First Law is BETTER Than Game of Thrones?

[@mikesbookreviews]

Thanks a ton for having me! This was a blast. I hope I wasn't TOO grumpy ha ha!

[@libraryofaviking]

The honour is mine! This was a lot of fun!

[@RedFuryBooks]

Fun discussion, guys!

[@brettskinner1416]

I disagree with both of you on mistborn era 2 because I like but it is not as good as era 1 in my opinion

[@HeavyTopspin]

This one's entirely aimed at Mike because of his love for Stephen King: there's a German symphonic metal band called Beyond the Black who recently released a song "Call My Name" that is 100% an ode to The Dark Tower series. Just figured you'd appreciate it.

[@giants8585]

If, IF, George were to finish and stick the landing it would be the greatest series of all time

[@grassygnoll3345]

most descriptive maybe, not best.

[@giants8585]

What’s your best?

[@grassygnoll3345]

@@giants8585 i don't think there is a best, I have favorites like Stormbringer, The Conan Short Stories, Perdito Street Station and most of Abercrombie. I really liked Game of Thrones but felt the later books where becoming increasingly bloated so stopped 3/4 of the way through Storm of Swords.

[@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy]

I can’t unsee the Forsaken piling out of a clown car now. This was a ton of fun to watch - my thanks to you both!

[@adoniscreed4031]

That bit made me laugh out loud in the middle of the street 😂

[@moresoysauce5489]

I just started rereading ASOIAF (first read through was during like season 4 of the show) and man I forgot already just how damn good it is. I mean I've read a lot of books from then until now but just reading through A Game Of Thrones again it really just puts pretty much everything else to shame. It really is just the best first book of any fantasy series ever, just incredible.

[@noname3609]

You should read The Way of Kings by Sanderson. 😊

[@dimitrijekulak4874]

I did, and I still believe that George's first book is better.

[@noname3609]

@@dimitrijekulak4874 Different tastes I guess. For me Twok is The Best Fantasy Book ever written as I have a history with depression. No other Fantasy character inspired me as much as Kaladin Stormblessed. 🙏

[@moresoysauce5489]

@@noname3609 it is on my list and I've heard great things about the first book. There are two reasons it's not higher on my priority 1. Is that the series isn't done so I have completed series above it and 2. While I really liked book1 of mistborn and the ending of book 3, overall I found Sanderson's writing to be a bit tiresome and repetitive (explaining the same things over and over in case I forgot) therefore while it's relatively high on my TBR it's not at the top yet

[@plustico2846]

​@@noname3609That is a great book but for me personally I just find GRRMs writing has a lot more depth and atmosphere and his characters just felt more real to me. TWoK felt like I was watching a cartoon or anime and AGoT felt like watching a historical documentary.

[@Jrdn357]

9:43 The image of Demandred driving a clown car to Shadar Logoth with all the rest stuffed in the back is living rent-free in my head.

[@SH-is9xl]

As a 20 year old woman who has read a lot of fantasy romance (especially in my younger years), no one hates fantasy romance as much as me. I hate that most of the criticism comes from people looking down on it that haven't read it because it deserves so much well thought out criticism but the fandom then just puts that with the 'haters'.

[@Gruso57]

Mike has some great facial expressions when he vehemently disagrees with something. His disagree on the final empire face is hilarious.

[@jaredghramm]

Thanks for including my comment!! To clarify, I do think Malazan is above average when it comes to difficulty, I just think a lot of the fan base makes it out to be this indecipherable, impenetrable book series that only geniuses are able to comprehend. I don't think it's really THAT indecipherable, yes there are things that you just kind of have to surrender yourself to in not knowing immediately, but I think a lot of the people that really harp on how difficult it is may just not have been exposed to a lot outside of fantasy. Anyway, great video!

[@Zassasaurus]

I love both normal fantasy and fantasy romance and they REALLY need to be considered as completely separate genres. I'm looking for/expecting something entirely different when I reach for a fantasy romance book vs a normal fantasy book.

[@AnonymousAnonposter]

7:44 I totally agree with Mike. The old authors did more with less in many cases.

[@Elriquee1]

Reading Robert E Howard now and am struggling to think of any modern writer who is better than him.

