Book Review: Shadows of Self

Shadows of Self by Brandon Sanderson

Mistborn series book 5 (Book 2 in the Wax and Wayne Arc, Book 1 in the Wax and Wayne Trilogy)

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Shadows of Self continues the story of Waxillium Ladrian,(Just love that name :)) and his sidekick Wayne. 
This Flintlock Fantasy is a continuation in the Mistborn world, and answers that age old fantasy lovers question of what would a world with magic be like during an Industrial Revolution

Sanderson mixes up the boundaries of genres with this, I would label it Flintlock Fantasy, part fantasy, part western, part mystery and part detective story. 

Taking place 300 years after our heroes saved the world the first time around, readers get to see the evolution of Scadrial.  I loved the story, and the characters, with this second book,  Wayne though still a sidekick, developed more as a character, and is starting to move from sidekick status to equal hero on his own.  
Like any Sanderson book, there are twists and turns and surprises! Cosmere hints and a few throwbacks to the first three Mistborn books, will delight fans of Sanderson and the Mistborn world.

Mistborn unlike many epic fantasy's was lacking in an elaborate legends and myths, but with Shadows of Self, we get to see how the initial trilogy is the basis for the Myth, legends, and religions of the world, it will be interesting to see where this goes as the Mistborn world moves from Industrial Revolution, to the planned additional series, of Urban Fantasy, and Sci-Fi. 

 I suggest new readers start with The Alloy of Law, before reading this book. It does add to the experience if you have also read the the 3 book Epic Fantasy Series Mistborn,  but this series can easily be read without that as a standalone series. 

Details:
Series: Mistborn, book 5.  Book 2 in the Wax and Wayne Story Arc, Book 1 in the Wax and Wayne TrilogyPublished October 6th 2015 by Tor Books
Brandon Sanderson’s Shadows of Self debuts at number 5. on the New York Times Best Sellers Combined Print and E-Book Fiction List for  Oct 18, 2015 - Nov 1, 2015, and number 8 on the Hardcover Fiction list.

Links:
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Words of Radiance Deleted Interlude

Brandon Sanderson has released a deleted Interlude from an important minor character in Words of Radiance. 
Words of Radiance Deleted Interlude: Stick

Also  at brandonsanderson.com the latest Shardhunt unlockable is up: the deleted prologue to Sandersons Hugo Award-winning novella The Emperor's Soul.

Book Review: Words of Radiance by Brandon Sanderson

Words of Radiance by Brandon Sanderson

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Words of Radiance  by Brandon Sanderson is the second book in the Stormlight Archive series, where The Way of Kings built a great world, and a fantastic story, Words of Radiance (WoR) soared to new heights and depths in fantasy, and genre fiction.

Words of Radiance is NOT a stand alone, this is one where you do have to read the first book.

Read my review of the physical book and artwork: The Words of Radiance: A Work of Art.

Synopsis review of The Way of Kings Book one in The Stormlight Archive:

The Way of Kings (TWoK) is a brilliant start to a proposed ten book epic fantasy series. It has all the epic essentials and archtypes; a young boy, and a young girl, a Hero's Journey, and a Heroines Quest, A Fallen Hero, Good vs. Evil and the expected fantasy huge cast of characters.

But Sanderson doesn’t stop there like any fantasy there is detailed world-building. Sanderson's world is vibrant and teeming with; diverse flora and fauna, fantastical beasts, unique cultures, court intrigue and politics, history, mythology. Oh and he manages to expertly add in foreshadowing, red-herrings, Chekov's guns, plot twists (Well, more like twists, turns, twirls and flips).

What is missing from TWoK is much of the epic fantasy pitfalls. The story, characters and world have depth and are full, without tedious exposition. There is a lack of info-dumps, long descriptive 'journey' chapters, and no characters feel flat or there just for plot effect.

TWoK was full, it took all the tropes of epic fantasy and turned them upside down, pushed them to new levels, it was epic it was amazing.
Words of Radiance (WoR) is the second book in The Stormlight Archive where The Way of Kings (TWoK) built a great world, and a fantastic story, Words of Radiance soared to new heights and depths in fantasy, and genre fiction.

