Brandon Sanderson Ranks His Own Books | Ft Brandon Sanderson

[@racsoboom8570]

'I naturally need a break in between books doing something else' I love how Brandon's idea of a break is writing a different book.

[@MrRusty103]

The man almost comes off as having an actual addiction to writing novels.

[@bryanyoung9966]

It’s so true.

[@breezy3392]

The man is inhuman in the best way

[@Hotarg]

And the different books are all A+ quality on top of that

[@SenorGuina]

@@MrRusty103 most career writers do, that's why they are so good at it

[@Raverenz06]

I have a huge amount of respect for Sanderson always sitting down with the community and fans. Brandon acknowledging he didn’t mean to leave behind the squad twice for Cytoverse is everything. Definitely missed the gang together.

[@crusherven]

Yeah, I think that's why I didn't really enjoy book 2 that much. Too much Spensa, I guess, without her friends to bring her back to earth. I still haven't read book 3 for that reason. I know lots of people love Spensa; she's just a little much for me.

[@alexisr84798]

@@crusherven i like the second book, but the first 200 pages of the third book were really hard to get through for me. I'm also glad he brought up ditching the squad, because that really bothered me for the third book. If you had a hard time with the second, I'd recommend reading a plot summary of the third because it'll be super difficult for you to read through otherwise

[@bye1551]

One thing that makes Sanderson's work so fantastic is that he is very in tune with his audience, and that requires being involved in the community. Being a "nerd" isn't enough to appeal to nerd culture, one must truly embrace and swim in nerd culture, and that's exactly why he knows what works with us. Fantastic author, and while I don't know him personally, he definitely presents as an increadibly likeable and down to earth person

[@m3ga7ron86]

That is the hardest part about books 2 and 3 in the cytoverse. I really missed the original flight. the new guys are great but it was hard needing to emotionally connect to 3 separate flights. i'm excited to get back to the original gang in book 4

[@joshmccarty8800]

Only problem is he might have written a book during the down time if he hadn’t. Just kidding kind of.

[@johntybagend]

The surprise and then smile on Brandon’s face when Merphy compliments his teenage female writing. Wholesome stuff.

[@shannon2123]

I’m so happy as an author he could hear that ❤️ he works so hard on his characters and I hope Brandon realizes how much we all appreciate it!

[@captain4318]

He was genuinely so happy with that compliment, very wholesome indeed!

[@HarukoZ001]

It was such a wonderful reaction.

[@LordOfAllusion]

I love that reaction he gave to that.

[@martinmishov8278]

@@HarukoZ001 аа

[@_gamma.]

His ranking by how hard it was to write is way more interesting than if he’d just ranked his favorites!

[@Florfilm]

I agree. Such an awesome concept.

[@annejia5382]

true. merphy really chose the perfect option. 🥰

[@Todiros]

Right! Very original idea for a video.

[@Liesmith424]

Sanderson dropping a "super easy, barely an inconvenience" warmed my cold, dead heart.

[@queerqueen098]

And then Vin did a backflip broke the badguys neck and saved the day

[@Liesmith424]

@@queerqueen098 "Oh, beating up disabled people is *tight*!" "What?"

[@queerqueen098]

@@Liesmith424 wait who beat up a disabled person?

[@yf-n7710]

@@queerqueen098 It's a reference to the Ryan George youtube channel; they have a series called "Pitch Meetings" where they basically make fun of various things (usually movies or shows) by making a mock pitch meeting. There's a few recurring lines that appear in every singe one, like "super easy, barely an inconvenience" and "Oh, _____ is tight!" I can't remember which Pitch Meeting "beating up disabled people is tight" is from though.

[@queerqueen098]

@@yf-n7710 no I know that. I was just wondering who beat up a disabled person cuz I don't remember that

[@kaelin5778]

Are we gonna talk about the fact that he wrote warbreaker ON HIS HONEYMOON 😂😂

[@amjadkchy]

Explains why it’s arguably the horniest of his books 😂

[@isaiuchiha1490]

The horniest cosmere book jeje

[@costelinha1867]

That explains why this book is so horny. Brandon would write a chapter after he and his wife had a discussion about the theology of her breasts. (But jokes aside, this really is a pretty funny bit of trivia.)

