Authors, Part 2

So, having read some of Brandon Sanderson's novels, I assumed that I had a good take on his writing and authoring abilities. I was wrong. Horribly, horribly wrong.

Sanderson is also finishing my all-time favorite series, "The Wheel of Time," after the original author died a few years ago. Sadly, he has not done as well in this series as he has in his own books. Now, I do not know for sure whether or not what I am complaining about was done by Sanderson or by the original author, but it just feels like Sanderson's work. The series is extremely long - fourteen books total - and Sanderson began working on it in the twelfth book. The entire series is about the struggles of humanity against an encroaching evil that is threatening to break loose and destroy the world. A prophesied hero has been born in the form of a simple farmer who finds himself running for his life from the forces of said evil, ignorant of why. He and several of his village friends find themselves caught up in something huge, struggling to reconcile themselves with the duties and responsibilities that have been placed upon them. They fight, they love, and they do their best to put aside their own desires in order to do what must be done. They struggle and sacrifice so much - both externally and internally, fighting tyrants, monsters, fear, and madness - and it fosters a deep connection with the characters. Even more than in Sanderson's novels, these characters are real. They have given up so much to save the world, everything has to end well. And you know that through all the struggle and heartache, the story will end well. Good will prevail and evil will be vanquished. Humanity will be saved.

But then, Sanderson comes in and tells you that you were wrong. He slaps the readers in the face with a horrifying scene looking into the future. Did good ultimately prevail? Sort of. The force of evil was defeated and the very fabric of the universe was saved, but nothing else is right. Brutal invaders have conquered the entire world, enslaving thousands with horrible devices that give their slaves less freedom than a dog. And they might as well be dogs, pets to be rewarded or punished with impunity. The great nomad civilization - fiercely loyal to the main character and the main reason for his success, who style their lives on honor and duty to their people - have been reduced to scavengers, rummaging through the discards of passing travelers or murdering them for their food. In effect, Sanderson is telling his readers that the entire story was pointless. Humanity survives, but only to be enslaved by merciless tyrants.

This one scene, only ten pages long in a series of over ten thousand pages, nearly convinced me to just stop. What was the point? The ending wasn't even remotely happy. No matter how the series itself ends, I will never be able to forget that scene. There is not "if" about the future, no chance that it can change. It is inevitable, and so the books were pointless. Why read them if they are going to end so horribly, especially after they developed such a strong emotional bond between the readers and the characters? That one scene was, in my opinion, the biggest literary blunder of all time.There is nothing that I can think of that can possible repair this mistake.

The most important part of a book is the author. He or she will make or break the story, and can take the worst idea in the world and make it into something amazing. Unfortunately, an author can also do the exact opposite.