On to a No Spoilers Review of Words of Radiance:

WoR has everything mentioned above in the TWoK review synopsis, and then more times 10. WoR is an intense read. Sanderson has delivered with Words of Radiance. WoR goes above and beyond expectations, this is an action packed fast paced book(All 1088 pages of it!) with intensity and depth.

Where TWok was a book that hooks a reader to the story and the world, WoR is a character book. In the first book we are introduced too and learn to really like one, all or many of the characters. WoR immerses the reader in an emotional tension filled relationship with the main characters, and many of the non-POV characters. Sanderson takes the reader beyond the interest and standard fan-squeee for the story of his heroes and heroines, to the point where as the reader you are emotionally invested in their lives, struggles and successes.

I could write paragraphs on each of the different characters and how awesome and brilliantly they are written. It would probably take a research paper to describe all of the literary and fantasy tropes, that Sanderson has used brilliantly while completely changing them and making them new and exciting.

In addition to pushing epic fantasy into new and exciting directions,(including genre publishing) Sanderson has broken long held canon on fantasy character portrayals and world building. This is no orphan goes on a journey and saves the world fantasy, it is oh, so much more. The Stormlight Archive is an obvious must read for any epic fantasy fans, but I would recommend this book to anyone that likes an in-depth story with great characters.

Read Brandon's article,  Words of Radiance and the Art of Creating Epic Fantasy

"Whether you've been hyped for Words of Radiance or not, you are not prepared for how fantastic it is."  - Rob Bricken
Read more of this fantastic review over at io9.com: Words of Radiance puts the "epic" back in epic fantasy

Links:

Stormlight Archive on Tor.com 

Brandon Sanderson

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Random Musings on Words of Radiance.

Words of Radiance Debuts at #1 on the NYT Bestseller list!

More details can be found here on Tor.com

 Brandon's talks about Epic Fantasy, and The Stormlight Archive: Words of Radiance and the Art of Creating Epic Fantasy

Words of Radiance 
by Brandon Sanderson
(The Stormlight Archive #2)
Published by Tor Books on March 4, 2014
Genres: Adult, Fantasy
Length: 1088 pages
Goodreads

Reviews:

"Whether you've been hyped for Words of Radiance or not, you are not prepared for how fantastic it is."Rob Bricken
Read more of this fantastic review over at io9.com: Words of Radiance puts the "epic" back in epic fantasy

This has to be one of the best lines I have read in any review of Stormlight Archive: Combat Tinkerbell.
"The fact that Kaladin is running around with his own version of Combat Tinkerbell on his shoulder makes me think that Sanderson knows what he’s doing.  I choose to believe that Syl’s placement was a deliberate literary nod to the boy who won’t grow up."  See more at: Dan & Sally's Digital Domain 


"The second book of The Stormlight Archives, WORDS OF RADIANCE, comes crashing down on us after a near four year absence. And ooh boy, does book 2 deliver on what it's promising"  See more at:
Elitist Book Reviews: Words of Radiance

Words of wonder: Brandon Sanderson seeks, delivers 'something big' in epic fantasy | By Michael De Groote, Deseret News

Shallan's Lullaby from Words of Radiance

The Words of Radiance: A Work of Art

 Before I review the story I want to comment on the book itself. 

The Way of Kings 

Cover Art by Michael Whelan @Tor.com

Words of Radiance 

Cover by Michael Whelan @Tor.com

This is more than a book it is a work of art. Tor outdid itself when they published the first book in The Stormlight Archive and like The Way of Kings (TWoK), Words of Radiance (WoR) is an elaborate beautifully embellished massive tome. 

The Way of Kings stood out, with stunning cover art by Michael Whelan, and wonderful color endpapers it had the most extensive and best interior art I've ever seen in a fantasy or any novel. Whelan exceeded himself with the Cover Image for Words of Radiance. 

Words of Radiance goes one step further Tor has pushed the limits both on the size of the book, (apparently the largest book they can publish) and on the scope of the interior art and of course the amazing cover and front endpapers by Whelan. Sanderson and Tor have pushed fantasy books into a new territory where the art goes far beyond the typical fantasy, gotta have a map mentality. 

