Words of Radiance is amazing. Stormlight Archieve is amazing. I love this series it is amazing and I am obsessed.

@TheCrustaceanQueen

3 жыл бұрын

Same!

@zachbaker2892

3 жыл бұрын

I started The Way of Kings last week!! I’m about to start the first interlude and I’m loving it so much!!!

@reidblanchard6453

3 жыл бұрын

Idk about everyone else, but I think Sophie likes the Stormlight Archive

@_sobrao

3 жыл бұрын

We all are

@shananika

3 жыл бұрын

Words of Radiance is also still my favorite book in the series. The funny thing is the one character I don’t like is Shallan and that’s her back-story POV book lol. You’d think it would be my least favorite of the series, but that’s the one book I actually sort of like Shallan in. That might be one of the many reasons why WoR is my favorite. It’s the one book where I don’t groan when I get to a Shallan chapter.

The Way of Kings is awesome but Words of Radiance is where its at. The best moments and the most important dynamics and relationships are in this book.

@vaibhavgupta20

3 жыл бұрын

+

@sophieallwright5896

3 жыл бұрын

I think I was better because it brought all the characters we had been reading and that where built up together to interact which was what the reader wanted that why it was such a great read.

@robertwinslade3104

3 жыл бұрын

I'm going to be honest, I think WoR is on the whole the better book, but present-day Kaladin's story from WoK with Bridge 4 has yet to be beat by any sub-plot in this series IMO

I love second books of series more than the first book, almost always. First book is where I just get to know the characters, second book is where I truly feel attached to them.

Had to laugh at the N. K. Jemisin 'variations'. Credit to you for not just editing that out. "You're still saying it wrong." 😆

I saw this and immediately thought “A Wise Man’s Fear”

@MartiasMuses

3 жыл бұрын

So did I :)

@AtaraxianWist

3 жыл бұрын

Same.

@britneynicole8903

Жыл бұрын

Yes! Same here!

You HAD to mention the Lies of Locke Lamora

Completely agree, re: Wise Man’s Fear. Book 1 was like 16 years’ worth of Kvothe’s life, and then Book 2 was - as I heard someone else call it - “Kvothe’s Summer Abroad.”

I've literally NEVER read a 2nd book that I loved more than the first and then Words of Radiance happened.

I have faith in Rothfuss to wrap it up well for two reasons. He already finished the books before publishing, and now he’s just repeatedly revising it, which would indicate he knows it well enough that three books is all he needs. And also, he’s never shown a hint of wavering on it. He seems extremely confident he will do it easily, even with how meticulous he is.

I'm reading Every Heart a Doorway now and feeling much the same as you apparently did. Thanks for the encouragement to continue with the series!

I'm early! Thanks for the recs. Also Merphy I read letters to the lost because of you and I LOVED it! Thank you.

Your insights are clearly-stated and cogent. As a writer, they focus my own concerns and interests perfectly. Thank you for the great job you do. Brava, Merphy. Keep up the great work.

I loved Red seas under red skies, but I think I liked Republic of thieves a bit more. Every book in the series is great, though. Happy to have the reference in every video. Here, I expect Name of the wind to be mentioned at some point.

@metallsnubben

3 жыл бұрын

I feel like I see people either saying republic of thieves is their favourite yet or that it's the worst and almost put them off the series lol

@ZamWeazle

3 жыл бұрын

@@metallsnubben lots of reviews for Republic Of Thieves are pretty mixed or middling compared to the others. I really liked Red Seas Under Red Skies and still want to read the next one soon, especially if The Thorn of Emberlain comes out later this year! 👍

Surprised to see Words of Radiance in this context. I think The Way of Kings is incredible.

@nataliaweronikapetersson3425

3 жыл бұрын

Words of Radiance did not change my mind about SA, only solidified its awesomeness.

@idlecurator5365

3 жыл бұрын

I found Way of Kings to be incredibly boring and in desperate need of harsh trimming in the first half. Dalinar’s perspective was the only thing that kept me going until the end. The last quarter is absolutely phenomenal, but the lead up to it is overly long, painfully drawn out, and a lot of it felt like filler. Words of Radiance on the other hand is one of my favourite books. It fixes WoK pacing issues and adds a ton of inter character conflict and drama that’s so much more gripping than the last books meandering, completely segregated character plots. WoR did everything better than WoK except the very ending which I hated. Everything after they set off into the plains was all down hill for me.

