In this video I review Wayne - I mean Shadows of Self

@StoryBound

3 жыл бұрын

Wayne steals the show in all 3 books! Such a great character.

@unnameable5981

3 жыл бұрын

I have a faint memory - not sure if real or not - of reading/hearing somewhere that Wayne was initially written as the main character but eventually fit the supporting role better. That could partly explain the depth he has (and I wholeheartedly agree that he is in many ways a little deeper than the rest of the cast).

@jonathanhowe8535

3 жыл бұрын

Prepare for Wayne character growth even more in book 3. They all grow. It’s great, you’ll love it.

@StoryBound

3 жыл бұрын

@@unnameable5981 I know that Alloy Of law was just Brandon playing around with the mistborn universe and wasn't originally intended to be the next "trilogy" certainly possible Wayne was a larger focus in the initial drafts.

@tineye5100

3 жыл бұрын

@@StoryBound Sterris in book 3 IMO.

"When she fought, she was the blade. When she loved, she was the kiss." Was my favorite quote form all of Mistborn.

@the_ricku

2 жыл бұрын

So so good, and described Vin perfectly.i

I don't know if you remembered this while reading but MeLaan was actually in Era 1! She was the younger kandra that looked up to TenSoon in The Hero of Ages and iirc she helped him escape from the prison.

@merphynapier42

3 жыл бұрын

oh wow I had totally forgotten that! Wow that's awesome

@mathing101

3 жыл бұрын

Oh Merph oh Merph…. The next one is golden…

@thealpharogue9030

3 жыл бұрын

I was looking to see if anyone mentioned this. I reread era 1 after reading era 2 and was shook when I saw MeLaan was there!

@jamesa.5115

3 жыл бұрын

@@thealpharogue9030 that completely went over my head!!!! Thank you for saying something 😂

Wayne chapter were he describes the pub as a church was gold. Wayne mixing drinks, his interaction with Melaan and Wax, the whole thing was just great. I enjoyed book two way more than book 1.

The whole thing with lessie being bleeder was such a heart wrenching twist for me. When he realised he killed her again at the end, was really impactful. That itself made book 2 my favourite of the era 2 books. That dynamic and ending was so tragic. Still painful when I think about it.

@RichFreeman

3 жыл бұрын

Only in fantasy can you accidentally kill your wife...twice.

@waissdatsaiyandoe1303

3 жыл бұрын

I’m so dumb... I just HAD to read the comments...... ending is now spoiled for me 😭 I am my own worst enemy

@25th-nightvaxmachina67

3 жыл бұрын

@@waissdatsaiyandoe1303 oh noooo. I'm so sorry u got spoiled cuz of this. Stay away from spoiler vids my friend. Resist the temptations of the comments

@raquelmarcalsantos

3 жыл бұрын

@@25th-nightvaxmachina67 Merphy did ask people in the comment section to do the “space space space thing” if discussing spoilers.

If you haven't checked it out, Michael Kramer's Wayne is 100% why everybody should listen to these as audiobooks

@Florfilm

3 жыл бұрын

So good.

@FebbieG

3 жыл бұрын

He does such a good job that I don't even think of it as Michael Kramer's performance, it's just Wayne.

@ashkras12

Жыл бұрын

Im doing a reread/listening to the audio books for the first time and am loving the story even more the second time around!

Even after reading through this whole series twice now, the scene of Wayne in the bar sticks out to me as one of my favorite bits of character in the entire series. Before Wax gets there, Wayne enters and can feel the tension in the bar ( I think he calls it a 'temple') so he goes around trying to diffuse things. We've seen tensions rising in the city and we've been seeing Marasi and the police taking one approach, but Wayne knows the common man. It might be bandaid fixes, but Wayne knows how to keep things from boiling over for at least one more night. I think that scene, even more than any of his impressions and disguises, showcases that Wayne is observant and highly attuned to people and their feelings and I think that's a beautiful character trait to give an otherwise obnoxious goon. He's a goon, but he knows what he's doing.

I really love how Spook's weird dialect has become the Latin of this world.