[@costelinha1867]

Makes sense since he's the "Vacations are a great time to write novels" guy.

[@Erick-tv8oq]

I hope Emily knew what she was getting into lmao

[@aaradhyagupta8124]

The madman literally said he wrote books to take a break from writing books🤣🤣. I love this man and I loved the video.

[@MetalCharlo]

That's the most Sanderson thing Brandon ever did lmfao

[@breezy3392]

The same man who secretly wrote four books behind our backs

[@Hotarg]

The Steelheart and Skyward novels were "break" books. I think Rithmatist was, too. Each of those little side stories ends up becoming a new book series.

[@localabsurdist6661]

Thats what a lot big authors do if they publish a lot of books. What I think is more fascinating is how great all of his books are and how he keeps up the quality!!

[@Th1sUsernameIsNotTaken]

It makes sense. It's not that he needs a break from writing books, it's that he needs to be able to step back from the series to come back to it with fresh eyes and mind.

[@LucasCarter2]

Sanderson is the modern author. The days of the enigmatic mysterious and impossible to interact with author are gone and now we’re experiencing a lovely situation where authors are open to interacting with fans and the community. Very envious of you here getting to meet this legend.

[@JM-tj5qm]

I totally agree with you, I never liked the idea of artists not being approachable. Sanderson demystifies writing, and I think that's a very good thing

[@Hotarg]

@@JM-tj5qm He actually has said he appreciates having a group of people that really cares about the canon to proofread and make sure he doesn't contradict himself.

[@ornlu_the_wolf]

Well he enjoys it. If someone doesn't I would not like if they felt forced to

[@thelastcube.]

yo I cannot believe you got the man himself to do a tier list This is great

[@thelastcube.]

learning that A Memory of Light was one of his nightmares checks out, the amount of pressure would be unreal

[@rzuue]

To me Vin was the first (and till this day only) character that was exactly the way I always had wanted a female lead to be. That’s why The Final Empire will always be my fav.

[@crusherven]

Vin is one of my favorite characters

[@BunnyOnASnuman]

Vin is so good, there has to be a 2 hour analisis on her somewhere in KZbin

[@metalfindus]

Totally agree. That's how you do strong female protagonists. I loved how she didn't start being the strongest but had to learn and fail along the way and she still keep her flaws. Hollywood should learn from Sanderson.

[@ricremricrem2221]

I read the first sentence of Vin's POV and my brain immediately went "this one, this is our favorite character of all time, this is the one we will be emotionally connected to the most from now on" and I want to mention that this position was a 3 way tie since I was 11 which was ten years ago. Like Vin is such an awesome character and woman that I could not help but love her as a character and be in complete awe of who she was, it was the first time in a long time that I full heartedly wished the best for a character I was reading about. This made Hero of Ages hard to read cuz I read the first El chapter and imminently knew how the arcs for him and Vin ended so I proceeded to drop it for like 2 months until my friend told me that the ending made sense for their characters and that it was amazing and well he was right, Vin's character arc is absolutely amazing from start to finish and it left me happy. Anyways sorry for the mini rant.

[@Vin_one8978]

Mistborn was an incredible read. So glad I happened upon it.

[@MarcAmAlb]

Sanderson always comes along as such a nice person. Engaging with his readers and generous with advice and comments.

[@Florkl]

I’m loving the idea of Sanderson having to research Gothic Romance. Putting on a disguise and going undercover to the local library so nobody recognizes he’s the one borrowing a bunch of saucy old stories (I’m sure it was easy and online but I prefer this mental image)

[@rriggs6547]

Seriously. And how many fantasy/Sci-fi authors would be dedicated enough to getting the right feel to actually do this? Though I am sure there is some crossover there probably isn't a lot of people who read both and he easily could have said forget about it. I will just write what I think it is.

