I Am Done With The Cosmere aka Wind and Truth Non-spoiler and Spoiler Review

[@yohannagemuse7229]

Brandon Sanderson broke into my home, tied me to a chair, and forced me to watch The Greatest Showman.

[@christianshobbiblog1816]

@@yohannagemuse7229 Oh no at him breaking into your home! I haven’t seen the movie but can’t go wrong with my man Hugh Jackman 😂

[@oscarchavezavellan2738]

​@@christianshobbiblog1816It is a reference to an unhinge hit piece targeted at Sanderson that came out a year back I think. He invited this Journalist to see his home cinema and put on the greatest showman as a demonstration and he described how he almost cried because he hates that movie. Very bizarre article all around

[@aldan7812]

Yup, I couldn’t stand this book. Huge cosmere nut, this blew my mind with the most ridiculous character decisions, and broken promises he set in book 1. Mr show don’t tell has forgotten the face of his father. Really sad. I am done here too.

[@Architeuthiss]

Hail, gunslinger 😊

[@dustinschalk8825]

And child Roland came

[@jdthegimp]

Im 13 hours into the audio book and not sure im gonna make it. nothing is happening. the therapy stuff is terrible and i miss the more adult tone of the first two stormlight. the seventh grade self help comment was very apt. As someone with major mental health issues thats doing intensive trauma therapy, the kaladin stuff is so disappointing. your words describe my feelings perfectly. I miss the escapism not this juvenile understanding of mental health

[@bp6942]

I gave up about 37 hours in. Im done with Sanderson.

[@DiSw-p6v]

Oh god. As an audio book this must be terrible....

[@bp6942]

@@DiSw-p6v Yea, the voice acting isnt great either.

[@constcarry]

​@@DiSw-p6vthe voice acting is actually really good and, as eye-roll inducing as many of the cringiest lines are, Kramer still manages to give a good performance

[@edboijewlery]

​@@Mark-in8jubro are you huffing gasoline Brandon is literally a Mormon he's not Christian at all. I think you might just be a delusional bigot

[@jasonbrewbaker3932]

Oh boy can’t wait to hear this. I’m glad more and more people are calling out how basic and cringe the writing is. I’m not one of those people who hate the gay relationship in the book. That’s always been in the background. The main problem is the content and horrible modern language being thrown in for no reason…

[@constcarry]

Key point there is that it was in the background lol

[@jasonbrewbaker3932]

@ so what’s the problem with it now being in the foreground. Gay people exist regardless of whether you like us or not. And the addition of Rlain and Renarin into the story made sense given that they’re both tied to Sjanat who’s another Unmade. Renarin is Dalinars son and clearly had a big role to play in the future given how he obstructs the future timelines surrounding key people. Rlain is a singer and has that title “Bridget of Minds” so clearly there’s something in the works there too. Just admit you’re a homophobe and move on. The way people like you act, you’d think Sanderson had thrown in some triple x rated scene when it was nothing but one kiss and a few hand rubs or shoulder rubs….

[@alb0zfinest]

Honestly, if he just fucked over his own books, I wouldn't care. His books have always been absolute garbage. I'm more bitter he destroyed The Wheel of Time. Why was this poor writer ever let near a major fantasy series?

[@dustinschalk8825]

I hate how modern the dialogue is with a lot of these characters. Like I don’t come to a fantasy world wit heroes with magic powers and swords , just to hear them talk like some people do today in the real world. And defintiely a LOT of stuff jisy shoehorned into thsi book. I’m still happy being back in roshar though

[@jasonbrewbaker3932]

@@dustinschalk8825 his next novel will sound like it’s straight out of tik tok and if that’s the case I’m truly done and may request refunds for all prior purchases. It’s shame he has so much potential but either he’s extremely stubborn and close minded to honest criticism or his beta readers and support staff overall and just too terrified of him at this point to give an honest assessment

[@asaffin1]

Kaladin acting like a therapist is one thing, but for him to actually come out and say "I'm his therapist" in a fantasy novel is incredibly jarring and, I think, a neat little microcosm of what Sanderson's writing has become--namely, lazy and uninspired. Or, perhaps more pointedly, overwhelmingly focused on quantity over quality.

[@christianshobbiblog1816]

@@asaffin1 agreed, thank you for watching!

[@paulinedispie]

Kaladin got the word from Witt and didn't understand the meaning himself. He was only repeating what Witt told him.

[@babaXIII]

I hate to say it but this is why I can never get a tattoo of anything I like. They always end up turning to shit at some point. Brandon stating that book 6+ are going to come after 2030 makes this even worse. A terrible book with a terrible ending and we've got to wait 5+ years to see the continuity? Absolutely mental. I love the guy, but as he has stated previously seeing his son struggle with mental health stuff and reading books about mental health has really made him lose his focus from the fantasy into his crusade for mental health. He did much better when he wasn't trying to preach. Everybody loved Kaladin despite his struggles in the first books, so why did it suddenly turn into modern day psychiatry bullshit.

[@Hero_Of_Old]

I hate calling it 'mental health' or 'depression'. Why do we have to be so on the nose about it. Kaladin was a slave, of course he would be depressed.

[@andrewgates5008]

@@babaXIII Read Joe Abercrombie. His books are all phenomenal in my opinion

[@briang3598]

​@Hero_Of_Old A slave with no foreseeable way for things to ever get better. By the end of book 1, that was mostly dealt with, by the end of book 2, that was thoroughly dealt with, and by the end of book 3, his survivor's guilt was dealt with. To have him moping around all of book 4 and continuing to whine in book 5 is both irrational and undermines previous, better books' developments.

[@jessi4894]

So glad I never got that Weezer tattoo, or a stormlight tattoo either.

[@notchbeard9007]

While it didn't make me want to quit the Cosmere it was my least favorite Stormlight book BY FAR. I hate the ending of most storylines.

