TGRF Reviews: The Bands of Mourning
I finished reading the third book in the Wax and Wayne series a few days ago, and now that my thoughts have had some time to congeal, I want to get to the review.
Ratings:
5: Amazing, above flawless.
4: Flawless, but doesn't really stand out.
3: Might have some issues, but works fine.
2: Has some issues which might detract from the media.
1: Flawed, bring the media down noticeably.
Title: Bands of Mourning
Author: Brandon Sanderson
My Rating: 3.8/5 - Some good, some bad, both minor, yielding a fun read.
Summary: Wax's tale continues when he is sent on a mission - reluctantly - by god himself. Wax's evil uncle, and the sinister group he works for, known only as the Set, seems to be plotting something god himself is worried about, and Wax has been selected as the man to put a stop to it. Along the way he might just be able to answer some pressing questions, free his sister from captivity, and make discoveries which will reshape the world. That is, if his uncle doesn't beat him to it.
Review: As with the second installment in this series, I found myself analyzing less and simply enjoying more. The Bands of Mourning is a decent book. I can't honestly say much more than that. It has some issues, some bonuses. Nothing really stands out, to the point where I honestly had to pick my brain to find something to note about the book - good or bad.
My overall feeling while reading was just that I was reading a fun, well-written, excellently-crafted, good read. It was an engaging plot with the perfect blend of tension and humor. Nothing felt slow, nothing was contrived, everything just worked. It was a great story which I would gladly read again.
If I had to find something to pick on, it would be a sense that Sandeson was a little too eager to combine the Cosmere into the Mistborn world. By now in Stormlight, we're getting into the reality that there are different realms in the Cosmere, multiple powerful beings considered as gods by mortals, various magical properties, and so on. Mistborn, like Stormlight, started out as its own world, and only added these things in over time.
I feel like they were added too quickly on Roshar, and the feeling is the same here. There was a scene early on in this book where there was a lot of explanation of elements of the Cosmere, and much of that was lost on me, because it was too much unsupported 'stuff' all at once.
It would be as if, during writing Dilmir, I suddenly introduced knowledge that Cyprien was working for four ancient demon kings who hope to bring about the end of the world by way of a mysterious and sinister agent, who is only being held at bay by a race of previously unknown fire elves.
Kind of jars things, doesn't it? I had a similar reaction to certain parts of this story. That being said, this was fairly minor.
Was there anything which stood out to me as especially good with the book? Yes. While some of the characters were oddly flat, others were quite good, and made the interactions excellent.
Steris I feel was the strongest character. She was basically a non-entity in the first book, and wasn't too present in the second book. Now however she has really been allowed to shine, and we've gotten a better understanding of who she actually is.
MeLann is also an excellent character. Like Steris, she was present in the second book, but only capitalized on rarely. Here she is much more present, though still regrettably usually in the background. That being said, some of her interactions are the best in the book.
Oddly, Wayne - who would normally be one of the best characters - felt subdued somewhat in this story. He's there, but just not as much, which felt odd at times.
Marasi and Wax - especially Marasi - felt strangely flat to me. Not sure what to make of that - it didn't particularly detract from the story, but I do feel like the entire book could have been told without Marasi there and basically nothing would have changed. Which is strange, given how pivotal her role was in the first book.
Overall, it was a fun read. The above are basically just nitpicks, and even then the good outweighs the bad. Is it a story I would read again? Yes. Am I excited for the fourth and final installment? Certainly. Despite its jarring nature, I like the inclusion of the Cosmere elements, and the revelation of the greater cosmic battle going on, unseen by most mortals. It's a mystery I look forward to reading more about.
Right now I'm reading a short novella which Sanderson wrote between books 3 & 4. As it is not strictly part of the series, I do not plan on rating it. I'll see you again when I've finished the fourth book in the series. Until then, keep writing.
~TGRF, who will have another writing update at the end of the month.
I finished reading the third book in the Wax and Wayne series a few days ago, and now that my thoughts have had some time to congeal, I want to get to the review.
Ratings:
5: Amazing, above flawless.
4: Flawless, but doesn't really stand out.
3: Might have some issues, but works fine.
2: Has some issues which might detract from the media.
1: Flawed, bring the media down noticeably.
Title: Bands of Mourning
Author: Brandon Sanderson
My Rating: 3.8/5 - Some good, some bad, both minor, yielding a fun read.
Summary: Wax's tale continues when he is sent on a mission - reluctantly - by god himself. Wax's evil uncle, and the sinister group he works for, known only as the Set, seems to be plotting something god himself is worried about, and Wax has been selected as the man to put a stop to it. Along the way he might just be able to answer some pressing questions, free his sister from captivity, and make discoveries which will reshape the world. That is, if his uncle doesn't beat him to it.
Review: As with the second installment in this series, I found myself analyzing less and simply enjoying more. The Bands of Mourning is a decent book. I can't honestly say much more than that. It has some issues, some bonuses. Nothing really stands out, to the point where I honestly had to pick my brain to find something to note about the book - good or bad.
My overall feeling while reading was just that I was reading a fun, well-written, excellently-crafted, good read. It was an engaging plot with the perfect blend of tension and humor. Nothing felt slow, nothing was contrived, everything just worked. It was a great story which I would gladly read again.
If I had to find something to pick on, it would be a sense that Sandeson was a little too eager to combine the Cosmere into the Mistborn world. By now in Stormlight, we're getting into the reality that there are different realms in the Cosmere, multiple powerful beings considered as gods by mortals, various magical properties, and so on. Mistborn, like Stormlight, started out as its own world, and only added these things in over time.
I feel like they were added too quickly on Roshar, and the feeling is the same here. There was a scene early on in this book where there was a lot of explanation of elements of the Cosmere, and much of that was lost on me, because it was too much unsupported 'stuff' all at once.
It would be as if, during writing Dilmir, I suddenly introduced knowledge that Cyprien was working for four ancient demon kings who hope to bring about the end of the world by way of a mysterious and sinister agent, who is only being held at bay by a race of previously unknown fire elves.
Kind of jars things, doesn't it? I had a similar reaction to certain parts of this story. That being said, this was fairly minor.
Was there anything which stood out to me as especially good with the book? Yes. While some of the characters were oddly flat, others were quite good, and made the interactions excellent.
Steris I feel was the strongest character. She was basically a non-entity in the first book, and wasn't too present in the second book. Now however she has really been allowed to shine, and we've gotten a better understanding of who she actually is.
MeLann is also an excellent character. Like Steris, she was present in the second book, but only capitalized on rarely. Here she is much more present, though still regrettably usually in the background. That being said, some of her interactions are the best in the book.
Oddly, Wayne - who would normally be one of the best characters - felt subdued somewhat in this story. He's there, but just not as much, which felt odd at times.
Marasi and Wax - especially Marasi - felt strangely flat to me. Not sure what to make of that - it didn't particularly detract from the story, but I do feel like the entire book could have been told without Marasi there and basically nothing would have changed. Which is strange, given how pivotal her role was in the first book.
Overall, it was a fun read. The above are basically just nitpicks, and even then the good outweighs the bad. Is it a story I would read again? Yes. Am I excited for the fourth and final installment? Certainly. Despite its jarring nature, I like the inclusion of the Cosmere elements, and the revelation of the greater cosmic battle going on, unseen by most mortals. It's a mystery I look forward to reading more about.
Right now I'm reading a short novella which Sanderson wrote between books 3 & 4. As it is not strictly part of the series, I do not plan on rating it. I'll see you again when I've finished the fourth book in the series. Until then, keep writing.
~TGRF, who will have another writing update at the end of the month.
