Hey bookworms! I get accused of only talking about things I love on this channel, so I hope you enjoy the venting of some frustrations here. As always, I welcome your differences of opinions. These are just mine.

Me, who's read the first three Lightbringer books and loved them: 👀

Really like the The Night Angel trilogy.

As someone who hasn't yet dived into Brent Weeks, I sincerely appreciate honest views like these Mike. I won't completely disregard Brent, but at least I know it's a series I should be more cautious of reading/spending a lot of my time on. Love your channel.

I read The Black Prism and decided not to continue with Lightbringer. I think I might have enjoyed the series if I had been about 13 years old, but the prose, characters, and plot lacked the complexity I usually prefer. Without some of the most severe moments of violence, I thought it would be more of a YA book, but a fun one with a cool magical system.

I love Weeks work. The way he does combat is so good. I really enjoy that. I know it could have editing in the last two books but I really enjoyed the way it ended.

I was literally reading through Lightbringer and watching your videos after every book, then I got finished with Blood Mirror and was like.... where the hell is his Blood Mirror video at? lmao But honestly, I'm close to half way through Burning White and I think it makes up for a sub par Blood Mirror. I didnt like Blood Mirror that much but I also didnt hate it either. I think alot of it has to do with the fact that i'm listening to the Graphic Audio version and I really love their voice acting and the music really brings out the tense scenes. But I always respect another mans opinions and give you props for being able to come out and say you hate something when It could possibly turn away some of your viewers. Especially now adays when everyone gets so butt hurt about every little thing. Hopefully you finish the series one day tho, I would be looking forward to seeing your opinion on the series as a whole. Thanks for the videos man

I read the whole series and really loved the first three books, the fourth one felt like set up for the fifth book and was okay for me, I wasn’t the biggest fan of that one twist you spoke of either, the clues are there for it and it felt planned, but it was weird especially considering the POV chapters. The last book was a step up from the fourth one and was a fine ending. I’m guessing you would only enjoy it slightly more than blood mirror so I wouldn’t be eager to read it if I were you.

Thanks for sharing your thoughts. His books are on my TBR, and I hope to read them at some point, but will definitely manage my expectations. Thanks again!

Reading Lightbringer felt to me like reading a Discovery writer as he keeps changing his mind and coming up with new interesting characters and ideas while abandoning his previous ones. (for both good and bad)

I really, REALLY liked The Night Angel trilogy, even when that third book went kinda sideways with the expectations it was building up and how everything got resolved (I actually think Night Angel could've benefited from being five books to flesh out its world and characters, because there were a lot of amazing ideas there that felt rushed out the door), but what I liked the most about it is that Amazon recommended the Mistborn trilogy box set when I bought this box set, and that's how I got into Brandon Sanderson. With Lightbringer, I was taken by the first book, but the second kinda started to let me down halfway through, and by the third I decided to go with the GraphicAudio version and stuck with it for the next three books, which made it bearable but, well, barely. Sometimes things falling apart for the protagonists is a good twist, it's even part of Campbell's Hero's Journey, but there's a point when things not working for them become as predictable as a happy ending (in an eucatastrophy sense) is to classic fantasy, and the actual twist is things going well for them. Sadly, Brent Weeks just decided to kinda vent the worst of grimdark and make it rain upon his story while also having a severe identity crisis on whether he wanted his characters to be liked or hated. And it all ended up being stretched thin and even then not everything could be resolved in a satisfactory manner. He and Martin and Abraham and Rothfuss did help me with a presentation I've been given on a regular basis since 2019 on new fantasy's obsession with what in Spanish I call the Three T's: "Tripas, tetas y traiciones." (Guts, tits and treason) while using fantasy merely as an excuse, a device and not a genre. It's all about the graphic disembowelment (and equally graphic description of bodily excretions and their odor upon death), graphic sex that would make Ron Jeremy blush, and politics. SO MUCH POLITICS. Like you say, there's a market for this (well, except Abraham; Dagger & Coin went overboard with this, set up "12 races of humanity" yet they were completely interchangeable and nothing felt fantastic in the least, just banking and politics in a Renaissance setting), but I'm not it. There's grimdark, say Joe Abercrombie, that goes to real dark places but without forgetting to put its fantasy setting first and foremost, and there's contemporary fantasy that wants to be dark and shocking and violent and "adult" to the point where it's just gratuitous, unearned and downright "edgy" for the sake of edge alone.