[@christianshobbiblog1816]

I agree. I have been reading for almost a decade at this point at a hardcore level so I’m more just tired at this point. With how much I did not like this book, I just got more frustrated at how much seemed like a waste in the moment while I talked about it. Maybe in a decade I’ll be back but for now I’ll just look from afar to know how they’re being received so I can be better informed and set my expectations more reasonably.

[@lilyeves892]

I feel like the mental health stuff was always gonna be wonky in this book. The 10 day timer really limited how authentic that would feel, plus the heralds and shallans' mental health stuff was very magic related and thus had mostly magical solutions. More emphasis on the fact that this is just the start of szeths and the heralds healing, especially in the finale days could have made this more clear. Hard agree about moash, the crystal inquisitor thing could be cool, but it wasn't really used here. As for the finale and retribution i really liked it. The contest of champions was litteraly just a stall and if it had actually played out i think the back 5 would have felt to much like mistborn era 2 with a several hundred year gap and a completely replaced main cast. Instead, it seems like the space opera will kick off immediately at book 6, which im really excited for

[@hellgast0]

Having seen reactions from both spectrums, people praising it and people hating it, I think I sit in the middle. I personally enjoyed the book and felt satisfied with the ending, but I also acknowledge it has a lot a flaws and is a step down from the older books. I'm still excited to continue reading the Cosmere, but I hope Sanderson will take the negative feedback to stride to improve his work. I don't know what caused this decline in his writing, but there definitely is some work to do and it's a good thing people are getting more and more critical!

[@itsYTYogi]

Steven Erikson is here to welcome everyone with open arms.

[@christianshobbiblog1816]

Good! I love Malazan!! Have you checked out my reviews for the books? I’ve even done a spoiler discussion with Dr Fantasy aka Philip Chase if you’ve finished up to Crippled God.

[@itsYTYogi]

@ I just started GotM this week! I will check it out when I complete the series though!

[@christianshobbiblog1816]

@ that’s awesome! I loved Gardens of the moon when I restarted it after a decade. My reviews unfortunately start with book 7 but I’m happy to talk about these books as you finish them!

[@down-the-rabbit-hole]

I can't stand Steven Erikson, but I'm not going to sh*t all over him like people are doing to Sanderson here in the comments. (even though I could) I'm just going to say he's not my thing.

[@rexfordhazelton7601]

First 3 books in this series were masterworks, then book four was massive loss of momentum although not awful, then this book...oh boy....what a shame. Just not good. I am no longer excited for the next book, it feels like a looming homework assignment I have to complete if I choose to read on.

[@PringlesCanJohn]

Yeah no one can take that away from him. I read the first 3 back to back and I’ll never forget that experience.

[@christianshobbiblog1816]

@@rexfordhazelton7601 “Looming homework assignment” is so apt for the Cosmere!

[@jasonbrewbaker3932]

Current Rankings? Oathbringer Words of Radiance Rhythm of War The Way of Kings Wind & Truth

[@DiSw-p6v]

Current rankings: Way of Kings Words of Radiance Oathbringer Rhythm of War getting hit by a bus Wind and Truth

[@Ocean5ix]

Mine is: Words of Radiance Wind and Truth Oathbringer Way of Kings Rhythm of War

[@christianshobbiblog1816]

@@jasonbrewbaker3932 Mine is probably 1. Words of Radiance 2. Way of Kings 3. Oathbringer 4. Rhythm of War 5. Wind and Truth

[@jasonbrewbaker3932]

@ I respect it - Why do you rank Way of Kings above Oathbringer just out of curiosity. I feel like TWOK Is sometimes a little slow but it’s understandable given that it’s the first book and so much world building has to occur

[@christianshobbiblog1816]

@ I think the first half of OB really weigh the book down but the second half is 8.5-9/10 for me

[@glowcakes]

Wow. I'm staring to see more negative reviews roll in. Thanks for being candid. I saw a woman dnf it and had to turn her comments on off

[@christianshobbiblog1816]

@@glowcakes yeah this book was not good at all imo! I’ve gotten some flack already on here and in personal dms but I explained all my issues and praised where they’re deserved so I thought I gave a fair review 💀 I can say that I will not be locking my comments as I believe in being a KZbinr who will listen to all opinions no matter how much I disagree. Discussion is half the fun for me! Thank you for commenting and saying what you said. It means a lot 💜

[@EDDO478]

I can’t compare Sanderson to Hobb or GRRM at all. Sanderson has always been a pulp writer. He’s unique in that he publishes a book a year basically, but it’s quantity over quality. To me his books exist as separate from most things I love about fantasy. Don’t get me wrong I enjoy his books and I plan on continuing stormlight archives but I think the love for his stories are from folks frustrated with the paces of Martin and rothfuss. He needs to write slower in my opinion. He won a Hugo for emperors soul so he can write better when he wants to. Which is way is bothers me so much when I read him. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve listened to his (actually good) writing advice just to see him ignore it in his own writing. 🤷

[@christianshobbiblog1816]

@@EDDO478 that’s what frustrates me as well with the writing suffering nowadays despite winning a Hugo. He only does about 5 drafts for each book in the stormlight series and 3 for mistborn and other shorter books I think?? Robert Jordan used to edit his books dozens of times to get the exact language down right (I am aware that he got wordy later on but I still love those books). He doesn’t have to do that many but maybe 10? I feel like conciseness is something he should start prioritizing. Thank you for the comment I enjoy discussions like this.

[@EDDO478]

@ exactly. I think if he just slowed down and worked on one project for say 1.5 years would be ideal. People would be happy with that pace and his books would be better. From what I can see stormlight is his attempt to out do Robert Jordan but he won’t do it by rushing these massive tomes. I also enjoy talking about these things and will sub to your channel. Always nice to see genuine criticism I am pretty sure once the big book tubers get ahold of this book they will be very diplomatic with their issues so they can continue interviewing him haha

[@christianshobbiblog1816]

@ haha very good points and thank you for the kind words! I would love if Brandon spent more time on these books so they can be as good as he can make it.

