Why You Should Read: Brandon Sanderson & The Cosmere (Spoiler-Free)

In this "Let's Discuss" episode of Mike's Book Reviews, he discusses the biggest name in the current fantasy genre, Brandon Sanderson, and why you should read The Cosmere.
You can purchase Stormlight Archive books 1-3 here: amzn.to/2v1B30C
You can purchase the Mistborn trilogy here: amzn.to/2VWpB1B
You can purchase Warbreaker here: amzn.to/2wEcQ0T
You can purchase Elantris here: amzn.to/2TQOVmO
You can purchase Arcanum Unbounded here: amzn.to/2vP68VP
You can purchase White Sand here: amzn.to/33969QM
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#BrandonSanderson #Cosmere #MikesBookReviews

[@russtin1]

I made the same vow not to start another unfinished series. I made an exception and just ordered The Way of Kings. He appears to write faster than I read.

[@mikesbookreviews]

russtin1 He writes crazy fast. There’s about a 3 year break between each Stormlight book, but they’re such heavy reads you’ll need to let them marinate for a bit. Way of Kings is a spectacular book.

[@fredrikgranstrom6743]

@@mikesbookreviews well in those 3 years he keeps pumping out other books to be fair.

[@mikesbookreviews]

@@fredrikgranstrom6743 For sure. Sando is a machine.

[@Jrdn357]

@@mikesbookreviews Will you ever post a book-by-book review of Stormlight? I can't seem to find any reviews of them, by you.

[@cairocory9589]

You all probably dont care but does someone know a method to get back into an Instagram account..? I stupidly forgot the login password. I appreciate any assistance you can offer me

[@evermoremystic17]

“You don’t have to have gratuitous violence and sex to be a good writer” AMEN! So glad a reviewer said it. Sanderson’s writing definitely attests to this. 👏🏼👏🏼

[@francesccampos1343]

Completely agree aswell, since the GoT success there has been a new surge of fantasy fans who consider anything that don't have explicit sex and violence to be YA by definition. It's really funny to read them sometimes specially taking in account how Tolkien or Jordan use this themes in their works, are they YA?

[@swaggerdagger5168]

@@francesccampos1343 in the end, it’s all subjective and comes down to personal preference. Gratuitous sex and violence is not the reason people enjoy the writings of GRRM or Joe Abercrombie. It’s because the overall story and writing is absolutely incredible. It just happens to have sex and violence within it. Good writing is good writing. But if you don’t prefer those sorts of things in the stories you’re reading, that’s totally fine. I’ve yet to see any fantasy fan bashing an author’s writing for not having sex or graphic violence in it.

[@leewatts6506]

The class he (Sanderson) teaches on fantasy/sci-fi writing is online and is a tremendous insight into his process and I highly recommended it for any and all who want to add their works into these genres I so adore.

[@mikesbookreviews]

Yeah, he's incredible. Mastering the ability to never sleep is a hell of a talent.

[@GodmyX]

@@mikesbookreviews He's storing wakefulness, you know :P

[@danielw8620]

can you link me the class please

[@KnotGypsy]

I discovered Brandon Sanderson with the books he wrote for The Wheel of Time. I was so amazed at how well he did with finishing another author's work. He did it so well, I could hardly tell when he took over. That is talent. So, I looked for some of his own work and found the first Mistborn trilogy and fell in total love with his writing. I have now finished Elantris, Warbreaker, and The Way of Kings...and begun Words of Radiance. His writing style is so smooth it becomes invisible and my immersion in the story is complete. I think you are correct - Brandon Sanderson is The Lord Ruler of Fantasy.

[@mikesbookreviews]

Words of Radiance is probably the best original fantasy book I'd read in a decade.

[@KnotGypsy]

@@mikesbookreviews I am looking forward to the journey!

[@RafaelToscano]

I want to start to read his books but I’m overwhelmed to know where to start. That’s why I came to this video 😂

[@nameless5053]

@@RafaelToscano have you started?