@saraholivares4747

3 жыл бұрын

“A life is priceless.” “Coincidentally, that is the exact value of a Shardblade.” 😭😭😭😭❤️❤️❤️ WoK is fantastic, fight me.

@shubhamtiwari9472

3 жыл бұрын

@@saraholivares4747 WoK is my favorite!

I didn’t mind so much knowing the ending of Down Among the Sticks and Bones. For me it felt more like getting to know the details of the story behind how the characters got to that point. And knowing where they were going made me feel a sense of anticipation while reading. Like “I wonder when X will happen?”

Loved this video! (btw, thanks for over explaining because people like me are still new to the book world and so you teach me a lot of things haha) Keep ‘em comin’!

Loved this!

I liked The Golden Compass but I didn’t love it. I was in no hurry to continue the series. Then I read The Subtle Knife and it floored me. One of the best sequels I’ve ever read.

wow, I’m rarely ever this early! I totally agree about Words Of Radiance. Another one that personally tipped the scales for me was The Magician King which is the second in The Magicians trilogy by Lev Grossman, I nearly quit the first book but it was compelling enough to push through and The Magician King and the final book made the first book so worth it that it’s not even funny.

VE schwab has confirmed that she’s writing a third book in the Villains series. She has ideas for it but said she won’t get to it for a few years at least.

I read Down Among the Sticks and Bones first on your recommendation and it was fantastic!!

Just started Mistborn so I can build up to the Stormlight Archive series!! I can’t wait. So many people have raved about Brandon and I’m ready! I love these series videos, can’t wait to see more!

@Morfeusm

3 жыл бұрын

Did you like Mistborn?

@katiestrickland4814

3 жыл бұрын

@@Morfeusm I’m about 200pgs into it (I’m a super slow reader) but I LOVE IT so far!!! It’s great! Just got the 2nd book in the mail and I can’t wait to finish the series!

I have to agree wholeheartedly with Words of Radiance! Has to be my favourite one so far I think! I really really enjoyed it!

I'm reading the 'All for the game' series at the moment and the first book was meh but the sequel oh my god, I am in love with the characters now!

The sequel that changed my mind was the second book in the Peter Grant series. Rivers of London was confusing and weak on characters but Moon Over Soho was a wild ride and has me excited to continue the series

Wow, I can't wait to see a ending-of-the-series video!

Everything that you said about The Wise Man's Fear were some of the complaints I had about The Name of the Wind. Very glad that I did not continue that series. Also, your description of the Broken Earth was so close to my feelings! I honestly didn't read the third book because of it.

I really hope that Royal Assassin makes it into this list soon

I think Jemisin's series (the Inheritance Cycle, first book being The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms) also feature really unique storytelling devices that are all different for each book, so you always have to guess what the new perspective.. is. Or rather who they are speaking to. Dark at times also, but less violent anarchy than an apocalypse. A lot of polyamory for anyone who wants a warning about that.

For me book 7 of the Dresden Files changed how I view the series. Up until then I thought they were fun books that I burned through quickly then mostly forgot about. But Dead Beat made me fall in Love with the series. I care about every single character and the story just keeps growing! I love every new entry I read!

@Juanpa_SC

3 жыл бұрын

Dresden imo is a rare case in which almost all "next entries" is better than the last one. Favorite series for me.

I've seen vlogs about the Wayward Children series and have not been really inspired to give it a try. You might just have convinced me.

I loved A Wise Man’s fear, though I agree it felt like it didn’t progress much. However, it built up the world and developed it so much. I think he can finish it in one more book due to the fact he has said it’s not the last book in the world

@Yummyumchan

3 жыл бұрын

I liked it, but the sex scenes could have been shorter and it annoyed me a lot

@Andmore123go

3 жыл бұрын

@@Yummyumchan haha, yeah. That was a lot.

I want someone to think of me the same way Merph thinks of Red Seas Under Red Skies.

