I finally got around to reading one of this generation’s most beloved and successful fantasy authors: Brandon Sanderson. Is the guy all he’s cracked up to be, at least judging by his debut novel, Mistborn?
While I found much of the book a bit too formulaic for my tastes—we are treated, yet again, to another evil sorcerer-king ruling over a dystopian setting, while a young vagabond girl (is there any other kind?) discovers she has magic powers (take a number, please, and go wait in the hall)—Sanderson proves he’s got storytelling mettle (pun intended!). Though often burdened by exposition-heavy dialogue, Mistborn remains engaging throughout, with likable characters and a romantic subplot ripped from the pages of Pride and Prejudice.
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The Art of Storytelling 
I haven’t read Mistborn, but I’ve immersed myself in The Stormlight Archive. I wanted books that were really long and that I could lose myself in, and The Starlight Archive books fit that bill. I’m two-thirds of the way through Book Four, and Book Five comes out on December 6th (I have it pre-ordered). The plots and magic are complex, but the thing that strikes me the most are the emotional problems (and/or mental disorders) that the main characters have to deal with throughout the epic goings-on. I recommend it, obviously (I wouldn’t be on the fourth 1200+ page book if I didn’t).
By the way, I’ve already read all three Aeyna books. Just waiting for another one (while I write my own novels).
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Thanks for the comment and the shout out for the Aenya Series. It is much appreciated!
I often feel like I can’t really enjoy modern fantasy novels the way other readers do, because I cannot help but compare my writing to whatever it is I am reading, especially when it’s fantasy. It’s a bit like being a magician attending a magic show; you know how all the tricks are performed and everything that goes on behind the scenes. So I find myself deconstructing writers like Sanderson and Rothfuss, wondering how I might have done things differently or maybe even better. It takes a truly brilliant author, like Pulitzer Prize winner Anthony Doerr, to throw me for a loop, to make me go, “Wow, I could never measure up to this guy…” which is why I more often take enjoyment out of drama, horror, Sci-Fi, non-fiction, or historical fiction, like “The Wager,” which I am currently reading.
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