Lmao I’m just a guy with WiFi 😂

9:45 there's actually some truth to that! Blood Mirror was supposed to be the final book in the series, but Weeks decided while he was writing it that he'd split it up into two, hence we got Blood Mirror and Burning White. This was a really interesting watch! I personally love Weeks' books, but I can def understand why you dislike the later ones. The twist in Blood Mirror was... far fetched to be sure, but I honestly kinda liked it. Also you mentioned it's a coming-of-age story, which is exactly why I think the older cast (Gavin and Karris) get sidelined a bit more in favour for the younger characters like Kip and Teia; passing of the torch and such. Gavin is my favourite character of the series, so I can agree this was a bit frustrating, but Teia is my second favourite character so I didn't mind it too much xD Also Liv got pushed to the background cuz a lot of people didn't really like her in Black Prism and Blinding Knife, so Weeks reduced her screentime significantly, which I also think is a pity. I have not read Burning White yet, so I don't know if he will stick the landing, but I have faith! (also I'm a new viewer and I'm so freaking jealous of that monster bookcase behind you xD)

It's disappointing when a fanbase for an author will upvote a series to the point where even the worst installments have higher ratings and accolades they don't deserve. The same thing happened with Harry Potter and the Cursed Child and Veronica Roth's Divergent series. Fans of those authors wanted the works to be highly rated because they were fans and refused to acknowledge the flaws in the works.

I have never read anything by Weeks, but I have to compliment the way you presented your ideas. You made it clear it was not for you specifically, but I am not discouraged from giving Weeks a try by the end of the video, which is what I was expecting given the topic. Great work!

The M. night Shyamalan line cracked me up

How do you reconcile King's abilities (or perhaps lack there of) to end a book? He builds great worlds, beginnings of stories, characters, but many of his books don't stick the ending...

Something similar happened to me when I tried to read the Mistborn Trilogy. I have all the copies and standalone paperbacks. I got bored midway towards the second book and struggled to finish it (Reading the final 100+ pages of the second book kind of reignited my interest). I read halfway through the third novel and just gave up... I love Brandon Sanderson's Elantris & Warbreaker, but I can't seem to want to finish Mistborn... I think because I felt too many POV's were introduced (in the last book), or I didn't quite like to read through the minds of Sazed, Tensoon, & Spook. It took some time before I returned to reading his work. Had to read the last three Wheel of Time books and after a lot of pondering... will start with Way of Kings next year (first time).

Ah, this is really sad to me because personally I love the Night Angel series because it was my introduction into reading fantasy books. & it was your reviews and Daniel Greene's of the first 2 books that got me into Lightbringer So far I have read the first 2 books and really loved them and I own the 3rd but haven't read it yet because I started reading other fantasy series you have reccomended. But I personally LOVE the first 2 books so far and the first half of the 3rd book that I have read.

Hi there Mike. I have tried to listen to the Audio book versions of the first book in both of his series, and to this day, I can't remember anything that I listened to. I always wind up wandering to other books. Anyway, I wanted to let you know, that I am now 43% into the Fires of Heaven by Robert Jordan. I just need about 10 more days, and I will be ready to start the Lord of Chaos. I am also currently reading the 37th volume of the Fairy Tail manga, which has been fun.

I had a soft spot for the Night Angel series, but I like ninjas and assassins and the like. I totally ripped off the main character to play in a D&D game. No regrets

I was the opposite. I loved The Night Angel trilogy. Read book one of Lightbringer and said “Well. . . That’s too bad.” And dropped it forever.

I've not read brent, but I still plan to one day. However, I'll break out the sage advice: life is too short and there's too many books out there. If it feels like work, dump it and move on to the next... so, I support the choice to move on and continue with books that gets you right

I couldn't make it through Way of Shadows and so ended my Brent Weeks journey. But as you say, he was trying to appeal to two different markets. And this is something Ursula LeGuin argued against authors doing. She advocated creating art rather than writing to market (and publishers' interests).

I had read the Night Angel trilogy a few years ago, and while I mostly liked it...I didn't feel terribly inspired to read more by him. But then when I was reading a blog of a new favorite author (Charlie N. Holmberg, The Paper Magician series.) And I came across a book trailer for Black Prism and gotten intrigued. While I'm a character driven story fan for the most part, I love extensive and well thought out world building and magical systems.