Unpopular opinion: I prefer A wise man's fear. Guess it's because the main guy (I can't stand him) has less scenes and we get to know more about the others. ❤

I see Wayward children series everywhere. I’m not planning to read it anytime soon but it is definitely on my radar

I haven't read any of these series yet so I can't say much about them but I watch a lot of booktube & find it so fascinating how much opinions on these kinda things differ :D

Interesting about The Wayward Children series. After the first book, I decided to not move on to other books in the series. But...now I am intrigued and may have to give it a chance.

Just finished Way of Kings , your high praise for Words of Radiance raised my expectations even more and now I´m scared. Also vVengeful was a huge etdown for me because of the high potential of certain characters that wasn´t fulfilled at all (oh hey, June, how are you?)

I already adored the way of kings and currently reading words of radiance and it’s just as amazing if not better so far

Felt exactly the same way about Wise Mans Fear. By the end it felt like there was so much more left to go, it couldn't possibly be wrapped up in just one more book. I'm still looking forward to Doors Of Stone though, hopefully Rothfuss can make it a satisfying read

I felt the same way about The Wayward Children series. I've realized I really only love the prequels. Book two and four are definitely my favourites of the ones I've read!

@gilesclone

2 жыл бұрын

Totally disagree. Book 2 and 5 are my least favorites. I just don’t like Jack and Jill.

The sequel we all needed is right here

I completely agree on Book 2 in Wayward Children. It is my 2nd fave book of the series, my favorite is Book 4. The order of my faves in the series is as follows, favorite to least favorite: 4, 2, 7, 6, 5, 3, 1`. After book one though, they are ALL so much better! I also love that they are short, and there is no filler at all, just pure story. Every word is there for a purpose, and I LOVE that!

If you haven't already you should make a list of top 10 (or whatever) best scenes in fantasy books. I'd definitely watch that.

That meme at the end. I feel that.

I really need a video of you gushing over the gentleman bastards series little clips here and there are not enough now that I have read the series 😁😁

@merphynapier42

3 жыл бұрын

when I do a reread before book 4 - I will have many videos dedicated to it!

I would love to see a spoiler filled, detailed breakdown on what it is about Vengeful that you didn't like so much. Because I read Vicious based on your video about it and because you made it sound so good, and I LOVED it. And then I couldn't wait to dig into Vengeful, and I loved it just as much. Were there questions left unanswered? Absolutely. Do I want those questions answered? Abso-freaking-lutely. But I still loved the book.

I TOTALLY agree with you on Down among the sticks and bones....I finished it and thought it was so much better and should have been the first in this series.....its good to know I'm not alone in that thought 😀

Gaaah I still need to read the stormlight archive, but it’s so intimidating!

@oXFAct0Ro

3 жыл бұрын

Do it... There will be no regrets.

I read Down Among the Sticks and Bones first on your recommendation. I'm divided about whether it was the right choice. On the plus side, I completely agree that it is the better book, to the extent that I might even not have read it had I started with book 1 (that a might, not a definite). On the other hand, I think the ending of book 2 would work pretty well having been spoiled, whereas I found it quite annoying when I read book 1 to already know the ending!

I never really enjoyed the discworld books, until I read the last (lost?) continent, and have since then really enjoyed discworld. It just opened me up to them. Also, this isn't such a complete change of mind, since I already enjoyed the series, but the desert spear took what was a fairly typical dynasty story in the painted man, and took it in a really nice new direction.

I've never read any of the books in this video, but I do have the Waywards Children series on my TBR list. In light of your topic, the 1st series that came to my mind was the Demon Cycle series. I LOVED the 1st book so much that I was convinced this was going to be my favorite series of all time. Unfortunately I hated most of the 2nd book. I forced myself to finish reading because I never wanted to read it again, assuming that the 3rd one sounded like it was worth reading. Based on multiple reviews, the 3rd took everything I hated in the 2nd and doubled down on it, plus added some bizarre character decisions that soured me on the rest of the series. I did keep up with reviews and discussions about the rest of this series and it sounds like it never got better. I loved the Cal Leandros series by Rob Thurman until it took a nose dive in book 7 and continued to focus on a character that I only liked in very small doses. I read the Anne Rice's Vampire Chronicles. By the time she got to The Tales of the Body Thief, I was done. And, at risk of being flamed, George R. R. Martin's decision to split "Feast for Crows" and "Dance with Dragons" didn't work for me at all. I never finished DwD and probably never will...especially since I don't expect the series to ever be finished.

