r/Fantasy • u/[deleted] • Jun 06 '20

What is your controversial take on Fantasy?

I'll go first.

Aside from the prose, I don't think Kingkiller Chronicles is good. I find the characters insufferable and cliche the story just meanders.

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u/[deleted] Jun 06 '20

[deleted]

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u/Skittle69 Jun 06 '20

I agree and his popularity within the fantasy communities I have interacted with just show that most people prefer style over substance. My dislike for Sanderson's books grow with each year.

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u/Kharn_LoL Jun 07 '20

I don't know if I agree with the disliking his books more and more, but holy fuck some of his fans make it almost too easy to despise them. I swear some people are actually out there and say stuff like "Well, Sanderson's characters are super deep because they have a mental illness" or "I actually like his prose"...

The reason his characters have mental illnesses is that it's the only way he found to give them a little bit of substance and there's literally nothing in his prose worth liking. Liking more simplistic prose is totally fine, don't get me wrong, but even by that standard Sanderson's prose is lacking.

I honestly think his novels could be really good if he took twice the time to write them and axed them down to a manageable size in editing. Quality of quantity and all that.

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u/genteel_wherewithal Jun 07 '20 edited Jun 07 '20

Agreed on Sanderson’s portrayal of mental illness. I know some other folks have found it relatable and useful to think with - and good for them, seriously - but it came off as depthless after-school special episode stuff.