[@Slipfish]

@@rriggs6547 Honestly I think you'd be surprised. If you go to any writer's group, even amateurs or people who've just barely been paid to write (like me, this isn't intended as condescension), one of the things those people will almost universally commiserate over is time researching obscure things that are barely relevant to their project. I've lost entire days/weeks over what will end up being a simple referential sentence or paragraph in a science fiction or cyberpunk story. I'm currently reading through enough source material on native and southern/Caribbean black communities and cultures for a southern gothic/western themed fantasy universe it'd make a college curriculum blush. And that's actually not unusual in writer circles. We tend to be the type who really hate getting things wrong, even if they're only important to us.

[@rashkavar]

@@Slipfish Then you get the worldbuilders like me who get so lost in the research hole that the realization that there was supposed to be a story taking place somewhere in this project is a realization that happens years down the road.

[@Florkl]

@@Slipfish And as someone who is detail oriented, I appreciate that. It is often that one paragraph that rips me out of the story by getting something wrong (remembering the difference in scale between nitrogen molecules and cells negates a major plot point in a certain popular Hard Sci-Fi book) or makes me an instant fan of the author by getting something fun but obscure right.

[@verlandes1]

I think you're picturing him borroqing Harlequin-novels - gothic romance is Austen and Brontë and the likes!

[@ManCarryingThing]

Woah! This is such an an awesome idea, loved this!

[@miraclemaker1418]

Man carrying ideas (from one channel to another)

[@Ktulured55]

Man Carrying Brando Sando Pride 😄

[@robotradar]

He cannot be serious. Sanderson gave neither marriage advice nor told any way to reconnect with your estranged son. Worst Sanderson Vid ever.

[@matheusvmoraes]

Awesome video! I could watch Sanderson discuss his books for hours, he speaks so well.

[@Darkkfated]

Go watch his lectures from BYU then, even if you're not an aspiring author they're tons of fun and it's hours and hours of Brandon dropping wisdom and making pop culture references.

[@matheusvmoraes]

@@Darkkfated I actually watched one of them, and appreciated very much. 👍🏼

[@OverlyAverageBen]

This was a great video! And if there is one thing I love about Sanderson, it's about how self aware he is in reflecting on his work, there's nothing better than when an author expresses the same issues you had with one their books because it gives you that confidence that it will be addressed and fixed in the future.

[@nicb4526]

Agreed! I loved how he described the Alloy of Law series because how he felt about writing it definitely explains how I felt about them. I had a hard time with the first two, but now I know it's because he did too, or at least how he approached them was harder for me to jive with.

[@bryanyoung9966]

Agreed. He’s self aware without the self consciousness. Takes a level of self confidence most people (not just writers) don’t have.

[@thisisnancybot]

As a writer currently struggling by with later books in series, it’s comforting to know that Sanderson also struggles with their inevitable complexities.

[@xaviermarnell2255]

What books do you write?

[@legrandliseurtri7495]

I finished the first draft of a book a couple days ago, and it might not be a series, but it's bigger than some trilogies at 170k words so it kind of is. It definitively became more challenging to write later on despite the fact that I was motivated by all the work already done.

[@peachtime]

What is the name of them?

[@Ciervorelajado]

Give us the naaaaaaaaaaaaaaame!

[@ryankluck5041]

Oof; he is going to use “undulating” like 5 times as much in his next book now! 😂

[@Dekken88]

That would be hilarious but he would be hard pressed to top Daniel on that font.

[@longshot9757]

Thankfully for Merphy's sanity, I cannot recall a single instance he used the term "undulate" 5×0=0

[@stormysurge9083]

Diaphanous stood out to me in Oathbringer. He only used it like 2 or 3 times but it just jumped at me everytime I read it lol

[@SeiShinCasios]

@@longshot9757 then you havnt read tress yet! thats most likely why she was wearing the shirt - the came together to discuss Tress of the emerald sea.

[@Darkkfated]

I'll take "undulating" over "maladroitly".

[@thejustinwestra]

Did Brandon just reference Pitch Meetings? 😂 “Super easy, barely an inconvenience.” I haven’t read anything by Brandon Sanderson yet, but this was a fun video to watch! The Way of Kings and The Final Empire are both on my TBR.

[@AlisAquilae92]

I wonder if Ryan knows?

[@thraden487]

He did watch some Pitch Meetings, he referenced them on a podcast at least once.

