Why You Should Read Brandon Sanderson | SPOILER-FREE 

The first 500 people to use my link will get a 1 month free trial of Skillshare: skl.sh/capturedinwords03241 What are your favorite/least favorite Sanderson book? Also who's going to Dragonsteel this year??? I'm planning on finally going!

English is not my first language and I find reading english books like by Adrian Tchaikovsky pretty hard. But Sanderson's books were the first epic fantasy books I could read in English with ease. Sometimes I forgot that I am bad in that language because I could grab such world building and magic system :D

His insight into the human condition and dealing with serious issues like cptsd, PTSD, abuse, trauma, suicide, guilt, shame....but there's always a note of hope. He's not depressing to read like grimdark novelists.

“I never regret having read a Sanderson book”. That line has motivated me, thank you! I gravitate generally to science fiction, I read the skyward series and really enjoyed the ride. But I wasn’t sure about jumping into the fantasy/magic world of Sanderson. I definitely feel more encouraged now. Very nice video.

Writing lyrical and poetic prose doesn’t always mean that that writer is better. I love how straight forward Sanderson’s writing is. It makes his books more accessible. Sanderson is a great storyteller and no one can convince me that he’s not. If I wanted to indulge myself with beautiful prose, I’d read LitFic instead.

I’m glad you won’t stop recommending Sanderson. Your channel got me into fantasy and your recommended reading order for the Cosmere made it impossible to put his books down.

i actually love sanderson's prose, especially in the stormlight archives. there are so many lines that caught my attention and made me feel/think a lot of things, he is great at choosing words and conveying emotions/thoughts and descriptions, it's not too much or too little, very balanced. idk how to explain it but i really like it. like even little things like there was one line in the way of kings that navani thinks about dalinar having no wives and no daughters so she must write a prayer for him, and it just affected me so much for some reason?? even something small like that?? it's because his language is very effective. anyway great video, your videos are always a delight to watch. :)

Perfect timing, I’m starting Mistborn (my first Sanderson book) today

Haven’t read a Brandon book yet, but was looking up his Yumi book and Emerald Sea. Came across this video, and you convinced me to fall down the Brandon Sanderson rabbit hole. Thank you! Subscribed, too!❤

Sanderson's prose is great for his books. And his books make me feel and think. Big, intricate, flowery words don't equal strong emotions after all

I recently started reading the stormlight archive and one thing that I absolutely love about those books is how there's barely any exposition on how the world and what's in it works, sanderson throws you in that world and is up to you to figure out everything, he shows how things work and trusts his audience to be smart enough to put the pieces together

I’ve read every Sanderson book and yet here I am 😅

I am on the 2nd book of the Mistborn Trilogy, and I think my husband is sick of stanning Sanderson in my house, even though he has started the Stormlight Archive. I think Sanderson is an easy auto buy for me so the hype is warranted for me personally. That and he's pretty darn wholesome, he has acknowledged his past criticisms and I truly believe he is always working to do better. I respect the man.

Stormlight archive is a blast to read. I’m eager to read the next installment

I started with Yumi and the Nightmare Painter and have been devouring all of his books since then. I barely knew who he was and picked that book up on a whim because I liked the cover art and now it's one of my favorite books I've ever read. His books can definitely drag in the middle, but like you said, the end always makes up for it and I never regret it.

Man, the last few years have been a great time to be a Sanderfan. Started with the way of kings in 2014 and have been hooked ever since. Can't wait to see what he surprises us with next!

Fun fact: Brandon Sanderson was roommates in college with none other than the current host of Jeopardy: Ken Jennings! Two dorks who were destined for success!

I've read every Brandon Sanderson and cannot wait for more!

Dude, you are one of the best here on yt, seriously. I´m initiating in cosmere now, and can´t thank you enough for the order recommendattion you suggested in other video, mistborn is incredible(elantris is ok), starting the emperor´s soul now!(loved the stories in arcanum unbounded until now,btw). English is not my first languague, struggling a bit for being a brazilian interested in sanderson, there are not so many translations here unfortunately..