[@RafaelToscano]

@@nameless5053 yes. I’ve read the first book of the Mistborn trilogy, The Final Empire.

[@Hadrian1616]

Your subscriber count will rocket with Brandon Sanderson book reviews. Make the book image bigger in the little thumbnail. Us fans will recognize and smash it fast. Start with The Final Empire and make sure to include Warbreaker. Be sure to read Secret History novella for more Cosmere wonder regarding Kelsier. Subscribed, liked, commented. 😀 good luck booktuber.

[@mikesbookreviews]

I'm finally going to do this soon. Was trying to sell my wife on Mistborn a couple days ago, so I should be doing that soon.

[@locutusdborg126]

Very helpful. Surprised at such a nice post.

[@grawbad959]

The Way of Kings, simply put, blew my mind. I devoured that book. The way he built Kaladin was perfect.

[@madscientist2621]

I just finished The well of Ascension and I'm about to start The Hero of Ages. I love the story but I feel that it is "bloated" at times if that makes sense. Is Stormlight the same way?

[@turtleanton6539]

Connecting universe like King or HP Lovecraft is really interesting and cool.

[@mikesbookreviews]

That's really what drew me into Stormlight. It's a heavy read, but very worth it.

[@abnushagnasty805]

Same here! A friend of mine recommended Sanderson after I became frustrated with Martin. The stormlight archive is amazing and I honestly can’t wait until the 5th book comes out!

[@mikesbookreviews]

Long wait, but should be worth it.

[@nameless5053]

@@mikesbookreviews yup, it will be worth it. Thankfully, I still have half-a-dozen cosmere books to read until then,. I might start The Wheel of Time series after finishing the main cosmere series, and, hopefully by then, stormlight 5 will be out!

[@mrblooper1994]

Life before death, strength before weakness, journey before destination,!

[@mikesbookreviews]

Yes sir. I had just recorded that after we were talking about Sanderson on the other video this morning.

[@shosty575]

Honor is Dead

[@ianmartinezcassmeyer]

I love the Mistborn Trilogy. That first book especially is pure great storytelling gold. The middle one is a bit...slow, but that third book is a masterclass at sticking the landing.

[@BomimoDK]

Watching the video, i was thinking "wow, this would make a great podcast format". Found the links moments later. Thanks!

[@mikesbookreviews]

It's crazy, we did the podcast for 3 years and could never build an audience. I do some book reviews on the side and that is finally the breakthrough.

[@joehunter5472]

I just wanted to say I started following this channel based on your WOT reviews but have really enjoyed all of your videos thus far. Currently working through the first book of the first law trilogy so I can watch your reviews on those books.

[@mikesbookreviews]

Excellent! First Law is so great.

[@troyb5843]

Totally agree, Elantris (and lots of his stand alones) was good, the Mistborn trilogy was excellent/great. But by the time I finished words of radiance I got the sense that this was going to be his entry into that inner circle of iconic fantasy. Side note, His college lectures are fascinating.

[@sassybear6046]

Even when I have already started a series I love watching your videos and just hearing your opinions while I play video games lol. Thank you for the great content from someone who has only recently found a massive love for reading and audiobooks. 😁

[@reviveithomeimprovement2495]

Love your content Mike! 125k! That's more than 200. I don't have anyone to talk about these books with so your videos scratch that itch. Thank you!.

[@TheRealMike1976]

Great video. Looking forward to seeing your channel get bigger as WoT hits Prime.

[@mikesbookreviews]

That would be awesome, but mostly because it would mean the Prime series is doing well. I hope they realize what they have on their hands here.

[@pennygraham3767]

That’s how I came across this author. In the middle of reading Game of thrones someone, somewhere told me to read Sanderson . My head was so full of GofT although I bought one I then forgot it. not anymore! I’m in for this.