[@ashutoshmohapatra7320]

@@thejustinwestra Whoopsie

[@bibliophilecb]

I’ve also seen him reference Sarah Z and I believe Jenny Nicholson in his podcast or livestreams. It’s so wild to me that my favorite author also watches a lot of my favorite KZbin channels!

[@jonathanpuccetti9258]

Referencing other youtubers is tight!

[@Plex128]

YES! I've heard a lot of people mentioning Sanderson over the years, but your channel was on of the reasons why I recently started reading his books. And I love 'em! Hyped for this video!

[@babycarrot7256]

Went to his class at BYU a couple of weeks ago and he talked about characters. How he described writing Sazed is exactly what he was teaching. One of his principles of writing a character is the balance between a character’s competence, values, and proactiveness (as in are they helping to progress the story, not just a depressed person sitting in a room). Was really cool to see that connection. And yes, he is always very courteous and kind to everyone he meets. Very charismatic to all the students and stays after class to talk to people individually. Doesn’t just up and leave.

[@Ren99510]

Brandon is such a hard working dude, and yet still manages to carve out time to do stuff like this for and with the community. It's really astonishing!

[@GideonCyn]

The way he describes the characters voices (the nuances and the subtle differences depending on which character they are interacting with) is why he is considered one of the greatest fantasy writers of our generation. Anyone who has ever tried writing will know that making a character unique and believable without them coming across as obnoxious is very hard to do.

[@AhsimNreiziev]

He learned from Robert Jordan, who was one of the best, if not the straight-up GOAT (although that last part is subjective, of course).

[@legrandliseurtri7495]

@@AhsimNreiziev I only read the first book of wheel of time, but one of my biggest problems with it was that every character felt exactly the same. I barely managed to finish it.

[@darthmalgus232]

@@legrandliseurtri7495 I’m reading it now (I’m at the end of book 5) and most of the main female characters (Elayne, Nynaeve, Egwene, Aviendah, and Faile) feel like slightly different versions of each other and they’re all super obnoxious which doesn’t help. I like Rand, though I wish he would explain himself more, especially to the four girls I listed, would make things so much easier if he just explained his thoughts a little more. Honestly a lot of problems would be solved if the characters actually tried to talk things out meaningfully with one another instead of holding things back and calling each other stupid fools. I find Perrin really boring. I don’t know how to feel about Mat yet. He seems fine to me right now. I think Perrin and Rand are very similar too (mostly in how they refuse to seriously stand up for themselves against the girls), Mat not as much.

[@mikesionu]

Thanks Merph! I really like that Sando is so approachable and is engaging with you, good to see that success has not gone to his head.

[@velosistar237]

I'm only 5 minutes in but i appreciate how Brandon talks about his writing experience but i also appreciate how he refers to people reviewing his books on goodreads! its respectful of people not liking it without getting defensive or anything which is refreshing with a lot of the writer/reviewer drama of late

[@litlbucky]

Amazing video! Interesting to hear Sanderson talk about different aspects of books being challenging.

[@Lynn-CA]

Excellent video. I'm not a huge Sanderson reader, but I always find what he has to say super interesting and as a Skyward series fan hearing his thoughts on Cytonic was illuminating 😂

[@Kujakuseki01]

The video isn’t out yet. And Skyward is middling, uncreative and written as if by a teenager.

[@OracleTruth24]

@@Kujakuseki01she most likely watched it through the Patreon. Why do you feel the need to attack someone else’s opinion on books they like?

[@Lynn-CA]

@@Kujakuseki01 I know this video isn’t out yet, I’m not sure why you're pointing that out??? As for Skyward, apart from Cytonic I’ve really enjoyed the books. Each to their own.

[@karlholde6901]

My guess is that patrons get early access. Also it's cool if you aren't into skyward, but maybe you can phrase it in a way that's a bit less rude?

[@swolechihuahua4905]

@@Kujakuseki01 Ah yes, good'ol let me heavily criticize someone for liking a book i don't enjoy based only on subjective criteria in order to self-validate my sense of superiority in the books i choose to read and the time and love i dedicate to them 🙃.

