I feel opinions about Mistborn are mixed, especially in terms of which book in the trilogy people like best, so hopefully you'll connect with the third book. Overall, it has a good story.

Also, many enjoy Mistborn era 2 and Stormlight more than Mistborn era 1. Although I really liked era 1 overall, I did struggle with it at times. I might like era 2 better (read the first 3 much faster than era 1). Only halfway through Stormlight book 1 right now, and it drew me in quickly.

Is there a release date set at all for book 7(Red God?) I decided to stop after Morning Star about 5 years ago and wait till the end was truly in sight. Probably need to start over altogether, but that's okay.

M.C. Swag said:

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kaleb_allison said:

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The new Red Rising book, Light Bringer, released last week. I'm about 1/3 of the way through and it's really good.

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Just closed the book! What a ride. Can't wait for the book 7!

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So, I started the 4th book when it came out and didn't stick with it. Sounds like maybe I need to revisit. It's been a while, do I need to reread the original three?

heddleston said:

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Is there a release date set at all for book 7(Red God?) I decided to stop after Morning Star about 5 years ago and wait till the end was truly in sight. Probably need to start over altogether, but that's okay.

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Book 7 is in outline form currently. It's slated for a late 2024 release. Pierce Brown has sad he plans to have the first draft done before the end of the year. So we'll see. I think it'll be spring 2025, but unlike some authors, PB is actually reliable when it comes to his due dates.

Book 2 is widely considered the slowest of the books, but the end really picks up and is frankly essential to beginning to understand the Cosmere.

Absolute said:

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M.C. Swag said:

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kaleb_allison said:

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The new Red Rising book, Light Bringer, released last week. I'm about 1/3 of the way through and it's really good.

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Just closed the book! What a ride. Can't wait for the book 7!

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So, I started the 4th book when it came out and didn't stick with it. Sounds like maybe I need to revisit. It's been a while, do I need to reread the original three?

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Haha if you plan on reading 4-6, then ya I'd recommend starting over. There's a ton of references, people, and crucial plot points that impact the current story.

Having said that, if you didn't like book 4, idk if 5 & 6 would better suit your tastes. Dark Age (book 5) is a very sobering novel and it's not for everyone. I loved it though and think the story is setup pretty well to have a great conclusion!

I think 5 had some really dumb things in it and was super gruesome and dark. Definitely not for everyone.

Chipotlemonger said:

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What are your detractions so far on the Mistborn trilogy? I loved them, personally.

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Hard question to answer. As with a lot of books its situational right, general mood, what did you read before, etc. Probably one of the biggest detractors is the transition of style/prose from the last series I just read, which was Lawrence's Broken Kingdom trilogy. Very dark, but the writing was out of this world and very distinct/visual. Sanderson's style (for Mistborn to date atleast) feels very generic and remedial. Also some of the plot points and complexity felt very Saturday morning cartoonish. But I do enjoy the story, enough that I'm going to keep going and let it try to warm on me (and as I mentioned before, very similar situation with First Law series).
Also not quite sold on the magic system. A little worn out on throwing coins written 30 times in 10 pages. Burning metals, while original, isn't as compelling as other more sophisticated magic systems. But I also consider my mood also might be a big factor, always is when trying to give a book a fair shake.
But based on the comments here I will absolutely see this to the end. Will report back!

StinkyPinky said:

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Chipotlemonger said:

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What are your detractions so far on the Mistborn trilogy? I loved them, personally.

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Hard question to answer. As with a lot of books its situational right, general mood, what did you read before, etc. Probably one of the biggest detractors is the transition of style/prose from the last series I just read, which was Lawrence's Broken Kingdom trilogy. Very dark, but the writing was out of this world and very distinct/visual. Sanderson's style (for Mistborn to date atleast) feels very generic and remedial. Also some of the plot points and complexity felt very Saturday morning cartoonish. But I do enjoy the story, enough that I'm going to keep going and let it try to warm on me (and as I mentioned before, very similar situation with First Law series).
Also not quite sold on the magic system. A little worn out on throwing coins written 30 times in 10 pages. Burning metals, while original, isn't as compelling as other more sophisticated magic systems. But I also consider my mood also might be a big factor, always is when trying to give a book a fair shake.
But based on the comments here I will absolutely see this to the end. Will report back!

