Cosmere Collection

Arcanum Unbounded – 5/5 Stars

So I am a big Brandon Sanderson fan. I think he’s goofy and a weird and lives in a world in violence is normal, sex is gross, and the word maladroit is normal. But so it goes.

So I haven’t read Elantris or Warbreaker as I set off into this world and though I will soon, I was willing to read anything not directly spoilery about those worlds.

Highlights for me:

The Emperor’s Soul – This novella is really good. If it’s typical of Elantris, I am really looking forward to my next steps. The world building is solid, the magic is good, and the story works. This is about a captive “forger” who uses the soul stamps to rebuild the brain/soul of an assassinated emperor. Brandon Sanderson likes writing female characters and he’s pretty ok at it, so this works.

White Sands – I won’t likely read this series of comic books on their own, but I like new magic systems and new worlds. It’s hard not to just assume this is part of Rosharr, but whatever.

Allomancer Jack – I liked this one a lot because I love parody of pulp (more than actual pulp) a lot and I appreciate his having fun with it. He’s not a really funny author, and this was actually pretty funny.

 

Not lowlights, but mehlights.

Mistborn A Secret History – I feel like authors need to leave their own books alone and this is a clear case of it. I don’t need dead characters to get a curtain call. I liked the prequel but not this one so much.

Edgedancer: I love Rosharr, and I want lots and lots of books and I LOVE characters leveling up. That said, I don’t think I really like Lift that much. I wonder if that’s sacrilege. I think she’s kind of boring and honestly I hate the word awesome.