As a child, I would sit down with a book and read it like I was devouring a delicious meal. I was the kind of reader who would often forego sleep to read "just one more chapter." At some point in the last decade or so, I reached a point where, suddenly, I had lost my momentum. I was still a reader, but my spark was gone.

I came to read several authors in the intervening years. Authors like William Gibson, of the monumental Neuromancer. While I'd dabbled in adjacent genres before, Gibson gave me my First taste of Cyberpunk. The genre of Cyberpunk blended the anti-authoritarian mindset of the 1980s punk scene with a future-gazing eye on the world of technology. Gibson's stories captured the angst that I was feeling at the time. Much in the same vein as Neuromancer, another title was suggested to me, Snow Crash.

The style-over-substance aspects of later cyberpunk literature led to the creation of Snow Crash, which is equal parts a paragon of the entertainment value inherent in cyberpunk and simultaneously a satirical pushing of the envelope. This sense of humour drew me into this labyrinth of tongue-in-cheek humour and social commentary. From a detailed description of a veritable badass who turns out to be nothing more than a Delivery Driver to a church accepting credit card swipes during the passing of an "Offering Plate." Neal Stephenson gave me some space for Big, genre-blending, and cerebral works, but I needed a bit more "Spice."

Following my viewing of Blade Runner 2049, and the news that its director would be adapting Dune, I embarked on a trip into classic Sci-fi with the Dune Saga. Of the six novels, I own the first and the last. I did not, however, physically read the books in between, opting instead to listen to them via Audible. I still struggled to focus on the page in many ways, not being able to complete a chapter, let alone an entire novel. These authors fed me, but I was still hungry for something I couldn't name.

The books I was reading, while phenomenal, perpetuated a sense that I had acquired in my teenage years. I had grown to have a boorish opinion. That Fantasy was only something meant for children to read. Fairy Tales were whimsical moral tales for children that flew in the face of reality and Science. I further garnered the notion that I wanted to stay away from things enjoyed by the masses. If there was too much hype, I would avoid it like the plague. Game of Thrones is one such case. I refused to watch the show during its initial airing. I finally binged all 8 Seasons of Game of Thrones two years ago, and came to find that I did enjoy it as a fan. Perhaps it did deserve the hype, and maybe I had been missing something vital by holding fantasy at arm’s length.

Thus, we reach today’s topic in earnest. Brandon Sanderson, A man whose name once evoked "hype" and "fantasy for the masses," now instead serves as the constant drip of high-quality entertainment that scratches that part of my brain that craves intricate, connected universes and complex, fleshed-out magic systems.

Brandon Sanderson's name has been one that I've seen across the internet for many years, and has graced the many shelves of bookstores that I frequent. Every time I saw the name, it was like seeing "Yet another" James Patterson novel. I had effectively tuned the whole thing out, being desensitized at the sheer volumes of books he'd seemingly put out.

I had begun to be more interested as of late due to a number of articles discussing the Stormlight Archive TTRPG. What surprised me was the mention that the Stormlight Archive and Mistborn were in the same universe, a so-called "Cosmere." This March, an article appeared on my Google News feed, discussing the next trilogy of Mistborn. I'd heard it was great, and I now knew that it was a part of the "Cosmere," but it was never one that I'd given a chance to read. As I read the article, every possible button I could hope to have pushed was pushed.

What makes a good story? Much like an essay, the best ones are the kind that have a plan. With a clear endgame, you can plot out what will eventually happen, so you can take the steps necessary to reach that goal. This is what Sanderson excels in. This is integral to what caught me.

Fantasy often takes place in one overwhelmingly overused setting, a pseudo-medieval European environment. There are only so many instances of Elves and Orcs, and the proverbial goblins that I can stomach. Sanderson, like me, wondered what if the world changes over time? What would happen if a fantasy society discovered electricity, gunpowder, and eventually developed internal combustion engines? What if they went further? What if they began to spread to the far reaches of the Universe?

As I read the article about the next Mistborn Trilogy, I soon learned that this is exactly what Sanderson was writing. Mistborn was always planned as a "Trilogy of Trilogies." One era, set in the typical quasi-medieval society, a second era set in a 1980s equivalent world, and finally taking the story to the stars with a "Space-Age" setting. To say that my pulse started rising would be an understatement. He has since added a series set in an era much like the Pulp Novels of old, and has even announced that a further Cyberpunk trilogy will fit between the 80s and Space Age stories. It may seem daunting, but I can assure you that he does, to use the parlance of our times, have "the sauce."

I have completed a total of 5 books and around 3,500 pages in the last 3 Months combined... My favorite novel, Cryptonomicon by Neal Stephenson, is quite literally a third of that amount, and it took me just about the same amount of time to complete that novel alone. It is almost as if serendipity collided with me, and suddenly a path toward Novel Nirvana has opened wide, beckoning me to its pearly gates with a big sign, You're going to eat good. And boy, did I EVER eat good.

The Cosmere itself is amazing. Sanderson has planned out so much of it that the stories being told aren't all happening at the same time. One can certainly read the books in Chronological Order (Something that I've begun to do), but it is by no means required. In some cases, revelations about certain characters occur in later books that seemingly have no connection upon first glance. Some characters have shown up many times, in different guises, and only those who have read the whole of the Cosmere might catch it. Sanderson has apparently 30 more years of books he plans to write before the whole thing is done, and rumours of new media adaptations are beginning to circulate.

I have gone from wandering in a reading desert of dry prose and a focus on cold clinical technology to a wellspring of inspiration and excitement. Sanderson reminded me that fantasy can be rigorous, expansive, and deeply satisfying. If Sanderson could reawaken my love of reading after years of drifting, maybe he can do the same for others.

Check out Sanderson's works; they are VERY much worth your time, and if you prefer to listen to an audiobook, I IMPLORE YOU to check out Graphic Audio. You may have heard of people reading a book and being able to hear it in their head. If this is something you struggle with, Graphic Audio touts itself as "a movie in your mind."

These are full-cast audio dramas with many actors, music, and sound effects all baked in. I have been listening to them as I read sometimes, and I've actually listened to them on my commute, even after reading the same chapters already. They are THAT good!

The above is not a sponsored segment. I genuinely love these, and I just found out that next week they’re releasing the first Dresden Files story adaptation!