[@joelman1989]

One of the things I’m most excited for is going through the Cosmere with my son when he’s older. I’m going to start him off with the rhythmatist, skyward, (possibly reckoners haven’t read yet) And then we’ll go into mistborn, elantris, warbreaker, stormlight.

[@mona891]

Wow! You were around 200 subs when this video came out and now you are at 59.3K subs. I love all your content and can’t wait to start reading Sanderson.

[@mikesbookreviews]

Yeah this was back when I never really thought this would be a thing. In fact, this video could probably be updated.

[@astraea14]

You have convinced this humble engineer with the progress bars, In reading the Cosmere.

[@karanbhatt6481]

Here I become fan of Brandon Sanderson. I think I can call my self Brandon Sanderson fan because I have read only 2 book by him. Skyward and Starsight. I want to ready any book by Sanderson because I have seen rating of every book by him. And every thing is al least 4.0 in goodreads. So I liked that. But maaaaaaaaaaaaaaaan every thing is very long for me. I can't read more than 400 pages. But I decided to read Skward because that is I think the shortest novel I have encountered. And I read it because chapter are very short like 10 to 12 page each. And since I am married plus full time job sort chapter are good thing. (I am 27 and I wanted reading book as new hobby beside watching movie anime and playing video game) So I start the skyward bu then I completed it like I am flying M-Bot. In a week it was completed. Then Starsight and also completed in a week. Currently reading the Hunger Game Catching Fire but I think I will skip Mokingjay and start Final Empire or The Way Of The Kings.

[@mikesbookreviews]

I’d really recommend the Mistborn books. It’s a perfect gateway to his works and each one individually isn’t a heavy read.

[@karanbhatt6481]

@@mikesbookreviews Yes I was also thinking to start with Mistborn: The Final Empire. It's not that long so I think it will be good start

[@carlsmith4568]

Did you read Way of Kings yet? I know it's really long, but it doesn't feel long at all.

[@wapiti4680]

I also have a family and kids and whatnot I'm very busy, audible has been the way to go for me and I can listen while mowing the lawn and driving and whatnot.

[@JZETH_]

I have to admit, Way of King’s is a masterpiece. I read it after I completed book 2 of Mistborn and my lord. I can’t wait to pick up the subtle Easter eggs throughout the Cosmere as I continue reading his work. I’m going to start Hero of Ages this weekend.

[@mikesbookreviews]

Before I knew I was looking for these things, it was still cool. Seeing the connections after knowing they're there is a real treat.

[@JeffreyWatson3997]

Best booktube channel out there.

[@heavyfiregaming9012]

He’s a god that’s why only a god can write such an amazing story

[@mikesbookreviews]

The Almighty lives.

[@heavyfiregaming9012]

JAY MIDDY yes

[@rosseller2045]

You know why Sanderson is such a great guy?? Nebraska born and raised! Go Big Red!

[@mikesbookreviews]

I'll have to plan a vacation there.

[@Joewerty84]

It’s all that delicious corn he fuels himself with that helps him turn out so many books! 😂

[@99isidro]

Your videos have opened my eyes to so many authors!

[@Jay-od7if]

Just started the mistbron trilogy, and omg is he a great writer, every day i read about 100 pages and have to stop only bc i have other things to do as well 🤣, but i can't wait to finish them so i can jump into stormlight, can't get enough of sanderson right now

[@ricardojeronimo5750]

Great content , came up with your channel by searching for WOT , funny to say I had no reading habits started this year after new year’s resolution . Started with mistborne trilogy and got hooked . Sanderson the turn me in a book worm 😅😅 , now in my way on the 2 book of WOT . Keep the good work .

[@mikesbookreviews]

Welcome to the sickness. Once fantasy series take hold, they never let go.

[@joelman1989]

Makes me really happy to see someone who wasn’t a reader growing up, pick up the habit.

