SANDERSON SECRET PROJECT #4 REVIEW

My review of Brandon Sanderson's Secret Project #4
#brandonsanderson #bookreview #booktube #fantasy #fantasy #booktuber

[@Mightyjordy]

**cosmere spoilers** Im 100% with you there. I dont so much mind that theres connections to other Cosmere books so much as the fact that the payoff for the story and character arcs depend on your knowledge of the cosmere. Going a few paragraphs down because im going to get into some big Cosmere wide spoilers... • • • • • • • • I felt almost nothing at the end here. And what the heck was going on with Sigzil?? Hes like an entirely different character than who we knew in Stormlight. His entire character arc seems to be about becoming the Sigzil that we all know and love from Stormlight, thinking maybe he'll reignite his passion for cultures and exploration and engineering...but no, hes just on the run again. Same guy, same as we found him at the beginning of the book. Also, i think i was supposes to feel something when his spren sacrificed himself, except this is not even the Windrunner spren! Like, he broke his oaths off screen and im supposed to just glance over that and feel something when he kills off a second one?? I liked the connections to all the different cosmere planets and id love more heavily tied in cosmere STANDALONE books like this one in the future (i dont like the heavy references in mainline series) but this one unfortunately didnt quite do it for me. Also, was it just me or were they setting him up to be a mentor for Elegy, then she just gets shoved off to the side so she can hopefully figure out this whole invested zombie thing by herself? The book felt like it was doing a bunch of those fan service pan ups that the marvel movies do everytime we see or hear a character or a jar of Dor or a scadrian mention that they speak Malwish, but i just didnt care enough. Anyway, theres my rant, i have no one else to talk to about this stuff, but i actually liked the book and give it about a 3.5 as well. I was just a bit disappointed is all.

[@nicolesbookcorner]

I appreciate this comment so much. I am dying to discuss spoilers with someone and I completely agree with all the points you brought up. . Spoilers . . . I was not impressed at all with Sigzil, to be honest, I had completely forgotten who he was and had to do a quick Google search of him before continuing once I knew who he was. I was disappointed that Sigzil forsaking his oaths was not addressed either, and knowing that he had forsaken his oaths really diminished his character to me. I feel like there are so many gaps in this story and I don't know if it is because I don't remember Stormlight that well or if it is because this book just didn't reveal much at all. I agree as well, there was no growth whatsoever of his character--instead we were just given a typical Stormlight ending where all of a sudden the character gets a burst of power but nothing is gained in the end. I was so disappointed that he just ran away again in the end and nothing felt resolved.This book felt more like an interlude rather than a main act. I was also disappointed that it appears there will likely be no connection between Sigzil and this new planet since he mentioned how he is never going to be able to go back whereas the Night Brigade will believe that planet means something to him--so it just made the new character arcs feel pointless. I was hoping as well that something would have come from the characters of Elegy or Rebeke similar to how in Warbreaker Vivenne follows Vasher. I can't exactly pin-point why I did not like this book as much as I feel that I should have, but for some reason, it just did not work for me. The writing was done well and I enjoy getting to experience the various worlds in the Cosmere but I just was not impressed with Sigzil and the execution of this plotline. It felt like the story couldn't decide if it wanted to focus on the Cosmere, the world or the Night Brigade, and instead he chose all of the above and neither had a satisfying resolution. I definitely appreciate your comment and I am glad to know I am not crazy in this review :)

[@chrishall5180]

So first off, I totally agree that this is a Cosmere continuation book, not a standalone. If you read it expecting a standalone, you're going to be somewhat confused and/or disappointed. With that said, I think that part of your issue is that I think Sanderson expects the reader to know who the main character is from all the clues in Chapter 10, if not before. Knowing who he is gives insight into his growth throughout the book, even if you never learn all of the details of his life that are missing between Stormlight and Sunlit Man. I actually enjoyed getting a different take on this character, and I really enjoyed the overall story, for the most part. My ranking of the 4 YoS books is probably Tress > Sunlit > Yumi > Frugal. But I thought all of them were very good to excellent. (Although I'm coming to realize that a lot of Sanderson's fans aren't as excited about Frugal Wizard as I am...)

