So much of epic fantasy has become about writing the good first book, throwing up a bunch of juggling balls into the air, with a wave of a hand and a promise that you will catch them later. So elaborate! So exciting! Such anticipation! And then the authors just keep throwing up the balls. They never catch them. It turns out you're just watching a bunch of tomatoes splat out on the ground.

When Sanderson throws up something in the air, you know it will be caught at the end. The juggling is real; it isn't a cheap trick.

Also: the magic systems are more than intricacy for the sake of intricacy. The magic means something. When someone gives another person their breath in Warbreaker, that's an act of deep meaning. That act of sacrifice and responsibility plays out in every aspect of the book. And so when the plot is solved through magic, it's not a trick; because the magic has meaning, the use of the magic has meaning. The radiant oaths have meaning (and not a simple meaning, it's literally exploring the complexities of morality).

Also, I think his characters are better than any else's (so much complexity! so true to the real world! such diversity!) and his world building is better than any one else's (except maybe Tolkien, but they just do different things and come on, what an unfair comparison to force on people—it's like, if you don't play guitar exactly like and better than Hendrix, you're trash, there are only two categories). And if the words are getting you fully realized world building, deep meaning, excellent plot, amazing action sequences, and great characters, what about the prose is bad? There are no ways of conveying those things except through writing. There is no good characterization or great world building with bad writing.

I admire that Brandon is, seemingly, a modest person who talks about what he perceives as his shortcomings and I admire that he discusses his working process, which cuts against culturally accepted models of Great Artists as tortured geniuses waiting on inspiration from a fickle goddess. But I think those aspects of his personality and presentation also mean that people don't take him seriously as a great artist (of course, hard to get anyone to accept any fantasy authors as Great) but for my money—and he really does have all my money given how many books I have bought in all formats—he is a Great Artist. Brando Sando forever. Good night.