[@leannewyszkowski994]

Just found your channel and subscribed. Love Brandon Sanderson and of course Robert Jordan. I hope you are enjoying your adventures in Randland so far! I promise it gets better. Even the not so great books are still good. Sanderson does write some YA. His Reckoners series is YA and I was waiting for a year for the final book to come out. Amazing series! He has another one that I haven’t read that is also YA that the main character is Alcatraz.

[@mikesbookreviews]

Thanks! I am enjoying Wheel of Time, I was just reading it so fast I felt like I wasn't going to retain anything, so I'm on a slight hiatus 6 books in.

[@leannewyszkowski994]

I don’t blame you. I’m a newbie booktuber and just did my first video on the first 1/3 of Eye of the World. I hadn’t seen it done before so figured I’d try my novice hand at it. I know for sure I’ll have to take several breaks for other things or it’ll just be too much for my ADD reading proclivities. 😂 Your content is amazing and I will be adding some of what you’ve talked about to my ever growing list of things I want to read. Thank you for the quality content and I hope to someday figure things out so I can put out better stuff myself.

[@mikesbookreviews]

@@leannewyszkowski994 Thank you so much. I'm glad someone enjoys them. I love talking about what I read since most of the folks I know in real life could care less ha ha

[@sigmaboi2946]

I just got back into reading recently. I'm currently reading the Tolkien books. I plan to read some Sanderson books afterwards. The way you described him sparked my interest in his books.

[@linjicakonikon7666]

Tolkien= Sublime Sanderson= Ridiculous

[@guruthosamarthruin4459]

Even when I'm looking for new books that aren't written by Branden Sanderson, I'm searching for books that are "Sanderson-esque". There's something about the writing style that really draws me in, and I want most books I read to be like that.

[@jonathancooper4914]

I can’t wait to read the Mistborn trilogy! It arrived yesterday.

[@mikesbookreviews]

Enjoy!

[@turtleanton6539]

Gotta start Reading storm light soon😁👏

[@mikesbookreviews]

Enjoy! It's heavy, but so great.

[@fredrikgranstrom6743]

@@mikesbookreviews I read the first 3 now I missed Edgedancer or whatever its called

[@turtleanton6539]

Eeeh this was just not for me.

[@phantomdragon3893]

I shumbled into the stormlight archive. Being a newbie to the fantasy genre together. I finished with WOK last year , for me it started to drag a little. however I found myself looking forward to Kaldian chapters . And Shallon was okay. but sequel ( which was through Audible) wow the sequel me made love Shallon, even more . wow the characters are amazing I adore them !

[@brianpowell6124]

Way of Kings was amazing... I literally one of the best books ever. I have read it twice and audible listened twice... will re-read/listen before each new book release... so good.

[@abdqs853]

When I first was getting introduced to allomancy i could right away tell he did his research with this magic system. Anyone with a decent knowledge of physics can tell you how well He used actual physical laws to add depth to his story. Specifically he used Newtons third law of motion very well, the idea of pushing and pulling and every action having a consequence is the very essence of Newtons third law.

[@guruthosamarthruin4459]

It seems to me that a lot of the general fantasy series' that don't end are a combination of: 1) Writer's block, and how hard it is to wrap up all the loose ends in a satisfactory manner. 2) Milking the series for all the money it's worth before they officially end it.

[@wheelchazeal8089]

300 pages left in memory of light and then I’m on to Mistborn

[@AioriaPoderoso]

You should because is the best thing in the world , period.

[@beageler]

I don't know, waiting for the next Rithmatist book is frustrating :-)

[@mikesbookreviews]

I haven't started those, but I've heard from a good friend how enjoyable they are.

[@nathanbaca5131]

Everyone that's on the fence about the cosmere don't sleep on Sando. It seems intimidating with how many books there are and how dense the stormlight books are but the characters and stories are so good once you finish you'll want more.

[@sourabhnphadke]

Great video !

[@mikesbookreviews]

Thanks! May the Stormfather bless you.

