Well Hello Bookies~
Doing a Tuesday Tidbit review for Brandon Sanderson and his Novella – The Emperor’s Soul today.
How to begin with my shock and awe for this one. Guys, it’s UNDER 200 pages and it beats some books I’ve read that are fully flushed out. (Yeah, it’s that good)
Quick things you may want to know:
1.) You CAN read this novella without any other background or stories from Brandon Sanderson.
(I totally did……it’s a stand-alone.)
2.) It is in the same universe as his Cosmere books (and boy there are a lot of those!)
3.) It’s specifically on the same planet as the Elantris series (Sel is the planet’s name)
Side Note: This also won the Hugo Award in 2013 for Best Novella… cuz you needed more reason to read it……Not 😀
This book follows the story of Shai, a forger, who is captured by the Empire and given an impossible task of ‘forging’ a soul for the Emperor. (Forging relating to the word ‘forgery’ ) It SOUNDS silly but it was a fascinating read.
Now let’s break it down~
“No matter how good you were, someone was better. Live by that knowledge, and you would never grow so confident that you became sloppy.”
― Brandon Sanderson, The Emperor’s Soul
It’s rare these days that I find something that’s a great fantasy read and also thought provoking on a moral level. By the end of this book, I was rethinking how people manipulate those around them and how perspective affects everything for a human. Not like the ‘duh perspective does’ but more of the ‘societal belief structure’. Yeah.. heavy… LOL
Character development: I wasn’t expecting much for a 175 page book and I underestimated. Brandon Sanderson flushes out a solid 4 characters, with others mixed in as well. Shai is clearly a favorite, her reasoning and realistic behavior is engaging. Gaotona is the other flushed out character and he’s all that you hope for in humanity. It’s a strange statement for me to say, but you really cheer for him in this book.
“People,” Shai said, rising to fetch another seal, “by nature attempt to exercise power over what is around them. We build walls to shelter us from the wind, roofs to stop the rain. We tame the elements, bend nature to our wills. It makes us feel as if we’re in control.”
― Brandon Sanderson, The Emperor’s Soul
Brandon Sanderson has made a stunning and impactful story in this novella. The premise is intriguing, with a touch of science, and detailed.
Overall Summary:
- Overall Rating: 4.5 Stars
- Plot: 5 Stars
- Character Development: 4 Stars
- Dialogue: 4.5 Stars
- Writing: 4.5 Stars
I would recommend this to anyone. Even if you don’t like the Fantasy genre, the way this reads is very unique. I would be surprised if most don’t enjoy it.
Happy Reading!!
~Ash
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