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I totally hear ya. I LOVE Sanderson. His passion for writing and his fans is legitimately amazing, however his writing is pretty surface level. I remember talking to a friend about this and how authors like Tolkien or GRRM (obviously GOATs at their craft) will write characters or dialogue with such hidden depth and perspective that there's oftentimes multiple ways to interpret what is on the page. Sanderson conversely is like a window pane. What you see is what you get. There's nothing WRONG with that, but it's certainly not the APEX of prose.

However, I will politely disagree with you on the magic system though lol. Obviously subjective, but i found Mistborn's magic system to be one of the most uniquely appealing aspects of the story.

(Sidnote: I loved the Broken Empire Trilogy. Jorg is one of my favorite protagonists)

I'm in the same boat as you M.C.

M.C. Swag said:

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StinkyPinky said:

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Chipotlemonger said:

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What are your detractions so far on the Mistborn trilogy? I loved them, personally.

---

Hard question to answer. As with a lot of books its situational right, general mood, what did you read before, etc. Probably one of the biggest detractors is the transition of style/prose from the last series I just read, which was Lawrence's Broken Kingdom trilogy. Very dark, but the writing was out of this world and very distinct/visual. Sanderson's style (for Mistborn to date atleast) feels very generic and remedial. Also some of the plot points and complexity felt very Saturday morning cartoonish. But I do enjoy the story, enough that I'm going to keep going and let it try to warm on me (and as I mentioned before, very similar situation with First Law series).
Also not quite sold on the magic system. A little worn out on throwing coins written 30 times in 10 pages. Burning metals, while original, isn't as compelling as other more sophisticated magic systems. But I also consider my mood also might be a big factor, always is when trying to give a book a fair shake.
But based on the comments here I will absolutely see this to the end. Will report back!

---

I totally hear ya. I LOVE Sanderson. His passion for writing and his fans is legitimately amazing, however his writing is pretty surface level. I remember talking to a friend about this and how authors like Tolkien or GRRM (obviously GOATs at their craft) will write characters or dialogue with such hidden depth and perspective that there's oftentimes multiple ways to interpret what is on the page. Sanderson conversely is like a window pane. What you see is what you get. There's nothing WRONG with that, but it's certainly not the APEX of prose.

However, I will politely disagree with you on the magic system though lol. Obviously subjective, but i found Mistborn's magic system to be one of the most uniquely appealing aspects of the story.

(Sidnote: I loved the Broken Empire Trilogy. Jorg is one of my favorite protagonists)

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Lawrence did an amazing job with Jorg, I was worried he would fumble the ball at the end but didn't. On a related note I sensed a drop off on Lawrence's writing with the Red Queens trilogy. Was good, but not on the same level as Broken Empire.

Other favorite protag of course is Locke Lamora

Saxsoon said:

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maverick2076 said:

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Saxsoon said:

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Yumi and the Nightmare Painter was a fascinating little book from Sanderson. Unique romance that makes you think it is lifting from some obvious properties but still upends it. Very influential Cosmere book with lots of fun Magic's and implications for the future of the overall cosmere

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Just started it last night, and I'm enjoying it. I'm hoping it lives up to the high bar that Tress set for the secret project books.

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It is very different for Sanderson. Very much is a slice of life novel in a cosmere world. It is a bit of slow burn but really enjoyable

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I finished it last night and really enjoyed it.

StinkyPinky said:

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Chipotlemonger said:

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What are your detractions so far on the Mistborn trilogy? I loved them, personally.

---

Hard question to answer. As with a lot of books its situational right, general mood, what did you read before, etc. Probably one of the biggest detractors is the transition of style/prose from the last series I just read, which was Lawrence's Broken Kingdom trilogy. Very dark, but the writing was out of this world and very distinct/visual. Sanderson's style (for Mistborn to date atleast) feels very generic and remedial. Also some of the plot points and complexity felt very Saturday morning cartoonish. But I do enjoy the story, enough that I'm going to keep going and let it try to warm on me (and as I mentioned before, very similar situation with First Law series).
Also not quite sold on the magic system. A little worn out on throwing coins written 30 times in 10 pages. Burning metals, while original, isn't as compelling as other more sophisticated magic systems. But I also consider my mood also might be a big factor, always is when trying to give a book a fair shake.
But based on the comments here I will absolutely see this to the end. Will report back!

---

Agree with you. Mistborn was very average. I loved the concept and the magic system, but it was boring and the writing is amateur. Book 2 was an absolute slog that took me over a year to get through. I've also read Elantris which I thought just sucked.