[@JLchevz]

I agree with you. But honestly I enjoy waiting for books, I enjoy doing rereads and the anticipacion of not knowing what's going to happen, the key is to enjoy different authors, genres, stories, etc. My favorite series of all time is ASOIAF (I haven't read enough fantasy yet, maybe it will change) but I will wait for GRRM to finish it, and if he doesn't, I still have TWOT, Stormlight, First Law, 6 Witcher books, Gentlemen Bastards (if unfinished) and tons of other books and genres I can enjoy. I'd rather read something and enjoy it partially and imagine how it's going to end and theorize a lot, than read a shitty ending (looking at you GOT).

[@J1Warrior84]

I was actually going to start mistborn since I've had the 1st trilogy for years on my shelf. Took a break from reading because of life. Then I always research a writer before I start his books and found way of kings. Then researched that a bit and got so excited to start that I bought the 3 book box set yesterday. They arrive tomorrow. So im too excited to read mistborn now. So it will be if I need a break during way of kings or the next two.

[@GoErikTheRed]

Just a heads up: there are a number of short stories scattered around the Cosmere. Arcanum Unbounded is a collection of a number of these, including two related to mistborn. One of which you could read more or less whenever but should probably wait, and the other one (Mistborn: Secret History) you should absolutely read after finishing the trilogy. It... recontextualizes a lot of little things, and is a good intro to the interconnectedness of the Cosmere. For the stormlight archive there are novellas that slot between books 2-3 and 3-4, which aren't necessarily required, but highly recommended. Welcome to the fandom!

[@MetalGildarts]

I noticed you have the inheritance cycle. I read the first two books, but after reading the Mistborn trilogy, I just couldn’t finish it.

[@mikesbookreviews]

Loved Mistborn. Unfortunately, I still haven't been able to get past book 2 of Inheritance.

[@MetalGildarts]

Mike's Book Reviews for me the world building and plot was so basic to me after reading Mistborn. I started Brisingr but just couldn’t continue.

[@mikesbookreviews]

Marco Meza I’m always good with a “lighter” read, but something about Eldest has never sat right with me since I’ve DNF it twice at nearly the same spot.

[@MetalGildarts]

Mike's Book Reviews wow.

[@Stewart000]

I've read some of the non-Cosmere stuff- The Reckoners series (spent several months removing "Calamity!" from my vocabulary) & the first 2 Legion books. I'm just now realizing what is & isn't Cosmere & why. "He's the Danielle Steele of fantasy." LOL

[@mikesbookreviews]

Dude doesn't sleep.

[@guruthosamarthruin4459]

It may sound weird, but the whole "PG-13" thing is part of the draw to me. I don't like a whole lot of the grimdark stuff.

[@Flellz]

Hey Mike. I don’t know if you’ll see this because this is an older video. But I was looking up Brandon Sanderson videos after finishing Words of Radiance, and I really appreciated this video! I definitely subscribed and will come back to you for future recs. I was wondering if you’ve ever heard or read the powder mage trilogy by Brian McClellan. One of my favorite fantasy series to date, and I would definitely recommend! Thanks if you took the time to read this :).

[@mikesbookreviews]

I have plans to start Promise of Blood sometime this year. Powder Mage and the Faithful & The Fallen are new series I plan to begin in 2020.

[@Flellz]

@@mikesbookreviews That's great to hear! I promise you won't regret it. I will also look into the Faithful & The Fallen. The summary sounds amazing.

[@mikesbookreviews]

@@Flellz I'm a big time Joe Abercrombie honk and most have said F&tF is pretty close to it.

[@briangallagher3106]

Are you dropping Dark Tower spoilers here? I’ve been waiting to get in to Stormlight but the final empire slowed me down, I wasn’t too impressed with that so I wasn’t sure about continuing. You’re convincing me here.

[@mikesbookreviews]

If I did I didn’t mean to.

[@timjackson4387]

Come for the world an magic if you stay for the characters.

[@mikesbookreviews]

And most do.