Yes, book 3 does have a lot more Cosmere references. It deepens the characters more, and is the best of the books out. Also, Steris is AMAZING in the third one (and in this but still). She grows to be one of my fav Cosmere characters. I’m looking forward to book 4 almost as much as Stormlight 5

@skizzit

3 жыл бұрын

Yep, Steris is awesome. You also need to read Mistborn Secret History. Fills in a lot of gaps as to things happening behind the scenes in Era 1 as well as shed some light on some huge questions from the end of The Bands of Mourning.

@Loganva

3 жыл бұрын

@@skizzit yeah I adore secret history. Idk if Merphy said she’s read it or not.

@karlwilker579

3 жыл бұрын

Steris is adorable.

I think you missed out on the ABSOLUTE TREASURE that is Michael Kramer's performance as Wayne in this series, because he does ALL of Wayne's acting and voice imitation! It's AMAZING, and I was shocked when I later learnt that Wayne was such a divisive character to many fans, because Kramers performance elevated him in my mind THAT much.

*Gets notification and opens video* *Sees length of review* *Sweats nervously*

Just like you can't be convinced that Wayne is a shallow character, I can't be convinced Marasi is shallow. I mean people love Steris and Wayne but I always feel like Wax and especially Marasi always get overshadowed.

@lauraburnham7461

3 жыл бұрын

Marasi, Wax, and Steris are all incredible. But Wayne? Is so boring, and I HATE that so many of his rude and horrible actions are played off as a laugh. Like dude, leave the lesbian alone, she's never gonna date you. And leave the girl whose father you killed alone. There is no reason to keep forcing her to meet with you. He's just not it at all compared to the other three in the group.

@Sssssssssssssssssssssss817

3 жыл бұрын

@@lauraburnham7461 I partly agree with you. I won't say I hate Wayne or even I don't like him but seriously he is not that great I mean others like Marasi and Wax are so much better. Like I don't get people when they say they hate Marasi, she has been through so much and just because she was a little girly in the 1st book and had to be saved does not mean she is not a good character. And in the second book she really developed on her own. And I bet Wayne was thousand times worse when he was inexperienced

@luminaryprism75

3 жыл бұрын

Marasi and Wayne have underrated chemistry. I smile everytime Wayne goes “Mara” and then he just goes into some dumb tangent while she rolls her eyes.

the Graphic Audio for Shadows of Self is 10/10. Voice Actor who played Wax really brought out the emotions especially near the end

@Atamastra

11 ай бұрын

Literally just finished the GA (and my first "read" of SoS. And holy shit, yeah he does. Good god... it is HARD to hit me in the feels and jerk a tear from my cold dead heart. This one did it. And Chris Genabach really played Wax well. Well played, Sando... you talented fuck 🤦😭

@mariem.9349

9 ай бұрын

It's a masterpiece

*spoilers* That twist on the end, who Bleeder was. I literally yelled out loudly NO! NO! It gut puched me.

Thing is, nobody goes into Allot of Law with correct expectations. I certainly didn't! So it's easy to dislike it. Going into the second one, my expectations weren't "hero of ages" kind of high.

The ending of this book left me shooketh! SHOOKETH I TELL YOU!

„I shouldn’t bend this back in front of you“. 😂 Especially the „in front of you“

I have to start reading Sanderson's work

@Struggler12349

3 жыл бұрын

You definitely should. I'm nearly caught up in the cosmere, I just have stormlight 4 to finish and I'm done. I don't regret a single second of this journey

@janballaz

3 жыл бұрын

@@Struggler12349 I discovered Brandon a year ago or so doing a research school project about worldbuilding and I fell in love with the Cosmere. I haven't started yet because I want to read the books in english and my english level wasn't there yet. I feel good about it now, tho. Maybe I'll start Mistborn this summer.

@milospollonia1121

3 жыл бұрын

I'd reccomend looking up some of his critics' thoughts, because there are legitimate criticisms to his work and they are gonna make or break it. If you do decide on starting, then you're definitely in for a ride!

@AtaraxianWist

3 жыл бұрын

Correct.

@janballaz

3 жыл бұрын

@@milospollonia1121 Thanks for the tip

I've been meaning to read his books but only recently heard about them. Seeing this video thumbnail by Merphy gives me the motivation to try them out. Thank you, Merphy.

I'm glad you're reviewing these with a bit of detachment from era 1, I feel like a lot of people end up hating era 2 because they aren't able to remove themselves from the setting/characters of era 1.