[@willk7184]

Speaking the truth man which I know isn't always easy with such a popular author. Thanks for the interesting and refreshing take on the series.

[@DojoBelok]

lol brain washed rube ​@@Mark-in8ju

[@coreymiller7317]

Brandon has stated in some of his books, the ones narrated by Hoid, that he uses modern language in place of in world language because it's what we'd understand. The issue is that he doesn't do that consistently enough. He does it MUCH better in some books than in others, where his modern take sounds like a 48 year old woman trying to sound like what she thinks teenagers sound like, that she picked up from a show that's ten years old. Personally, I barely notice it until I go back and read some Rothfuss, then I'm like yeah, ok, there's a big prose diff here, I see it. Doesn't stop me enjoying it. Some authors are a $100 steak dinner, some are a decent but full meal at a local diner, some are a bag of doritos. Sanderson, to me, is the middle. His world and magic are S tier, his prose is C to sometimes D, his dialogue ranges from A to F but it's mostly C tier. His character work is fine. I have depression and SAD and I didn't have an issue with his depiction, it was a little like someone who just learned how to talk about it, but Kaladin DID just learn how to talk about it. He's like... 22? I had these things and didn't even know it yet at that age.

[@JimBarcelona]

Sanderson is as great as an author can be without stylish prose. This is the flaw with his writing being (in his own words) as clear as a window. He ignores the stain glass of symbolism which many aesthetes love in cathedrals. The problem is this though: if a writer leans into developing a unique style the way James Joyce might, or Tolkien did in the Silmarillion, I doubt there would be a market for that. I’ll check out Robin Hobb though. Thanks for the recommendation. (edit: thanks for the spoiler warning)

[@renhagel]

Thank you for your honesty. Thought I was going insane reading people saying: "the book is awful haha, but I loved it. DNF stopped at half. Five Stars"

[@constcarry]

I think completely walking away is a bit dramatic but i had a hard time getting through the audible version. I'm hoping in the next 6 years, Sanderson finds a good editor to fill in that loss and corrects the heavy-handed themes and does away with the modernity

[@christianshobbiblog1816]

@@constcarry I don’t think I’m walking away completely but will keep my eyes out for the ratings and I’ll most likely binge era 3 if I hear good things about it. Elantris sequels I don’t really care for.

[@constcarry]

@@christianshobbiblog1816 yeah if anything, this has made me cautious on future projects. Next time I'll be waiting for reviews (NOT from Goodreads) to come out before purchasing

[@christianshobbiblog1816]

@@constcarry Goodreads ratings are the absolute worst! I highly recommend r/fantasy but at the same time Reddit can be a cesspool so it’s hard to find good reviews that aren’t already on booktube

[@ramspencer5492]

I really enjoyed it! It wasn't as emotionally impactful as a couple of the others but it exactly what it needed to be and pretty much what I expected totally.... Though there were some surprises. I feel like people's biggest problem with this book is their own expectations... It wasn't a perfect book... But there really wasn't a perfect one. They all have their strengths.

[@down-the-rabbit-hole]

yep. I liked the book as well. Alot of perfectionists out there.

[@rudyh721]

What Dalinar was doing wasn’t just “kicking a can down a road” it wasn’t stalling, it was the opposite of stalling. Now instead of winning or losing the contest, which would lock the planet into forced peace for hundreds of years, Dalinar breaking the oaths has brought attention to Taravangian so that he can’t just torment roshar. Now he’ll have to watch his back. And it’s part of Dalinar’s arc to trust in others. The whole series long, he took matters into his own hands, especially when he takes the throne from elhokar. It was hard for him not to fight odium then and there, but he had been trying to learn to solve problems without his fists. That was his arc I do agree with most of your criticisms though, I think that you could have cut out like 300 pages and not changed much of the plot. I loved the plot lines in the real world, a little too much spiritual realm for me. Imo though, despite its flaws, this is one of my favorite stormlight books and just because of this book I’m not gonna tell everyone not to read stormlight. I can’t really say your criticism is invalid though lmao. And I have seen many reviewers (like 70% of the reviews of WaT I’ve watched) say the same thing. Everyone seems to have varying levels of disappointment about it though. Hoping that Brandon listens to the criticism he get these last 2 books, especially this one. But all in all, lots of compelling arcs to me, especially szeth and adolin.

[@8Epitaph8]

I think Dalinar executed his main purpose, "Unite Them." He always referred to this "voice" as warmth, which to me didn't seem like it came from a shard, perhaps from Adonalsium somehow? By releasing Odium and forcing all the shards to be aware of the problem, perhaps uniting the shards can be furthered.

[@Shawn70Seven]

Subbed. I agree with everything you said. I’m still 65% into the book and not enjoying it, kinda want to quit it actually. Not sure how people are rating this a 5 star.

[@christianshobbiblog1816]

@@Shawn70Seven To me it’s probably a little bit of coping mixed with the hype still swirling around the fandom since it’s only been a few weeks since launch. I’m sure as time goes this book’s average rating will plummet. I wanted this book to succeed but it didn’t. Thanks for watching and let me know if you’re reading any other fantasy at the moment! I love discussing so don’t be shy.

[@Shawn70Seven]

Right I do agree that with time the rating will suffer. More and more reviewers share our opinion where as the first few reviews were very positive. Actually I do read a lot of fantasy. I tend to prefer the darker book like grim dark and epic fantasy. Maybe Sanderson isn’t my thing anymore.

[@jarekcrossley8966]

Hey I agree with a lot of your points. However I want to address your beliefs that Mormons don’t believe in therapy or will be excommunicated for doing it. I don’t know why the Mormons you know told you that. But I have participated in a 12 step program that the church sponsored and had a therapist that the bishop of my ward helped set up and pay for. I’m pretty sure they have accounts set aside to helping pay for that sort of thing.