[@karenlowe9283]

I didn't find Malazan too difficult, just need to take it slow. I was really absorbed.

[@AnonymousAnonposter]

My hot takes about Malazan are: The series is complex and being complex doesn't make something necessary amazing. Malazan is good, but overrated in my opinion.

[@angelaholmes8888]

Totally agree with you

[@Henry-jp3mc]

Correct

[@celestialdemon1316]

I always think about a hot take that Merphy read from a reader. The reader said (paraphrasing) that reading Malazan is like drinking IPAs. You feel superior, but you're not really enjoying it as much as you should lol.

[@neutral_narr]

I don't think it's overrated but just brought up in many discussions that it shouldn't be in.

[@ptannous27]

First Law is very good however, it’s not close to ASOIF. Even unfinished.

[@c10713a]

Loved this video! You guys, daniel, merohy, and elliot are my favorite booktubers.

[@libraryofaviking]

Wow, thank you!

[@womenwotreads]

same ! fancy that

[@kristen7623]

I love you, Mike, Merphy, Elliot, Daniel, and Bookborn

[@andybarker8787]

I agree with the winters heart comment I loved that book!

[@dylanward9138]

Honestly i hop onto either channel occasionally to watch but this discussion was incredible! I hope y’all do it again!

[@womenwotreads]

This was so much fun and Mike you weren't grumpy at all. I totally agree about the Dresden files . It really is only with hindsight that you realise the first too were not as good . They were good enough to make me continue reading.

[@Grimm44]

I just bought empire of the vampire can't wait to read it for Halloween

[@noname3609]

First Law World is better than A song of ice and fire world imho. If it's First Law Trilogy i would pick Game of Thrones but when you put all of the first law world than obviously Abercrombie for me !!! :)

[@carole5648]

I think you both should read A Court of Thorns and Roses, then do a video about it ;)

[@ScottShedd123]

Why it stinks

[@RojoProX]

That’s a great way to describe the first 3 Dresden file books. The first time reading them they are pretty good, but compared to the later books they could be considered mid. I personally like the first 2 books just fine.

[@Talking_Story]

so cool to see 2 of my favs together.

[@kristen7623]

Omg I love both of your channels! It’s clear you know Mikes channel, you hit all his nerves lolllll this was really fun 😂

[@user-ik4kh9lt6d]

Traditional fantasy is the best fantasy.

[@celestialdemon1316]

I prefer the First Law trilogy. If we're comparing just the first 3 books from ASOIAF, then those are easily better. But the last two bring the overall quality down a bit for me.

[@Kollman2812]

Interesting, the last 2 were in my top 3. I think the prose, worldbuilding and characterisation all improve over the course of the series, even if the plot tightness/pacing suffers as a result

[@danielgwynne7266]

Who says malazan gets good at book 6? It’s pretty much universally agreed it gets good book 2 and stays good until the end

[@maxittome]

I just finished Deadhouse Gates and loved it

[@sunnythomas9738]

I loved this collaboration. Can’t wait for part two!

[@wolfborn3973]

love this collab

[@michaelortiz9359]

Mikes awesome! You guys are great!

[@chewie8]

Try reading David Eddings the Belgarion series, better than most modern books.

[@suryanarayanan1769]

I started reading green bone saga after watching your videos... And i like it... Currently in second book... Jade war... For me Jade war is more better than Jade city.... After first book i felt...it is kind of overhyped.... But Second book slowly changing my opinion i think🤔🤔 thank u for book suggestion 😇

[@zack_feldman]

I was also trying to figure out why I didn’t love name of the wind. I read it with about ten students when I was teaching…it just didn’t grab me. The protagonist was difficult to root for or empathize with. So arrogant. I liked how highly skilled he was, but I just didn’t really care what happened to him.

[@Love_and_lore]

These are so insightful and HILARIOUS! You two are the kings of book tube!

[@swearihavereadthisday]

Finally someone said why I was so frustrated dating, when I was trying to connect through a shared love of fantasy books and all they read was Sarah J. Maas.