Michael Kramer's rendition of Wayne is goddamn perfect, particularly with scenes of him switching in and out of accents, or learning an accent.

I love how this became a character study, I am now even more excited to re-read this series next year in anticipation for the last book!!

So far Shadows of Self is my favorite Wax & Wayne, can't wait for book 4 though! So many possibilities were teased with the new lore in Bands of Mourning, which made the long wait until Brandon prioritized Mistborn again a bit painful haha

@skizzit

3 жыл бұрын

So glad Sanderson has gotten back around to some of his other on-going series. Skyward book 3 is complete and he is currently working on the next Wax & Wayne book. Still amazes me the speed that guy writes.

At around 21:30, you say Bleeder speaks with Wayne, but I'm pretty sure it was Melaan who says to Wayne that he is surprisingly wise.

Man, I love Wayne, and I am absolutely ashamed of it due to how many in the fan community have a visceral hatred for him. I understand why, but for some reason (probably mostly based on me not being a woman) I just can't see anything he does as completely unforgivable, but other people's reactions make me feel like I should. So, I'm in a tough spot my opinion towards him.

@merphynapier42

3 жыл бұрын

I would NEVER want to know him in real life specifically because of the way he speaks to woman. So I think it’s valid to hate him. But it’s also valid to love him. He has a lot of layers and while he isn’t someone I would want to spend time with, due to the way he would treat me, he is fascinating to observe and try to understand

@Florfilm

3 жыл бұрын

I also love Wayne. Don’t listen to the haters.

I’m doing a Cosmere re-read heading up to the release of Wind and Truth. I have not read Mistborn Era 2 until now and I’m so happy I’m reading it. I love how things are so interconnected.

@Darkknght83

2 ай бұрын

Same here. It was the only ones I hadn’t touched yet, now im devouring them.

The bands of mourning is even better in my opinion, can't wait for you to read it!

I just finished it and I'M SHOCKED. I loved the book, I knew you'd have a review about this. I'm devastated. WOW.

I really liked the longer video and would love to see more for spoiler book reviews!

Just finished this. Loved that you gushed about it. I felt the same way.

You’re reviews are simply the best! Can’t wait to start Band of Mourning soon

I absolutely loved this one. The ending of this was amazing! But I guess book 3 is my favourite for now because Steris has more page time there but I hope in book 4 we get her pov.

I love, love, love that I'm reading era 2 the same time as you! And can I just say how much I enjoyed your flip-through!

I'm excited to go back and re-read this series in prep for the 4th book.

I just finished this book this morning, and I can’t believe the synchronicity of you posting this video today 😂 At the start of the chapter when Bleeder was making comments that called back to the prologue, my heart sank for it confirming that bleeder was Lessie. It really did fulfill me for it going full circle, and in that loss again, Wax got a sweet moment with Steris. (I have So many thoughts, so this video is exactly what I needed 😂)

This was one of my favorite books in the series. I loved it, especially the ending. You review reflects my thoughts. I listened to it on audio which was very good.

I also really loved this book. I really love Wayne. And I also LOVED the Harmony bit!

I've gotta say, watching you finally dig into my favorite Sanderson books and go haring off on this ramble has been ridiculously fun.

One fun thing about seeing early Wax and his naive attitude was his later DISDAIN for people like his young self. He had to learn how to be of the Roughs to succeed, which colors his perceptions of new johnnie-come-latelies from Elendel. It’s pretty hilarious.

Okay, so I love this book and series. It goes uphill with bom being the best imo. There’s so many reasons why and you got into a lot of them. One you didn’t get into and that I kinda disagree with you on is what I’ll talk about. Wax is a fantastic character. You go from idealistic him in the prologue to weathered and beaten down but still trying him in the present. He is a GOOD guy. Which is something we don’t see a lot in fantasy now. He STANDS for something. And I love that. He continues to stand for his ideals even considering everything he goes through. Which is too much for one guy to handle. Also his friendship with Wayne and relationship with Steris (as they both grow and flourish especially in book 3), when adding this with everything else, amounts to one of Sanderson’s best characters. Spoilers That lessie bleeder reveal and how he deals with it in book 3 only escalates this. Everything about him escalates in book 3 and it’s amazing.