Totally agree on WoR over TWoK. Those are my fav 2 in the series so far.

I felt the same about Black Prism. I DNFed at about 3/4. I still plan on picking it back up someday. My thing was as soon as I'd get invested in the pov we were in it would change and pull me out of the story.

What you say about The Wise Man’s Fear is basically how I felt about Before They Are Hanged. The First Law trilogy still managed to get to a (mostly) satisfying conclusion, but it still felt to me like there was a lot of dead space in the second one where plot should have been.

@ZamWeazle

3 жыл бұрын

Strangely I preferred Before They are Hanged myself 😉

Plan to start a lot of these series soon...

I liked Red Sister and loved Grey Sister and Holy Sister.

Completely agree with you about the Wayward Children series! I can't wait for you to read Book 4, imo it's just as good as Book 2 :)

That world of radiance picture made me realize books could have pretty good modeling careers

A close and common orbit was like this for me. I didn't really like a long way to a small angry planet. It was meandering and it felt like everything was resolved too easy. Then I decided to pick up book two on a whim and I really dig it. It has some of the problems of the 1st book but the story has such a stronger premise and so much more to say it really makes a difference imo.

@zeroender

3 жыл бұрын

I’m actually the opposite. I was floored by long way, but I thought close and common was a little slow. Book three though I couldn’t get into. However, I still like the series so I preordered book 4.

@kaemonbonet4931

3 жыл бұрын

@@zeroender I would agree, they are slow books. I'm glad you like the series! I dont know if I'll continue with them though. Like I said, conflicts feel like they get a bit of a short shrift.

Totally agree about Fifth Season, it started of soooo good. It was my favourite book last year and I honestly barely remember how the triology ends because book two and three were just not at all at the same level. Bummer! I feel the complete opposite way about Sanderson. I loved way of kings but didn’t care at all for words of radiance so I didn’t continue with the series. Then I read Mistborn and LOVED it, but now I’m reading the second book and I’m so bored. I’m only continuing because I read so many reviews that say the ending is amazing so I’m just forcing myself to get there. I’m at page 400 something and it’s just a constant struggle for me to even pick it up, But I’ve picked up Red Sister :) and I like it so far, but I’m only about 50 pages in.

Sometimes when something is so good, the expectations become so high that any continuation can only be a step down; both objectively and/or subjectively.

The green rider series is one that I wasn't sure I'd continue after reading the first book, but then I read the second and she really found her style and pacing in the second book. After that I was glad I kept going, but that first book is rough...

Wait, guys, does Merphy like The Lies of Locke Lamora? I can't tell

I agree with your opinion of The Wise Man's Fear. I love Words of Radiance, but I have struggled with last two books. Half way through Rhythm of War and I hate how Sanderson treats Kaladin.

OK I need to give book 2 in The Wayward Children a try! I did enjoy book one but did not continue on.

Merphy have you checked out the Alcatraz Smedry series by Brandon Sanderson. I think it is amazing and a great entry to fantasy and Sanderson.

I think Academ's Fury would change your mind on Codex Alera. It picks up much quicker and begins a great ride through the series.

You should read Dune Messiah, the second book in the Dune chronicles. This book will change your mind in that universe, very sad ending 🥲🥲

"Let's end on a happy note. Book 1 suuuuccckkkss!!" Lol

I agree about lightbriger series for sure. The first book was so good, and each subsequent entry that I read was much worse, until finally I stopped reading the series when it felt like he just completely negated my favorite things of the first book.

Just me, but I love the black prism series ALOT, through out the series there many ups and downs but I love the characters so much and how they change and grow is amazing, I'd love you to give it a try but I am totally biased.

I think Tombs of Atuan could do this for you for Earthsea.

Oof it was Muse of Nightmares for me. I was 80% loving book 1, then I nearly dnf-ed the second book within the first 100 pages.

