White Sand

It's a little hard to judge White Sand, because it's very obviously the first third of a novel. There are a lot of introductions and a good amount of setup. Then just when things are really starting to get interesting, the book ends. On the bright side, I'm really looking forward to the second installment. Unfortunately, there isn't a release date for it yet.

But let's focus on the first volume, which introduces a new world, a new system of magic, and a shocking number of characters. The story opens with the sand mages, and I really though we'd be spending the bulk of the story with them and their desert-society and intricate magic. But it doesn't take long for the story to veer off in a completely different direction. The world quickly expands, new characters and societies are introduced, and by the end we've got a suitably complicated world.

There are warring factions. People who disapprove of each other. People who've never even heard of each other. Really, there are more characters than I can keep track of. It was really fun to read and become immersed in this world. But I'll definitely need a refresher when the rest of the story is released. It's a good thing this is the shortest Sanderson book to date. It's nice to get a story from him that I can finish in an afternoon.

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