The Lightbringer Series - by Brent Weeks

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Il_Duce Lightning Lord Rule

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I didn't see a thread for this series, I'm currently about 3/4ths through book 2,and book 3 just dropped last month.

IMO book 1 was merely ok. There's some interesting ideas being presented, but I liked his characters in the "Shadow" series better. Book 2 is much better so far though, and I'm looking forward to starting on book 3.


Anyone read these?
 

velk

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I didn't see a thread for this series, I'm currently about 3/4ths through book 2,and book 3 just dropped last month.

IMO book 1 was merely ok. There's some interesting ideas being presented, but I liked his characters in the "Shadow" series better. Book 2 is much better so far though, and I'm looking forward to starting on book 3.


Anyone read these?
Yep, I concur with your judgement so far - 1 was decent, 2 was really good. I thought 3 was not quite as good as 2, but pretty close. Most of the things that annoyed me seemed liked editing issues.
 

Aydenn

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I didn't see a thread for this series, I'm currently about 3/4ths through book 2,and book 3 just dropped last month.

IMO book 1 was merely ok. There's some interesting ideas being presented, but I liked his characters in the "Shadow" series better. Book 2 is much better so far though, and I'm looking forward to starting on book 3.


Anyone read these?
I read the first one, but kinda had to force myself to finish it. Picked up the second one just cause I had nothing to read, and was very happy I did. I thought it was excellent. Book 3 was pretty good too, but like velk said, not quite as good as the second.

For me Weeks is pretty hit or miss on his books. The Night Angel books started out strong with book 1, but went down hill pretty fast imo
 

Seventh

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I'm about 2/3 of the way through the third one, and I'm enjoying it - though less than the previous two.

Small spoiler, but not really, book 3:

Maybe it's just me, but I don't like when main characters get their powers taken away. It's fun to read the Prism chapters, especially the end of book two with Kip and Gavin wrecking shit, because they're kicking ass drafting. I'm not done with the book yet, but so far it's been Gavin on the oars in the boat, he finally escapes, then he gets imprisoned. It's just too drawn out, and every time one of his chapters comes up I find myself saying "I hope this is the chapter where he gets his powers back and fucks shit up". Just way too much introspective character building in this one for my liking.

Also, while the book started out pretty cool, I don't like Kip going back to school Hogwarts-style after killing gods at the end of book 2. On top of that, Karris is a spy instead of an asskicking Blackguard, and again Gavin is locked up, so the really limited action is starting to get old. The coolest part of the plot going on right now for me is the Murder Sharp stuff.

All that said I'm still enjoying the book because I like Weeks' writing style (I loved the Night Angel books) and am hoping that this shit all gets wrapped up pretty quickly. But less hogwarts and more battles would be nice. I'm hoping the last 1/3 or so picks it back up, I'm just to the point where Kip blacks out and gets all of the cards stuck to him and has that weird ass conversation with Abaddon.

TLDR: Cool series, clever magic system, worth the read.
 

Dunwulf_sl

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For me Weeks is pretty hit or miss on his books. The Night Angel books started out strong with book 1, but went down hill pretty fast imo
I felt the same way. I thought it was a pretty neat premise for the story and then...blah just petered out hollywood ending.
 

Il_Duce Lightning Lord Rule

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Just finished book 3 last night.

A few thoughts:

Grinwoody. Really? The Butler Did It? I guess the old tropes are new again, or something. That said, I'm curious what his capabilities will be in the next book.

The scene with Abbadon. Ok, he's a locust, or represents locusts or something. Then they go into how bad locusts were back in the day. I don't recall if they specifically said they were luxin-infused bugs, i.e. magic locusts, but my first thought was "How is that such a huge threat? They can do magic and figured out gunpowder but they've never figured out insecticide?" Also I'm a nerd and got an immediate Lexxx vibe
smile.png


The thing with Kip absorbing all of the cards. It's an interesting idea, maybe he now has access to the memories and experiences of all of history's greatest figures, sort of like Paul Atreides. Not sure how that will relate to him gaining the power of the Lightbringer though, since that seems to be a power related to being able to do things, rather than know or predict things.

Teia's new cloak. Kip notices the 2 spheres on the back and how the dark covers the light when she goes invisible. What happens when the light covers the dark sphere? Plus in the room with Abbadon again the cloak had copies of all the cards on it, did that also translate somehow to the real world?

I liked the book overall, but it probably wasn't quite as good as book 2. I'm looking forward to book 4 though, and Weeks seems to be churning these out pretty quickly.
 

Kaio

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I read it pretty pretty fast but did he get more then one scene per card/person? Though he absorbed them he doesn't look like he gets top control what time the vision takes place in the slightests. There were multiple with Gavin but I can't remember if that was because it was a shared scene with his mother and others who also had cards. Also I believe Paul Atreides' prescience gave him access to pretty much the past, present, and future of not specific people but all people and times (damn overpowered). He was constantly searching for the optimal future but in all threads and possibilities he explored were non-desirable to him It is also why after he lost his eyes he could still "see" because he could lock his prescient vision to his local surroundings and time--until he lost his abilities.
 

Grimmlokk

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Good read, but I agree a bit too heavy on the political maneuvering and light on the action. Set up a lot of stuff going forward too. And thankfully it was pretty light on the boring Liv parts and only covered her doing important stuff, the opposite of Shallan in the Way of Kings=P

Ironfist going forward is probably the most interesting character to me.

Alternative title for the book:

Fuck You, Fake Gavin

Because he just had a horrible time start to finish=P
 

Seventh

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It had a serious case of middle-book-syndrome to me.

Gavin: Ended up right back where he started, storyline-wise, minus an eyeball.
Kip: I've had enough of the emo-teenager act. Either make him a badass or kill him off. "I'm the turtle bear!" gets old quick.
Andross: A little too over the top with the ultimate omnipotent bad guy thing.

I enjoyed the read but the storyline didn't advance at all. Hopefully the next one picks it back up because I loved the first two.
 

Ritley

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I thought it was pretty good. Not as good as the second, but slightly better than the first.
 

ToeMissile

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Gavin -
We learn he can draft black luxin, and that he's built up restraint. Or is scared to use it.
 

Ritley

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So just so everyone knows, book 4 comes out a week from now, The Blood Mirror
 
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Rikkon

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I am looking forward to book 4; debating doing a brief skim as I do not remember a lot.
 

Burren

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Read the first 3. Each book was better than the last. Waiting for the softcover of 4 so my collection all looks the same.

I thoroughly enjoyed his Night Angel series too - maybe even more - until the end of the final book. It felt like there needed to be a few hundred more pages explaining and wrapping things up.
 

apex

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I fucking love this series. Probably one of my top 5.

I'm cautiously optimistic. His Night Angel Book 3 was rushed and fell flat. Granted that was many years ago so I'm hopeful this shit rocks my socks off.
 

Ritley

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I fucking love this series. Probably one of my top 5.

I'm cautiously optimistic. His Night Angel Book 3 was rushed and fell flat. Granted that was many years ago so I'm hopeful this shit rocks my socks off.
Night angel was his first series, you can tell how much better he has gotten since then. But then again Stephen Kinf never learned how to write an ending, so who knows
 

Ritley

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For those interested, blood mirror starts with a synopsis for each of the previous books
 

Vlett

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I really want some things to conclude instead of an and then...

I'm still hooked though.