I didn't read Night Angel but I was going to leave this long comment about falling out of love with Lightbringer. I don't have to though, because you summed up my exact feelings and thoughts on this series. The only difference is I couldn't finish Blood Mirror and this video has finally helped me move if from the Paused shelf to the DNF shelf. I have no problem ditching a standalone book but it took me so long to finally DNF Lightbringer because I loved the first two books so much and I needed closure. Unfortunately I really don't care anymore, maybe I will just google the ending. The funny thing is, I recommended this series to a lot of friends when I started it and they have all given up on it as well after loving the first two books.

That's ok that you didn't like a book series I enjoyed.

I absolutely loved them. The ending could have been better, but it was still thoroughly enjoyable.

Everything came together so well in the end. I'm so sad it's all over.

I'm sorry this happened. I hate when I have to give up on an author. It's always frustrating. Luckily there is an endless sea of authors.

"I am just a dude with wifi" - Mike's Book Reviews. Classic

I'm almost done with book 1 of Malazan. Is it worth continuing on or is it a waste of time to try and get through all 10?

I have read the first book and I'm about 1/4 of the way into the Blinding Knife. I don't think I'll finish this book. I'm surprised you enjoyed the blinding Knife so much, must have been the Harry potter / name of the wind and so on magic school coming of age stuff you liked. I'm reading it noticing things like the lack of continuity when one pov ends with a cliffhanger and when we return to that pov it's gone. Or the repetitive sections where he has forgotten to hit delete so we need to read the same paragraph twice and so on. Was hoping it would get better and went looking for some reviews of later books and now I see that there's almost no chance I'll finish this series. Cheers.

I have listened to both series twice. There’s some fluff in the lightbringer series that wasn’t needed. It could’ve been cut to 3 books. Some pacing issues. I do like his stories.

I just stumbled across your channel here and, having DNF'd Night Angel, Demon Cycle and Lightbringer at near the same spots, I feel seen and understood.

i just finished reading the blood mirror and while i wasnt realy mad about it its also just like such a transition novel, the final book is gonna have to do a lot of work to get things together.

Ok so I am a huge lover of the Night Angel Trilogy. I am constantly talking about it. I could not get into the LightBringer series.. it lost me very quickly. Hearing what you say about the books, I can see your points. He builds this amazing dark world in the Night Angel trilogy of the underworld, but after the first book, it kind of steps away from that set up and I feel a lot of potential is lost. Durzo is by far the best character and a lot of stupid things happen when he's not around. Kylar seems to drop all his teachings after the first book. I still love the series, but I do agree with you completely

Is no one going to acknowledge that rad shirt?? Stairway to Heaven still is a top 5 rock song

I am a relatively knew reader and before i start a series i really try to see if i ll like it by checking on reviewer's such a yourself. I cant imagine starting a book series and not ending it yet.

Man, I was about to start this series. I looked up the spoiler in it, and yeah, that would have really upset me four books in! I’ll still give the books a shot, but yeah, I’m glad I know about the “twist” in question.

With book 5 I forced myself to get to half way and nearly DNF’d. I pushed through to 75% and again nearly DNF’d. I had lost all interest and didn’t care what happened. I ended up picking up another book and just getting through 10-15 pages of the burning white a day. It took me ages to finish but I just couldn’t stomach it anymore.

I agree with you. I read the first Lightbringer book and bounced off.

Mike I have The Black Prism that I’m going to read after ROW ... oh well I’ll give it ago 😂 Hey when are you going to give us The Licanius Trilogy review... can’t wait for that one, as I think I know how that went. I have 100 pages to go before I finish it, struggling to get it finished because I want to read ROW but if I put it down I might not pick it back up 😂😂

I adored lightbringer. Top 5 completed series for me easily. I would breakdown the books like this: 1 and 2 are five star books. Some of my favorites of all time. Book 3 is a 3.5. Book 4 is a 2.5. and IMO book 5 ties it all together with a solid 4.5. Much of books 3 and 4 could have been combined for a tighter, less meandering, and more impactful story. Not to spoil much but I don't think your qualms with the POV chapter not existing will be as strong after the completion of the series. I think Weeks knew this would upset people but I think he did a great job answering that question although many people complain that it falls too heavily in the deus ex machina camp. I'm bummed you didn't enjoy it but you're right, in the end there's so much to read and I would never tell someone to read something they weren't enjoying.

