[abakker]

Sanderson's work in the original Mistborn Trilogy and in WoT are his best work IMO. unfortunately, the care he put into writing those books to get them just right is seemingly lacking from his more recent books. The most recent mistborn trilogy is laughable. It lacks any real tension, and the fallback on the deus ex machina is very very frustrating to the reader.

Sanderson needs to focus less on being a "writing machine" and more on being a writer.

Some of Sanderson's contemporaries like Lynch, Rothfuss, and Abercrombie have avoided this trap a bit better, but they have also published less.

[fredleblanc]

I mean, he's even said it himself, the most recent Mistborn trilogy was not an attempt to further epic fantasy, but a different experiment all together. It's an exploration of different types of stories, but within a universe that was familiar.[0]

I think the jury on the Stormlight Archive series' care is still up in the air, considering what makes the original Mistborn Trilogy so great is how complete the story is, and we're only 1/5 of the way through SA's arc (with what, another 20 years left until they're done)?

I don't think stories need to be deep and epic to be fun and worthwhile. And while Rothfuss may write the most beautiful prose (and to me, he does), it turns out that I'd rather have quantity with above-average quality than a couple of masterpieces with supreme quality.

But hey, to each their own. At least we're reading things we find interesting. :)

[0]: http://theoryland.com/intvmain.php?i=1152#2

[abakker]

Completely agree - and yes, he was going for something different with the recent mistborn stuff.

Have you seen Jonathan Renshaw's recent book? I'll definitely be following that one - simpler, more "standard" fantasy, but refreshingly executed so far.

[fredleblanc]

I haven't, is that Dawn of Wonder?

[abakker]

Yeah - definitely a good read.