This made me love Cosmere all over again!

My man you are the best in hyping me into reading. Thanks to you I read Mistborn, Elric, First Law and other books. I never thought I would read so many books in one year, I've never read books for fun before (with only few exeptions). And what I mean this hype is so good that you dont spoil anything yet I know what to expect of the books. Gonna send this vid to my friends, I love Brando Sando and more people need to know about him here in Czech

I started with Warbreaker and was so impressed with the magic system! I also loved Sanderson's world building and dialogues. I'm currently finishing Mistborn era 1 and also read Elantris. I can't wait to start Stormlight!! The Way of Kings is my most anticipated book of all times!

I'm about to start Oathbringer. Words of Radiance is my Book of the Year so far. Huge fan of this man.

You better get working on them stormlight summaries, the views you would get the week of the new drop would be insane

I'm writing this comment even before I watch the video just to say that this came in the perfect time, I was thinking whether I should begin reading Sanderson or not, I opened YT to search for it and found your fresh uploaded video, thank you Jay! ❤️

I recently started my Sanderson journey. Read the Mistborn trilogy so far. After I finish reading The Age of Madness and Three Body Problem I plan to continue with Elantris. Really liking his stuff so far. Thanks for the informative video. I really enjoy and get a lot from your videos.

I love how thoughtful this video was. Well paced, nuanced, and very fair. Your editing and production quality have absolutely improved quite noticeably, and that’s exciting to see as well. For each of your constructive critiques in regard to his particular brand of writing, you supply numerous qualities of strength to his unique style that you appreciate or even love. Beyond his world building and magic systems, you highlight his underrated characters, his ability to pace his novels very well, and his endearing habit of tackling mental health issues and familial issues with empathy. You acknowledge his much debated prose issue (something I’m glad you addressed as not really being an issue at all, and most people indeed don’t know what “prose” is) as well as the toxic hype around his increasingly popular works. It’s unfortunate to see how a writer so big in the industry yet seemingly ordinary but somehow fervently loved by fans might be a bit unfairly off-putting to a lot people who think they’re above Sanderson. I know that, as he’s grown more popular and put himself more in the limelight (which he very much deserves), he’s been increasingly exposed to people who seek purely to undermine or belittle his talents and efforts without having read a single page or given what they do manage to read half an honest chance. I always argue that if half of his vehement detractors read a book he wrote that was instead penned under an unknown alias, they would likely be singing that newcomers praises. 😂 Envy is a wretched thing, and especially in a field of art/entertainment where so many of us have tried to break through ourselves and not managed it or come up short. Hope more people give Sanderson a chance. He’s definitely not for everybody, but he is the right author for a lot of people.

Hello, I'm one of those aforementioned "readers who have been burned by Rothfuss"... I got back into reading after a long time because of Kingkiller, but not having that 3rd book made me drop reading again... I didn't feel like I could find something else as addicting and with such beautiful prose, and the world/magic system was also fantastic for me. I just started reading Warbreaker a few days ago and I'm really enjoying it. I'm not a fantasy reader at all but I'm glad there is so much Brando Sando content out there for me to enjoy in the future!

Love Sanderson, Mistborn Trilogy is what got me back into reading. I haven't started Stormlight Archive because I wanted to wait until it was closer to being done. I think I might try to get into now with book 5 coming out this year so I can read through the part 1 of it. Also looking forward to digging into more of The Cosmere, I really liked your other video about reading order and am probably going to start reading through it that way with some rereads in there because its been a while since I read the first Mistborn. Right now I gotta finish my re-read of Codex Alera. Keep the great videos coming!

Dude the most awesome Cosmere reveal was showing us without telling us why the Ghostbloods are called the Ghostbloods...so awesome

I mark this as the hopeful start of my Sanderson journey

I actually loved Elantris and read it every second or third year. Don't know why it gets so much hate.

I love the Reckoners!!!! Steelheart, firefight, and calamity were amazing reads!

Hey cheers for this great video….ive had a bit of a reading slump and for some reason I’ve avoided Brandon Sanderson’s work…..as in seems somewhat overwhelming…..but intrigued now and picked up Mistborn today….got to start somewhere and this seems to be the place…….cheers again from uk.