Words of radiance was really great. But how can we get through 3 book oathbringer it just seem way to lengthy and nothing seem to be happening there. I kinda ended up dnfing it

Oh, yeah, Wise Man's Fear was the rollercoaster experience for me. A couple of great highs, and then lots of lows and slug-paced climbs. What's most damning is that it felt like the last hundred pages or so were all a low. Out of curiosity, when you mention your favorite scene, which one was it?

I loved the name of the wind, it was one of my favorite books and i am reading the sequel at the moment, but... everytime I hear about book two fear covers my body

Can I say season 2 (book 2)of avatar the last airbender. Season 1 was awesome and I was hooked, but season 2 convinced me that this series is my fav of all time. Also, Son of Neptune (2nd book of Heroes of Olympus) !!!! best rick riordan book imo.

@LoyaFrostwind

3 жыл бұрын

I love the Avatar series! Legend of Korra was a little more difficult. I didn't like season 2 and found it hard to get through. But seasons 3 and 4 made up for it.

For me The Way of Kings >>> Words of Radiance. Words of Radiance was great, but The Way of Kings is hands down my favorite SA book and one of my favorite books of all time. In The Way of Kings, Kaladin was more than relatable character. He is a great mix of who we are, what we have been through, and who we want to be. When reading this book, I become Kaladin. His trials, failures, and successes become personal. This makes the payoff and the ending even more powerful and satisfying. In the later books, Kal is just a character (admittedly an awesome one, but still just a character). The emotional connection that was made in the first book is never reestablished.

I read the name of the wind in 2020 now I need to read a wise man fear next this year and book 2.5 book to before book 3 comes out

Just wondering, have you read/done a review on Toni Adeyemi’s Children of Blood and Bone? I’ve searched your videos (which I love btw! Thank you!) and can’t find anything. Lol only asking because I started and just couldn’t get into it, then thought “hey! I wonder what Merphy thought about it 😂”

You gotta finish the Lightbringer Series (Black Prism). I will admit that it does have flaws, but that series is so amazing, and I think you will appreciate the conclusion.

I’m currently reading wot and I’m in the slog. I really underestimated how long this series is.

Strong agree on both Wiseman's Fear AND Words of Radiance. Amazing plot work, as well as character work, with Shallan. I actually think that's how Sanderson shot himself in the foot for RoW. When RoW belly flopped her character arc, I wouldn't have been so disappointed, except that Sanderson's best book featured Shallan as his Background Story character, so I was very invested in her growth and development. Shallan isn't even my favorite character--but man was I invested. Excellent job of WoR

@henrywayne5724

3 жыл бұрын

I honestly didn't see that her character arc belly flopped in ROW. Most of the issues people have with ROW stem from how Sanderson handled Oathbringer and partially WOR. OB's structure was weird as hell(and kinda genius). For OB: 1. The flashbacks, rather than being used solely for backstory, were used to a great effect to bring about an amazing character arc, such that I was more invested in the flashbacks than the present day. 2. Sanderson decided to begin other character arcs in Parts 3 and 4, and said arcs would continue all through Book 4. Shallan and Kal's arcs from book 3 had just been left hanging. There wasn't much sense of closure from either of them. He pushed them all through Book 4. For WOR: 1. The Eshonai interludes, while they created vicarious suspense, ended up lessening the impact of ROW's flashbacks. That's the problem of having a rigid outline. Sometimes certain things won't work out as well and some things have to be moved around, resulting in a somewhat messy state of affairs. That's why Books 1 and 2 appear so seamless. And the effects of certain changes in Book 2 come into play. I have a feeling we'll see the impact of the change in Book 3's viewpoint character in Book 5.

