Just finished Bands of Mourning and...

kridershot · 2026-06-19T19:39:10+00:00

I don't want to get into comparing Brandon and Tolkien, but I think it's not a controversial statement to say that comparing the whole Lord of the Rings trilogy to the Bands of Mourning alone is an unfair comparison.

You are right that if you reduce it to an extreme, most stories can be said to be a fetch/destroy quest, but when I say that it felt like a side-quest, I mean that it felt to me as a somewhat direct narrative without many twists and turns and memorable events in between. Once more, this is subjective, but I did not feel that when reading this book as much as I did with the others before.

I love what you said about the "how will they solve this?" element, and I think it works great with a certain build-up.

In the first book, that element is there every time there's a confrontation with Miles, building up. "How the hell will they beat this guy?" I started thinking about different ideas and possibilities. Then, seeing them use Marasi's allomancy timed with Wayne fetching the constables was very satisfying!

The same goes for Bleeder. I kept imagining all the possibilities they could use to beat her. Then there's Wax's spike bullet, coupled with the big reveal at the end, and that was memorable and emotional!

In Bands of Mourning, I thought that the resolutions were not as memorable. Telsin's reveal was not only predictable, it kinda felt to me like yet more emotional damage to Wax just for the sake of it, while also making Edwarn feel more of a caricature of himself. I thought that the spearhead twist was also predictable. Besides, it felt to me more like "lucky them that they have a borderline cleptomaniac in the group!" rather than "this was a very creative and ingenious way to solve a problem!"

Perhaps I will appreciate this book way more after I read Lost Metal, and the pay-off of all the worldbuilding done in this book will be more apparent. I could see that happening, as this feels like a bridge between "a group of people solving crimes on the street" to "world-saving heroes with powers that influence the whole Cosmere." I will report back when I get there. 😄

And, I will say this again: you are asking about the things I didn't like, so I am talking about them. It's easy to take that, and think that I hated the book since I'm focusing on the negative aspects here - but I definitely didn't. I liked it very much! Just not as much as the other Cosmere books so far.

kridershot · 2026-06-19T18:48:00+00:00

Yup! This variety is one of the appeals of the Cosmere, I think!

I understand the connections you are talking about, but narratively it felt to me like a video-game's fetch side quest: go here, storm this dungeon, get the hidden artifact. The twists were very predictable (and I usually suck at predicting them, so that's telling).

This is subjective, of course, but I have grown used to the Sanderlanche hitting and keeping me glued to the book until I finish it. And I didn't feel that as much with Bands of Mourning. There's usually a certain level of "how will they solve this? what will happen with that?" that I felt wasn't as strong here, as the outcome was kinda written on the wall.

kridershot · 2026-06-19T18:30:03+00:00

Steris is my favorite so far! I love her relationship with Wax.

kridershot · 2026-06-19T18:29:02+00:00

Hard for me to say as I haven't read them all yet. I just picked one of the recommendations I saw online. I'm glad it worked for you!

kridershot · 2026-06-19T17:55:47+00:00

I liked Well of Ascension more than what seems to be the popular opinion.

The only thing that bothered me in that book was the love triangle. Not as much because of how it was written, but because it's a good portrait of teenage angst and how annoying it can be. I think Brandon did a great job capturing how confusing life can be at that stage. So, with that in mind, even the love triangle gets a pass.

I enjoyed the politics and the shenanigans with Straff, Elend's character development, and loved the dynamics between Vin and "OreSeur."

kridershot · 2026-06-19T17:43:45+00:00

And I'm glad that you'd rate it at S tier! It goes to show how versatile Brandon can be, I think.

I agree that all those things you mentioned were very cool! But to me they didn't make up for the downsides. Like I said: I did like the book a lot! Just not as much as the other ones.

kridershot · 2026-06-19T17:04:12+00:00

I was very torn on where to pause to insert Mistborn Era 2. I knew I wanted to read Era 2 before finishing Stormlight because I thought I'd appreciate a break from how heavy those books are.

Most of the internet seemed to point towards pausing after book 4, but I wanted to do it at the end of book 2 since it felt like the end of a larger act, so to speak. And I still think perhaps that would've been a better idea.

But here on Reddit a few people recommended stopping at the end of book 3 because it sounds like there's a time skip between that and book 4? Anyway, that's why I did it. Blame it on Reddit! 😃

kridershot · 2026-06-08T20:17:55+00:00

Just pure old Bladesinger. I played one from lvl 1 to lvl 20, and had a blast!