Loved the way of kings. I'm going to spend the year catching up on all stormlight archive books so I'm ready for five when it comes out.

Brandon Sanderson is my favorite author of all time!

My favourite author rn and I haven't even read any of his books yet

I finished The Lost Metal 2 days ago, i've read everything in the Cosmere except the 2023 novels and Stormlight. Gonna wait with the secret project stuff until i'm caught up on Stormlight. Been anticipating Stormlight since last year when i first read The Final Empire so exciting times ahead

You got me into THE COSMERE and i really love it.💫💫💫 Is Warbreaker a standalone??

Please make a new video on a bookshelf tour.

So far I’ve only read his Mistborn Era 1 Trilogy and The Emperor’s Soul and I love those books! I have a couple books I plan to read, like right now I’m starting Golden Son by Pierce Brown! But after I finish it and Morning Star I’ll be starting Warbreaker before I begin my journey through the Stormlight Archives ❤

Going to share this video with everyone

I'm reading elantris right now and i can't believe how much I'm loving it...I wasn't expecting to like it so much because I've heard it's not the best...and I've read stormlight archive too

I love Brandon Sanderson's stories ♥️

Thanks for the awesome overview of Sanderson’s worlds and writing. My first Sanderson novel was “Skyward”, because I’m both a sci-fi and fantasy reader. That’s (imo) not a great story, very YA, very simple, and did not make me think he was a great writer… so it took me a bit to move on to Mistborn and then to understand his realm is rocking great fantasy. With your help, I’ll start my deep dive into the rest of his writings.

I only found out about Sanderson a 6 months ago, mistborn got me back into fantasy.

It took me 5 years and 3 tries to get into Mistborn. Maybe it was just a wrong book wrong time scenario but I’m glad I stuck it out !

I am one of those people who likes one thing and one thing only. Fortunately it is Sanderson so I have a lot to read 😂

finished final empire and eleventh metal. started The Well of Ascension today. I made up my mind that I wanted to complete the cosmere universe this year

My first books by Sanderson was legion which is not in the cosmere. I didn't know about his other work at the time. I have recently started mistborn and I am really enjoying it.

6:50 I think only because we haven't had any live action or animated series from Sanderson yet. Those other books have adaptations where you can visually see landscape and environment the movie or show is portraying.

My favourite thing about the Mistborn trilogy is that it feels epic without being too complex or long. Excellent way to get started with reading fantasy books for those are getting into reading or into the fantasy genre.

My coworkers got me started with Mistborn; I love the Skyward series as well and have embarked on the audiobooks of Stormlight Archive. I am really hoping for a sequel to The Rithmatist....

I thought you should have mentioned Steelheart for younger readers on where to start. Great video.

I'm gonna start reading brandon sanderson very soon . This video made me more excited 🔥.

Im not an avid reader but wanted to get into fantasy books. The first trilogy I read was mistborn. I enjoyed it so much than I bought more fantasy books from other authors

I love Brandon Sanderson's scientific approach to magic systems.

you were one of the main reasons why I started reading sanderson last year. now I read everything in the cosmere but lost metal. Can't wait for wind and truth!

I started Sanderson last year with The Way of Kings then followed up with Warbreaker > Words of Radiance > Mistborn Era 1 > currently reading Oathbringer

here's my pitch - Incredible dialogue Incredible character depth - Strong but broken characters, development, arch, mental awareness, relatable incredible world building - but not too much to drag on and overwhelm and take away from the story line Unpredictable - I can't really predict what will happen there has been maybe once I have done that Magic Systems - the magic systems are usually great and you can picture them very well.

Thank you for articulating the thoughts about his worldbuilding. I enjoy Sanderson but yes, the worlds don’t quite have that lived in feeling of places like Middle Earth.

Would love to, but you recommended Wheel of Time and now I'm on book 2, see you guys in a year.

