The scene where Wayne is on his way to Ranette and randomly helps people in need really reminds me of the scene where uncle Iroh is going to visit his son..
I dont think that Wax's "fakeout death" is meant to be like "Oh no is our main character going to die". It's more used to just do those things you mentioned, to give us good Wayne development scenes, show us the power of the Bands, and give an excuse for a talk with Sazed. We're not meant to believe that he's actually dead
Yeah, part way through this book I was just like "wait, is Steris autisic?" She was so well written that you can tell she's on the spectrum, but it's not written in the way a lot of people write an autistic character that can come off as insulting or patronizing.
I'm the minority enjoying more era 2 than era 1. To boot, this one is the the first in seven books than expand the view on the entire world (for me there was a disconnect since era 1 about saving the world while the whole setting was essential a big valley). It definitely picked my interest to see how things will go down in the next one.
Wayne is definitely my favorite character. While he is a little bit overblown in this, I think I share the approach of "any time is a good time for a joke" and I have had to learn that sometimes I do need to censor myself because I don't want to hurt other people. And I do think that on some level Wayne might not realize this in the moment.
I have alloy of law infront of me and I plan to crack it open after this video. Looking forward to see the changes the world has had since Era 1. Love that Milan is here! Although those creatures are a little creepy, I enjoy getting to them individually.
Definitely my favorite scene in the book was the super overly campy "planning" discussion about what code-named method to use to get into the compound. Its so overdone and unrealistic, but its hilarious every time. From a character pov I just like it when Wayne gets to bring out the "fun" in Wax.
I'm a little bit surprised you liked the epilogue more then the ending of the book. For me the epilogue plot doesn't make any sense at all and I would love to here why you where expecting it.
You keep switching between wax and Wayne while talking about Wayne and it was really hard to follow. Especially since I haven't read the book in a while
I personally don't think that Sanderson was going for a true fake-out death/resurrection scene. It was more of a way to have a scene with Sazed and have him explain things to the characters and readers, which is why it happened so fast. Whether that makes it better or worse is a separate question. For me, that made it better, because like you, I didn't believe that he was really going to die. Plus I was happy to see Sazed again and get his perspective on things.
I agree with you. It did not feel entirely like a fake-out scene. The scene with Harmony, though keeping the resurrection in the air, did create some tension, but not the worst kind.
Yes, exactly this. He wasn't trying to trick the reader into actually thinking Wax was permantently dead. It happened for other reasons, and it worked well for me personally
Agreed. I was waiting for this scene to happen, Wax and Harmony desperately needed a long conversation and too much was happening so time would need to stop somehow, it just made sense.
Agreed. I think it was also a strength in that when there's a god on your side, it's nice when there isn't always a contrived reason that their powers are useless to solve the problems. Letting them help on occasion is more believable.
I didnt for a second think that Wax was really dead... his death served no purpose at that point in the story hahaha I dont feel like it was a fakeout death apart from for Wayne
This is right on the money. Wayne has to end with being an asshole because if the moment was completely honest, he'd have to be completely honest, and that terrifies him
That's how I've always interpreted his needless jabs and mean-spirited quips as well- As a form self-inflicted/self-destructive penance to remind himself and everyone else that he's as terrible a person as he believes himself to be.
I always thought he was moderating everyone's expectations of him. This dude, who knows people so we'll he can become a part of a culture in an instant isn't aware of how much an asshole he is? Better to let everyone think he's a buffoon than to fail them. It just doesn't work on Wax
But that doesn’t make it any better. He is torturing a person he’s supposed to make amends to, harassing a few others, and no tragic backstory is a good excuse. I would’ve mind it as much if characters called him out on it, but so far the text is way too sympathetic to Wayne.
I think it is more complicated than that... I dont know, Wayne on one hand is genuine about the way he is but he also has a facade to disguise his more subtle emotions that he always commits to... its hard to tell where the real Wayne ends and the bullshit begins...
Wayne is my favorite character in these books. And I think that he is, as you say intentionally rude. He tries to annoy people and make them dislike him because of his own self hatred and he believes he deserves to be disliked. And as someone who was very much the "class clown" type in my youth I really relate to someone who reflexively responds to any and every situation with humor, even when humor is not the most appropriate response. I can't count the number of times for myself when I knee jerk reacted with a joke because I genuinely didn't know how to express my emotions and I feel that a lot from Wayne as well.