[@nicolesbookcorner]

Thank you for the comment! And yes, I agree, I think I would've enjoyed this book so much more if I had read this when I was rereading Stormlight. Its just been so long since my read through I felt like I was missing too much. I'm glad you enjoyed it :) and I am curious to see what happens next with this character in the series.

[@tgibridays]

I definitely see why this one wouldn't work for someone who isn't all in on the Cosmere and who isn't really a sci-fi fan. I'm both, so I liked it. Haha I didn't like it as much as Yumi and Tress though. But it's worlds better than Frugal Wizards... 😂

[@nicolesbookcorner]

I'm glad you enjoyed this one! It definitely has more of a sci-fi feel which probably didn't help my enjoyment haha. But I definitely agree this one was way better than Wizards but I loved Tress and Yumi so much more. Those books were amazing!

[@WJRobbins125]

I'll get back to you. 🙃 I'm tempted to take your advice and do my annual re-read of Stormlight because I'm easily distracted by "I should know this" but I'm also tempted to just try my memory out. We'll see.

[@nicolesbookcorner]

Yes, I wish I would have reread Stormlight but I was also excited to give this a try, so I wouldn't blame you for jumping in haha

[@WJRobbins125]

@@nicolesbookcorner OK, I've just finished this one. (I couldn't wait, and I like to test my recall) First off, I'm glad I didn't do a Stormlight re-read...it wouldn't have helped here in my opinion. This story, let's call it what it is a Stormlight novella, depends heavily on a several other novellas. Two I have read, Shadows for Silence in the Forest of Hell, and Sixth of the Dusk. But seems most important to this story Dawnshard. There is, obviously, a need for familiarity w/Stormlight, mostly The Way of Kings I think, and an awareness of Mistborn...but what was most disconcerting for me was the lack of a sense of time. My suspicion is that it's during what will be Mistborn Era 3 that we know little about as we only finished Era 2. Overall I think it was "OK" and did give some perspective on things that most likely will be appreciated *later* after Era 3 Mistborn is out, but I still felt like I was missing some things and I'm sitting here an hour after finishing thinking it wasn't the most satisfying ending.

[@nicolesbookcorner]

haha I am glad to know I wasn't the only one who didn't really enjoy this one as much. It probably didn't help me that I haven't read any of those novellas :) I watched a recent book review video on this and that person said that this book may be taking place after Stormlight 5... like no wonder we are all lost! I had no idea that when of this story either! @@WJRobbins125

[@nedboy8370]

This one was written for heavy fans. I still liked Yumi better, but this one beets Tress for me. It almost ties with Yumi. Almost. But you have to be a major fan to love it as much as I do.

[@nicolesbookcorner]

I'm glad you enjoyed it! I definitely needed to brush up on the Stormlight books before reading this one, I think it would have helped my enjoyment of it

[@ignatiusklepto5136]

Hmm good to know. I was more interested in this as a standalone. Might still check it out but I liked more of a fresh start.

[@nicolesbookcorner]

I agree, I wish this was more of a standalone like the other three secret projects, I really loved Yumi and Tress. But I'd still recommend giving it a try especially if you enjoy the Cosmere lore.

[@ignatiusklepto5136]

@@nicolesbookcorner I actually Haven't read much Cosmere. The length is intimidating and I don't see much Buzz about the Cosmere as a whole except from a few people I follow who are really plugged in to every read. I'm not as interested in "Shared Universe" which I related to the last part of your review here. There's not really a big picture. It's usually more of a creative (and impressive) gimmick. Or a challenge for the writer personally to accomplish it. I take my hat off to Sanderson but I fail to see how the stories are better because they're connected. I just want a good story. Reading Tress right now. Love it! That's more of what I'm talking about.