I read the first Mistborn trilogy back in 2020 when I first discovered Booktube and was a little underwhelmed especially given how hyped it was. I'm planning to give Sanderson a second try this year with the Stormlight Archive because I'm quite jealous of his fans - he's such a prolific author and a positive force in the publishing industry so I want to like him! There are multiple reasons Mistborn didn't work for me, but I'd say the main reason is that his writing is all text and no subtext - everything is stated so plainly and without room for ambiguity that it felt like I was being babied, like he didn't trust me to think for myself and draw my own conclusions. I also don't think that good prose is synonymous with flowery prose or long descriptions. Like you said, Ursula K Le Guin is one of the best writers the genre has ever seen and I don't think anyone could accuse her of being long-winded - just compare the page counts of A Wizard of Earthsea and The Way of Kings!

Couldnt agree more when it comes to expostitional prose in stories. More does not always equal better. The perfect example of this for me is in the hypeion cantos books. Especially parts of endymions story line. Like i dont need a 10 page description of his surroundings while falling through an endless sky. Parts of his story were great, while the long expositions made me want to throw the book out a window 😂. Overall loved the series tho.

Fan of Brandon Sanderson too!! 🎉

Versitality --> versatility 😅 and prosaic means simple, not flowery prose ehe But other than the funny slips of language, i completely agree with your points! I always recommend mistborn to friends who want to get into fantasy, and SA for fantasy fans who want non-classics. I have no fear reading SA even if it's stillin progress because he writes so fast and consistently lol i almost want him to slow down

Speaking of modern and more classic fantasy- is there a video you would recommend which talks about the classic fantasy books? I have found that all my wish lists and books consist of modern fantasy mostly promped by booktube recommendations.

The king of the Cosmere 🤴🏼

First off, great video. Love this kind of content. I'm not the biggest Sanderson fan (didn't like Elantris, but mostly liked Mistborn), and I agree with much of what you said. BUT! I actually agree with those that say his prose isn't good. For me, it's not that his word choice or sentence structures are too simple. It's that the ideas expressed within a sentence are sometimes oversimplified. It feels at times like he has a complex idea or a message or a plot point that he wants to get across, but he tries to tell it in too simple a way, and that makes it feel wrong. In other words, he takes something that might be best expressed over two or three or four sentences and tries to make it into one. I think that's also why he can feel like a YA author at times. I noticed this kind of writing regularly in Elantris, but only a handful of times in Mistborn, thankfully.

Thanks my frend.All this.

As the fastest cup stacker in the world and a fellow Sanderson fan, I appreciate how you used Speedstackinggirls "oh my gosh" at 0:20 😅

I am a new Sanderson fan but loved all of Mistborn and recent started my way through Stormlight (read 1 & 2 so far). I decided to invest in the leatherbounds and purchased the Mistborn era 1/Elantris/Warbreaker from Dragonsteel. It was supposed to be delivered yesterday but hasn’t be scanned for 3 days and I’m so worried it’s lost in the mail 😫. I hope it’s just delayed but I’m worried. That’s a lot of money just lost out there.

because he is Brandon Sanderson that's all there is to it.

7:58 he isnt the first who came up with the hard magic system. Why do people hype him up like he invented a new magic system?

Tbh, I think it is very very easy to select any specific aspect of Sandersons writing and find an author or series that does it better. But when you take his writings as whole and add the fact that he's a consistent writer, not many can compete. I do think his consistency and his business decisions are the biggest contributions tho, also readable/passable quality as a minimum. Like I can think of quite a few series that can compete with Sanderson and his multiple series in both quality and consistency, but I can only think of like maybe 2 authors with multiple series who can compete with Sanderson in both quality and consistency.

I've read about 80 book in the past 3 years and MISTBORN is still my favorite

Love this guy

I love to write fantasy stories but my English is not good I don't what to do how to improve my English

22:03 wait I had no idea who this guy was but I do remember watching this. I didn't finish it but got far.

The only time his prose had me rolling my eyes was in the prologue of Words of Radiance when he info dumps random cultural attributes about the Parshendi after the king's been assassinated, and then its framed as Jasnah's musings when her father's just been assassinated in front of her. And then she berates herself for getting distracted too easy. I smirked at that cause it took me out of the story and Sanderson is usually good about not doing that.