@@trolledchaos6531 Nope, Brandon wants to give more time to his team before a book is released. EDIT: from his reddit post: "Plan is, I'm afraid, to publish the book NEXT year."
Steris is easily my favorite character in the Cosmere. I think it's because she reminds me of my wife? I think she is written so we'll that she feels real in an unreal world.
The scene with the hotel owner (not shopkeeper, though, as you said) reminds me of a Marx Brothers sketch. It just builds and builds and ads more jokes. And, we all love Sterris.
Maybe i was/am overthinking this, but to me it was never meant as an insult when wayne told that woman "for the next time you need to be a man..." In his world being able to take on other personas is a good thing. The more variety, the better. We saw him take on the persona of an old lady, and he is constantly trying to refine his own skills in that regard. To me it felt like, yes he did insult that woman, but no he didnt realize that he did, because what he said was geniunie. Again, might overthink this and you might be totally right with your assumption ^^°
I think the thing about Marasi is that she's realizing she's not like Wax, and doesn't even want to be. It was her youthful idealization, just as her crush on Wax had been. Her not using the Bands made perfect sense here. But I think we're following a "Vin situation" here. She's giving up power now, but in the next book she'll accept it (if only temporarily and a different way). I see BoM as the end of Wax's journey, and the middle of Wayne and Marasi's journey. They're learning about themselves, and they're going to have a great conclusion in TLM. Note: It is very interesting to realize that if Marasi had used the power of the Bands to fight the Set, Wax would have really died.
Me: I'm gonna have a productive day and get some chores done! I'm not gonna stay on the Internet at all. Just let me check something and.... Merphy posts a Sanderson review. Me: Kindly disregard previous statement.
The only time I don't like Wayne is when he is rude to Steris. Like I understand he's a Marasi and Wax shipper but that doesn't mean he can be rude to Steris. STERIS DESERVES ALL THE LOVE!!
SPOILERS So, I really like this book, it was my favorite of this era, and the best thing for me was that I had NO IDEA Kelsier was still alive, and the reveal at the end was just AWESOME! My question for you is: did you already suspected The Sovereign to be Kelsier?? Cause for me it was just a shock! I hope you like Secret History, and I will be waiting for your review on it. Really liked this video btw.
Sanderson read The prologue to the fourth book at Jordancon. Slight Spoilers for that… It is Wayne’s POV, which makes me think he and his character and past will play a great big role in the fourth book. So excited!!
Am I the only person alive who likes wax as a character? I hope we get more of wax and Wayne together in book 4, I miss their scenes together, I don't think they had a single scene working together as partners in book 3.
I too didn't think for a moment Wax was going to die, however I could see how a reader who having just read Era 1 might think damn this man is gonna kill the main character again.
I just finished this book, and I agree completely about Wayne. He’s one of my favorite characters in the Cosmere, but I understand why people wouldn’t like him. I think a lot of his worst jokes/moments are him self-sabotaging bc he doesn’t believe he deserves good things, or doesn’t deserve to be liked or loved by anyone, so whenever he thinks someone might be starting to hate him less, he panics and says something gross or wildly inappropriate for the moment, to prevent that from happening. I was listening to the audiobook at work and actually had tears in my eyes when he was on his way to “present an offering to a beautiful god”, and fed the kids on the street, and then when he ruined the moment a little while later I was SO FRUSTRATED with him😭😭😂
Not sure if this has been stated or not but... Wayne doesn't want people to like him, he's held up on the murder he committed. You'll notice every time someone starts to like him he'll sabotage the affection. The only person who seems to like him regardless, is Wax. I think because he understands why Wayne is the way he is.
Do you really think there was ever any chance the daughter of the man Wayne killed would like him? Wayne would need an ego larger than Elendel to honestly believe that.
No, I agree she wouldn't. But it goes beyond her. I feel he thinks nobody should. So sabotages any good will he earns with purposely barbed comments. To make sure he's never fully liked. I think he's trying to pay for it.