[@ocelatingocelots]

The more I see Brandon in videos on his channel and others, the more respect I gain for him. He feels jarringly down-to-earth in spite of all the incredible feats he's accomplished. That is such an impressive trait. This was a great idea for a schedule sensitive video. Thank you for sharing with us!

[@GreatOldOne9866]

I’m almost halfway through Way of Kings, my first book from him, and let’s me tell you, Brandon is my new favorite author. His writing and characters are just so much more compelling and fun and I like it better than a lot of other modern fantasy I’ve tried.

[@OrbitalCookie]

If you are only halfway through, then the best is yet to come.

[@GreatOldOne9866]

@@OrbitalCookie that’s what I’m counting on 👌 😎 can’t wait to read it all!

[@marenkendall7413]

You are in for a JOURNEY my friend!

[@OrbitalCookie]

Are you done yet if you don't mind us asking? 🙃

[@GreatOldOne9866]

@@OrbitalCookie not yet. Red Dead Redemption 2 is kinda being a distraction.

[@richg.3711]

Murphy and Brando Sando in the same room making a tier list. I can die happy

[@stephenwade5534]

Seeing him place Memory of Light as a Nightmare to write was no surprise, The final novel in a beloved series begun by another author, the voices in his head (as a huge fan himself) and the voices from publishers fans etc must have been intense. Nice to know that he had Harriet's full support. All I can say is the boy done good. Excellent book that tied up loose ends and gave a masterpiece of fantasy writing a satisfying end. I highly recommend his lecture series on YT, he is an excellent orator on the craft of writing fantasy fiction.

[@dani22257]

I am not a great fan of Sanderson's work (don't shoot me) but have been an absolute fan of the man for a while now. What he shares with the community/his fans about writing and whatnot is always interesting to me. He always seems to go out of his way to be inclusive and share his writing and some of the things that go on behind the scenes (be they good or bad) and to me that deserves a lot of respect. Also, great idea for a video Merphy. I wish this could be a series where you do this kind of thing with other writers as well. I always love to hear authors talk about their writing process and to hear what their experiences were whilst writing a certain book is awesome. Thank you for this ♥

[@freelookmode9837]

My best friend is the same way. She doesn't care for Sanderson's books, but she really likes listening to him talk about the writing process

[@MrChaluliss]

Oathbringer hit different for me. The struggle of Dalinar, Teft, Kaladin, really resonated with me due to challenges I had in my life at the time. No other fantasy novel has ever brought tears out of me like that book did.

[@davidmeza993]

Good call asking about the writing process specifically as opposed to his general favorite work. Interesting insights.

[@scottevensen2615]

My sister introduced me to Final Empire: "It's got this girl who flies around and beats everyone up. It's awesome!" And she was absolutely correct, Vin is amazing! 👍

[@Doommaster677]

Going through Way of Kings right now (The last three books of the Wheel of Time were my introduction to Sanderson's prose and style) and LOVING it

[@Meister_Dwight]

My favorite book!!

[@genericallyentertaining]

This was such a great idea for a video! Some of these anecdotes were what I expected, and some definitely weren't; I was also surprised to hear Tress was challenging, since it just seemed to flow right out of him (not to mention the whole "writing it in secret for his wife" thing.)

[@christhewritingjester3164]

I always appreciate these types of Sanderson videos, he's such an open book about his process. I found this particular topic over his books very interesting and enlightening. I can imagine just the overall concept of a universe spanning who knows how many books is going to be challenging to keep in-line. Any time I think about doing something like that for any of my ideas I start to see the ripples of change and back off of the concept.

[@GoldenMechaTiger]

His face when you tell him about Spensa is just great

[@Rie_Bot]

I cannot believe a book as fantastic as the final empire was in the easiest category. This was a great video!

[@vespaesian]

Brilliant. I’ve been waiting for a one on one video between you two for so long. Better than I expected, you two were a joy to watch!

[@joshrist]

Listening to him explain on his podcast how tightly scheduled his life is is insane. The man is constantly going it seems. I don't know how I'd live with it.

[@NonAnonD]

Which podcast does he explain his schedule on?

[@joshrist]

Intentionally Blank. It's not a specific episode or anything but its mentioned several times here and there as even that podcast is rigidly scheduled between other things, even to the point where they had to record an episode of it while driving between appointments because Brandon just didn't have time else where that week.