To be fair, I read books in chronological order and these were his first books so EVERYONE pretty much says once you get past these first four books he really comes into his own. The only other Cosmere book I've read is The Emperor's Soul which is a novella set on Elantris and I really enjoyed that. Of note, it was written 7 years after his first book so he clearly had evolved his craft.

However, I vehemently disagree with you on The First Law books. Those were awesome and they stay awesome. I've read all of Abercrombie's universe except for the third book in his latest trilogy Age of Madness.

To be fair, I did come around on Abercrombie by Last Arguments of Kings. Blade Itself was a chore for me to get through. Didn't connect with the writing at all, and character development felt slow. Before They are hanged got better for me, but almost threw in the towel because there were several other books I was excited to read. But due to all the feedback that I should stick with it I did and felt much better about it after the third book. I'm vested enough now that I plan to read Best Served Cold next and then Heroes (which I already have on my shelf after not realizing its better to read Served Cold first). Still not on a pedestal for me as most people, but I did come around and glad I finish.

Oddly enough, I love Elantris. Something about that story just resonates with me.

Me too.

Sanderson is probably my favorite contemporary author. But even then I don't live all his stuff or all the parts of even the ones I like. Love the Mistborn story and concept. Got bogged down at parts of it. Same with Woks.

Funnily enough I like Mistborn but I think Abercrombies trilogy was one of the worst things I've read on this thread. Everyone has their own tastes but I just thought his pacing was terrible and a slog to get through.

I dont love everything Sanderson thought, Wax and Wayne were meh and warbreaker wasn't in love with.

I love Wax and Wayne. I always picture them as Kurt Russell's Wyatt Earp and Kevin Costner's Jake from Silverado.

I didn't think much of Warbreaker the first time I read it. I liked it better on a reread.

As for Abercrombie, Logan Ninefingers was a great character. The rest wasn't anything special.

Finally read red rising 6. I think one of the greatest *******s of modern fiction was just created. A **** on the level of Jeoffry or Ramsay was just born.

I do think it was the best one of the new books with good emotional moments and more old school Darrow.

Love seeing all the perspectives on these books! And the calm discourse around it. Feels like everything is so black and white these days. It's either AMAZING or it is AWFUL.

Also a little sad to see Raymond E Feist not listed. His Midkemia series was groundbreaking for me. It's a collection of trilogies and quadrilogies that spin the full arc of the world he built and it is incredible. It classic swords and sorcery but it touches a broad array of topics like theology, politics, meaning of life and origins, etc. It may be slightly outdated to todays modern stuff but it honestly deserves to be in the conversation of the all time greats IMO.

Another author who managed to do both fantasy and sci fi well is Michael Stackpole. His fantasy works have been great. The DragonCrown series is one of my favorites. His sci-fi work should need no introduction here.

Eliminatus said:

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Love seeing all the perspectives on these books! And the calm discourse around it. Feels like everything is so black and white these days. It's either AMAZING or it is AWFUL.

Also a little sad to see Raymond E Feist not listed. His Midkemia series was groundbreaking for me. It's a collection of trilogies and quadrilogies that spin the full arc of the world he built and it is incredible. It classic swords and sorcery but it touches a broad array of topics like theology, politics, meaning of life and origins, etc. It may be slightly outdated to todays modern stuff but it honestly deserves to be in the conversation of the all time greats IMO.

Another author who managed to do both fantasy and sci fi well is Michael Stackpole. His fantasy works have been great. The DragonCrown series is one of my favorites. His sci-fi work should need no introduction here.

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Feist is one of my all time favorites, as well. Nostalgic in some ways because it was some of the earlier fantasy stuff I really liked, but I think it still holds up. Though I do have to say, he really pissed me off with his new trilogy. Was so excited to see him explore a new world and the first two books were good. Then he **** the bed on the third and tied it back to his old stuff, was a terribly lazy sellout. Just did not understand it at all.

Eliminatus said:

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Love seeing all the perspectives on these books! And the calm discourse around it. Feels like everything is so black and white these days. It's either AMAZING or it is AWFUL.

Also a little sad to see Raymond E Feist not listed. His Midkemia series was groundbreaking for me. It's a collection of trilogies and quadrilogies that spin the full arc of the world he built and it is incredible. It classic swords and sorcery but it touches a broad array of topics like theology, politics, meaning of life and origins, etc. It may be slightly outdated to todays modern stuff but it honestly deserves to be in the conversation of the all time greats IMO.

