2025 Reading Challenge discussion

This thread is to discuss Brandon Sanderson‘s book, Shadows of Self.


***Please remember to mark spoilers.***

Participants: Janine, Lindsay, Cassandra, Mary Pat, Craig, Miriam

Suggested break down of reading so that you can check in and let us know how you're doing. The following breakdown is purely a suggestion and is therefore not set in stone.

Rather than putting dates for each section I've done it so that it takes into account that not everybody will necessarily have the book at the same time.

Week 1: 96
Week 2: 96
Week 3: 96
Week 4: 96

I just finished Part One and I have to say I am enjoying the humor in this series! I find myself laughing quite a bit.

Even though it ties into the original books, these stories and characters are quite different. I also suspect the ties to the original storyline will take some interesting twists. I have to give Sanderson credit for his ability to continue the story in such an interesting way.

I have to say that Sanderson is quickly becoming a favorite author! I started reading his books because of the excellent job he did finishing The Wheel of Time series after Robert Jordan died. Now I am getting to see how great his own ideas are!

I am about 35% through this book and it is getting very interesting! The writing style is different and the characters are wonderfully unique and yet the flavor of the first three books underlies the story. More is being revealed about those connections and I am most intrigued!

I'm in a very similar place to you, Mary Pat. 30% in, just starting chapter 7.

Honestly, I haven't been loving it yet. Enjoying it, but nothing special. It's just so different to the original trilogy and I don't quite think I'm immersed into the setting yet. I'm thrown off by things like the cars! I do like all the references to the past, and always enjoy magic in any form in this world.

I found things have just started to pick up. Something is afoot and I'm getting into it!

Ok, so I am truly enjoying this book! I am finding it to be a marvelous combination of the old and the new with each character unique. I love how I can be intensely following an action-packed chapter only to end up laughing hysterically at one of Wayne's comments! Particularly at the end of Chapter 23! OMG!

And one of my favorites returns! (view spoiler)[TenSoon!!! (hide spoiler)]

Finished! Excellent! Five Stars!

Can't wait to see what the rest of you think when you get to the end. Me, I am very much looking forward to the next book!

So pleased you loved it, Mary Pat!

I've made it to 63% and I'm very happy. Wasn't fully doing it for me in the first third, but things have gotten going and I'm loving it. As soon as (view spoiler)[kandra (hide spoiler)] got involved I felt like we were back on familiar ground. I haven't seen the favourite you named yet, but they have been mentioned, so I'm excited if we actually get to see them!

One thing that's been brought up that I thought was really interesting, was the idea that there's been a lack of progression because things were made too easy. They haven't had to fight to survive and invent things, so they haven't. By making things easy and 'better' for them, they haven't does as much to improve their lives themselves.

Finished. Really enjoyed it!

Feel like I've forgotten something when they mentioned (view spoiler)[Trell (hide spoiler)] - was it in the original trilogy? I can't remember!

Trellism (Trelligism?) was in the first Mistborn book--someone mentioned it to Vin (Sezed, maybe--it's been years since I read those). Miles also talked about Trell in the Alloy of Law, so I'm guessing that whatever Trell is will end up being a Big Bad in the next book, or books to come in Sanderson's Cosmere universe. I'm really stoked that this universe of Sanderson's is expanding. I read somewhere that he intends to take this magic system through higher and higher levels of technology. Mistborn in space? We'll see...

Oh, thanks for the info, Blaze. Will be starting Bands of Mourning in the next week or so, so I'm looking forward to seeing where it goes.

I love the idea of continuing the story with huge gaps in between. The magic system is the best part of Mistborn and I'd love to see it develop further and be impacted by changes in technology!

You've got to love Sanderson for magic. I'm reading The Rithmatist now, and love this magic system, too (though it seems much more limited than that of many other systems in his other works)--very imaginative and different from anything I'm familiar with. CSI alternate America with magical chicanery!