[@RoseZalica]

I have a feeling that he writes to escape his tightly scheduled life ;) (I’m so sorry, I know what you mean, I just couldn’t stop myself from writing down my stupid brain vomit of the moment🥲)

[@joshrist]

​@@RoseZalica No need to be sorry at all. In fact I'm pretty sure that's the exact reason that the secret projects came into existence.

[@akidra0519]

Fairly new to your channel, fairly new to fantasy, and the first channel I followed for book recommendations is talking with the first author I've really delved into about his books? Can't wait for this!

[@Rand_al-Thorfinn]

This was such a delightful surprise of a video, I can't wait to watch those Tress discussions when they come out.

[@jasonkroulik9283]

He said ‘Writing Wayne was a blast’ 😂

[@hkpew]

lol. I didn't catch that when he said it.

[@raquelmarcalsantos]

Aw man 😂

[@marinamaddox6285]

T_T

[@michaelvcelentano]

Can he write either an autobiography or a book on productivity or both? I feel like he has so much to teach artists when it comes to motivation, marketing, and how to craft a sustainable career

[@babadook1283]

Idk if you're aware but he has lectures on KZbin where he talks about writing.

[@michaelvcelentano]

@@babadook1283 I’m aware of his classes online, I’m more interested in his life as a working artist and how he thinks about the building of his brand. I’m a singer myself, so more interested in the general artist-y thoughts on realism v. creativity when building a business

[@crimsonraen]

MERPHY! This was SO great! Seriously, thanks so much for making this! This was such an engrossing video with so much awesome behind the scenes Sanderson info! Also, "Couldn't get people out of my grill for writing it" sounds a lot like Rothfuss' struggles lately.

[@brianmarini4841]

I FINALLY got around to starting the Cosmere. I only just finished the first part of Mistborn and I'm already hooked.

[@matt-lang]

This was such a fantastic concept for a video, I love that it's a truly unique tier list concept and it's really surprising to hear which books he struggled to write! Although I'm not surprised at the "Easy" and "Fun" books.

[@terrydawson2728]

I would love to meet this man someday just to tell him how much he means to us all. I’m sure he hears it all the time but I’d still want him to hear it again.

[@chandlerholloway3900]

Man, Brandon and Merphy are just so cool. The duo we’ve always wanted. I hope you guys keep doing more stuff like this! You both work really well together

[@biancavictoria8746]

So cool to see your career blooming like this, congrats Merphy. And great video!!

[@ZiggityZeke]

I can tell this man loves his job. Well done Brandon! I thoroughly enjoy all your books.

[@Savedbygrace1999]

Been watching this channel for ages but have never commented before😅 just dropped £75 on the mistborn trilogy and stormlight books because of this channel. Currently about 100 pages into final empire. Absolutely loving it🙂

[@Uther1313]

I love the transparency and willingness to share his process.

[@tracybartels7535]

I very much enjoyed this, even though at 40% of the way through "Rhythm of War", I don't know if I'm less excited about the flashbacks to come or more excited about the very last one, which is 32 hours of audio away. And now I want to borrow my son's copy of "Tress" in order to see Sanderson's style change, because after listening to the entire Stormlight saga (to date) in just over 2 months, I am starting to think in the style of of "She drove to work through the darkened streets, murmuring softly, questioning her life choices."

[@tyrionstrongjaw7729]

I know I'm super late to this video, but I just really appreciate the respect that you, Daniel (and others) have given Brandon. It's such a rare thing to have an author so earnestly open about what he's doing. I know some people see it as "for the brand" but he just strikes me as a person that is almost infatuated with writing (and absolutely infatuated with stories/characters) and is such a wealth of knowledge. I saw that stupid article that was written (several months back now) where some reporter just absolutely abused the time Brandon gave them and just wrote a malicious hit piece to sound....interesting or "superior??" It's people like you that kinda keep my hope alive that we can respect people and not just use them for a few clicks. All while being entertaining and honest with both your praises and critiques. When people that are excited about stories interact it's always a good time. Great video, even with time constraints and obviously rushing through the ends to respect his obligations it was more insight than I expected! Long winded, but thanks. Really respect the way you operate. Cheers.

