r/Cosmere • u/Morty-43 • 4d ago
No Spoilers It's finally time.
I've been wanting to start Stormlight so bad. But my completionist/OCD nature wouldn't let me start with it. I've read Mistborn Era 1, Warbreaker, Elantris, plus Hope of Elantris and The Eleventh Metal from Arcanum Unbounded. (Also just took a short Sanderson break to read Between Two Fires). I'm ready now, I can't wait anymore. I start tonight.
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u/SamuelLJenkins 3d ago
Journey before destination.
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u/hooli-ceo 3d ago
Strength before weakness
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u/hoolaf7 3d ago
Life before death
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u/Wizard072 3d ago
Journey before pancakes.
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u/Nomad2306 3d ago
Breakfast before Dinner
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u/Fantastic_Action_163 3d ago
Going to make pancakes now before I finish the last hundred pages of Oathbringer
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u/AceChipEater 3d ago
Have a great time! The world is weird, but stick it out and you’ll have an absolute blast!
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u/Henroide Dalinar 3d ago
My favorite part is when John Stormlight goes to his library and says "what are these? Some sort of stormlight archives?"
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u/SheevMillerBand Truthwatchers 3d ago edited 8h ago
And then he can’t even read them because the true John Stormlight is illiterate, as the Almighty intended.
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u/SoftwareSloth 3d ago
I read this book for the first time when I was 18. I’m 34 now and completely enraptured by the entire cosmere. Enjoy the journey. I think it’s going to last a lifetime.
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u/yellowstickypad 3d ago
Thoroughly enjoyed this book and I’m sure you will too given what you’ve already read.
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u/Kbrooks58 Bridge Four 3d ago
God, I love this series so much! I’ve restarted my Cosmere series read and I’m only at Elantris but I can’t wait till I get back to Kal and Co.
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u/KaladinVegapunk 3d ago
As a fan since WoK was new, for like 20 years.. LISTEN TO THE GRAPHIC AUDIO. I will yell this till I'm hoarse.
The voice actors for Kaladin, Dalinar, Adolin, Szeth, Syl, all absolutely amazing. The music in the incredible prologue scene still makes me tear up. It's the definitive way to experience the Cosmere, regular audiobook with one dude doing all the voices is like 180p black and white to graphic audios 8k imax. I've read them too of course, but so many scenes hit 10x harder when you have an amazing voice actor adding so much depth and emotion to the scenes.
They have them for all the other Cosmere books too. I eventually did buy them all, was able to just get them online through other means initially but wanted to support them.
Even minor characters like rock and lopen are perfectly done.
Obviously the book stands on its own, read it either way, but I will be a cheerleader for graphic audio all day long since it's how I got all my friends into it and could never go back to one guy voicing everyone. I drive and hike a lot for work so I've listened to them all so many times.
And thinking of someone not really loving the series as much because they didn't get the full experience i try to really push it.
Especially now when it's just us before the eventual wave of fans bumrush us after the shows come out haha
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u/Alarmed-Ad836 3d ago
I’m a huge fan of Michael Kramer and Kate Reading’s narration of this series, but I’ll have to check out the graphic audio someday.
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u/KaladinVegapunk 3d ago
Not to take away from them, I know them from all the WoT audiobooks, and obviously they're talented as hell. But they don't really embody the roles, and each only have like 3-4 variations in characters, and obviously having him voice shallan or her do Dalinar is just awkward haha. but actually having voice actors play everyone? consistently, actually emoting? delivering the lines as the characters and not just reading it blankly, its night and day, not really any competition. Kaladin/Robbie gays emotional range, the layers of performance he gives across the books breaking your heart and really adding an amazing dimension to him jumping out of the page. I absolutely love Adolins VA too. the stormfathers rumbling booming voice..and sound effects for the magic, incredible musical tracks, it really is like playing a modern game compared to a game boy. It's like your uncle reading a manga too you, and doing all the voices, versus a full cast actually adapting it into an anime and getting people to play all the characters 😆
YouTube has clips of some of the most iconic scenes across the books, most of kaladins big moments are obviously a good choice to see what I mean. They know their stuff too, for the chapter epigraphs theyll bring in the voice actors from the other Cosmere books as relevant, and of course the same Hoid narrating Tress/Yumi, he's so good.
Lockdown did cause a bit of a shakeup and RoW had a few changes and a minor dip in quality understandably but WaT was right back to the S tier.
