I've never understood why fantasy readers seem to rate this as important. Do people really get turned on by having new or "logical" magic (seems like kind of an oxymoron to me)?
That's sort of why I liked Allomancy; because even though magic and logic are oxymorons, Sanderson does a good enough job of explaining it that it 'seems' to make sense. As opposed to other Fantasy where the mages can do things 'just because' and pretty much all magic is a variant of telepathic/psychic.
Having said that, I wouldn't say magic is something I generally consider to be all that important. I just pointed it out because Sanderson's is unique enough that it warrants mentioning. It's not
the reason to like the novel, but it does add something.
Joe Abercrombie is another level. He had quality action,story,many interesting characters,he was dark in a fresh way and not fake way.
I agree. Abercrombie is probably my favourite author right now.
Maybe because i expect more than just good magic system,decent entertainment im not awed by that series. Still Sanderson is one of few epic writers i plan to read more of but far from great.
Well, how many are great, really? And even then, it's subjective. I think probably Sanderson can be best described as a 'good' writer, but perhaps some of the hype surrounding
Mistborn (and his involvement with
The Wheel of Time) have resulted in his talents being slightly exaggerated. He is still quite good, though.
And then, you have people like China Miéville, whose mugshot is printed in my dictionary next to the word 'overrated'. Yet, a lot of people seem to think that he is 'great'.
@Devil's Advocate: Thanks for the review. 8.5 stars is a fairly high rating, hence my increased interest in obtaining a copy of this trilogy for myself. I shall watch with interest your subsequent review of Books 2 and 3..
I agree that 8.5 seems like a high rating, but there are some disclaimers to add to that.
- I give the book a high rating because it's entertaining. I simply
enjoyed it. Admittedly, I'm easy to please. (Interestingly, I am also easy to
displease.)
- I haven't read nearly as many books as some of you. So what you consider to be an "8.5" among all the classics and masterpieces you've read doesn't necessarily jive with what I consider to be an "8.5" with my relatively limited library.
- I don't deeply analyse books/music/movies. Above all, they're entertainment. I read books because I want to lose myself in the world, the characters, the plot. I want to escape, be entertained, enjoy. If, somewhere along the way, I come across something that makes me pause and think, or tugs at some unknown speck buried deep inside my cold, cold heart, that's great. But I don't go in expecting it to. I don't want a Masters class in writing, I don't expect that a fiction author or a musician or a filmmaker will have the answers to the mysteries of the universe (and if they think they do, they're undoubtedly wrong). I just want to read a book and listen to music and watch a movie that I
like, and that's all.
