Down the Stacks #44: Mistborn

A belated Happy 2017 to you.  We’re going to kick this year of Down the Stacks off with, big surprise, a Brandon Sanderson book.  Specifically, I’m going to be reviewing a trilogy I should have done much sooner than this: the original Mistborn trilogy, also known as the The Final Empire or Mistborn era one.  Mistborn was Sanderson’s second published novel, following the stand-alone Elantris (that’s also on my to-do list), and the one that helped make the whole Cosmere a viable publishing project.

Down the Stacks #43: Arcanum Unbounded

It is Brandon Sanderson time once more here on Down the Stacks.  This week’s selection is from the Cosmere, but in a much more general sense than any other book.  Arcanum Unbounded is a new anthology collection that brings together a number of short Cosmere tales that have been previously published in many disparate places.  It’s more than just a simple anthology though: this new Arcanum provides never before seen glimpses into the works of a significant player in the Cosmere’s background narrative.

Down the Stacks #33: White Sand

Normally, I draw material for Down the Stacks from my local library, and I have yet to review a graphic novel.  This week, things are different.  I was at Barnes & Noble and noticed something on one of the “special feature” tables: the name Brandon Sanderson printed across the top of a graphic novel called White Sand.  Considering my moderate obsession with Brandon Sanderson and his Cosmere, it should come as no surprise that I picked that book up without a second thought, nor that I’m about to gush about it for this week’s Down the Stacks.

Down the Stacks #26: The Alloy of Law

It’s Brandon Sanderson time once more here on Down the Stacks.  I just can’t stay away from the man’s genius for worldbuilding and characters.  This week’s sample from the Cosmere is The Alloy of Law, first entry in Sanderson’s second series set on the world of Scadriel, home of the Mistborn trilogy that put Sanderson on the map.  Alloy is set three centuries after Mistborn, so what spoilers the book contains for the original trilogy are hidden under the veneer of legend and quasi-religious titles for Mistborn’s major players.  For the sake of those who haven’t read Mistborn yet, I’ll avoid mentioning the original trilogy as much as possible while setting the stage.

If you’re still willing, read on ahead.

Down the Stacks #20: The Rithmatist

I had a different book planned for this week’s Down the Stacks, but as I sat down to write the review I decided I need to read more of the series before trying to comment on it.  Instead, I’m once again turning to my favorite author, Brandon Sanderson, for material.  This week’s Down the Stacks is the first and currently only entry in Sanderson’s newest young adult series: The Rithmatist.

Down the Stacks #13: The Emperor's Soul

This week on Down the Stacks, for the first time I return to an author I’ve previously featured: Brandon Sanderson.  As I’ve said before, Sanderson is one of my all-time favorites because of his world-building and ability to hold his readers’s interest through hundreds of pages.  This week’s selection, The Emperor’s Soul, is a much lighter affair, clocking in at a modest 167 pages.  Despite its brevity, however, The Emperor’s Soul still has most of the hallmarks of Sanderson’s writing.

Down the Stacks #11: Warbreaker

This week on Down the Stacks, I’m turning my attention to one of the my all-time favorite contemporary authors, Brandon Sanderson.  He is a master story-weaver with a particular gift for crafting fascinating and complex worlds with unique cultures and very realistic problems.  Sanderson is also the best creator of new and unusual systems of magic; half the fun of reading his novels is learning the rules that govern each world’s magic systems.  The other half of the fun is watching the characters resolve major conflicts that may only tangentially relate to magic.

There are a lot of Brandon Sanderson book series to choose from, but for this review I’ll be looking at one of the stand-alone novels: Warbreaker.