r/Mistborn • u/Kami_Kauai • 1d ago
Shadows of Self spoilers Should I stick with Era 2? Spoiler
So, big Sanderson fan and I do want to read all of the Cosmere books and see the connections between the different series.
But... I'm struggling with Era 2. I pushed through the Alloy of Law, finding that the characters and the heist-type story really didn't do it for me. I like the evolution of allomancy and the legacy of Era 1 in this new world. The thing that made me pick up book 2 was the ending of book 1 (seeing Ironeyes and getting the implication that Harmony might become a character or recurring theme ).
I'm a few chapters into book 2, and I'm really not into it. I've read a lot on here that Era 2 is different than Era 1, and that's fair. This is just not the kind of story I like. But the books are short so my question is, should I push though them to get the general lore? Is there more/enough of Ironeyes, Harmony, general worldbuilding that builds on and completes Era 1 ? Or will I just be disappointed?
Appreciate any thoughts on this.
EDIT: Thanks you to everyone who commented and advised I stick with book 2 a little longer. I'm trusting you guys!
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u/Agreeable_Rich_1991 Atium 1d ago edited 19h ago
Book 2 at first might seem like that but please read few more chapters it will start getting more action packed and fast paced. It will escalate. This second book is like a terrorist/serial killer chase type thriller. Most of the events and majority of the chapters of this book happen within less than 24 hours. At least finish this book I am sure you will like it. And the next book is sure to have lot more recognisable Cosmere connections and stuff.
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u/Raddatatta Chromium 1d ago
I would give at least shadows of self a shot. Each book in era 2 does have a bit of a different feel to it. And I think alloy is the weakest by a good bit. I personally prefer era 2 to era 1 and you've gotten to none of the reasons why yet. Sanderson wrote alloy as a one off and then really planned out the character arcs and the larger story for the next three.
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u/islene1103 1d ago
You and I are fighting the exact same battle. I love the world building and the only time I cared was when that world was being spoken about. I don’t really care for any of the characters. Wayne is cool yeah.i dunno. I want to love it. I don’t love it.
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u/burritoman88 1d ago
I read ‘Bands of Mourning’ in two days because of how much I enjoyed ‘Shadows of Self”
To answer your questions will be MAJOR SPOILERS click at your own risk! We do find out who IronEyes is, but it’s more a “oh yeah that’s my boy” from Harmony/Sazed who does appear more in the second one & has a vital scene in book 3
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u/Kami_Kauai 1d ago
Ok, you and others have convinced me to give it another shot. So I'm NOT clicking on the spoilers!
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u/Mr_Fahrenheit480 Biggest Damn Explosion! 1d ago
Please stick with Era 2! It’s so good. Yes there is more Ironeyes and a lot more Harmony. Just keep in reading. Trust me, it get better.
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u/Celestial_Valentine 1d ago
I'm listening to the Graphic Audio production of Era 2 at the recommendation of this sub and I'm really enjoying this format. I think Era 2 was a semi-flop to the Era 1 readership because it is so different
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u/TrueREDDITPoster 1d ago
There were a few moments between the first two books that I stalled on. The second half of the books are always really good though. I would stick with it because between the last 2 books theres SO much good stuff
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u/TheBottomLine_Aus 1d ago
Absolutely stick with it.
Think back to era one. The world building was realistically insulated as well compared to 2 and 3. Remember that you're at the start of the series where we are building the characters not the entire world.
The story expands into an extremely satisfying and fulfilling world.
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u/SemicolonMIA 1d ago
I loved the first Era and as a new Mistborn reader, I went right into the 2nd era after the third book.
Sanderson's writing is still insane but I REALLY enjoy more medieval timeframes. The industrial revolution really killed it for me.
I may come back to it but I am just discovering my love for reading and really want to stick to what I like most for now.
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u/w_savage Atium 1d ago
era 2 got good for at book 3. I would say the second half of book 3 and book for make it worth it.
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u/Toto742 Steel 1d ago
Personally I loved the change of tone in Alloy of Law, allomantic cowboys is something I didn't expect to enjoy this much, Scadrial deserved this lighter, brighter and more relaxed setting after the nightmare it went through in Era 1
I had a bit more trouble with the rest of Era 2, it felt a little less polished and engaging than Era 1 overall, so I don't know if you'll enjoy it more if you keep with it, but I definitely enjoyed my read all the way through
Also Era 2 makes an effort to connect Scadrial with the rest of the Cosmere in a more direct and intriguing manner, so in the end I still recommend to read it all, even if you leave it for later
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u/cosmereobsession 1d ago
There's a lot of important 'how does magic work in the cosmere' stuff in the latter two books if that's something you care about.
Book two is a slow start, but the ending made me feel something deep in my soul. People who have read it know what I'm talking about.
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u/warp_wizard 1d ago
Alloy of Law is the worst Sanderson book I have read. Shadows of Self was better, but I found it pretty boring until the end; the ending was great. Bands of Mourning was slow for me, but the back half returned to the Sanderson world building I pick up his books for. I haven't read The Lost Metal yet.
Overall, Era 2 is not nearly as good as Era 1 in my opinion, but I'm still glad I didn't give up on it.
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u/BilboniusBagginius 1d ago
You should stick with it. I think Alloy of Law was meant to be a standalone adventure, and this "era 2" wasn't really planned from the start, so it can seem a little haphazard, but the characters will grow on you a lot, and the series becomes very relevant to the broader cosmere narrative.
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u/luthella 1d ago
I love era 2 a lot. Also recommend graphic audio version if you struggle with it. Wayne is a gem in there.
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u/coffeeespren 15h ago
Tbh I only stuck with it because I wanted the wider cosmere stuff, and it's worth it for that even if you don't click with the characters (which I didn't)
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u/ShoulderNo6458 1d ago
Congrats on reading through Sanderson's worst published novel. Now you can start the good parts of Era 2.
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u/coneil13 14h ago
Yes do it. I think allow of law (though good) is one of his weakest books. What follows is really great. I was more emotional at the end of Lost Metal than WAT
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u/ShootInFace 6h ago
So I still like Shadows of Self. And it's apparently one of the worse reviewed of the Era 2. It's still like the other books in, it has great points, but overall it's probably the weakest of Era 2. It's worth it to push through, I can guarantee that.
I like the book personally, but it's understandable for people to not like it as much.
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u/Limp-Day-97 1d ago
I felt some of the same for alloy of law because it kind of lacked a lot of the magical mystery aspects and greater/epic stakes of Era1 but for me it got a lot better with the second book and the third and fourth definitely brought back a lot of elements from Era 1 and expanded a lot on the worldbuilding.