Well, I just finished reading The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson, for the second time. I have to say, Sanderson has really captured me as one of my favorite authors. He always comes up with such unique worlds and incredibly creative stories. I reread this massive 1001 page tome again in order to bring myself back up to speed before reading Words of Radiance, book two of The Stormlight Archive. Part of what I love about Sanderson, and the whole epic fantasy genre, is the depth of storytelling and the world building present. If I hadn't reread the first book after so long, I would have missed lots of important stuff. I wouldn't have remembered the significance of the Knights Radiant, or remembered how important the lore around surgebinding was going to be, or had any clue about the mysteries surrounding Jasnah Kholin's soulcasting revealed at the end of the book. While some may see this knowledge as daunting, it just helps to draw me deeper into the work and the world the author has set up.
I think that's the whole point to epic fantasy. Don't get me wrong, I love quick fun reads like Robert Asprin's Myth, Inc. series, and unlike many people, I thought Sanderson's single volume work Elantris was good too. But there is just something special about diving into a work of epic fantasy. You fall in love with the first volume, and you know there is a lot more story and a lot more world to discover coming up. The Stormlight Archive will be 10 books long, and that's not the longest series around. I love starting these series knowing I will get years of enjoyment from them.
For now, I'm off to start reading Words of Radiance. It's going to be a bittersweet adventure, because I know when I'm done I'll have at least another year, probably two, before the third book comes out. But all in all, I glad there are people like Brandon Sanderson out there creating these massive worlds that seem live and breathe in our imaginations.
No comments:
Post a Comment