[@christianshobbiblog1816]

@@jarekcrossley8966 Thanks for watching! I did address that mistake already and I apologize for misspeaking! Happy that I was wrong so people have these services to use.

[@munen-muso]

Thank you for your honesty👏 Liked and subbed💥

[@christianshobbiblog1816]

@@munen-muso thank you so much for liking and subbing! It’s always a big help and I hope to see you around more in future videos 😃

[@bradys_luck6963]

this book is almost all utter ass I loved the first three and I'm so sad at the EXTREME dip in quality and I think its because since the release of the fourth book he's gotten so poplar so he ran wild and spent time on the most stupid things so didn't have time to wrap up properly and he needs a better editor for sure and someone to tell him he's not heading in a good direction even his secret projects have gotten more and more juvinial and tiring I don't wanna read this crap anymore, why does Brandon end all of his major series the same way with ascending and fighting a god like man come on.I fear that the second half of the series will make people forget about this and how disappointing it is like the wot slog but I'm not gonna forget how he shit out an "ending" and left us with it for nine years.a

[@Ocean5ix]

Well in real life you also don't win a war by sucking every arrow fired by your opponents into your shield. So I guess that's trivializing war? I won't argue that Sanderson doesn't "understand" mental health problems, that said, to say that he "trivialized" it or even treated it with disrespect, to me is just victimism. Why is it okay that magic solves evertyhing in a fantasy book, but not mental health? Why aren't you talking about how magic also trivializes the work of real life surgeons and doctors?

[@Chu9947]

i DNFd this book. i agree with all your points 💯.

[@christianshobbiblog1816]

I really wanted to DNF it but I had a video to make 😂 If I didn’t I probably would’ve returned to it eventually once I hit a slog in my reading. Thanks for watching!

[@sorensenjustin89]

Overall love the review and agree will almost everything you said. Mormons don’t get excommunicated for going to therapy, though. It’s true that in the past, culturally, it was viewed with some suspicion. But that is not the case anymore and hasn’t been the case for some time now.

[@byakugan2173]

The only reason i didn't hate this book was because my expectations were at the floor after that awful 4th book. That being said, i was expecting a bigger climax, like 25% of the book being a climax since its the climax of s 5 book series. Im currently on day 8 and the sh*t haven't hit the fan.

[@AnonforGod777]

Finally the most overrated series of all time gets what it deserves

[@micahlarimer155]

To clarify, what you feel it deserves is to be a best-seller and likely a ~4.5 star on Goodreads after all the reviews have settled? Or did this still get more than it deserved?

[@Ocean5ix]

Sounds like you were cheering and rooting for it to happen huh? I don’t get it, some people just hate something just for being popular and hyped. Let people enjoy wha they want. And if everybody rated the series at the top then it’s exactly where it should be. That’s how democracy works. You don’t get to speak for the majority. The majority speaks for itself.

[@kevins1005]

It wasn’t overrated until this new book. The most overrated series prior to this book belonged to Robin Hobb.

[@andrewgates5008]

genuinely, what happened with Shallan this book? I can't remember

[@christianshobbiblog1816]

She hunted down Mraize and Iyatil through the spiritual realm! This was actually one of the few storylines I really enjoyed lol much better than Shallan in ROW

[@andrewgates5008]

@ I personally have not liked Shallan since Word of Radiance, and neither did I in this book. It was just boring to me, and also I just forgot everything that happened to her. I don't remember having a chapter on day 10, at all, even though I could be wrong about that. She just felt separate from the story. Same with Jasnah, Szeth and Kaladin, because the story never actually built to a satisfying climax, and that's a shame because I love Kaladin. Their plots just kind of sputtered to a halt. With Adolin and Sigzil, at least those chapters had some actual connection to the power struggle of the novel.

[@christianshobbiblog1816]

@ I agree with everything you said which is why I was so shocked when I was doing my review and realizing it was shallan’s I liked almost the most lol. Szeth’s flashback chapters were nice and the first half of his current day chapters were good but they got so repetitive so quickly.

[@Architeuthiss]

I didn’t like the journey but I did like where everything wound up, which kinda goes along with what you said about the author liking to set things up for the future. Despite not liking this one I’m looking forward to the next one and hoping it’ll be good.

[@hammerandthewrench7924]

This series was a bummer and hooked me based on "it gets better just wait." it only got worse and more confusing. the 4th book was a mess, and this last one, I will not be reading the second arc

[@cytosolic5303]

The Way of Kings (and WoR somewhat) benefitted *so* much from the world being low magic and mysterious, nor overly concerned with setting up the sequel.

[@abnushagnasty805]

Thank you for your honesty. I felt the same way about Sanderson’s mental health theme. And I found it almost laughable that someone with severe mental health issues could be effectively treated (and cured) within a ten day time frame. Wind and Truth was one of the worst books I’ve ever read and I’m now done with Sanderson and the SA. He desperately needs a new editor and to stop surrounding himself with sycophantic yes people.

[@roadtotarvalon]

I know how much you were looking forward to this book. Sorry it didnt live up to expectations. I can hear the frustration bubbling up inside of you!

[@christianshobbiblog1816]

@@roadtotarvalon it’s honestly what I expected! Lost Metal felt like fan fiction to me and I really only enjoyed Yumi from the secret projects so the rating wasn’t going to be good even without counting the mental health stumbling he did in this book.

[@cruisingismylife63]

I think you might be confusing LDS with Scientology; but other than that, I agree with most of what you said. Thank you for your honest review!

[@jasonbrewbaker3932]

I liked Rhythm of War for the following reasons Venli Navani becoming Bondsmith (In particular the climax scene with Moash) Odium Taravangian Learning about the Heralds

[@tripprozier8955]

100% agree with all of your points and complaints.

[@mwlodar12]

Ya the whole swearing the fifth ideal then nothing happening idea was really lame.