That's it. I'm done. You finally convinced me to get into B. Sanderson. Just started Elantris and it gripped me from the first chapter. Keep doing what you're doing :)

You are going to love Steris in book 3! She definitely became one of my favorites after that.

I am ridiculously proud of myself for being this early

@Loganva

3 жыл бұрын

SAME

Hoid was Wax's new carriage driver!

Wayne is awesome and I agree he is not shallow. Poor Wax though this book. Imagine being put into the situation to kill the one you love twice! It broke my heart. I love this book best out of Era 2 so far but BoM has the funniest scenes in my opinion. So get ready to laugh and prepare to move Steris to your top characters in the Cosmere list!

wow awesome timing I just finished this a few days ago

I love this book, and i am so happy that you talked about my favorite scene in this book, that is the Wayne in the bar cheating building the tower. I love this kind of moments, and i want more of it.

*orders the first 2 books for Era 2* loved mistborn and your videos have convinced me I need to read Era 2 lol. looking forward to it!

There is some cosmere-y stuff in Book 3, but I think it is mostly Mistborn-y Cosmere stuff, rather than sneaky references to other worlds, so I don't think it should be too much. I suspect you will enjoy the plot slightly less, but the characters more than book 2!

I'm glad you kept reading after Alloy of Law, it took me a long time to return to era two because the first book was just OK and didn't set a tone that I thought I would enjoy. When I came back to it though, I loved the next books so much

“Don’t you know you’re in a fantasy novel?!!” 😂😂😂

I always thought the same about Wayne, with wax - everything or most of his story we see it, we go through much of it with him. Wayne hides it all from us too in this funny, joke joke joke guy he is the most days. The depth is present bt its there and it's very deep!

I really liked when Mallan (idk how to spell it) told Wayne he’s wasted as a human.

Wax is very similar to Harry Dresden, in some respects. One of these days, can't wait to see your reactions to the Dresden Files...

Loved this book! You should love the 3rd book, as well. I did like this one better than the first...I had to put the first one down for a while after I started it because I was originally put off when it came to them using guns and what not...but I gave it another shot back in September and really couldn't put it down after I got through the first half of the book. Thanks for the content!

You reminded me just how much I enjoyed and loved this trilogy also!!

I can’t wait for your Bands of Mourning review.

Finally someone other than me who really liked Shadows of self. Thank you Merphy. The end with Wax is unforgetable for me. Stayed in my mind for ages and ages afterwords.

I finished reading this the other day and I loved it! I really like how Era 2 feels very distinct from Era 1, and also just how funny it is tbh. I started BoM and am enjoying it so far. Hope you enjoy it when you get to it Merphy!

I really enjoyed hearing your thoughts! I was emotionally reeling for a day after the climax of this book. After Bands of Mourning, will you read Mistborn Secret History? It’s definitely the most Cosmere-focussed story of all, which for me was the best thing possible. I’m just so excited to hear your thoughts on a story like that. Also, I just wanted to share that some of my favourite moments in Shadows of Self were the interactions between MeLaan and the Police Superintendent (can’t remember his name). I laughed so hard every time they met!

What a coincidence! I also finished this book last night lol I liked a lot, Wayne is my favorite caracter by far, and I also love the Kandra Society. I on the other hand love all those little Cosmere hints (don’t know if you saw it, but in the scene that Wax talks to Harmony for the first time, the name of the coach driver is Hoid 👀). I’m starting the next one today and will be looking forward for your review. I’m also waiting for a Hero of Ages review :)

"The sanderlanch" got me. You would enjoy reading the mistborn novellas!

Merasi gets one of my favorite scenes in the entire Cosmere in Bands of Mourning; I hope her character grows on you.

I was blown by the Lessie storyline, one of my fave twists of the Cosmere books so far. I read the Jak novella (first time I hate something from BS, but insights were fun), so look forward to deepening the universe. I just started the next book, early allusions to bunnies had me giggling, Wayne is a masterclass in doing lowkey humour. ❤️

This book really stepped up it's game from Alloy of Law, glad you enjoyed it so much. One note, it takes place 300 years later, not 500. I believe this will become relevant because it's set roughly 10ish years (we don't have an exact timeline) after Stormlight era 1.