[@heidi6281]

There is not that many of us out there that love grim dark as well as sword & sorcery! I married a man who only reads non-fiction and will not even watch a tv show that involves a dragon.😀 Maybe you can settle for a woman who loves Stephen King or just find a woman that loves hockey or baseball.🤪

[@Henry-jp3mc]

First law is more enjoyable to read than ASOIAF. But the story isn't better but close.

[@Elriquee1]

It's not lol, ASOIAF is better in every aspect.

[@Windraesa]

@@Elriquee1 Nope.

[@Elriquee1]

@@Windraesa read both and am telling you first law compared to GOT is like comparing a Toyota Rav4 to a Range Rover.

[@Windraesa]

@@Elriquee1 I don't know anything about cars so can't comment on such a niche analogy but I have read both.

[@teddited9682]

The first law characters are so much better, but so is the story…I read Game of Thrones before the tv series and thought they were okay…I watched until the end…but after the author allowed the ending to go completely against everything else we knew about her, in the final scene…NO…I’m sure he could have stopped such a horrible ending to his series, even thought this was going beyond what he had written, I have no trust in further books, and don’t see how he can finish the series given the damage the tv series did to it!

[@treyandrews201]

Never even heard of first law until chat gpt recommended it to me today. So currently listening to the first book

[@angelaholmes8888]

I really enjoyed some of kings new books like Billy summers and 11/22/63

[@dimitrijekulak4874]

Is it weird that I don't hate the Crossroads of Twilight? I mean, I don't particularly like it, but I don't think it's a bad book. I gave it a solid 6/10 when reading it for the first time. Yes, 2/3 of the book is boring as hell, but the last third is quite enjoyable. And, without spoiling anything, my favorite moment was the Perrin one, not the last battle of the book.

[@silverx_1848]

My unpopular opinion is that mistbon era 2 is way more entertaining than era 1

[@Frozenfrog18]

Kings books are still some of the most horrific stories i have read. When stories are about the degradation of human mind you cant help but to pause because it's familiar.

[@caewing85]

I don’t like book 2 of Mistborn-it’s boring. I’m trying to finish it. But ugh. The Final Empire was better as a standalone.

[@Morfeusm]

Interesting I liked the second one the best haha funny how this works

[@jaydenduncan8388]

@@Morfeusmhaha same for me

[@jamesalexander958]

Name of the Wind is one of the worst books I've ever read Winter's Heart isn't that good. WOT 1-7 are perfect books New fantasy (2000+) I haven't found anything that great yet. The dialogue is way too on the nose. And some spend way too much time talking rather than doing. I don't need conversations that go on and on about the magic system (oops yes I love First Law but that felt 90s to me)

[@gpanthony]

I'm pretty new to fantasy reading, so far being most familiar with Tolkien and Sanderson, but eager to expand my horizons. Personally, while I greatly enjoy Mistborn Era 1, they're some of my least favorite Cosmere books, definitely love Era 2 an order of magnitude more. Also, I rate Elantris higher than both Mistborn stories so far. Don't think it's a hot take that Stormlight is the best of Cosmere though, then Tress. God bless you too!

[@nathancooper22]

This is a cool video idea. Really enjoyed it

[@kostkaguitar]

Hahahaha, fantastic video :) Please, put more this kind of content in the nearest Future 😊

[@bolovesbooks7930]

Glad that my statement made it into the video 😂🎉

[@safinan8008]

Hi 👋 great video 🎥 Goodluck with ur new job!! 🎉

[@EricMcLuen]

Tigana makes Hobb seem like a page turner. It is more of a slow smoulder than a slow burn. But it is a decent read.

[@Mykye]

The problem with fantasy romance is its 90% romance and 10% fantasy. And when you look up for fantasy books on internet the only thing you can see is fantasy romances.

[@AwesomeTingle]

At this point, I refuse to start an unfinished story. also, star wars is fantasy in a sci-fi setting

[@avsambart]

This was delightful!

[@katspov9945]

I think Stephen King is a wonderful storyteller but not as good of a writer. The books are usually too long and meander to the finish. That's why his short stories are some of his best I think.

[@currangill430]

I thought my TV had the black screen 😂 I literally reset my monitor because sometimes my monitor acts weird lol.

[@AnonymousAnonposter]

13:18 You two will attract the wrath of the Booktuber's inquisition.