[@christianshobbiblog1816]

@@mwlodar12 Agreed! Very underwhelming.

[@tonyalfonso6620]

Thank you for the review!

[@lilyeves892]

Wow despite the fact I've reread these books way way more than most people, i somehow went into the book with way lower expectations than most people, and i loved this book, i do think its my least favorite stormlight book but that more because of how much i loved the other books

[@abrickwithoutawallpodcast]

You’re making really excellent points about his representation of mental health here! It’s one thing to add your own spin to something like vampires, like the woman who wrote Twilight. It is quite another to add your own spin to disorders. Trivializing psych and neurological disorders as some sort of hurdle to work through is offensive to me as a person with ADHD. If he took a moment to do some research, he’d know these are disorders, not trauma issues like a father wound.

[@christianshobbiblog1816]

@@abrickwithoutawallpodcast thank you for the validation! I felt like I was going crazy because he markets himself as someone very in tune with all of these things but reading the book I was like “I’m a little offended with how autism is so minimally explored in this one character” and I couldn’t shake it off until it finally clicked for me

[@abrickwithoutawallpodcast]

@@christianshobbiblog1816 You’re not going crazy, he’s wildly out of touch. And quite frankly, the neurodivergent community doesn’t need another public figure misrepresenting us in a world that so often reduces us to the stereotypes of our disorders. It would be like him writing an ADHD character who emulates the behavior of a hyper 8 year old. As an autistic person you’re allowed to have the expectation that your community isn’t grossly misrepresented to sell books.

[@hellgast0]

It's valid if you feel that way, but I also have ADHD and I didn't feel offended at all. IMO he handled mental health and the journey of betterment incredibly well. It could always be better, but nothing is perfect. A lot of books deal with mental health issues, but not a lot tackle the journey towards improving yourself. So yeah, I get why people don't like it, but I also think they might have deeper problems than the book being "bad".

[@drewanderson2768]

Era one of Mistborn was goated

[@hollow3900]

1000%

[@quixotiq]

I think we have enough evidence now that excessively long series are kinda highly likely to flop... Bring back concise storytelling and tighter edits!

[@DojoBelok]

lol flop as the #1 NYT best seller.

[@Zaineph100]

I think you're comments are very valid. Personally I felt that Brandon went out of his way to show that it WASN'T the magic that fixes mental health. I not 100% but I think that Kaladin even says something to this effect. Im happy where Kaladin ends up. Hes struggled with depression up til the start of WaT and is only just understanding it. Therefore I think its believable that he only has a surface level understanding. I also appreciate that we dont get a deep dive into therapy as this isnt a self help book, its epic fantasy so I felt we only needed a light touch. My personal experience with depression and ADHD is that I do have moments where something will resonate with me and I feel like a new man. I think this is what Szeth goes through, but what we dont see is the next day when that feeling will probably fade. BUT all that said, its quite a devisive book and I fully respect your perspective.

[@TheNickcone]

This was a good and honest review. I'll make sure to check out more of your videos.

[@the_real_santaClaus]

The LDS church does not excommunicate people for receiving therapy. Thats false. The church provides guidance for leaders on when/how to recommend professional counseling to members who may need it.

[@jackt3356]

I agree completely agree with all this

[@CScott-wh5yk]

I’m willing to read 2-300 pages of mediocre books, but not 1,300…

[@christianshobbiblog1816]

@@CScott-wh5yk page count is a challenge with this one! And not for good reasons lol

[@LoneStarViking90]

I wasted so much time and energy getting through the entire series last year and I regret ever starting it. The last novel was incredibly bad IMO. I think Sanderson is an Anime Screenwriter at best and will not be reading anything else from him again. The guy has no trust in his readers to understand subtext so he just tells us every detail of everything and bloats his books to make them look impressive on a shelf. This could have easily been a trilogy or 4 books at best.

[@thegoggle823]

I like some of Sanderson's ideas, but I think he's hobbling himself with his Cosmere. Book 5 should have been way less Cosmere and way more Stormlight. I preferred King's approach with the Dark Tower series, it tied all of his worlds together but the point of the series isn't to world build the connected aspects of his books but to tell the story of Roland. Sanderson is sacrificing the stories of Kaladin and Shallan and everybody in order to fluff his Cosmere concept and it's making the series suffer as a result.

[@christianshobbiblog1816]

@@thegoggle823 great points! I’ve noticed the more Cosmere connections the less I like the book. I loved the Kelsier connection with the Ghostbloods but TLM just wasn’t my jam. Hopefully it gets better but I have millions of other great fantasy to read through so it’s fine if not.

[@Kondase]

I’m not sure you’re talking to real Mormons when they say they can’t have therapy because the church has helped me pay for my therapy and medication at times when I could not afford to. We even have our own offices of therapists here in Southern Utah.

[@DoomguyIsGrinningAtYou.]

The ending of Way of Kings left such a goofy smile on my face... I was so ready for the journey, but now, it honestly feels like there's no real destination, and more than a of bit meandering. I have no real experiance in writing or editing books... but I have half a mind to personally trim this thing down just to see if it that improves it at all.

[@akshansapru5760]

Bro honestly i dont get what the hype is about . Im currently 3/4 done with WoR and i can see it has its moments but it all just feels bland to me the characters world . I started the series after a lot of yt channels regarded it as the best modern fanatsy out there and honestly not a lot of people talk about the series like this😅 i thot i was going mad for a moment there. This helps lol

[@christianshobbiblog1816]

@@akshansapru5760 thank you so much for your comment! I am not part of the group saying this is the best modern fantasy, quite far from that! I would say the best are WOT (my definition of modern is last 25 years so 2000ish), ASOIAF (hurry up George!), Malazan, and Realm of the Elderlings. First two books of Stormlight are legitimately great (8.5/10 for each of them) but the writing is just not there for me anymore. When I first got back into fantasy in 2015 or so after waiting for Winds of Winter for 4 years (so long at the time too!) I loved it but I think I’ve just grown too much as a reader and what these books do just aren’t enough for me anymore. What books have you read that you’ve enjoyed in fantasy so far? I love yapping about fantasy so please let me know if you’re able!