Read the Night's Angel series and liked it. Have the entire Lightbringer series on my TBR, I am kind of bummed out here. Not sure whether I should make the investment in time, and try it anyway, with so many other books to read, on my TBR mainly the Malazan.

Would love a more detailed explanation (Not caring to avoid spoilers) for those of us that finished and loved all five books (some more than others obviously). Just would love to hear what didn't work for you in 3 and 4 and why it irritated you so much.

Burning White continued the plot twist problems of Blood Mirror. I felt like the last two books of Lightbringer belonged in a different series than the first two. Not necessarily a bad series, but a very different one with different characters, magic system, conflicts and world. I did like Night Angel a lot, but I was a teenager who was craving grimdark when I read it, so I fit the demographic perfectly.

Bought book1+2+4 of Lightbringer on 50% sale yesterday, good timing with the video, but still looking forward to give this a good old college try.

just found you channel - like it so far :) ! I loved Lightbringer but I hated the end. it did not do the story justice at all. but I respect your opinion. Night Angel was tough - I only made it through book one.

I've had a love-hate relationship with lightbringer from the beginning. The first book wowed me, but the prose is constantly hyperactive and at times sounds like an 8th grader trying to articulate something as deep and complex as a song of ice and fire. That being said, I'm glad I finished it. He does fumble the ending, but I was expecting it, and overall I'd say I enjoyed the ride. To be fair, I do stagger my reading, switching between different genres. I've never binged a series and I promise you if I binged lightbringer like you did I would have never finished it. I hope you pick up the burning white someday so you can be marginally disappointed yet awkwardly satisfied like the rest of us.

The character arc for Andross is so great. The plot reveals in book 5 explain so much in the gaps because the characters POVs did not know. The ending that many don't like is earned and foreshadowed. He has said the next book is going back to the Night Angel world. The combat in that series reminds me of the movie The One. Spoiler: I liked how the "bad guys are the good" in Night Angel.

Insane that you brought up Song of Susannah. I actually stopped reading the Dark Tower series years ago on that book. I just wasn't enjoying it. Now it's been so long that I would have to start the series over. As an avid King fan, I feel like I owe it to myself to someday finish it

Everything you say in this video is exactly how I felt about Robert Jordan after LORD OF CHAOS.

I gotta say, you dipped out at the right time. I totally understand you calling book 4 a "hate read"... I struggled very hard. The Burning White was so much worse. It was so hard to read. I was furious the whole time. It's so disappointing because the first two really were just excellent! I fully think Weeks could maybe write one of my favorite series, Lightbringer just was not it. Tis a shame! But if you ever want to be angry at a book, pick up Burning White.

I couldn't get into the Night Angel series and hear so many mixed things about Light Bringer that I generally have no interest in Weeks. It's good to hear a bit from someone who has read more of his stuff

I'm in the love them category... but I do appreciate you giving me things to think about as I restart the night angel trilogy.

I was on a similar wavelength as you. Really dug books 1 and 2, book 3 not so much and 4 was a mess. But I finished 4 just in time for the 5th so just kept going. Wish I hadn't.

I actually really loved the Nightangel series. The system, the characters, their motivations, all the big and small things about it. It is the series that made me not give up on fantasy after everything else just started to taste the same. I still return to it occasionally. The black Prism....I have it on my shelf, had it for years and did not get past the first couple of pages. Something was different about it. Maybe it was because the translator to my language for the Weeks books changed, I don't know. With Sanderson I was held at gunpoint and for me personally it made me love the Nightangel Trilogy even more, because it did so many things right that the Stormlight Archive just plainly butchered. Sanderson worldbuilding is phenomenal, but there are issues with his overall characters and the plot that are nonexistent in the Weeks books. People do not have to agree with me and probably never will, but I love the way Weeks hinted at things and managed to play with what to say and what not to say to still make his story work. Anyway, cheers, everyone read what makes you happy!

Yea, the twist with Gavin, that basically undid the twist in book 1? I set it down shortly after that. I get it, there's the concept of the unreliable narrator, but I REALLY didn't feel like that was foreshadowed at all, beyond a few bits in book 3. I don't know if I just missed something, but it killed it for me.