This is the kind of review I enjoy watching the most. There's a short non-spoiler section for those who need a little push to start reading and then we go deep diving into the plot, characters and plot twists. What I usually do (or about 99% of the time) is finish reading a book and immediately go into youtube to watch some review videos to hear what other people have to say about the stuff I've just read :) so it's perfect that You reference some random scenes You've literally just read about, because I'm in the same place and I can relate so much to that. So, a big thank You, Merphy ! As to the book itself !!!!! (SPOILERS) !!!!! - I loved it the most out of all three, because of - the ever-expanding magic system (granting other people powers through objects) - universe mythos being revealed gradually through Sazed and Trell's influence on the current conflict - connections to era 1 books (the reveal at the last page of the book really shook things up), I really missed Tensoon though. Thought he would appear if only just for a second. - Steris and Wayne characters' development (Steris is my absolute favourite) Books 1 and 2 were a little boring for me at times (just my opinion), while this one kept me interested throughout the whole run.
Spoiler Hot take: I don't think this was meant to be a fakeout death/resurrection. It wasn't set up as that. It was more the "woman dying to give them a character arc" but with the Main character and second main than man and lady.
Theory that just clicked for me right now: what if Wayne is intentionally rude/mean to people (especially in moments of kindness or thoughtfulness) as a way to prevent others from thinking positively about him because he doesn't think he deserves it, possibly related to him being a murderer and a kleptomaniac? I don't know if it's intentionally in the text but I think its an interesting reading.
Yeah when people say that they don't like Wayne beacuse he is rude to people for no reason I'm just like what do you mean no reason, he very obviously hates himself and it's very hard for him to have people like him, so he sabotages it somewhat through the way he acts.. This isn't to say that his behaviour is justified or right by any means, but it DOES make sense, to me at least. Am looking forward to what Brando has in store for Wayne in book 4, I think we will learn a lot more about him and hopefuly get a nice conclusion for his character.
Hi Merph! I just started reading Mistborn The Final Empire because of you guys hyping it up (and I just finished Name of the Wind) so I can't really watch these vids about Sanderson yet but I am already loving the metals to magic system and I can't wait for more!!!!
23:05 exactly, the way in which Wayne acts so rude (to put it lightly) sometimes reminded me of the game Disco Elysium, the main character is a broken alcoholic detective, and quite often (since the tone of the game is much harsher than that of the books, ofc) he ends up saying or doing very messed up things, even to the people he considers friends. He is written like a real person, one who makes mistakes all the time and can be unapologetically a piece of shit at times, meaning it or not. Back to Wayne, he acts like a person like him would, he is not a perfectly good character, who always is good no matter what. He does what Wayne would do. And that's indeed good writing.
its funny, with telsin i felt like Brandon wanted the reader to guess she would backstab wax from the get-go. for me knowing this would happen just added to the anticipation of the book.
@@jojosoni6355 other person here lol I would say go into it expecting something extremely different. Era 1 and Era 2 are the same world but that’s really where the comparison ends imo. It’s really much more focused on giving you a fun adventure/mystery and letting you have fun rather than the more morose tone of the first trilogy. It still has plenty of sad and depressing moments, this is still Sanderson 😂 but it overall feels very different. Most people like Era 1 more but personally I just think they’re very different and I’ll read one or the other based on what mood I’m in: either the arguably better but less fun series, or the one that’s simply makes me laugh and have fun 😆 ok that’s how I dum that up
@@jojosoni6355 I liked it, it's a quick and easy read. As other person said it's much different, and for sure it's not as epic as era 1. AoL is basically a prequel for era 2. I'm looking forward to checking out rest of era 2. I hear the books get better as u go.
I read all the Mistborn books last year. It's amazing how much I have forgotten, despite really enjoying all of the Mistborn books. I guess this was my reminder that I really need to go back and re-read these books.
I love your channel. I just finished Rythm of War, and sadly I’ve read every other book in the Cosmere already 😢 I need good book recommendations! Keep up the great work!