[@geosustento8894]

It's kinda jarring to hear him being called the Lord Ruler of the fantasy genre because the Lord Ruler was a usurper tyrant.

[@GodmyX]

But he also managed to rule for 1000 years... and was reportedly very tired of it, with the well of ascension getting fuller again... (making the caches etc.) :P I mean, yeah, a terrible terrible person, but not black & white.

[@marneuscalgar001]

Rashek/The lord ruler did nothing wrong, He bought another 1000 years time to save his people.

[@MrTofy1974]

You should do a "why you should read Stephen King"

[@mikesbookreviews]

I did something like that. More of a "what Stephen King means to me" but in the same mold as this kzbin.info/www/bejne/oWmnioqCnpp8d8k

[@turtleanton6539]

Yuuup

[@GodmyX]

Thanks!

[@currangill430]

My cousin raved about this series and I tried it out. I read the prologue and was not really impressed. It might have been that GRRM spoiled me. So I came back after finishing all the First Law books. And I was able to push through the first two chapters but I was honestly not liking what I was reading. I like Khalladin fine but I find Shalla or Shallan...just ruins the pacing for me. I've also found the dialogue to be subpar and I'm a dialogue reader and a lot of the times I roll my eyes because the dialogue is so unbelievable (in a no one talks like this way). I've also been sold that this is a hard magic system and that Sanderson spends a whole lot of time on magic and the amount I have read and then that makes me feel like this series might not be for me.

[@edgared9658]

Hey Mike, how you doing? I love your reviews, man. Actually, it is because of you that I just started to re-read my Stephen King books in publication order. You know, a while ago I read that we shouldn't use the term "gratuitous sex" or "gratuitous violence" when we talk about cinema or literature because, after all, whenever we have sex in real life, if we really think about it, we are actually having "gratuitous sex" too. And the same goes for violence. And I just wanted to know what do you think about that?

[@mikesbookreviews]

This is the first I've thought about it, to be honest. ha.

[@matturso2224]

Did you read the Stormlight Archive (Way of King etc?) did you do a review?

[@acharyavivek51]

I love Led Zeppelin too😃😃😃

[@mikesbookreviews]

So should all who have functioning ears.

[@jeffm7179]

My first book by sanderson was the way of kings. Should I continue or should I backtrack and start mistborn?

[@3434-m7j]

Ideal will be First mistborn trilogy than wok ,than mix others of his books while reading/waitig for next stormlight

[@happykaladin78]

You are fine to not read mistborn quite yet. I however, would read the mistborn trilogy and mistborn secret history before Rythm of War which is the 4th stormlight book. Edit: Maybe before Oathbringer. I dont remember which one has it but there are letters in between parts of stormlight books and some of those letters would make sense if you have read mistborn. Not required, but a fun Easter egg.

[@hexenhammer7616]

Great find for me. Subbed.

[@mikesbookreviews]

Thanks!

[@sebastien160]

What a writer... WHAT A FUCKING WRITER.

[@mikesbookreviews]

He's The Lord Ruler. No one can put out content at the pace he does at the quality level he does. He's not human.

[@sebastien160]

@@mikesbookreviews Lord ruler he is, try John Gwynne he's very good too

[@mikesbookreviews]

@@sebastien160 I have the Faithful & The Fallen series, but haven't started yet. I get that recommendation quite a bit.

[@sebastien160]

Mike's Book Reviews & Geek Media Corps Podcast amazing series, Amazing writer I’m on a time on dread and it’s fucking amazing

[@mikesbookreviews]

@@sebastien160 I feel like watcher comments are going to force me to move F&tF up my TBR list. Someone said Gwynn is Joe Abercrombie-like and that's something that gets my attention.

[@usman619]

I really like your videos but please get a camera that records 1080p at 60 fps.

[@mikesbookreviews]

Please watch a video that isn't over a year old and you'll see that I have.

[@MrJeevanbabu]

Can I start read stormlight archive first ? If no let me know which ones to read to have a beetter understanding of stormlight archive. Thank You.