The interior art enhances the experience of reading both books in The Stormlight Archive. The images are not just pictures, they are in-world depictions adds a depth that flows with and is a part of the story. 

The in-world sketches from Shallan and Navani's Journals are an integral part of the story and help the reader to immerse themselves in the diverse and varied world that Sanderson has created. The phrase "A picture is worth a thousand words" rings true here. One image is able to replace chapters of worldbuilding descriptions, allowing Sanderson to move the story along without losing that depth of understanding and detail.

 An in-world Alethi script on some of the images in TWoK gave hardcore fans the chance to try their hand at deciphering and translating this script to find out additional information. In WoR an different version of the script was added for another language/ culture. We also see an expansion of the Glyphs, and their execution and possibilities. WoR even includes an Easter Egg Cosmere artist, (Now that is sneaky). This brilliance by Sanderson to include Easter Eggs, codes, scripts and challenges deserves its own evaluation and post! 

The detailed maps, symbols, and icons throughout both books play a far deeper role than just chapter illuminations, they are part foreshadowing, part worldbuilding, and part mystery. 

Well done Tor and thank you for pushing fantasy to the next level in book publishing.

For anyone that reads e-book versions, or wants to see details for the images Sanderson provides all of the interior art for the books on Sandersons website, see book art links below.

* Read Brandons words on Epic Fantasy and The Stormlight Archive books:
Words of Radiance and the Art of Creating Epic Fantasy.

Interior Artists: 

Ben McSweeney - Inkthinker. (TWoK, WoR)

Isaac Stewart (TWoK, WoR)

Greg Call (TWoK)

Dan dos Santos (WoR)

The Way of Kings Art Links

Interior Art for The Way of Kings

Read about the Cover Art for TWoK on Tor

Whelan's Cover Art for TWoK 

Words of Radiance Art Links

Interior Art for Words of Radiance

Read about Whelan’s Endpapers for Words of Radiance,Featuring Shallan on Tor.com

View and download WoR Cover Art and Endpapers on Tor.

Michael Whelan's WoR Cover Art 

Links:

Stormlight Archive on Tor.com 

Brandon Sanderson

 

Epic Reading Marathon Ahead

That is a large book.

THE STORMLIGHT ARCHIVE

Words of Radiance is Here!

TOR.COM

 It’s Words of Radiance, the biggest, most hugest epic fantasy novel even we have ever laid eyes on.    Read more on Tor.com

March 4th is right around the corner, and I am really looking forward to a reading immersion of this 1088 page monster.

With this planned 10 book series and Book 1 "The Way of Kings" nearly as large with 1007 pages, I am going to have to build a reinforced book shelf before this series is done!

If you have run out of time to re-read the first book check out the Tor.com re-read articles of "The Way of Kings", by Brandon Sanderson.

Book Review: Steelheart by Brandon Sanderson

Steelheart by Brandon Sanderson

Reckoners series, book 1

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Fantastic ..... To Quote Pat Rothfuss: "Steelheart is another win for Sanderson, proving that he's not a brilliant writer of epic fantasy, he's simply a brilliant writer. Period. "

The first book in Sanderson's Reckoners series, Steelheart is everything a book should be, it is well written, the action and pacing are intense, the world-building is phenomenal and the characters are engaging. But that is only the beginning of why this is a great book.

Sanderson manages to evoke the feeling of the old comics and classic Superhero's with a unique twist and the reality of what power really is and what it means to be a true hero.

Links:
Brandon Sanderson
Steelheart Portal


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Book Review: A Memory of Light by Robert Jordan & Brandon Sanderson

A Memory of Light The Final Book in The Wheel of Time by Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson

Wheel of Time Series Book 14

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

The end of an age, the end of an epic.
After 23 years,15 books, 11,916 Pages, 684 Chapters,4,416,130 Words, I do not think I have the words yet to say anything about "A Memory of Light" or The end of "The Wheel of Time".

Right now I can only say thank you Robert Jordan for your dream and your story. Thank you to Harriet and Team Jordan and Brandon Sanderson who worked to keep the wheel turning.