[@teddited9682]

As a character driven reader, first law is sooo much better! How does a writer make a torturer a favorite character?! Whereas I disliked most of Game of Thrones characters but there was not much around at the time when it was originally published and the plot kept moving…but what changed do we like? Please name one!

[@heidi6281]

Johan, I recommend you read the Empire Trilogy by Feist & Wurts! It is a classic that’s more modern than modern books. It is GOT before GOT. The heroine, Mara is so fantastic because she is likable with touches of Cersei Lannister in her which is just the right amount. If you love the first book, Daughter of the Empire, then go back and just read The Magician only before book 2.

[@gstokker]

So many opinions on the opinions 🤣 But Wolves of the Calla was my favourite in the whole Dark Tower series

[@vermadheeraj29]

Here's my unpopular opinion, Mistborn definitely works better as a standalone, Sanderson is better as a standalone author. Warbreaker is leaps and bounds better than Mistborn. But I think his characters have limited purpose and don't work beyond one book.

[@protagonistspub]

Rain Wild Chronicles are my favorite Robin Hobb series!

[@dash4800]

Thr game of thrones books are definitely better than the First Law books. But I know they will never be finished. So if I were to recommend one to someone it would be the First Law.

[@SamHarrison2099]

Mike's reaction to that first opinion is so funny.

[@Uppernorwood976]

On the classic vs modern sci fi, the idea that you need every single character to have an impact on the plot is just not true imo. Ideas can be as interesting as emotions. Space, planets, stars and the universe in general is endlessly exciting and fascinating, and not a single human is involved.

[@aaatt268]

Can anybody tell me whose name he said with Philip Chase that understands Malazan?

[@PageTurnersbooktube523]

star wars episode one the phantom menace is my fav of the series hahaha funny

[@turtleanton6539]

U could make that argument

[@Maximus0623]

I agree with part of the first King hot take that in that his newer books are under hyped. I think some of his best books have been written in the 21st century, but the only one that gets recognized is 11/22/63

[@jdizzle22396]

What are his best ones

[@Maximus0623]

@@jdizzle22396 I still have a lot of his books left to read, but my 21st century favorites are Fairy Tale, 11/22/63, The Institute, The Outsider, Under the Dome, Later. I still like most of his older books too, such as The Stand, It Pet Sematary, and Salem’s Lot. His 21st century style is a little different. On average, I think it’s faster paced and has tighter narratives. I think his older books have a tendency to be tangential and a little too long. But most of them are still good. I’ve enjoyed most of his books that I’ve read.

[@christopherbataluk8148]

The only part of this I seriously disagree with was the slander of Crown of Swords. Just my opinion but Lord of Chaos and Crown of Swords are arguably the high point of the Wheel of Time. The pacing is better, the digressions were not as significant and by god we got some action and plot progression. I did agree that the ending of Wheel of Time kind of sucked. You build up to the last battle and it's more of a graduate seminar than a battle, the ride off into the sunset with the least interesting of three romantic interests like it's an old Eastwood movie. It was a lame anti climactic ending.

[@bradleymier2167]

I don’t know if I would say Game of Thrones is BETTER than First Law, but I like First Law more. They’re both great, but I prefer Joe 😊

[@michaelkibble740]

No sparklely vampires thank you

[@robertdeforest9682]

How do most of us all agree that WOT has objectively bad books in it and yet some of us still think it’s one of Fantasy’s greats. I read it all and I must say that I’d rather do manual labor than read any of those books again.

[@philippenachtergal6077]

16:00 I did like the slow WOT books; I didn't really like Rain Wilds even though I liked the previous Robin hobb books in that universe.

[@ryanodonnell1567]

My two favourite book tubers 😁

[@NovaAIMusic]

My goodreads accountbis just one big hot take

[@exio6241]

mistborn well of ascension is to angsty for me cant finish it

[@pugshorty9852]

I swear upon the Holy Bible that I own absolutely no Nickleback albums.

[@DarkoDame]

19:39 I’m a huge sci-fan and never seen Star Wars. 😂

[@roseyg7064]

Okay, his classics are fantastic, but he has a recent work that blew me away. Stephen King's Revival was ao incredible, inwas left shook at the shock. I dare say it's his best work.