I enjoyed the first 3 books. I agree with you about book 4 and everything that is wrong with it. I haven’t read book 5 yet but I plan on it.

I enjoyed the whole series and I’m one of those people that didn’t mind the ending at all. But I find it interesting though that I enjoyed these books quite a bit but I wasn’t really into the magic system. I don’t understand the comparisons to Sanderson.

I had to come back and leave a comment on this video. I think you were very honest and good natured in here. The series didn’t work for you and that’s ok but I loved the fact that you didn’t rant or were not disparaging. I am a Week’s fan and loved Lightbringer but I respected your take. I can’t believe you got crap for the video.

You don’t dig Brent Weeks. That’s fine. You’re a Sanderson fan so I can’t knock your taste 😂. I really enjoyed both series. I also got into fantasy with Robin Hobb’s Farseer trilogy back in the 90’s so I don’t mind when things don’t go as how I would want. It makes things more interesting for me.

I finished both series and I agree with you about his inability to finish endings well

No series is perfect but I really liked the beginning and end of the Lightbringer series.

I audio'd The Black Prism recently and have to say I don't really feel compelled to jump back into the series. I probably will, but I have read / listened to any number of books since then whose sequels are already calling me more than the second Lightbringer. I wouldn't go as far as saying I am done, only based on one book, but I am holding at 'muh' station right now for sure.

Finally someone says it! That plot twist was so horrible, and clearly not planned from the start. Just halfway through the book the author says "lol let's throw away all the buildup I did for a dumb shocking twist"

I think I may have commented on your Goodreads review of Way of Shadows, but I loved the Night Angel trilogy. Lightbringer started off amazingly, but he really stumbled at the finish. I really had to push myself to finish The Burning White. It was a slog.

I love Loghtbringer but it really interesting to hear your opinion as we mostly agree on other series

Yeah, Lightbringer had a few bumps, but I actually enjoyed Blood Mirror, but I don't exactly remember which parts of the series I struggled most with. But I'm overall happy that I read the series and I loved the magic system, so I would not mind to return to the world somehow, perhaps in the style of Abercrombie's stand-alone novels

I felt the same after reading the 3rd entry to the Enders Game series

Sooooo did The WItcher also get the Lightbringer dnf treatment? I know Time of Contempt is rough, but Baptism of fire is one the best in the serious.

I finished the series, but I agree with what you said about the twist in this one. I thought the shocking death in The Blinding Knife was absolutely brilliant, but to see it undone in book 4 was so disappointing.

There are no magic systems in my novels...unless you count the satanic blood sacrifice. Only slightly kidding 😳

I'm a gonna just say my first dive into Fantasy was Night angel and i was at a stage in my life where i didnt want to be in my own head so i dived into these books, and moved onto Lightbringer took a fair bit of time to get into Black prism, i understand alot of people didnt like the broken eye and yes i feel like it ended quick but after a re-read i got a soft spot for it, then i moved onto Brandon sanderson

Well... that is kinda disapointing to hear. Still I am willing to try out the series at some point. Hopefully it will work for me. But I will put it aside to focus on Malazan for now. Which has been amazing so far (last book atm) and made me want to continue with the other works aside the big 10.

I read Night Angel and thought it was good, but not very original. I wasn't in love with the Lightbringer series, but I was enjoying it through book 3. It seemed to be going somewhere fun. Book 4 was bad. I only read book 5 because I'd gone that far already and it totally fell flat with me too. I think your "Can't stick the landing" observation nails it.

“pov chapter of character that never existed” - care to explain that?

It's interesting the diverse opinions on this series. I thought the first book was pretty good, second book was going downhill quick and finishing terribly and book three taking that terrible ending and running with it. On book four now, not excited. I was and still am a fan of night angel. Hold that series dear to my heart for introducing me to fantasy more or less.

I loved all the brent weeks books, although i had to change up a few of the plot to suit my preference, call it "personal creative license".

Oh man this video is right up my alley. I think you made the right decision because book 5 was my least favorite book ever.

