What's up with Words of Radiance?

[@esmayrosalyne]

Not gonna lie, I kinda like this slightly less structured and more gushy type of video. It's just so fun to see someone get SO excited about a book they loved. Bring on all the rambling, I love it! Anyway, I totally agree with everything you said. There are soooo many iconic moments in this instalment, it's just absolutely insane. I never thought I would wish for a chunker of this size to be even longer, but I could honestly have read hundreds upon hundreds more pages of this greatness. As you said, it's probably not the best book ever, but it was certainly one of the most engrossing reading experiences I have ever had. Great video, loved hearing your thoughts! 🤩

[@libraryofaviking]

Haha thank you Esmay! Yes, there are so so so many fantastic moments in this book! I lovef it so much!

[@jonbelakio]

Words of radiance is so good. Best book in the series so far for sure imo

[@RobbieLee90]

Stormlight will stand the test of time and be our generations big fantasy series

[@libraryofaviking]

I can definitely see that happening!

[@george65517]

Let's see if Brando can land the ending. He always does but imo the last 2 stormlight books were a little step down from the first 2.

[@RobbieLee90]

@@george65517 Agreed, but those weaker Stormlight books are still top tier fantasy books in their own right. After the doors that Lost Metal opened, the Cosmere as a whole is only going to get better from here.

[@chadandrews4347]

I agree!

[@RainAndRay]

I definitely rock with the ending of Oathbringer ​and RoW but to each their own :) @@george65517

[@caspianrobins7756]

I'm 200 pages into it, and I already love it so much.

[@libraryofaviking]

Glad you are enjoying it!

[@Andrew.Downing]

Words of Radiance was the book I was in the middle of when my daughter was born so it's going to be unforgettable... And it happens to be my favorite book of all time!

[@libraryofaviking]

I love that!

[@lesliegordon2313]

I just paid £100 for a brand new single volume hardback of this book on ebay. I didn't think I'd ever get one. It was worth every penny. Great review.

[@libraryofaviking]

The UK hardback of Words of Radiance is near impossible to find! Glad you found one! Thank you Leslie!

[@OhMyJoshy]

I just finished Words of Radiance as well! Looking to start Oathbringer sometime in 2023. I still can’t decide if I enjoyed Way of Kings or Words of Radiance more. Both were fantastic in their own right. I also wasn’t too stoked with the Jasnah resurrection. I hope something seriously impactful happens to the main crew by book 3.

[@dinocollins720]

Another fantastic video!!! Thank you!!!

[@libraryofaviking]

Thank you Dino!

[@dinocollins720]

@@libraryofaviking thank you keep the great content coming haha!!!

[@JeffSpurlock]

I’ve only read through Words of Radiance, you touched on two things separately that I think are related. I believe 1) Soren a spiritual manifestations of ideas. Some of those ideas are divinely inspired, honor being one, sin or dishonor (in the form of lies), etc vs ideas like wind and pain. Crucially, Spren do not create things, but are drawn to instances of those ideas. Wind Spren appear when it is windy, pain Spren appear when someone is in pain, honorspren are drawn to the a strong example of honor; kaladin. Cryptics are drawn to lies, or those using / living a lie; Shallan. 2) being a Radiant is not a “role” or an ancient character being reborn. Radiants are people who these more “divine” Spren have bonded with, because they best exemplify the ideas that the Spren represent. That’s my take anyway. Hoping to learn more as I get into oathbreaker

[@akellerhouse83]

I don't hate Shallan. I really like her character. I've read all the books and I still don't know why people hate her.

[@libraryofaviking]

That is really great to hear!!

[@piyanath1066]

Same I don't understand the hate her character gets

[@ortegacortesjesica3634]

No he leído nada de Sanderson pero con tu entusiasmo lo leeré este 2023

[@tordurhansen333]

"You. Will. Not. Have. Him!" Amazing book. Oathbringer is also spectacular, Rythm of War is somewhat disliked by some but I loved it just as much as the others. Youre in for several treats, my friend!

[@libraryofaviking]

Really glad you also loved Rhytm of War!

[@seanhalpin87]

All thst being radiant means is thst you have a nahel bond with a spren and can use stormlight, essentially

[@hectatereads105]

Shallan is one of my favourite characters too! She has so much depth, she feels human. But I’ve only read up to Oathbringer, so I’m not sure if she changes after that.

[@libraryofaviking]

Yes, so glad you love Shallan as well!

[@arlenakholin]

That boots scene is my most hated scene in the whole Stormlight series...closely followed by "And for MY boon...". I'm happy you loved it so much :D

[@seanhalpin87]

Oathbringer is my favorite, you're in for a treat. IMHO Oathbringer is the best stormlight book by far. The sanderlanche is the most intense out of them all

[@libraryofaviking]

I can't wait!

[@bentheoverlord]

Fantastic review man ! I think I like Rhythmn of War more however Words of Radiance is definitely the best written and paced of the stormlight books. I binged through the first 3 in a week but WoR still sticks out fully in my mind (still think about the Honor is dead scene often), its a book Im looking forward to reading again. Glad you liked Shallan, shes easily my fav of the series.