Links:
Dragonmount.com a Wheel of Time Community.
Theoryland.com hardcore fan freaks of the wheel of time.
Encyclopaedia WoT A premier resource among when it comes to the online Wheel of Time world. It is exactly what it sounds like.
Authors website: Brandon Sanderson

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Book Review: The Emperor's Soul by Brandon Sanderson

The Emperor's Soul by Brandon Sanderson


My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Though the The Emperor's Soul is set in the same world as Elantris, it is a stand alone story, and requires no knowledge of his worlds.
This short Novella is brilliantly done, and an example of how versatile Sanderson's writing is, and how he continues to push the boundaries and will continue to be one of the authors that takes fantasy to new levels.

Having read all of his other books, in some ways it felt odd to have such a small book, without the in-depth world building, but Sanderson still manages to fill his world with a fascinating and unique magic system, interesting characters, and a unique world.

Picking up a book for a new author can be risky and daunting when many of Sanderson's books run between 500 and 1000 pages. The Emperor's Soul is a fantastic book to introduce any new readers to Sanderson's worlds and writing.

The main character Shai, is not heroic in the same vein as many fantasies, but this unique take on creativity and art as an heroic trait is brilliant and has such a great new feel to it.

Though the story is fully complex and complete, I did wish, not for more of this story but for the more all-encompassing look into this creativity concept, that a 1000 page book would have had. The length of the book also limited this to a single point of view, which worked well for this book, but in some ways is a tease, since the other characters were still so interesting you want to know them better.


Links:
Brandon Sanderson

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Book Review: Towers of Midnight - Wheel of Time by Robert Jordan & Brandons Sanderson

Towers of Midnight by Robert Jordan
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Brandon Sanderson and Robert Jordan have done it again.
Though this book steps away from the typical Jordan style mopre than The Gathering Storm did, I think the pacing and jumping around with plot lines and story arcs was a nessecity to bring the sory to a point that can be wrapped up and concluded in the next book.
The Wheel continues to turn in unexcpected ways, many theories and side plots cam to conclusions in this book, some were expected some were twists that were very unexpected, and some things make you question how it is going to end, after 13 books I thought I had an idea of how this world and story would conclude, now I wonder if I know anything.

Fans of The Wheel of Time will pick at the pacing and lack of depth for some of the story arcs, some will agonize over not haveing chapters and chapters to fill out some of the plots they have been waiting for years to have concluded, and others will be furious that so much is still left undone.

I praise Sanderson on trying to meet all expectations as much as he can and to also complete the story, many of us know that this could have continued for another 10 books instead of just the final three, though I would like to continue in this world for another decade, I now eagerly await with many others for the Final Battle.



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Book Review: The Way of Kings- The Stormlight Archive, by Brandon Sanderson

The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I have read The Way of Kings multiple times both the Hardcover and in ebook format, I decided in my re-read preparation for book 2 in the series that I would give the audiobook a try.

I tend to prefer reading to audio books, but some narrators are just so good that they add something to the books, and this is definitely the case with Kate Reading and Michael Kramer.

There is so much to The way of Kings by Sanderson, he has really taken the Epic Fantasy series to another level with this book, it feels epic, but it also feels new.
Sanderson manages to avoid much of what makes first books in a series slow and difficult to get into.
He manages to weave in the info dumps, backstory and worldbuilding in ways that make it part of the story, where you realize after you have read that it has been there but is less obvious. Where he can not do that, he has included interludes, short stories of side characters that give a look into different parts of the world without adding 100 major POV characters, or bogging down the main story.

My original review after the first read:

The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Engaging and epic. For a first book in a proposed 10 book series, The Way of Kings delivers. Brandon Sanderson has created interesting characters that are real, that you grow to like over the span of this 1000+ page book.
Brandon has created a fantasy world without all of the fantasy standards. It was a pleasure to read the description of a world lacking medieval european rolling hills and castles.
This "non-orphan becomes the savior of the world" fantasy will appeal to non-fantasy readers as well. I have already placed this book on the shelf with my re-reads, I plan to enter this world again.


Links:
Brandon Sanderson
Read Sample Chapters
17th Shard: the official Brandon Sanderson fan site, and Wiki and Forums.
Art work and maps from The Way of Kings.

Amazing cover art by Michael Whelan:

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