I loved this series, but even I didn't like the ending. If not for how badly it finished, I'd have this series comfortably in the top 3 fantasy series. I know these issues must have been there in book 4, but I don't remember them bothering me

I am plan to read the first three books. I have read black prism, it was a slow start for me. I had to keep rereading; the book wasn't holding my attention. But I found the book intriguing. The book was OK. Now I must decide if I want to continue reading the rest of the series. I find the politics or religion intriguing (the prism, drafters, wights, white)... The characters not so much. Don't really care what happens to any of them. So I will try the next two in the series

Oops.. this was in my tier -2 read list but I was a bit skeptical for the reason you mentioned but not as strongly.. after this... Ummm.. not sure

I started the series near the release of book 5.... then it dropped and everyone I knew hated it. So I stoped reading halfway through book 2

i think you made the right choice iv read all 5 books and it just feel like the author changes his mind over and over and the main villain seemed like a place holder i kept waiting for the real villain. the last book felt like the author was just writhing not telling a story

Finally, another person who gave up on Lightbringer. I quit halfway through the first one through. I was really exited after lots of hype, but it Just was not for me.

When he started it, Lightbringer was supposed to be a trilogy. He should have kept it that length and then MAYBE it would have been better. I finished it mostly as a tribute to how good the first two books were.

Opinions are fair, personally I found the end of the night angel trilogy amazing. I would def recommend it. Books ofcourse are like paintings, eye of the beholder.

great video, I'll be giving Lightbringer a go next year

I wonder if he has any idea that some of the inconsistencies or wild twists that seem overkill are actually little pieces that link the two series together and technically in theory i think real life. It hasnt been explicitly stated except a reference i think in either night angel nemesis or burning whites author notes at the end. And some obvious things like them quoting pulp fiction and plato

I agree almost totally with you on Lightbringer (haven't read Night Angel). I finished Lightbringer, and book 5 was better than book 4, but I have similar issues with that one as well.

I DNF'd on the first book. I just couldn't get into the magic system. I respect that many like it, but it wasn't for me. As for Song of Susannah, there is alot of good stuff in that book. I always look forward to this book on a reread. But I do understand why it doesn't work from some, and . . . to each his own. I'm good with it.

im in the half book of the 5th. tbh. i had a long break till i was like ...omg i really wanna get back or at least finish the series. some time u need to give it a break in order to miss it and not reading it like u must finish the book. thats goes to all books i guess.

I’m on the third lightbringer series. For me, it’s good entertainment. Some of the side plots suddenly change throughout the series but it didn’t bother me much. It does feel like Weeks will just write in changes to the books without attempting to foreshadow while writing. He seems like a pantzer rider to me. I wasn’t sure how I felt about this at first, but I realized that the story entertains me so I was just being picky. The book makes me laugh, makes me want to pump my fist, and can even bring a tear to my eye. Overall, they’re great. I’ve heard the last two aren’t as good but my expectation isn’t very high. I’m just reading for cheap entertainment, I wouldnt call his writings masterpieces, but they are enjoyable. I’m easy going though so as long as there is magic I’ll likely enjoy it. I don’t expect character masterpieces or incredibly intricate world building, but I am pleased when I run into it. To anyone reading, I think lightbringer is a great choice if you just want a fun story and you don’t plan on taking it seriously.

The second Night Angel book is so bad. Half the book is the main character complaining about how horny he is. The final battle is cheesy and underwhelming.

All due respect to Mr. Weeks, I am not a fan of his work. When I read his assassin series I put him on the "Do not read" list. "Wet boys..."

Sounds like he just needs to stick the landing. To be clear: I haven't read anything from him.

I understand not liking Brent weeks I feel his writing is for mostly around the ages of 16-20 for me having read night angel in high school and loved it so weeks holds a spot in my heart as he and and Stephen King with dark tower got me into fantasy

I am genuinely saddened that you didn't finish the night angel trilogy at least. It's got a really good and satisfying ending. I assume you stopped reading while Kylar was in Carnarvon, cause the story does slow down a lot there, but it speeds up really quickly. I completely understand about Lightbringer though. While I still love that series for it's amazing magic system, intricate story telling and a main character that I can really identify with. He really did jump the shark. Brent intended it to be a trilogy, and he says the story just got away from him (whether that is true or not... idk. Maybe he was just trying to eek out some more money by extending by two books). I really think it is worth reading for the ending though, while it was cheesy, I think it was the ending the story both needed and deserved.