[@akshansapru5760]

@ asoiaf is genuinely such a great read like the world the characters and the way grrm just uses magic as mystical thing and not mechanical and systematic is just so cool i jumped to SA after dance so at first i thot maybe it was the different writing styels that was throwing me off but yea i dont know and im simultaneously trying to get into wot and elderlings ive heard a lot abou them😅and malazan ive heard is a pretty rough read but i think ill give it a shot one day wht do u think i shud read next wot or elderlings as i have bought them alrady and if you have any other fanatsy recommendation wud be much appreciated

[@christianshobbiblog1816]

@ I would highly recommend either wheel of time or ROTE next. I’m actually finishing the third trilogy of ROTE this month and I love it so much but WOT id recommend for a new fantasy reader. Robin Hobb (ROTE author) likes to deconstruct tropes in fantasy and so WOT would provide you with a great basis for more fantasy later. Also GRRM and Robert Jordan were friends so there’s that fun connection, plus Jordan even did the cover quote for George which I never noticed until I read WOT 🤣. I also recommend Memory Sorrow Thorn by Tad Williams (final book in the sequel series just came out so my goal next year is to start and finish the sequels), Locked Tomb series by Tamsyn Muir, and if you like scifi then the Expanse! These are wildly different from each other but all amazing. Malazan I think you should hold off on unless you use the podcast Ten Very Big Books which does chapter by chapter discussions from first reader perspectives so you’ll be able to track the mainline pretty easily. Honestly I didn’t use any help and usually just listened to author interviews between each book and I got 99% of the series understood on first read. It’s not as hard as people say but it’s a series you’ll have to read twice because first run is getting the story down and the second read is like everything else in the series rises to the top with 0 worries about understanding the arcs. Surrender to the river and have fun is my advice with Malazan lol.

[@akshansapru5760]

@ damn.Thank you for all the reccs its all going on my tbr and i think i will start with the wot( im a 150 pages in) and i think i like the vibe till now .grrm and rj were frnds lol thats a cool bit of trivia. Ive heard a lot about robin hobb too ,cant wait to explore all of what rote is about.

[@akshansapru5760]

And malazan i just might have to hold it off for a while 😅🥲 but now i have a road map for whenever i do start it . Thank you man really appreciate it .🙏

[@sgnox7781]

Disagree with the stalling being especially bad in WaT it felt better then his previous works, since things happened all the time pov changes and events move forward. If you compare it to his previous work like WoR it is much better, how many times in that book we`ve heard the same beats of kalladin hating light eyes over and over again. RoW was basicly stalling with events until the last bit of the book it felt like. When it comes to his books overall i thing the worst is mistborn well of ascension most of the book was just stalemate with barely any progress and one of the worst politicing i`ve seen in prominent fantasy series, also things like love triangle with two brothers felt very YA, in my opinion its his second worst book ever written by him ( the worst being allomancer jak but to be fair it was a novella) kinda a reason why even though i like book1/3 i didnt like era 1 that much overall because second book hurt the third a bit and overall trilogy. Part of bad humor was fine because it showed the progress in kaladin and his interaction with syl always been kinda silly since she is like a child but i agree the humor is kinda bad. The prose part is also something i agree the amount of modern age stuff especially the language was way too much like how many times we`ve heard word cringe. Mental part i agree it was very weak and textbook wise it was pretty poorly handled i like works where its handled well and WaT really isnt it. Mistborn era 2 were really weak. Personally i didnt like shallan storyline too much, and the spiritual realm/shadesmar is just not that interesting and it was fine for dalinar and his visions but taking so many characters/fov to spirtual realm really bored me. Also i didnt like ghostblood at all they dont seem to be flushed out and he tends to hide too much about them because he doesnt want to spoiler mistborn era 3 which is about them, made everything around them pretty weak. Agree with moash he is just nothing in this book just waste of space really. Major plot points were extremely predictable you could see them coming before reading this book also if you read it, its like the most obvious conclusion also using thing like bond breaking like 3 times, idk why its lazy. Disagree with the ending part it was always meant to be this way, remember the death rattle about the true desolation but i agree it was underwhelming. Sunlit man was prabobly the weakest cosmere secret project for me mostly for the part im a character reader, and most of the plot and characters except Sigzil in his spren were very weak, unrealistic only existant to push plot forward most of the time, which is kinda a weakness Brandon has a lot of side character are very stale until later on where he takes time to flush them out. Scope of the book was too big also, its hard to imagine a cosmere for a characters, also everything was like shard/herald in this book as well. The thing that bothered me a lot as well was that Taravangian now has evil version of Dalinar but he still died, seems like a mcu level asspull hated it, and doing the same with city as well that was so bad. Time dilation was also quite a copout, so his other books had time to happen, felt like cosmere took precedent over stormlight story. Overall i didnt had crazy expectation and had fun reading it, but this book could and prabobly should have been way more then it is, especially for his premerie series and i stand by what i think that Brandon is the best at delivering blockbuster popular stories, but never the best author or a writer in the genre i think there are way better authors out there but he is good at getting people to read fantasy so thats a positive.

[@bp6942]

A lot of Kaladin's stalling and retreading was because Kaladin powered up to fast/too high in WoR. Sanderson had to keep him mentally unstable to contain that power creep, until the rest of the setting kept up.

[@elcee8]

“7th grade self-help book” 😂

[@benbenedictfyu63284]

I disagree with almost every point you make but you are valid in having an opinion

[@carrieonaccessibility]

Honestly, I do agree with so much of what you said but respect men! It's my lowest ranked book out of the stormlight archive, but I still love it. ❤

[@christianshobbiblog1816]

@@carrieonaccessibility thank you so much for dropping by! It’s also my lowest ranked, twinsies! 😂

[@bradleymartin6254]

I mean I guess it's not for everyone, but to say era two and Stormlight arc one didn't have satisfying conclusions ... Sorry, 100% disagree.