Another author who managed to do both fantasy and sci fi well is Michael Stackpole. His fantasy works have been great. The DragonCrown series is one of my favorites. His sci-fi work should need no introduction here.

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Rise of a Merchant Prince was a great book. Loved that one and then I back and read the original series he wrote. Good stuff back then for a casual read.



I also really liked Talion : Revenant by Stackpole. The Dragon Crown was good but not as good imo.

StinkyPinky said:

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Chipotlemonger said:

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What are your detractions so far on the Mistborn trilogy? I loved them, personally.

---

Hard question to answer. As with a lot of books its situational right, general mood, what did you read before, etc. Probably one of the biggest detractors is the transition of style/prose from the last series I just read, which was Lawrence's Broken Kingdom trilogy. Very dark, but the writing was out of this world and very distinct/visual. Sanderson's style (for Mistborn to date atleast) feels very generic and remedial. Also some of the plot points and complexity felt very Saturday morning cartoonish. But I do enjoy the story, enough that I'm going to keep going and let it try to warm on me (and as I mentioned before, very similar situation with First Law series).
Also not quite sold on the magic system. A little worn out on throwing coins written 30 times in 10 pages. Burning metals, while original, isn't as compelling as other more sophisticated magic systems. But I also consider my mood also might be a big factor, always is when trying to give a book a fair shake.
But based on the comments here I will absolutely see this to the end. Will report back!

---

I agree with you.

I read the Stormlight series first, and have started the Mistborn Series. I'm noticing a lot of similar themes.

The main character having a down and out life, realizing they have a special talent (and being a prodigy), having trust issues related to their past, cast into the Savior role in the midst of a chaotic situation. Vin/Kaladin have a lot of similarities.

All that said, I still like his stories. So I keep reading them

Downtrodden hero. Come on people. That is the foundation of 90% of fantasy. ***** about that elsewhere.

I'm about 5k books down in my life. You cut out that theme and I'm still reading…..well **** me. I do t know because that is what fantasy is.

Finished Anthony Ryan Covenant of Steel trilogy. Give it a solid B+. It was good throughout but don't know if it really stuck the landing for me in terms of an epic or emotional ending.

I do think the series maintained quality throughout unlike his blood song series.

I just finished this one too. It was good, but it fell a little flat for me in the end. The second half of the last book felt rushed compared to the rest of the series.

Feels like he has more books planned in this universe but I don't like how some things weren't fleshed out like more reasoning behind the baby needing to be born and also the weird kind of time travelesque stuff with the Caerith text.

Might try faithful and the fallen by John Gwynne next

I've read a ton of new books recently and I'd gladly recommend any of them:

• Licanius Trilogy by James Islington - a completed 3 book saga that Sanderson fans would love imo.
• Lightbringer Series by Brent Weeks - a completed 5 book series that may have the best setup premise I've ever read only to fizzle out at the end. I would still recommend this series just because of how great the first 3 books are.
• The Riyria Revelations by Michael Sullivan - a completed 3 book series following 2 wandering mercenary thieves that grows in scope and fantasy. Just a really fun read with very strong character writing.
• The Red Rising Series by Pierce Brown - a 6 book series with a 7th installment slated to arrive late next year. This one is a little more sci-fi than fantasy but it's EPIC. It's like if Hunger Games was good but set in space and given an R rating. It's fast paced and the author really grows between books 1 and 3 when it comes to storytelling and prose. I've read this series 2x already and it's always on my recommendation list.
• The Bloodsworn Trilogy by John Gwynne - 2/3 books have been released. This is a pretty great revenge series set in medieval viking times. Gods, demi gods, monsters, magic and men...this honestly reads like a pretty light fantasy novel at first and then you slowly realize there's talking animals and shapeshifting gods lol. Imagine John Wick meets the Suicide Squad in the days of Valhalla legend.
• The Glass Immortals by Brian McClellan - Unfortunately this one only has 1 book released in the series, so i can't give a full throated rec because...well there's still a long way to go! BUT this was a really good read. Pretty standard 'reluctant hero' trope but the magic system is really cool and it has political intrigue and great action writing. A very strong start to a new series.
• The Cradle Series by Will Wight - A completed 12 book progression fantasy series. 12 books seems daunting but these are super quick, mostly dialogue reads. You could knock them all out in a month if you're a voracious reader. Basically this is a manga inspired anime told in written form featuring a young, powerless cast out who strives to become the strongest warrior to save his village from an existential threat. This series is popcorn; a light, enjoyable, turn your brain off snack.