[@ScottShedd123]

What was that?

[@turbokid8719]

Wolves of the callah was better then all of kings current work.

[@duffypratt]

Malazan is not as difficult as it’s reputation. Try Gravity’s Rainbow. First Law Is better. Traditional Fantasy is as good, and there is too wide a range in both eras to make a useful comparison. So much older stuff is basically forgotten. Can’t remember exactly what happened in Winter’s Heart, but not top 5. Crossroads was by far the worst, especially if you waited for years for it to be published. Stephen King is too polarizing to be over or under hyped. The people who love him seem to really love him. But there are a lot of people who intensely dislike him. I fall somewhere in the middle. The slog in Wheel of Time is just Jordan giving in to the worst aspects of his own writing habits. Rain Wilds is almost an entirely different tone than Liveship or the Fitz books. It tries doing some different, more YA, oriented stuff. It’s the worst of RotE for sure, but not so bad as the slog. On you tube, it seems like Epic Fantasy and Fantasy Romance are entirely different genres. The folks reviewing Malazan, for example, will almost never talk about a Fantasy Romance book. I think it may just be a matter of different Target Audiences.

[@mihaigiboi2758]

Sorry guys, but it's a hard agree for me with the first opinion. I struggled a bit with the first Malazan book, but as long as I paid attention, I was able to have a decent grasp of what was happening. However, you have to read the books consistently. You cannot take too long of a break in the middle of a read before getting back to it, because you will get lost. But, this is coming from someone who hasn't finished book 3 yet, so take what I say with a grain of salt.

[@jammydodger5838]

Itkovian 😢

[@darktower74]

When an unpopular opinion is too broad, like saying modern SFF is better than classic SFF, I think the Pareto Principle (or my interpretation of it) is important to consider. 80% of everything is kind of shit, and 20% is gold. There was a lot of mediocre or shitty classic SFF but there were some undeniably epic stories. There are MORE SFF books being published in 2024 than there were in the 50s or 60s. Overall, that means there will be a higher number of epic modern SFF stories. Channels like yours help people home in on the really good ones and save a reader's time. After all, we only have so much time in the day to pour ourselves into books.

[@jimboskii2555]

Name of the wind is just a boring series that leads nowhere

[@trashedx]

Best. Crossover. Ever.

[@SamHarrison2099]

Johan, if you're waiting for Kingkiller to be finished you won't ever read it lol

[@kevinadams1848]

Ok, need some help here, what is RotE?

[@libraryofaviking]

Realm of the Elderlings!

[@Redundant_underscore]

The end of Liveship severely diminishes the trilogy as a whole.

[@deelak2329]

Bro, lets all be honest. Modern SFF is soooooo much better than the old stuff. Like, so much better.

[@deadlyk12538]

Unpopular opinion: Stop recommending Kingkiller to Robin Hobb fans. 😭 Robin Hobb is my favourite but I hate Kingkiller with a passion

[@mirayoquese8608]

The First Law is vanilla ASOIAF. They're not even remotely close.

[@tanja9364]

ABERCROMBIE EVERY TIME!

[@aaatt268]

You know what, Leigh Bardugo isn't even as bad as Maas.

[@rtd1859]

my 2 favs!!!!!😃

[@Love_and_lore]

My unpopular opinion: The Hero of Ages is the best ending to any Fantasy trilogy

[@undeadnedstark8330]

No - Ned stark

[@tanja9364]

You will ‘like’ Rainwild Chronicles, not ‘love’. They are ok, just persevere. (I am one of those over-protective, loyal RoE people!)

[@samm8190]

You didn’t ask Mike about book edges. Tsk tsk tsk. Disappointed

[@libraryofaviking]

Haha!

[@jellevanbreugel325]

The slog isn't real! Only if you had to wait on books to come out instead of reading a finished series!

[@happyperson8740]

Not a Stephen King fan at all. I’m biased, though, due to his politics. His accident had a definite impact on his life that he has never recovered.

[@angelaholmes8888]

Path a daggers and a crown of swords are the worst books in wheel of time to me

[@unknownproduce]

jade city was meh