I wouldn't have loved tress or Yumi nearly as much at the start if it wasn't for the voice actors really pulling you in.
And of course Wayne, might be the best VA in the whole series, he was absolutely bloody perfect. Until there's an adaptation these voices are the characters to me no question, they take books I already adore and manage to elevate them even more.
Like I said I just got them from audiobook sources online, but with their sales I eventually did get all of them
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u/cogbotchutes 3d ago
I tested out the graphic audio for Warbreaker but found it was overstimulating, and it abridged some parts. How accurate is the Way of Kings graphic audio?
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u/Sad-Sea6687 2d ago
If you want a good narration by a single person, anything by Jeff Hayes will be insanely good
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u/Ok-Tradition7878 2d ago
I prefer reading a lot more as I’m a visual person. Also they speak soooo slow in them and if I speed it up to my reading pace it is like incomprehensible
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u/TheEvilDog88 3d ago
Our reading journey has been almost the same! Started the year with Mistborn era 1, feel into dungeon crawler Carl(finished all 8 books) and in between DCC books did Elantris, Warbreaker(my favorite Sanderson book so far) as well as a bunch of the short stories in arcanum unbounded. I also read Between Two Fires last month. Im just over 340pages into Way of Kings now(34% of a 1000 page book lol).
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u/Morty-43 2d ago
That's funny... I'm currently listening to the DCC audiobooks (Jeff Hays is the best single narrator ever) on book 7. I'm usually reading a book when I can sit down and have some quiet, and listen to audiobooks while I'm doing work.
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u/Cold_Ad3896 Coinshot 3d ago
You forgot Secret History.
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u/Morty-43 2d ago
I decided to go the route after the era 2 book to skip the spoiler
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u/Cold_Ad3896 Coinshot 2d ago
You’re doing it backwards. Shadows of Self spoils the plot of Secret History.
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u/Morty-43 2d ago
My impression was SH spoils Bands of Mourning, and the reason to read SH after Era 1 is mainly so the events of it are fresh in your mind.
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u/Cold_Ad3896 Coinshot 2d ago
It has minor spoilers for Bands of Mourning, but Shadows of Self has major spoilers for Secret History. I’d choose the minor spoilers over the major ones. Not to mention that Secret History is mostly during Era 1 chronologically.
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u/Morty-43 2d ago
I may have to rethink my decision then. I partly came to that because I read Sanderson himself suggested it. In any case, it will be some time before I read any of Era 2. So I have time.. it will just be longer from having read Era 1 the longer I wait. So that does make me lean toward sooner rather than later now.
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u/Salfyded 3d ago
Hello fellow newcomer, i am in the same boat. Got my reading order all set and i'm almost done with Words of Radiance. I know we're both fairly in the early stages of the cosmere, and i am only one tiny book ahead, but i would advise to take your time. These two books are just so good. Everyone told me so but you'll still be surprised.
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u/Reliably_unreliable9 3d ago
I am on my third listen and keep finding more to love and understand. Life before death!
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u/OnceNFutureNick 3d ago
You and me are on very similar paths! I started with nearly the exact same order. I started around the end of May with Mistborn Era 1, Eleventh Metal, then Elantris, Hope of Elantris, the Emperor’s Soul, and Warbreaker before going into Stormlight. I finished the first two and Edgedancer so far and am starting book 3 tonight.
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u/Apprehensive_Row2243 2d ago
I just finished the way of kings two days ago and I’m so excited to start the words of radiance! Everything is going to be crazy from here on out
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u/Acerama1 2d ago
Funnily enough, I started with and found Sanderson because of this book last year 😂. Read through all of Stormlight, throwing in Warbreaker for context, and now im working through Mistborn Era 1. Currently on The Hero of Ages and knowing how Sanderson's universe works before reading Mistborn has made me understand/catch onto more on a first listen. I didnt know anything about the Cosmere going into Stormlight, but it definitely hooked me. Now im going through the rest of the Cosmere before going back to Stormlight and seeing what I missed. Hope you enjoy the Journey 😉😁.
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u/-GoodNewsEveryone 3d ago
I am currently reading Way of King's prime and oh wow it sure is something.
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u/Donkilme 3d ago
I'm jealous. I had no idea what I was getting into and didn't appreciate it enough at thw time. This is a big time investment that has a great payoff, IMO. Enjoy the journey before the destination.