[@ashe4911]

The Rithmatist was the first book of Sanderson’s I’ve read and got back me back to reading. I’m glad it was a fun one to write

[@Nerd1090]

That was the most recent book I sat down and read in one day

[@wendellpowell5838]

So I’m a total noob to Sanderson and just started reading his stuff and love it. Somehow the algorithms have learned this and have recommended videos like this and his own channel which I’ve enjoyed watching and I’m blown away how genuine and personable Sanderson seems. Like huge heart. There’s very few people that I think I’d want to actually meet (not so much just cause of them but because I’m too introverted) but he is one that I genuinely feel like is a solid guy to just chill with. Thanks for this fun watch!

[@VoidSplendor]

Awesome to see you interview some of your favorite authors, Merphy.

[@Gamerupt313]

This was such a fun and interesting video to watch. Brandon is so real and humble when talking about his work and I really enjoy it.

[@rustymolla]

So excited to hear that you're a part of the book club! Very excited for it!

[@jlcjanes]

My absolutely favorite duo. Thanks Merphy for this video!! It made my day 🤍🤍🤍

[@TamilaSushkova]

Words of Radiance being the like fan-favourite is so real like actually 😭Never have I read an amazing second book, that was better than the first book. I read WoR in 16 days and nearly burst into tears at the end because I felt so empty (and I still have videos of my reactions haha)

[@merrymeganberry]

I truly enjoyed this video! So awesome that you were able to be a part of the Tress discussions and that you were able to make a video with him in between it all! Love his writing and his books!

[@harmonicarchipelgo9351]

Memory of Light is absolutely phenomenal though, so I guess the hard work paid off in a major way. I think it is my favorite epic fantasy novel of all time.

[@andytaylor6267]

Brandon is such a remarkably frank and open writer. I love the way he talks about his writing process. Even if you don't love his work, you have to admire the way the man engages with his own work aand his fans!

[@DrMythosQC]

I discovered Sanderson last year through a Henry Cavill interview, and what a great recommendation it was! This video was super fascinating to watch!

[@Crumbz19]

Wow merphy! I got into your channel a few years ago looking for books and now you're talking to Sanderson 😭 congratulations!

[@rriggs6547]

Not only did you get this sit down, but Sanderson actually wasn't signing anything while he did it. That may be the biggest shock of all.

[@MalachiNorris]

Hearing Brandon Sanderson quote Ryan George was one of the greatest moments of my day for some reason. I have no idea why it made me so happy, so I'm going to need you to get all the way off my back about it. Suffice it to say, what many other users will also say: Pitch meetings are TIGHT!

[@jolynnensz9000]

Brandon and my fav booktuber ever making a video. Happy me. 🤩

[@adoniscreed4031]

Jesus I assumed that this was just Merphy ranking Sanderson books, almost fell from my chair when I ready the actual title 🤣

[@aionis562]

sanderson is the rare type you root for success because he seems like a genuine good dude. specially with the whole tres and audible stuff i learned about because he decided to skip audible. thats so messed up what they do to authors because they need audible =/

[@drummerguy438]

I loved every second of this. Hearing him talk candidly instead of a curated "lesson" or speech was lovely.

[@melissamybubbles6139]

I'd never seen an interview with him before. He seems nice. Maybe I'll try one of his books.

[@benjaminjaffe9129]

This was so rad, thanks for this Merphy! Now let's do the literally impossible and get Oda to rank arcs. Seriously though, I've loved the channel for a long time and this was really neat.

[@RDillonD]

Lol I love that Sanderson just casually dropped super easy barely an inconvenience in the middle of the convo

[@bryanyoung9966]

What is this reference from?

[@RDillonD]

@@bryanyoung9966 pitch meeting

[@Amcsae]

There's a KZbinr named Ryan George who has a series of videos poking fun at movies by imagining the meeting where a screenwriter pitches his story to a producer. They are hilarious, and there are a lot (a lot!) of catchphrases/ running gags in the series, probably the most famous of which starts with the producer pointing out something that ought to be hard (ie "it'll be pretty difficult to get out of *that* situation") and the writer responds, "it'll be super easy, barely an inconvenience", producer:"oh, really?!", writer:"yeah, you see [silly explanation] "

[@bryanyoung9966]

@@Amcsae thank you!