[@snowdrop9810]

Three. STORMLIGHT BOOKS IN A WEEK. THREE. you serious? Over 1.2 million words in A SINGLE WEEK... I agree about rythmn of war, mayalaran is my favorite charachter. Also it being one of the most important books to the cosmere helps in me liking it.

[@bentheoverlord]

@@snowdrop9810 hahah I did it mostly on audio and I was off work sick at the time so I just lay all day listening to books at 2.5x haha

[@snowdrop9810]

@@bentheoverlord oh right. I think stormlight took me 1.5-3 weeks myself, I read really fast. But a single week is truly surprising. When i really like a book or get caught in a sanderlanche, I end up reading like 200-600 pages a day, with about 100-150 as my standard

[@bentheoverlord]

@@snowdrop9810 I dunno why but they sucked me in. I adored book 4 but it took me like 3 months

[@libraryofaviking]

I can't believe you read three SA books in a week haha! I am excited to continue this serires!

[@willwright688]

What edition of the book is that at the beginning with Urithiru? Its beautiful

[@crisnice1]

Do you think you would've enjoyed The Lost Metal more after having a few more cosmere books under your belt? Btw, congrats on 15k! You're growing like crazy

[@libraryofaviking]

I am not sure! I might have enjoyed it slightly more if I understood some of the Cosmere references better. I still stand by that you don't need to read the other Cosmere books, except all the Mistborn books, before picking up The Lost Metal! Thank you so much! You've been here since the start which I greatly appreciate!

[@safinan8008]

Hi 👋 I’m so glad you liked this book by Brandon Sanderson the way of kings series....I was waiting for this video to come out from you! Happy reading to you! ⚔️📽🎥

[@libraryofaviking]

Thank you for watching and for the support!

[@readbykyle3082]

People already tend to hate Shallan by this point if they do. It's not a specific thing she does, just her general personality. I don't hate her, but she's my least favorite of the three mains. Glad you loved WoR! It's my second favorite book of all time. Pattern is the funniest Sando character I think. So hilarious. The interludes in WoK are pretty random, but I think all of the interludes in WoR are pretty relevant and directly impact the story going further.

[@libraryofaviking]

Allright, then I will probably keep loving her! And yes, Pattern is absolutely hilarious 😂

[@TheButterflyChaos]

On Oathbringer now. Can't wait for A Year of Sanderson

[@libraryofaviking]

Year of Sanderson will be mad!

[@nathannemeth4094]

I was wondering what those huge Roman numeral books were!

[@AbiofPellinor]

I really need to dive into Sanderson!

[@libraryofaviking]

Yes!!

[@hehehe5664]

We need an adaptation of these books

[@anthonykane4127]

3rd party goosebumps from the first part of the spoilers part.

[@libraryofaviking]

I love that!

[@iChefTheImpossible]

I lost steam halfway through oathbringer and never picked it up again. Loved the mistborn dearly

[@seanhalpin87]

And there are "pets" the rhysadium horses are sentient beings with music spren. We have no idea how that works but yeah

[@libraryofaviking]

Oh interesting!!

[@josecascalheira3096]

I'm reading oathbringer and of course I changed my opinion about words of radiance. oathbringer is exceptional too.

[@libraryofaviking]

I am excited to read Oathbringer!

[@Ulmo90]

Words of Radince is so good, enjoy the rest of the books!

[@roseNthorn]

Are you planning to read the novellas too? I finished Edgedancer a few weeks ago and plan to read Oathbringer in 2023. I thought it was...interesting. Not bad by any means. I figured since Im reading the whole series I might as well read everything.

[@libraryofaviking]

I will definitely read the novellas!

[@Henry-jp3mc]

Ooooh first. This is my next book to read.

[@libraryofaviking]

Thank you for watching! I hope you will enjoy it!

[@seanhalpin87]

Also, RoWs flashbacks are venli and eshonai, alternatively. My least favorite of all the flashbacks but still very good. Book five is Szeth

[@sleepingninjaquiettime]

I just wanted to know they basic plot to see if I would be interested. Seems like all reviewers talk about is how well received it was and how they liked/disliked it.

[@gayanegasparyan4137]

The basic plot is a spoiler if you haven't read The way of kings

[@snowdrop9810]

Its the 2nd book of a series, you cant start with it. You wont understand anything if you randomly start from the middle. The basic plot for the first book, The WoK is there are 2 charachters, ones named kaladin, the other shallan. Kaladin is a soldier turned slave who ends up becoming a bridgeman carrying bridges for highlord(brightlord as it is called) sadeas, a cruel noble. He also has a nice spren friend called sylpherena. The second charachter is shallan, who's a minor noble, trying to become the apprentrice(ward) of jasnah kholin, sister of the king of alethkar and a renowned historian/science woman, to dig her house out of insolvency. This is a basic plot overview without too much spoilers.

