The Stormlight Archive
The Stormlight Archive by Brandon Sandersonby Brandon Sanderson
Hacker ApprovedRanked 4 of 11 fantasy novel series by recommenders
Readers praise its beautiful writing and satisfying payoff, but many find the pacing a slow slog with flat characters.
Readers praise its beautiful writing and satisfying payoff, but many find the pacing a slow slog with flat characters.
13 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 12
- criticize it
- 1
- approval share
- 92%
Recommended in 6 of 13 months
- November 2025: not recommended
- December 2025: recommended
- January 2026: not recommended
- February 2026: not recommended
- March 2026: not recommended
- April 2026: not recommended
- May 2026: not recommended
- June 2026: recommended
- July 2026: recommended
- August 2026: recommended
- September 2026: recommended
- October 2026: recommended
- November 2026: not recommended (month in progress)
Why it carries the badge
- 12 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, met.
- 12 recommenders for every criticNeeds 2 to 1 or better, met.
- Recommended in 6 of 13 monthsNeeds 4 or more, met.
The same three rules apply to every product, and the badge can’t be bought. How the badge works
What people say about it
The reasons people give, with the number of comments that give each one. Open a reason to read what they said.
What people warn about
Each mark is one comment
Slow, slog-like pacing
“I still think it's a bit of a slog, but I appreciate it a bit more now”
Comment from 28 Dec 2025 in “Ask HN: What did you read in 2025?” “a huge slog through some beautiful writing”
Comment from 27 Dec 2025 in “Ask HN: What did you read in 2025?” “it's such a slow burn it's getting tough”
Comment from 27 Dec 2025 in “Ask HN: What did you read in 2025?”
Other fantasy novel series people recommend
The four most recommended other fantasy novel series, with the same counts for each, so you can compare like for like. The tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs.
| Product | Recommend | Criticize | Approval | Months | Owned | Badge |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Discworldby Terry Pratchett | 33 | 4 | 89% | 10 | — | Approved |
| Harry Potterby J.K. Rowling | 28 | 7 | 80% | 9 | 1 yr4 owners | Approved |
| The Wheel of Timeby Robert Jordan | 20 | 10 | 67% | 8 | — | Approved |
| The Stormlight Archiveby Brandon SandersonThis page | 12 | 1 | 92% | 6 | — | Approved |
| Malazan Book of the Fallenby Steven Erikson | 7 | 0 | 100% | 3 | — | — |
What people said
12 of the 16 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“I mostly pick “fun” light to medium grade stuff like the stormlight archives”
“Storm light archive is perfect for this, I recommend play some fantasy reading music on background.”
“I'm again hooked since on reading.”
“I've read and enjoyed Stormlight Archive twice”
“100+ pages of fluff nobody except Sanderson cared about”
“The characters aren't flat at all, there's a lot of nuance to all of them.”
“I still think it's a bit of a slog, but I appreciate it a bit more now”
“His characters are all very flat and similar.”
“it's such a slow burn it's getting tough”
“I love it. I must recommend it for anyone who want to experience one of the best high fantasy books.”
“The payoff is worth it, IMO.”
“a huge slog through some beautiful writing”
Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.