Dark One

This story was fine. It was quick and entertaining, and it's definitely an interesting concept. I know Sanderson struggled for years to figure out how to tell this story, and I'm honestly not sure he really figured it out. It almost feels like he just wanted to publish this to publish it, and it didn't get the care some of his other work does. It feels incomplete or flat compared to what I expect from him.

The part that really confused me was whether this was part of the Cosmere or not. I've seen conflicting information, and I honestly hope it's not part of the Cosmere. The main fantasy planet in this story, Mirandus, is directly connected to Earth. And I just don't want Earth to have anything to do with the Cosmere. It's hard to explain, but I want the Cosmere to be pure second-world fantasy, with no connection to our world at all.

This is only the first book in what I believe is a planned trilogy. And there's every possibility that the story will become deeper and more cohesive as the story grows. It could be an interesting reaction to Narnia, especially given Sanderson's own religious background. I wonder if he's picked up on that possibility. An exploration of humans arriving to exploit or save or oppress or rule another world has a lot of interesting connotations with colonialism and missionary work. I'm not sure if Sanderson is the person to explore that theme. Or maybe he's the perfect person to explore that theme. But I can't be sure with only a part of the story.

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