[@thomassears1432]

You mentioned that it’s not the best book you have ever read. What would you say is the best book you have ever read? I’m just curious.

[@libraryofaviking]

This is a near impossible question to answer but potentially Jade Legacy by Fonda Lee! Words of Radiance is definitely in my Top 10!

[@thomassears1432]

@@libraryofaviking I understand. It was an impossible question. I don’t know if I could answer it myself, but possibly Wolfsong by TJ Klune. It’s the first book in his Green Creek series, which is absolutely the best series I have ever read.

[@libraryofaviking]

@@thomassears1432 Oh interesting choice! I actually started Wolfsong earlier this year but put it down halfway through it. I wasn't in the mood for an urban werewolf story. TJ Klune's ability to craft relatable characters is nearly unrivalled though, so I might get back to it someday!

[@thomassears1432]

@@libraryofaviking I was just introduced to Klune this past Spring, and have read 26 of his books since March.

[@guruthosamarthruin4459]

Double-edged sword. I felt the same way after reading it, and then I stopped reading the series. LOL. The main reason I stopped was simply because nothing else was out yet. Then, even when book 3 came out, I didn't read it. Basically, I'm just waiting for book 5 (the end of the first arc/half) before I start over. But on top of that, I've been afraid that the way Words of Radiance ended basically ended the real magic, and that the series wouldn't be as good afterwards. We'll find out in a year or two, I guess.

[@noname3609]

Awesome book. 🥰

[@libraryofaviking]

Definitely!

[@hrishere7202]

epic book

[@GraendalGMS]

Way of Kings is the best Stormlight book for me by a fairly large margin. While all following books are amazing, they just dont have that level of impact. P.S. I cant stand Shallan in WoR, maybe that contributes

[@AyushGupta-qs5xw]

To me this was the weakest of the 3 (even the weakest is awesome here tho) This books best thing was Kaladins character development 3rd one was best for me because of the high stakes and Dalinars character devlopment (best so far) and he has one of the best quotes of all time (won't spoil) in that book Imo, they have formed the orders again after they were disbanded, doesn't seem like a rebirth stuff to me unless Sanderson makes this the biggest plot twist of the century If I remember correctly, maybe you should read warbreaker before the rythm of war, because I recognized a few connections from there I hate Moash the most btw, go look up a clip on youtube where someone asked Sanderson to describe moash with only positive words Also Congo on 15k dude, that's some hard earned numbers

[@snowdrop9810]

Warbreaker connections come up heavily in WoR and Oathbringer. RoW connections are to literally everything iirc, from scadrial to taldain. Tons of stuff about the cosmere from RoW

[@libraryofaviking]

Oh hot take! I definitely enjoyed WoR more than WoK! I am excited to continue. Thank you for watching!

[@zaidguzman846]

WoR was amazing but personally I enjoyed TWoK more

[@Ponczo123]

i prefered way of kings but words of radiance was almost on the same level

[@MT-tx2xd]

My stormlight archive ranking. 1. Words of Radiance 2. Dawnshard 3. Rythem of War 4. The Way of King 5. Oathbringer 6. Edgedancer

[@snowdrop9810]

I think shallan hate is mostly from WoK where her chapters at the start sucked compared to kaladin.

[@libraryofaviking]

Oh interesting!

[@roseNthorn]

Ive loved her chapters all along so far.

[@Robyn1XP]

Shallan is one of the best, most intricate characters in Stormlight, all the way into Rhythm of War. The people who hate her hate her because of her powers, or her backstory, or her wit (because they don't like the way Brandon writes her wittiness). At least, those are the complaints I see most about her. But she is really a phenomenal character!

[@libraryofaviking]

Oh interesting! I am confident that my mind won't change about her then! Thank you for watching 😄

[@henriksorensen82]

What I think is a huge achievement from Sanderson in Stormlight is that even though the books are huge, it doesn't feel like an unnecessary ramble like you find in e.g. book 7-10 in WoT. Can't decide if I like Words of Radiance or Oathbringer better, but I'm putting The Way of Kings over Rhythm of War, but you'll have trouble getting a piece of paper between them. I hope this series and the rest of Cosmere will continue to maintain the same high quality. Elantris and Warbreaker are the two books that I personally liked the least and I have given them 6/10 on my scale which corresponds to 3.25/5, then I think all the others are between 7 and 9.75, so 3.75-4.75/5.

[@libraryofaviking]

That is definitely a very impressive achievement! I can't wait to continue this series!

[@megamind9175]

SPOILERS AHEAD: I don't think Szeth dies, as you claim. Also, I recommend skipping or speed reading Edgedancer (the novella between Words of Radiance and Oathbringer), that book was a snoozefest

[@libraryofaviking]

Oh interesting! I've heard mixed things about Edgedancer!

[@annakobuk3618]

I am disappointed with Rhythms of War. The slow pace is much slower than usual and SandAvalanche doesn't hit that much as in previous books.

[@libraryofaviking]

I've heard mixed things about Rhytm of War!