[@kryzux8153]

I know this is a year late, but I read SLA first and had no problem. You can miss some references but nothing crazy. The best is to start with Mistborn 1 or Elantris, but that is just a reccomendation, you can read whatever and enjoy

[@MrJeevanbabu]

​@@kryzux8153 Haha Thank You. I started from Elantris and on mistborn now. Badly want to start SLA.

[@kryzux8153]

Nice! Hope you enjoy them

[@giannimanzano9266]

I have never read Sanderson, so, you suggest that new readers start with the Mistborn Trilogy?

[@mikesbookreviews]

I usually recommend Mistborn because Stormlight Archive is just such a heavy read and might overwhelm new readers to his style. However, if you've read things like Dune or Wheel of Time, you'll probably prefer Stormlight to Mistborn.

[@giannimanzano9266]

Mike's Book Reviews The Lord of the Rings Trilogy is about as heavy as I have read, but I will stick with your suggestion. I’m 48 and more old school than not when it comes to my Fantasy choices. I am new to your channel and have enjoyed your videos. Thank you for replying

[@mikesbookreviews]

@@giannimanzano9266 Thanks for visiting and for the conversation. That's why I'm here. I think Sanderson is really good for traditional fantasy lovers, but some have complained that Mistborn leans too heavily into romance. But for me, that didn't detract from the main story in the least. I loved all of the characters.

[@giannimanzano9266]

Mike's Book Reviews oh I won’t have any trouble with that. I’ve been married for 25 years 🙂

[@mikesbookreviews]

@@giannimanzano9266 If she reads, I'd recommend you two read it together. Plenty of conversation starters there and Vin and Elend are both great leads.

[@AdoreYouInAshXI]

Also, I really like your channel and reviews/thoughts on books. But I feel like you're underplaying the whole "young adult" thing. Especially for the Mistborn books. They are extremely mild, and read very much like YA books in my opinion.

[@Spthomas47]

I like the longer form, er, format. Lol?

[@mikesbookreviews]

Not sure what you mean?

[@Spthomas47]

@@mikesbookreviews heh, I think this was to a different post and I'd not paid enough attention. It was supposed to be answering "do you like longer or shorter videos" My bad, sir!

[@Nobnoxious]

End of this was great, mike didn’t have quite 200 followers, Lol 😊

[@mikesbookreviews]

Yeah this was the infancy stage.

[@Atomalone83]

I think the second mistborn series is better than the first 3.

[@mikesbookreviews]

A good friend of mine was telling me something similar to this.

[@joeymcleod3315]

I think steelheart the reckoners series is better than the cosmere universe

[@mikesbookreviews]

Wow. First I've heard that.

[@joeymcleod3315]

Mike's Book Reviews its by Brandon Sanderson

[@somekidwithaphone3345]

The mistborn trilogy are the most underrated Sanderson books

[@mikesbookreviews]

I agree.

[@ninjablack4347]

I didn't like the first book. Only got to 80 pages and didn't connect with Vin, who annoyed me with her "can't trust anyone, they'll leave me" over and over

[@somekidwithaphone3345]

Ninja Black that’s because she couldn’t trust anyone her entire life until she met kelsier was betrayal and mistrust

[@ninjablack4347]

@@somekidwithaphone3345 i get that but its how it was written. constantly being reminded, it got annoying

[@somekidwithaphone3345]

Ninja Black that’s how development is ya gotta know who your characters are and what they want so when they change you know how much they change

[@mat3714]

Sux that i can't get over the illogical premise of the archives... Separating the reading and the business by gender.... I just can't , merchants needs to read and scholars have money... The core concept just taint the whole world building

[@mikesbookreviews]

That's a shame. But, life is too short to read something you aren't enjoying.

[@myribstellmesheslying]

400000 page book?

[@renzodm6203]

Words

[@turtleanton6539]

Words WoT

[@chaosinorderrr]

I read the first Mistborn book and found it extremely ordinary. The writing had no personality and the plot was cliched YA shit. It put me off from reading anything else he did after that.