[@Jpowwwww]

good vid. I gave it a 4.5 but it was lacking hoid and kelsier action and I believe todium was actually a somewhat lame antagonist

[@christianshobbiblog1816]

Yeah I really wanted more from Hoid and Kelsier but I guess Brandon wanted to hold/stall that to the next era of mistborn 💀 Thanks for watching and hope you have a great day!

[@miraclemomentsweddings]

i feel like this is the most hoid we’ve ever had in a book hands down he is all over in days 1 and 2 and even in days 9 and 10 Kelsier would have felt weird in this book cause he can’t leave scadrial, the fact he showed up twice was crazy to me

[@phaioncirrus3818]

great review fully agree

[@hunterbramblett7520]

Could not agree more, hated this book.

[@rachelslur1404]

“Most of this book could’ve fit into 1000 pages”

[@TheCree2010]

Wow. Wind and Truth was my favorite behind Way of Kings. I guess the masses feel differently, but I thought this was fantastic!

[@AndrewFrancisIlyrian]

You have awful taste.

[@TheCree2010]

@ you’ll think differently after you try my secret Horneater recipe

[@byakugan2173]

The masses would love anything he served them, it doesn't mean much

[@issoumeempanado290]

​@@byakugan2173 such an incel comment

[@coreymiller7317]

People hating this book is not the masses. This comment section is a bunch of people who agree with the take since the take is in the title. Go to one that's title is "this book is great!" and most of the comments will be positive. Everybody just wants an echo chamber. The book was as good as you thought it was or as bad as you thought it was. Art is ALWAYS, no matter how much those who hate a thing want to shout otherwise, subjective. There is no such thing as objectively good or bad art, and there's no such thing as awful taste, though there are awful people, who will try to shit on you for liking something just because they don't.

[@castfromfaves7896]

Sanderson writing about mental health without addressing the LDS church's own complicated relationship with mental health services feels like a blind spot. Personally I see his works unconsciously reflecting a sanitized understanding of it. Sanderson is a great starter author for new fantasy readers but I don't feel comfortable suggesting him due his money going into the pockets of a sect that funded Prop 8 and the attempted removal of gay marriage in America.

[@christianshobbiblog1816]

@castfromfaves7896 very much this! I really do not like the practice of tithing because they rarely bring that money back to the community. If anything they pay politicians to sponsor anti gay bills and as a queer man I cannot support that shit. Brandon mentions how he thinks his presence in the church will better their policies but I cannot be so naive. They love his money and that’s it. Thanks for commenting and watching!

[@castfromfaves7896]

​@@christianshobbiblog1816I understand your frustration. It’s hard to see tithing money used for causes that harm marginalized communities. Your perspective as a queer person is valid, and I appreciate you sharing it 💙

[@monkpato]

Wow, as a Mormon I can say that the claim we are anti -therapy is ridiculous. The church actually provides funds and resources for members to get therapy. To say that Brandon's greatest hero becomes a therapist because Mormons don't like therapy is so dumb. Otherwise, I agree with you about this volume.

[@miraclemomentsweddings]

I will say, there is a difference between mental heath issues and having problems they want to overcome I wouldn’t really identify Adolins Daddy issues with “Mental health problems” Like Rlain not being understood isn’t a mental health issue, at least not the same regard as Autism, Depression, or Shallan personality disorder However if you feel Kals Depression or Renarins Autism wasn’t handled well that is totally valid take to have, even tho some of it worked for me

[@christianshobbiblog1816]

@@miraclemomentsweddings very good point and I apologize for equating them. They are absolutely not mental health problems I didn’t mean to come off that way, I got passionate in my speaking so I misspoke. The handling of these two things are absolutely what I have a problem with. Each of the internal voices sounded the same to me and there was no nuance of experiences which was disappointing. Thank you for leaving a comment and watching the video. I do appreciate conversing with others so I can engage better with the booktube community so thank you again 💜

[@yohannagemuse7229]

This is absolutely not the case. Not all mental health struggles fit into clinical diagnoses like Autism or Depression. Adolin’s 'daddy issues' and Rlain’s isolation still impact their mental health. Emotional trauma and prolonged rejection can lead to real struggles, even if they’re not labeled disorders.

[@miraclemomentsweddings]

@@christianshobbiblog1816 I do agree with this point, you didn’t come off in any bad way! Just was a thought that came into my mind while watching

[@miraclemomentsweddings]

@@yohannagemuse7229 All i’m trying to say is I recognize it’s a spectrum but there is a difference between clinical depression/autism and someone having something internally they’re trying to overcome I don’t think there is a line to be drawn of Depression is mental health, but Rysn coming to terms with her leg is not It just becomes an interesting discussion when it’s something diagnosed/clinical vs when it’s not

[@yohannagemuse7229]

@@miraclemomentsweddingsMental health isn’t exclusive to a doctor’s note. Rysn’s journey with her leg is as much about mental resilience as depression is about chemistry. Your perspective vastly oversimplifies the relationship between clinical diagnoses and personal struggles. It’s true that conditions like clinical depression and autism are diagnosable and often require medical intervention, they do not hold an exclusive claim over the realm of "mental health."

[@zbuddha420]

Done with the cosmere? Thats such an overreaction.

[@joereeve2569]

I am surprised to hear WoT recommended so strongly in a video like this. If nuance is your thing i dont see how youre getting that from Jordan. Honestly I cant see anything that Jordan offers that Sanderson doesnt. Grrm and erikson absolutely, but WoT?

