I'd had this recommended to me by several folks. Folks who were excited that this guy was finishing the Robert Jordan series, but said that his books stood on their own quite well.Well, I agree. This is epic high fantasy. An involved world, complex plotting, all that. The story lives up to its expectations.
The action in the books always seems awfully matrix-like to me. I imagine that's what the author was picturing as he wrote some of the fight scenes. Yet, there's nothing wrong with that per se-- as long as this doesn't lead to subpar film adaptations.
Anyways, this is a good fantasy book. You should read it.
edit: looking through the other reviews on this site, people seem to be fixated with the ashfall as a setting in this story. I guess growing up in the shadow of Mt St Helens, this isn't a remarkable thing. Ash is a type of weather, too. Sanderson does get it wrong, though-- a little bit of ash fertilizes soil if mixed correctly.