Books I haven't read but already own and plan to read:

• Jade City by Fonda Lee
• Ashes of the Sun by Django Wexler
• The Rage of Dragons by Evan Winter
• The Will of the Many by James Islington

I unfortunately spent too much time reading a book that I would recommend people AVOID..."The First Binding" by R.R. Virdi. This man should be sued for plagiarism because it is almost a carbon copy rip off of Name of the Wind. I don't mean in some vague "every story has already been told" trope style similarity, I mean a beat for beat rip off. I'll spoiler tag this next part for anyone who hasn't read Name of the Wind yet, but this book features a man who is introduced in a tavern retelling his story as an orphan boy who's theatre family was killed by a band of mythical demons who then quests to a magic school where he is trained by an eccentric professor that literally takes him up to the residential insane asylum and throws him off the building....

And the worst part is...even in copying Name of the Wind (which is really good), this book sucked. It wasn't just a ripoff, it was a bad ripoff. I wish I could get a refund on the time I spent with this book.

mpl35 said:

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Downtrodden hero. Come on people. That is the foundation of 90% of fantasy. ***** about that elsewhere.

I'm about 5k books down in my life. You cut out that theme and I'm still reading…..well **** me. I do t know because that is what fantasy is.

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Meh...I understand what you're saying, but the similarities are so close between the two, its hard to ignore. Doesnt make them bad. I just find myself comparing one against the other all the time, instead of just enjoying the story.

AgGrad99 said:

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mpl35 said:

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Downtrodden hero. Come on people. That is the foundation of 90% of fantasy. ***** about that elsewhere.

I'm about 5k books down in my life. You cut out that theme and I'm still reading…..well **** me. I do t know because that is what fantasy is.

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Meh...I understand what you're saying, but the similarities are so close between the two, its hard to ignore. Doesnt make them bad. I just find myself comparing one against the other all the time, instead of just enjoying the story.

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I read them pretty far apart so I probably didn't get bogged down in the comparison....

Yeah, reading both series back-to-back probably didnt help.

They're both good, but I find myself liking the Stormlight series a lot more. Now sure why.

M.C. Swag said:

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I unfortunately spent too much time reading a book that I would recommend people AVOID..."The First Binding" by R.R. Virdi. This man should be sued for plagiarism because it is almost a carbon copy rip off of Name of the Wind. I don't mean in some vague "every story has already been told" trope style similarity, I mean a beat for beat rip off. I'll spoiler tag this next part for anyone who hasn't read Name of the Wind yet, but this book features a man who is introduced in a tavern retelling his story as an orphan boy who's theatre family was killed by a band of mythical demons who then quests to a magic school where he is trained by an eccentric professor that literally takes him up to the residential insane asylum and throws him off the building....

And the worst part is...even in copying Name of the Wind (which is really good), this book sucked. It wasn't just a ripoff, it was a bad ripoff. I wish I could get a refund on the time I spent with this book.

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Does the orphan get to bang a mythical pixie while doing peyote? Yes, that sounds like a complete rip-off. Will give that one a miss.

Rage of Dragons was great, 2nd book was ok, I'm interested to see where the series goes.

StinkyPinky said:

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M.C. Swag said:

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I unfortunately spent too much time reading a book that I would recommend people AVOID..."The First Binding" by R.R. Virdi. This man should be sued for plagiarism because it is almost a carbon copy rip off of Name of the Wind. I don't mean in some vague "every story has already been told" trope style similarity, I mean a beat for beat rip off. I'll spoiler tag this next part for anyone who hasn't read Name of the Wind yet, but this book features a man who is introduced in a tavern retelling his story as an orphan boy who's theatre family was killed by a band of mythical demons who then quests to a magic school where he is trained by an eccentric professor that literally takes him up to the residential insane asylum and throws him off the building....

And the worst part is...even in copying Name of the Wind (which is really good), this book sucked. It wasn't just a ripoff, it was a bad ripoff. I wish I could get a refund on the time I spent with this book.

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Does the orphan get to bang a mythical pixie while doing peyote? Yes, that sounds like a complete rip-off. Will give that one a miss.

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I can only assume that will happen in the sequel ripoff!