[@nicolesbookcorner]

Yes, exactly. I feel bad I am not as excited about the whole Cosmere idea as a lot of people tend to be but it just isn't exactly what I enjoy. I hate feeling like I am only getting bits and pieces of the overall story especially with this book but with a book like Tress, I was able to just enjoy the story for what it is but have a side of the Cosmere if I wanted--rather than thrown in my face. I am so glad to hear you are enjoying Tress though, I loved that book so much! @@ignatiusklepto5136

[@ignatiusklepto5136]

@@nicolesbookcorner It's ironic that shared universe things are so hot right now in entertainment and literature but I do think that there has to be a good reason for it. I admire the Cosmere but I think its better as a Concept than as a form of entertainment for the casual reader. I especially think Brandon has done a great job of varying up the content of the universe so that there's something for everyone. But I do feel that there's less and less reason to connect it all. Even These secret projects to me make it seem like even Brandon might want to go write more stories and less universe stories. I'm happy we get content but what started out as a writer's ambitious creative plan feels more today like a publisher wanting to connect everything so that it boosts interest in every title rather than just one series. Maybe that's cynical but I still believe Sanderson is one of the best in the biz today so I'm thrilled we get more stories even if I'm getting less and less interested. Thanks for replying! I enjoy your videos and might be checking out more of your favorite Sanderson books if I like Tress as much as I think I will.

[@nicolesbookcorner]

Thank you so much for letting me know you enjoy the videos! I appreciate that! I do agree that Cosmere is interesting as a concept, but I am not really enjoying the books that are trying too hard to connect everything. I love the books that just have snippets of Cosmere connections in them, such as finding Hoid in all the books. I love looking for his character when I read Sanderson. But other than that, I am not really interested in the politics of all the worlds being connected. I will be curious to see what the big picture is once he is done but I definitely agree that Sanderson has such a strength in writing, and I just hope he goes in the direction he wants and not what he is pushed to do. @@ignatiusklepto5136

[@thefantasynerd93]

I'm with you on not liking the secretive aspect of this book. I NEED to know what's happening and books where the characters know more than you and they're withholding information drive me up the wall. It's probably why I can't read mystery/detective novels..

[@nicolesbookcorner]

Yes it was driving me crazy! I understand the books were secret projects but does the story have to be secret within the book as well? haha

[@sgnox7781]

I have not read the book yet but im very suprised that the book tries to hide who is the main character. Because in Brandon Sanderson secret project 4 reveal video in the last section when he talks more about the inspirations he names who is the main character of the book with their stormlight name so im suprised he tries to keep it secret in the book. Also when it comes to cosmere in a whole i can understand your frustration when it comes to little details that gets slowly revealed and it being not completed. We are reading books for many years and theres plenty to read and most of us readers wont remember a lot of things and forgetting stuff can be really frustrating. With Tress i ended up googling some cosmere details since i forgetten them.

[@nicolesbookcorner]

Yes! I was also surprised how secret the identity of the main character was. His name was not revealed in the book till about 80% of the way through and it was killing me. It was distracting me from the main story of the book. I do have such a hard time keeping track of all the Cosmere details, and you're right, it is especially hard when there are years between books , I do feel like once all the books are out and the big picture is shown, I think I will really appreciate the universe he created (that is my hope) But right now these bits and pieces are driving me crazy and testing my memory skills haha

[@sgnox7781]

This is exactly the reason why i usually go for standalone stories or finished series especially long ones since it would take so much time to reread everything and my memory is nowhere near good enough to remember all the details like i barely remember a lot of details when it comes to a lot of minor characters like members of bridge four. Cosmere is in a funny place to be fair where you have standalones stories and finished stories but also the information of the greater whole is very obscured and drip fed. I think i would love abook that goes into explaining all of the cosmere and yea when it finishes it might be one the best shared universe across all of fiction possibly but for now we are painfully reminded a lot of the time that we forget a lot of details from the stories we loved.@@nicolesbookcorner

[@nicolesbookcorner]

I 100% agree. And my memory is terrible, when it comes to remembering details in books haha. WoT is testing my remembering skills as well, but at least I know that series is finished @@sgnox7781