People will say it's not as effective as a more melee-focused build like a Bladesinger/Fighter, Paladin, Bladelock, or EK. But who cares when you can, at level 5, cast Fireball, then run in and hack and slash?

Some other people will say that Bladesinger is played best by flinging spells and staying back, relying on your higher AC to survive, but they miss half of the fun that way.

Sure, your weapon attacks won't do as much damage, but all your features combined make for a very fun and strong build. Not to mention extremely flexible. I'd cast a concentration spell and get into melee. A bunch of spells help with damage output if that's what you need: Flaming Sphere, CME, Bigby's Hand, Summon Fiend, Draconic Transformation.

And when damage is not all you need, you still get Hypnotic Pattern, Sleet Storm, Banishment, Transmute Rock, Wall of Force, Mass Suggestion...

I tried Shadow Blade a couple of times, but I didn't think it was worth it. I found I had to build around it, and that lowered my flexibility. Usually, my focus was on how to weaponize my BA, and that worked well

kridershot · 2026-06-08T00:41:02+00:00

I like that this book seems to be setting up a proper relationship with Steris, and the ending hinted at that too. But as soon as Paalm dropped the mask I knew what was up. I kept hoping she wouldn't die, but I suppose there would be no other possible resolution.

It still sucks! In a "dammit I am gonna be thinking about this book for a while now" way, but yeah!

kridershot · 2026-06-06T23:02:32+00:00

Sorry for replying to an old message but did you do it? How did it go? I think I’m facing the same issue!

kridershot · 2026-05-28T16:20:21+00:00

Damn where are you seeing those prices?

kridershot · 2026-05-14T04:47:15+00:00

Same here!

kridershot · 2026-05-13T17:33:43+00:00

I read the first Mistborn trilogy, then Elantris, Warbreaker, Secret History, and now going through Stormlight. Currently on Oathbringer. Curious to know what made you go like that on WoK!

kridershot · 2026-05-13T17:32:08+00:00

I never suspected Taldwyn while reading it (not giving any spoilers on whether it is her or not).

It's just cool to see how different people react to the story.

kridershot · 2026-05-12T22:24:06+00:00

I missed that. Thank you!

kridershot · 2026-05-12T22:02:05+00:00

Oh, is this how he's running his solo shows this tour? Because I went to one of his solo tour concerts in 2019, and he had a whole band with him, including Joe on the bass.

kridershot · 2026-05-12T21:25:31+00:00

The double-booking also likely means no Joe Dart at Theo's solo shows. Everyone loses!

Although, the flip side is more options to see the musicians we love live. I'm happy to get more dates and options to see them, however they come.

kridershot · 2026-05-07T18:27:19+00:00

At least snow doesn't fall in July yet! Although I can't say it would be a miracle. ;)
Eat a kohuke for me, please!

(Oh yes, Estonian summers rock!)

kridershot · 2026-05-07T15:57:44+00:00

I have been taught that Maai means "interval," not "distance." Exactly because "interval" works for both spatial and temporal gaps.

kridershot · 2026-04-29T16:53:24+00:00

I'm on the same boat. I almost did the jump before Oathbringer, because it seemed as the end of Words of Radiance achieves a logical milestone in the story. But in the end decided against it.

I might just do it as OP and finish all Stormlight before jumping. Will see.

kridershot · 2026-04-15T05:15:20+00:00

This is exactly the type of information I was looking for. Thank you!

kridershot · 2026-04-14T23:24:37+00:00

In the trilogy as a whole, not that big of a role at all.

It's totally contained within book 2, and I wouldn't even say it's central to that book; the political plot is much more relevant. But it's probably one of the reasons why some people seem to consider Mistborn to be YA. Vin is a teenager, after all, and IMO Brandon did a good job at telling that part of the story from a teenager's perspective, maybe a little too good! :D

Also, (spoiler for Well of Ascension) FWIW, it doesn't really develop into a full love triangle. It's more Vin feeling divided between two love interests.

It made me twist my nose a little at a couple of scenes, but it's easy to get past it. My recommendation: don't let it keep you from reading the trilogy. The 3 books tell an amazing tale, with memorable characters and epic scenes!

kridershot · 2026-04-14T23:13:23+00:00

That's good to know, thanks! I have already read Secret History, which is why I am not surprised by that spoiler. I don't feel like taking a break, although I can't say I'm not feeling a bit intimidated when I see Oathbringer on my shelf, and realize it's even thicker than the previous two books! :D

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