I'm a simple guy, I see Brandon Sanderson in the title, I click

When it comes to Sanderson’s prose, I equate it to being accessible. He doesn’t talk down to you, he can make massive epics easy for anyone to get into and enjoy. You don’t feel like you’re tugged along for needless details, but you’re given a lot to remember. I compare this often to Rothfuss, who really makes you feel like you’re at a campfire being told a story. There is almost a sing-songy feeling when Rothfuss weaves the story. It’s flowery at times, but in the right spots. It’s descriptive, but not too descriptive. I will say where Rothfuss excels at prose, his world building is very subpar especially when compared to Sanderson. When I finished book 2 of the Kingkiller Chronicle, I had a very broken, unclear vision of his world, the countries, where they are at, etc. I feel like Rothfuss has good ideas for his world, but they don’t make it so well to paper; however, his interpersonal writing is fantastic. Specifically, I remember when Kvoth is finally able to leave to go to University, and the whole bit where he is trying to get everything he needs to leave he ends up at a cobbler to get shoes. That scene ripped my heart out with how great the emotional gravitas was, with how Kvoth hadn’t had shoes in years, and here this man was recognizing his plight and showing him compassion by giving him the shoes. It floored me.

Yes

What do you think asiof vs stromight archive

The whole cosmere idea is very interesting to me but I just can’t seem to stay invested in what I’m reading as I try and try again to read Mistborn era one. Im halfway thru TFE. Loved Sanderson’s work finishing WOT. also really enjoyed the short story paraphrased title silence in the forest of hell or something like that. Any advice

Brandon Sanderson changed my life and that is not an exaggeration. read his books I beg you

Sanderson fan here... It's not that we ONLY read the Cosmere.. some of us are still trying to keep up with the man! My TBR is mostly in perpetual stasis thanks to Brandon Sanderson... I am able to smoosh some small books but it is a titanic task 🤣 To think that is all started when I was reading Wheel of Time and at book 3 I realized Robert Jordan was not able to finish it, but this guy "Brandon Sanderson" did... I though... 15 books is a big commitment I might as well read something from this Sanderson guy before I continue with Wheel of Time... it's been 84 years...

Very interesting 🤔... Havent read anything of him.... Are there also audiobooks of him?

I think another strength is the way he can genre bend - you want mystery - check, western - check, sci-fi - check, romance - check, political intrigue - check. No matter what you normally read he has something related. There is a reason no matter the topic a fan can be sure to find a book of his that fits the bill. The other strength is the wide range of ages and life experience he can write: Silence Montane, Taravangian, Wax's child, Lift, Dalinar. He has men, women, children, young adult, middle aged adults, older adults, parents, eunuchs, servants, rulers, physical disabilities. His characters come from a wide range of backgrounds. I also want to say I'm someone who appreciates not having the spicy scenes and the graphic violence. I enjoy the stories, but don't like the grimdark trend. I will always be grateful that the stories are accessible for someone who doesn't want to read those scenes.

Where did you buy your hoodie? I want one😭😂

I've been getting into Mistborn & honestly couldn't have asked for a better time for this video.

@CapturedInWords, you say the cosmere worlds don't appear to have a long history. That's because they don't. They appear to be created by the shards. Zahel mentioned to Kaladan that there are no fossils on Rohshar. He showed him a fossil from a world that does (Yolin?)

YES

Look, I'm not a prude, i know sex is a part of life and i love A Song of Ice and Fire. But honestly i appreciate that his books aren't sexually graphic like a GOT or other novels and still hit just as hard. Just makes him easier to recommend sometimes, i can tell my mom to read the Mistborn series without being worried. 😂

I is a very good year to Read.

"Born in December 19-" Oh what a night! "-75" Oh.

Not a Mistborn fan but might try Stormlight

Can you talk about the will of the ma many

Dedicated video on mistborn era 1 please

I already read all the books yet I'm watching this vid anyway lol