/lit/ - Literature

>it's a Shallan chapter, again
Half way through, and I want to put this thing down because of her. The rest of the main characters are great, but Shallan is too smug and boring to bear. Does she get better?

Holy fuck this is kino

Words of Radiance, The Stormlight Archive #2 - Brandon Sanderson (2014)

I enjoyed how the characters moved in and out of each other's lives and how tangled their involvements with each other became. Each of the characters were enjoyable in their own ways. However, I had some dislike for how the past is revealed. The memory blocks could be done better. There are quite a few times where events don't happen because the narrative isn't ready for them yet. Sanderson has written about how that's a problem for him.

The ratio of quality to length sufficed for me. For the most part I don't think much needed to be cut, though that depends on reading preferences. The length of series can be intimidating and I was somewhat reluctant, which is one of the reasons why I delayed reading the first book so long and hadn't read another until despite reading the first in November. I don't prefer reading stuff over time, so I binged it, like I do with most entertainment. Two full days of reading and it was over. It would probably be a rather different experience to read it over the course of potentially months.

I'd consider this series to be about the journey more than anything else. As far as I can tell, most enjoy, or may even only be reading for, the "sanderlanche" at the end of each book. That reminds of network TV series where often only the premiere and finale of a season would advance the plot in any meaningful way. Does that make it filler? For a lot of people, probably, yeah, so reactions will vary about that. I didn't mind overly much in this case.

I feel that most people have taken this series too seriously. Although Sanderson referenced many social, economic, ethical, and other sorts of issues, they rarely were explored in any sort of detail. However, I don't know that they were needed or wanted in this sort of narrative. It was meant to be fun above all else. It hasn't taken itself seriously, yet many people have insisted on doing so. A lot of this may come from an overall unfamiliarity with Sanderson's work. I didn't read anything in this that seemed out of place for what he'd write. It's unfortunate when there's a disconnect between expectations and reality.

As with the first book, this one continued to be amusing and absurd. It's not anything great, but it did what it does well. I've had few complaints. I'm amused that I've read a couple thousand pages now and the narrative has only really started to begin. Has the narrative prologue ended now? Maybe. The main reason why I wouldn't rate these my highest rating is because none of it rises to that level for me. Instead, it's very steady reliably consistent good times. That being said, this is also sort of the series where it's only acceptable for me because it's outside of the norm. If I had already read other several other series that were this drawn out or if its approach became more common, I don't know that I'd have read it. That's more a problem for future generations though.

Rating: 4/5

>Lift interlude chapter
>Suddenly reading Borderlands 4 script
what the fuck is sanderson's problem