@ivysudweeks1550

3 жыл бұрын

@@henrywayne5724 These are good thoughts! I think what I mean by Shallan's plot-line belly flopping is that is wasn't given the time it needed to stimulate the feels it deserved. As you said, Sanderson had to push it into book 4. And in book four, Shallan has that major breakthrough (yay) that has been four books coming. We all know that Sanderson does a great job of payoff. However, with Shallan, rather than give the payoff the time it deserved, the breakthrough was handled somewhat via plot convenience. Shallan's husband mentions a story he's never told before, that teaches exactly the moral she needed to hear, right before Shallan goes to confront the person she'd been hunting. In this meeting, she remembers the words Adolin says and changes her mind. *sad party horn noise* Given that they had been trapped in Lasting Integrity for forever, it would have been easy to have Aedolin tell that story pretty much at any point beforehand. Why it had to happen MOMENTS before Shallan's character breakthrough doesn't make any sense to me. I definitely think that we'll see good follow up in the next books. I would just say that, as someone dedicated to seeing Shallan finally overcome the backstory presented in her POV book, the payoff of her FIRST BIG STEP was not on par with the payoff I've been lead to expect. Still, a Sanderson 3-star is a 5-star for every other book.

The Slow Regard of Silent Things By Patrick Rothfuss is one of my faves. It's 2.5 ... does that count?

I know most people say the same thing about wise man's fear but I honestly thought it was of equal quality to name of the wind. In terms of the broken earth trilogy I feel the exact opposite I slogged through book one, and the narrative choice you were referring to irked me to no end but I think that's because I puzzled it out too early, but once I got to book two the series took off for me! Now the only sequel that's ever moved the needle for me about a series was before they are hanged, I can't tell you how much I ended up loving the first law but absolutely nothing happens in the blade itself and it killed me, I kept thinking these characters are amazing but WHY does the book exist if it doesn't have a story to tell. Needless to say I'm so glad I kept on but honestly I feel like you could start at before they are hanged and miss nothing.

Hi early people! I'm sure it's gonna be a great video!

Vicious and Vengeful will be getting a third book, but she likes to space them out so it won’t be for a few years. I think it’s supposed to be called Victorious. I really enjoyed Vengeful personally, but I didn’t love it as much as some people or as much as I love book one.

One thing that makes me hopeful that the doors of stone will be up to to the quality of the first two is that rothfuss has said it will be a shorter book than the wise man's fear, so rothfuss isn't having to cut things to keep it to length.

Yeah, buddy reading is just next level enjoinment. Since I tried it, I just can't read a book without buddy-reading. Thankfully, I can just go through my want to read books on Byzans and drop a message to the ones I wanna read the most. Usually at least in one book somebody agrees. It's an incredible experience. A bummer about lightbringer. But there's still hope, since book 3 is like the best book in the series, so if you read it you won't be able to stop ahaha So fingers crossed

Oh no! I was going to pick up Vengeance this month but not sure if I'm keen now as I already felt that Vicious was just average. Perhaps it will be better now because my expectations are low. That's the hope anyway!

in "The Lightbringer" series the twists make-up the disappointment of that one scene in the prison.

Shadow and Bone trilogy, I didn't mind the first book and was eager to find out what happened next, second book complete opposite reaction, I am still trying to work myself up to read the final book before Netflix show comes out in April (I know, I am a completionist).

did you read 'Prince of Thorns' ?

When it comes to Light Bringer, I would say give book 3 a read, and if you're still not sure about the series. Don't bother finishing. I love the series, but I was not happy with several things about the series and how it ended.

Golden Son should have made the list imho. The rise in quality in the red rising sequel is phenomenal.

I know I’m late to this discussion but I have a theory about Name of the Wind. I think there are going to be at least 2 more books, not just one. To me the trilogy seems to be centered around the legend of Kvothe, but what about the Kote in the framing device?? I highly doubt we’re just going to leave him there in Scrael apocalypse. I think we’ll get one book to wrap up Kvothe, and then one or maybe even a whole trilogy for Kote to redeem himself.

Gotta say when it comes to Gentleman Bastards I didn't expect the second book to be as good as the first one and I was SO wrong, probably my favorite sequel yet.

Oh man, I've been holding off on reading A Wise Man’s Fear because I am afraid of being let down. Probs will wait till book 3 to see if the series as a whole is still worth continuing.

@ashtonswinney7349

3 жыл бұрын

So.... you won't be reading A Wise Man's Fear then?

@marcemallow13

3 жыл бұрын

@@ashtonswinney7349 Haha, at this rate maybe not! At least there are plenty of other fantasy series to get into while we all wait for Rothfuss

"Bunny Read"? A new phrase for me. OH! ""Buddy Read!" DOH!