@@pranjalsingh3998 I know it's worth reading,but.....I'm drawing my attention towards the freaking size of that great book, and also, I think Sanderson writes difficult English. Please let me know what you think about his writing style, if you have read any of his books 😀👍
@@paurnimarindhe8391 well yes I agree his books are a little daunting in size. And if u start with the final empire just keep in mind that the middle 300 pages or so might feel a little lackluster or borderline boring (if u havent read any epic adult fantasy before. If u have read any than u will be used to this lol). But. The last 150-200 pages makes it worth it. Every single plotline that u thought is worthless or didn't pay any attention will wound up so perfectly that I'm sure u will be jumping while reading (coz I was lol) The next books are more consistent in quality and the hero of ages will do to the whole triology what the final empire did to the whole book. As for the writing style, I think brandy sandy has the easiest and simplest writing style in all of epic fantasy. Some YA or middle grade authors may have simpler styles like Rowling or uncle rick but I've never seen a simpler writing style in epic fantasy. It took me entire books to get used to the writing of GRRM or Toelkien or joe abercrombie or any other author. While Sanderson hit me within first page. (Not even kidding) check him out I'm sure u will love him 💗
Have to disagree with you on Wax's Death experience. The point of him dying, to me, was pretty obviously not meant to trick us. Mistborn as a whole is very much about death being less binary. So as soon as he was about to die all of us knew he was just going to have a chat. I can very easily see it turn into something where Wax might kill himself or have a near death experience just to speak with Sazed.
In Defense of Wayne: Okay, well, not actual defense. But there is an explanation for why he sometimes act in baffling ways, all backed up by Sanderson himself. Wayne is someone who does not understand certain personal and social boundaries, in a manner that is borderline psychopathic. And so, when Wayne botches up the scene with Ranette, is rude to Steris, and talks down to the shopkeeper, he is acting in ways that he doesn't see as wrong. He does understand them to be wrong, which may be why you got the impression that he knows when he is being a jerk, and he is trying to act better. But he struggles.
Wayne says "those things" that you don't like because he's insecure as a man, young, forces humour and desperately wants people to like him. It might be because you're a female but I think it's common in men to be crass like that in order for people to like them as a jokester. Also you need to take into consideration the loose "time period" in which the book is set, men were a lot more vulgar and a lot more open about it during those times.
Wayne does those comments because he hate himself. So when he does something good and people start perceiving as a nice person he push them away with distasteful comments because deep down he feels he does not deserve to be loved. It’s the same when he rips into the lady he’s projecting this persona that makes people think he’s bastard but deep down he is making a comment about how all people are deserving of love in the most backhanded way posible. That said I don’t excuse his behaviour but it does make his character one of the richest in mistborn. Cheers love your reviews
SPOILERS FOR MISTBORN ERA 1 BOOK 1 Ever since Kelsier's death in book 1 I believe every Sanderson death until proven otherwise. We now know more details about Kelsier but for the purpose of the first era he killed the coolest character in the book. Seriously, the balls on this man! I felt about Vin and Elend taking the lead same way you do about Wayne but the second book is my favorite in the first era. That death shook me up so much that now whenever I think something is fake I have that moment of doubt 'but he did kill Kelsier'.
@@SlackwareNVM I mentioned that we now know more info about it but Secret History is not a part of the era 1 main 3 books. It's still a main character murder because he is not there as a main character. He is an easter egg.
I see Wayne a little differently after hearing your review. I don't notice how terrible some of the things he says are, I think because I've been conditioned by TV shows to accept characters that say really mean things as long as they are funny! I really thought that Wayne and Steris's relationship was handled so well. It is nice to see a slow-building relationship instead of insta-love with a love triangle or some kind of forced misunderstanding thrown in. Thank you for the fantastic review.
@@Florfilm I meant Wayne. Merph mentioned some of the mean things he says to people, and I was a little surprised because I just blew by them in the books.
@@jacobmoeller5345 you said "I really thought that Wayne and Steris's relationship was handled so well. It is nice to see a slow-building relationship instead of insta-love with a love triangle or some kind of forced misunderstanding thrown in." Here is where Florfilm and I both think you meant Wax :)
I read the book five years ago now and a lot of it is a blur, but for some scenes, when you mention them, I get this instant recollection of how I imagined it as I was reading the book back then. It's really interesting trying to piece back together the rest of the plot.
I relate so much to Wayne sometimes lol. He's a good man, who feels that his previous actions and failures have made him unworthy to be happy. He hates himself and will self sabotage when things are going well for him. He doesn't think he deserves to ever be forgiven or happy. That is why he is just a jerk out of nowhere.
I just started my first fantasy! I usually read classics and I still do but a friend of mine really loves Six of Crows and let me borrow her copy. Gonna see how it turns out. I do want to read The Lord of the Rings one of these days. Do you have any recommendations for what to read next?