[@christianshobbiblog1816]

@@joereeve2569 I think it’s a great starting point for people to start fantasy with. I love the wheel of time and do not think it’s a slog at all. I’ve reread the books three times and I can’t get tired of it lol

[@DojoBelok]

WaT was a great book. Really looking forward to what's next!

[@christianshobbiblog1816]

@@DojoBelok I’m happy you enjoyed it! I wanted to and if it had been edited down to 1000 pages with a change of the structure then this could’ve easily been a 7.5/10!

[@TechNyx0]

17:20 No way you figured out the Sun maker's gambit before it happened.

[@jasonbrewbaker3932]

I don’t really think your reading of the mental health part is accurate….Brandon doesn’t say you don’t need therapy….. And he def doesn’t say “just feel better.” If anything he harps on it all the time

[@thomasray]

I'm a member of the "Mormon" church (the church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) and I want to clarify that we aren't anti- therapy. The church actually has "LDS Family Services" which is how I was able to talk to counselors and physiatrists when I was struggling on my mission, at no cost to me, which was a life saver. So I don't really know what you're talking about regarding us getting kicked out for having therapy. That's just not a thing. I live in Utah, so I think I would know?

[@christianshobbiblog1816]

Thank you for clarifying! I’m happy you and the church members have access to those services. It sounds like they have their own therapy program though that’s quite different than what I’m used to with therapy. Either way if it helps then I support that. Thanks for commenting and watching though!

[@thomasray]

@@christianshobbiblog1816 and it's not just that the church provides its own resources, it's also not against "normal" therapy (I put that in quotation marks because the counselors and such working for Family Services have to meet the same requirements to be licensed and everything just like any other therapist) There's an article in the February 2020 edition of the church magazine "The Ensign" titled "Is Therapy Right For Me?" That would clear up any further questions anyone might have. I'd also point to a talk given in General Conference by Elder Jeffrey R. Holland, who is an apostle, where he talks about his personal struggle with mental health, and how God expects us to seek help from Him(God), AND to use the resources God has given, including technological advancements including things like therapy. So at the end of the day, what I'm trying to say is we're not weirdos, we DO believe that mental health struggles are real, and those struggling with mental health challenges should have all the support we can give them.

[@thomasray]

The talk is "Like a Broken Vessel"

[@abrickwithoutawallpodcast]

@@thomasray I’m curious about Mormon therapy. How would it be unbiased and not conflict with the teachings of conservative Christianity? Like is it also upholding the teachings of the church?

[@thomasray]

@@abrickwithoutawallpodcast What teachings of the church do you see therapy conflicting with?

[@SpicyDuck1]

Oh well. Disagree on almost everything, had to click off at a certain point cause i was starting to disagree in an angry kind of way lmao. but hey, you're still welcome to come with me to dragonsteel in 2026! Lol😊

[@christianshobbiblog1816]

@@SpicyDuck1 haha yeah I feel like 8 years of effort went to waste but that’s fine I guess lol. I enjoyed dragonsteel a lot lmao I never said I didn’t

[@duetbreaker]

I could forgive everything... but i can't forgive the forced dei/ identity politics And don't.. don't even try to say it wasnt. He could have been the Tolkien of our generation, but it's clear pandering to woke ideology.

[@DojoBelok]

Ah, yes, using the word woke as a pejorative. Whatever offends klansmen easily (WOKE). You're a hateful, bigoted rube.

[@hellgast0]

​@@DojoBelokcan you name one good thing that woke ideology has produced? You can't, because "woke", or rather the ideology surrounding that word, is about destroying in the name of "fairness and equality", it's about feelings and virtue signaling instead of actually wanting to improve. Case in point being offended by someone using woke as a pejorative, so you just insult them, instead of trying to understand why people are upset with ideology.

[@DojoBelok]

@hellgast0 I ain't reading all that. I'm happy for you though or sorry that happened.

[@hellgast0]

@@DojoBelok I understand reading can be a challenge for some. Maybe books aren't for you.

[@user-bm3ts2ql6s]

"lets go kick some fused ass"... pathetic... bunch of lgbt nonsense shoehorned into the story for no reason... no thanks

[@lilyeves892]

Did you read any of the other books?

[@DojoBelok]

Uneducated bigot alert

[@jjca7746]

I am a what you would call Mormon and i have never heard of someone being kicked out for taking therapy, we actually have lots of therapists in the church, so that's completely false and wrong. P.d.: That doesn't you're wrong about Sanderson's writing, just wrong about the church

[@christianshobbiblog1816]

@@jjca7746 that’s good to know! I was only saying what my friends had said who have themselves left the church (family still in it though) so I’m sure it does happen but I’m aware I generalized so hopefully you forgive me. If not that’s fair and I hope all is well anyways.

[@abrickwithoutawallpodcast]

My question is about the ethics of Mormon therapy… what happens when client needs are contrary to Mormon values? Is there an exemption to Gods law in those moments where divorce would be encouraged?

[@calebstanley506]

I am religious as well and have never heard of that as well. While we do treat mental health differently people view it as a real thing and do not scoff at it. Also we need to be careful with the blanket statements. Though I agree with 95% of your video we need to be careful when we talk in generalities. There definitely are some more old school churches that don't believe in it but most modern big churches you see won't ostracize you for it. Great video btw I like Sanderson but think his books are very over-hyped.

[@christianshobbiblog1816]

@ thank you for watching and commenting. I did go too far in my generalizations, I was getting passionate and did not take a moment to speak clearly/accurately so I can do better on that. I rarely speak on religion so I welcome any and all corrections to anything I say. I recently covered the Hindi epic masterpiece and I had various corrections there as well so thank you for your comment! It’s always a benefit to have conversations like these imo for me to learn more.

[@calebstanley506]

@@christianshobbiblog1816 hey man honestly your brave to just go in front of a camera and talk about your opinions. So if you got one thing wrong/misspoke I don't blame you(In a 30 minute video). But kudos to you for owning up to it and not doubling down. You have my respect.