, but he also goes off a formula. Or maybe its the same formula every fantasy writer uses. But things became too predictable and I got hardcore into web novels instead.

It's the first book.

The characters are interesting enough, although I found most of them to be two dimensional rather than three dimensional, although this may change in the later books.

It does not, Sanderson is not good at writing characters and this is an issue that becomes worse as the series goes on due its length and what he tries to explore with the characters. The characters are flat and the more you're exposed to them the more obvious it becomes.

Friends have told me his writing improves over time, which bodes well for my future reading experience,

This was true until about the Way of Kings but I would say that he peaked there and even started to decline a few books after, possibly due to his insane schedule.

Prose seemed fine, although difficult to judge because I was reading in Spanish.

What was the glyph Navani painted, and what is unit of value in the climactic trade?

The reason I love the book so much is because of those scenes, starting from when we see Syl full size.

I don't think he's written a better book since, but he's written plenty of good ones.

See I think words of radiance might be my favorite but the end of way if kings is wonderful.

I do love the see with Adolin in the Sadeas camp... And Adolin in general. What a baller.

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