Arcanum Unbounded
After slogging my way through a few denser books, it was nice to take a break with a collection of Sanderson's shorter fiction. I'd forgotten how readable he is, and I was surprised by how quickly these stories went by. So surprised that I ended up dragging the book out over a few more weeks just so I could keep reading it. Luckily that's easier to do with short fiction.
There were a couple of stories in here (The Emperor's Soul and Mistborn: Secret History) that I'd been wanting to read for a while, but never quite enough to pay $15 for a novella. So I was glad that Sanderson decided to release all his Cosmere short fiction (of which there is a surprising amount) in a single collection. In addition to the stories, there's some background information about the Cosmere that stitches everything together. As Sanderson promises, there are answers about the background story in this collection - just enough to start raising some really interesting questions.
The stories themselves were almost all excellent, too. There are two set in the same world as Elantris - one a direct sequel (showing some happy ever after stuff) and the other taking place in an entirely different part of the world. The second one - The Emperor's Soul - was fascinating. It focuses on a brilliant criminal and her uneasy alliance with on of the emperor's advisers. The magic is similar to that found in Elantris, but also highlights the ways it's similar to the magic found in the Stormlight Archive. Those little connections are abundant in this collection, and it's part of what makes it so much fun.
The Mistborn stories were interesting as well. Though I don't really care for Allomancer Jak, the snarky footnotes made his tale more digestible. The other two focused on Kelsier, both before and after the events of The Final Empire. I was sad when he died at the end of that book, and I'm excited to know that there's probably going to be more about him in the future.
There were also a few short stories on worlds that haven't appeared in the novels yet. One about a woman trying to eke out an existence and protect her daughters in the depths of a malevolent forest. Another about a man watching his way of life die out in the name of progress. They were both amazing.
And then there's the crowning jewel - the Stormlight Archive novella written specifically for this collection. It focuses on Lift, a street urchin who has a very minor role in the second book. It expands a lot on her motivations and abilities, hints at a fascinating backstory, and makes me eager to see more of her in the main series. Which probably won't happen for a few more books, which means many more years.
As I said, I loved every story in this collection (except Allomancer Jak). I'm all caught up on the Cosmere now, and I'm eager for Sanderson to start releasing more stories in this enormous universe he's created.
There were a couple of stories in here (The Emperor's Soul and Mistborn: Secret History) that I'd been wanting to read for a while, but never quite enough to pay $15 for a novella. So I was glad that Sanderson decided to release all his Cosmere short fiction (of which there is a surprising amount) in a single collection. In addition to the stories, there's some background information about the Cosmere that stitches everything together. As Sanderson promises, there are answers about the background story in this collection - just enough to start raising some really interesting questions.
The stories themselves were almost all excellent, too. There are two set in the same world as Elantris - one a direct sequel (showing some happy ever after stuff) and the other taking place in an entirely different part of the world. The second one - The Emperor's Soul - was fascinating. It focuses on a brilliant criminal and her uneasy alliance with on of the emperor's advisers. The magic is similar to that found in Elantris, but also highlights the ways it's similar to the magic found in the Stormlight Archive. Those little connections are abundant in this collection, and it's part of what makes it so much fun.
The Mistborn stories were interesting as well. Though I don't really care for Allomancer Jak, the snarky footnotes made his tale more digestible. The other two focused on Kelsier, both before and after the events of The Final Empire. I was sad when he died at the end of that book, and I'm excited to know that there's probably going to be more about him in the future.
There were also a few short stories on worlds that haven't appeared in the novels yet. One about a woman trying to eke out an existence and protect her daughters in the depths of a malevolent forest. Another about a man watching his way of life die out in the name of progress. They were both amazing.
And then there's the crowning jewel - the Stormlight Archive novella written specifically for this collection. It focuses on Lift, a street urchin who has a very minor role in the second book. It expands a lot on her motivations and abilities, hints at a fascinating backstory, and makes me eager to see more of her in the main series. Which probably won't happen for a few more books, which means many more years.
As I said, I loved every story in this collection (except Allomancer Jak). I'm all caught up on the Cosmere now, and I'm eager for Sanderson to start releasing more stories in this enormous universe he's created.
Comments
Post a Comment