[@ivelmendorf4440]

Probably my favorite Brandon Sanderson video now. So cool to hear his perspective on where he was when he was writing.

[@Yondi1000]

This is so great. What a fantastic idea Merphy!

[@KevinHorecka]

Just found this channel and this is the first time I've ever seen a video of Brandon Sanderson (though I've read every cosmere book). He's so enthusiastic! It's great how much space you give him in the video to express that enthusiasm. Really fun video!

[@DadBodDan88]

Words of Radiance is a masterpiece. It is literally, by far, the best book I have ever read/listened too (both, but please don't judge, I move around at work and it helps). Edit: Also, Lopen and Hoid are my favorites.

[@Meister_Dwight]

SAME, though Way of Kings remains my favorite due to certain struggles I relate personally to.

[@BilboniousBagODonuts]

I love the audio for all of SA. Performance of Hoid made me laugh out loud more than any literary character.

[@Enjun38]

I'm invested in this video purely on the format. Interview of creator in this format is amazingly interesting.

[@daniel_arevalo_6490]

I started reading Sanderson books because of Merphy’s channel!

[@akernis3193]

This was a joy to watch. I'm always happy to see content with Brandon. And you are such a good interviewer. It sounded and looked like both of you had a lot of fun.

[@Falco4077]

Still hoping for a second Elantris book. I know it will probably never happen, but I love the world and how it's all set up for a 2nd book.

[@life-destiny1196]

hi I'm from the future and I have good news

[@AnekdotenAusDerGeschichte]

I have no idea how things got from watching you reading One Piece for the first time to you're making videos with Brandon Sanderson, but man, do I love it

[@TheNinjaBees]

Wow!! A Sanderson book club sounds so so fun!! Cant wait for those to drop on Brandon’s channel!! Also congrats! Been a huge fan and it’s awesome to see an author of such a caliber appear in your vids :) love your reading vlogs!

[@reeegs90]

Brandon LOVES that shirt! Also, always love how engaged he is with his audience and community. Good video!

[@CupCakeUnleashed]

Cant believe our dear Murphy is interviewing THE brandon sanderson

[@monkpato]

Surely one of the most down to earth best selling authors around! What a fun video!

[@Valandar2]

Every time I see Brandon Sanderson, I am shocked about how young he really is.

[@Elemantarist]

Sitting down with the legend himself, thank you for bringing this to us!

[@costelinha1867]

"A heist story that turns into an epic fantasy" And it turns epic indeed. Also I think maybe we should make another Cosmere tier-list based on the amount of raised eyebrows and rolling eyes in each book.

[@exprsyourself]

What a feeling that must be that you have written the most popular book in the world minus a comic book series thats been around longer than 38 years! Like just wow. I have hung out with, played magic with Brandon, and talked to him at many of his events over the years and it's just incredible what he has done. Just astounding amazing stuff. We are living with a legend.

[@sarahteter6310]

I want to hear him talk about The Original, which he wrote with Mary Robinette Kowal, because it's my favorite thing I've read from him (I know I'm basically entirely alone with that opinion).

[@domruns9472]

Haven't read a single Sanderson book and don't plan on it, but I love seeing authors talk about their work.

[@TheTrueAlpharius]

I'd love to see a video like this with other authors as well. As others have already commented, it gives way better insight than him just ranking his favourites.

[@Ktulured55]

Yes! Could you imagine one of these with Stephen King?? It would be a long video.

[@scottwallbank4794]

This is great. So nice to see an author so engaged with his fan base. It's really interesting and refreshing for the openess on what he found easy and hard and even isn't as satisfied with or had to completely rework.

[@stanh.78]

So interesting that he had a hard time writing sazed final arc cause that is still my favorite character arc. Joy from begging to end

[@maubeequinnfountain-eitel945]

Warbreaker is my favorite book of his, I was excited to hear that it was fun to write. I'd love a sequel