[@alexisdumas84]

Bro, I really like your videos but a shorter intro would be amazing.

[@mikesbookreviews]

Christopher Dumas Ha. Yeah this is old. The intro is like 12 seconds now.

[@generalyoutubewatching5286]

Is he getting a bunch of ghost writers?

[@minimumviableplayer1402]

Brandon's writing style is so bland though, it's off-putting for me after reading Martin, Rothfuss and King. There is little to no nuance and there is a lot of repetitiveness in the dialog (so much 'bah' and 'perhaps' one liners). The plot is of course the best part, but characters also vary from great to basic a lot. I will continue to read his work though, most likely.

[@mikesbookreviews]

I can see how it certainly isn't for everyone. I do feel that he grows in every new release.

[@shosty575]

Joe Abercrombie though

[@mikesbookreviews]

@@shosty575 Joe is good for everyone.

[@adampender2482]

If it doesn't have fantasy themes in it its trash. I want elves, dwarves, magic, dragons. Why have so called writers abandoned these to put out crap they think is edgy? Everything that is popular and is so called fantasy is pure garbage.

[@scfiguy6089]

Is Cosmere scfi?

[@NervithReviews]

Since you're replying to comments I thought Id give you my thoughts. Imo Sanderson is a pretty average writer overall. Mistborn bored me to death, and Warbreaker was solid (which is pretty average for books coming out nowadays." The only thing thats stood out is Stormlight, and thats really good. Ive never understood why people call it "a classic being writen." I see how its gonna be a famous for the next couple decades, but the thing is that the depth of these stories is nonexistant. Thematically, theyre underwhelming considering their length and content, and rereading these books has incredibly low value. Which is why I disagree with your statements here. Most historically famous books are famous because of their themes, not action or magic system. Plus Sandersons contribution to fantasy overall is so far limited to his innovate magic, and his simplistic way of teaching writing. The magic thing is solid, so theres a chance this will mark him down as one of the greats, but its really limited, because he hasnt pushed the bounds anywhere else, even with the shared universe, which is a dime a dozen nowadays. At the same time, I really like your idea of his speed. Honestly, i agree that this is an awesome thing. He puts out pretty good fantasy in a very timely manner, and thats enough to mark him as awesome for now. Thats probably why I like him myself. My favorite series are taking years to finish, while Brandon can do it quickly, and pretty well. Let me know your thoughts on this :-) Also as for your vid. Liked the start, really liked the editing. Thought i was entering a video essay. Throughout the rest of your vid tho, your structure was a little weird. You jumped back and forth between topics a bit. Youre a lot better than most at this, which is why I mention it. You just often mention things youve said before multiple times, and since your structure is almost perfect, I just thought it would be useful to know.

[@mikesbookreviews]

I can definitely see how not all will click with Sanderson and his style. He can be a very dry author with his prose sometimes and his world-building and magic systems can really grate on some readers. As for the critiques, you aren’t wrong. I was still very new at this when I made this video and like to think I’ve improved. I’m always trying to get better. Check out my A Year With Brandon Sanderson video for a less rambling version.

[@NervithReviews]

@@mikesbookreviews Ive already seen it, and I do see the improvement ;-)

[@AdoreYouInAshXI]

Brandon Sanderson is one of those authors that just doesn't do it for me. His stuff is so predictable, and the world building just slogs on and on and on. Never cared for his characters either. I respect his work on WoT, but that's about it. I'd say he's one of the most over rated authors on the planet, right next to Rothfuss.

[@Alexander_Isen]

This is more of a review of the author's personality and work ethic rather than the books he writes

[@linjicakonikon7666]

"Why you should eat at McDonald's"

[@linjicakonikon7666]

Tolkien, Gavriel Kay, Abercrombie, = Fine Dining Jordan, Sanderson, Goodkind= Fast food