I love era 2 SO Much! I cannot recommend enough to listening to them on audible.

I'd suggest picking up the audiobooks, you'll get all the Wayne accents and the shenanigans.

Wayne is very much the Xander Harris of Mistborn, in that he's a completely innocuous character who the fandom shits on for deadass no reason.

I read all 6 mistborn one after the other one month at a time (if that makes sense). It was in fact you Merph that got me onto The Final Empire. I was not aware at that time that books 3 & 4 were 2 different eras and that annoyed me a little. Anyway I totally get why your saying that this book is a step up from Alloy. I gave Alloy 3 stars, Shadows 4 stars and Bands 5 stars so I can't wait to see what you think of bands. Xoxo.

Loved book 2, book 3 was my favorite so far.

Loved Book 2! You know I watched the spoiler free section of this video. Then stopped it and decided to read AoL and SoS just so I could return to watch the spoiler section 😂 thanks for the suggestion. *Spoiler warning* I was able to guess about the governor being the Kandra before the reveal but, like you, did not at all predict the final bomb shell about Lessie. That hit me hard. The anguish Brandon conveyed in the final scenes with Wax was heart wrenching.

Subbed for the One Piece vids, stayed for the excellent content in general!

I'm so glad you loved book 2. It's my favourite era 2 book so far (even though the third book is a close second) and so many people don't like it.

I read all of Mistborn era 1 and 2 back to back and they kinda blurred together for me so thanks for helping me remember how good this book was!

I've heard somewhere that Alloy of Law was supposed to be a novella at first but somehow turned into a full book (because Sanderson can't keep it short). But it helps me to look at it like that, and then Shadows of Self is really the start of the series, which makes more sense

Oh, don’t worry. There’s a lot more of Steris in The Bands of Mourning. She’s my favorite and I love her. Also, I feel like the second era books just get progressively better with each one as you get to know the characters more.

Can't wait for friday

Just finished reading this book, and I thought it was great.

Also MeLaan and Wayne's relationship is adorable!!!

Glad that you like what you read.

Sanderlanch? I always called it the Sanderslide.

I don't get why understanding Wayne's characterization would be a shot at Sanderson. Wayne making people uncomfortable is intentional: wob.coppermind.net/events/370/#e12103 wob.coppermind.net/events/131/#e3988 Seems like your reaction would be to Brandon's credit.

6:19 May Harmony - nay, may all the Shards of Adonalsium - have mercy on your soul.

Wow. I finished this book just today.

The fact that a good 15 minutes of this review is about Wayne is 👌

Miss Merphy may I ask where's your Hero of Ages review?😭 I enjoyed your Mistborn FE and WOA but there was no HOA. Was it taken down?

@Loganva

3 жыл бұрын

Yes I was rewatching the mistborn reviews and she doesn’t have one for that 💀💀

@Sssssssssssssssssssssss817

3 жыл бұрын

Yeah I searched the whole of KZread for it

I loved Wayne and forgave his failings until the beginning of book 3, so I'll wait until Merph has read that to discuss him (how'd she not mention the bar scene!) Sazed was my favorite Era 1 character, love seeing him in his new role Love the ending and what a gut punch it is My favorite of the 3

Please do a warbreaker review 🥺🥺🥺

Hello Merphy! I know you have a long list of books to read, but I have an amazing manga to recommend to you. It's called "To your eternity" by the author that wrote "A silent voice". I cried in the firsts chapters and the rest of the history won't disappoint you.

Wait what were the clues. That Bleeder was Lessie?! Totally missed them

All I need to know to love an Era 2 book is whether Wayne is in it or not, everything else is irrelevant. He's one of the best characters in Sandersons work.

@Florfilm

3 жыл бұрын

I love Wayne

Are there affiliate links that work for book companies that are not amazon? I always feel bad for ordering books on amazon when I can order them through my own store...

I wonder if Brandon Sanderson will be bringing dawnshard out in physical book form?

Shadows of Self is a step above the rest of Era 2. It's definitely in the same league as the original trilogy. I love it.

I like era 2 over era 1.I love both, but just prefer era 2. It may not be as minority of an opinion as everyone thinks.

Have you read any of the Ilona Andrews series?

i sadly listened to this one first, and was SOOO confused TwT.

The bands of mourning has a LOT more of steris and melaan

@Kadaspala

3 жыл бұрын

Unfortunate on the MeLaan part, cuz jfc does Sanderson write her as the most obnoxiously oversexualized for-the-male-gaze character possible in that book.

@dumbledalfthewizard9486

3 жыл бұрын

@@Kadaspala she genderbended, though And changed everything and whatnot Like she was more of a my body I'll do whatever I want character then "built for the male gaze"

@user-K8T

3 жыл бұрын

@@dumbledalfthewizard9486 if you decide to sexualize yourself because you want to, then it's unfair to say "for the male gaze."

@Rik-B

3 жыл бұрын

@@user-K8T But Brandon decided to make her decide to sexualize herself. I definitely get that critizism and find her character pretty cringe myself.

@user-K8T

3 жыл бұрын

@@Rik-B lots of women do that. And I imagine it's not an easy character for him to write, coming from his background.

I just picked up Sanderson’s Stormlite Archive yesterday. I’m definitely realizing how much of a fantasy reader I am and I’m so exciting to dive into it. I’ll eventually get to wheel of time and Mistborn. Anyone have advice as to which Sanderson series I should read next after Stormlite?

@kylechong1655

3 жыл бұрын

I would buy arcanum unbounded, it has a lot of stories from the cosmere. You won’t be able to read all of the stories yet but you’ll be able to read them as you get further in the cosmere. Make sure to read the stormlight novellas edgedancer (between 2 and 3) and dawnshard (between 3 and 4). Edgedancer is in arcanum unbounded. Then read mistborn era 1, secret history (which is in arcanum unbounded), then mistborn era 2. Then you should read Elantris and warbreaker, the order doesn’t really matter. Then you should read sixth of the dusk and shadows for silence in the forests of hell, both of which are in arcanum unbounded. There’s also white sand which is a graphic novel, but also has a small text excerpt in arcanum unbounded. Then you can do a stormlight reread which is pretty important, as there are tons of cameos from other cosmere books that you missed the first time

@mertcanakyuz6255

3 жыл бұрын

@@kylechong1655 I would not reccommend arcanum unbounded because it is meant to be a collection of stories for people who understand the greater universe other books take place in. Since you have started with the big chunk stormlight, you can read warbreaker elantris or mistborn, it doesn't really matter. But keep in mind that the quality of his work (even though elantris has a place in my heart) drastically improves as time passes, and his novellas or short stories tend to be written much more casually with less polish, at least that's what I felt. So just go with a random one as long as you are dedicated to read it really doesn't matter but here are two things I think everyone in the community would agree you should consider: 1) Warbreaker before oathbringer (or words of radience) as there are references which I won't spoil 2) Mistborn Secret History AFTER Mistborn bands of mourning. As it is a novella many (like myself) read it in between era1 and era 2. please dont even look at it's synopsis or anything just read it after bands of mourning.

@dsaillant811

3 жыл бұрын

Stormlight Archive 1-4 (plus edgedancer and, if possible, Dawnshard), Mistborn Era 1 and 2, Warbreaker, Elantris, and then if you want more, Arcanum Unbounded

@kylechong1655

3 жыл бұрын

@@mertcanakyuz6255 I know people like to recommend secret history after era 2, but imo it works much better directly after era 1. There are tons of little details that make much more sense if you have just read era 1. And for the huge reveal in BoM, secret history isn’t really a spoiler; you could use the same logic to argue that secret history spoils BoM to say that BoM spoils secret history.

@kevinz3133

3 жыл бұрын

Thank you everyone! I appreciate the insight! I’ve been a Tolkien fan forever, and I’ve read the basic other fantasy worlds (Harry Potter, GoT) but I’ve been really wanting to dive into something new. I love the massiveness of GoT, but Martin’s style of writing has been tougher to get through for me personally. Because of Merphy, I’ve had Sanderson in the back of my mind for a few months now. Im really excited to start diving into these new worlds!

Merphy I'm just curious, on your book shelf what's the leather bound book next to Peter Pan?

@Rik-B

3 жыл бұрын

It's one of the 3 Mistborn Era 1 books, but I can't make out which one. They all have the same look.