Brandon Sanderson

This was a wonderful, delightful book. I can see how it was inspired by The Princess Bride, and I loved following Tress as she grew into herself as a heroine of the high seas. Hoid’s narration was a hoot, and I collected an embarrassingly large number of quotes from the book to chuckle over later. The spores are a really neat form of magic—how does Sanderson come up with so many cool ideas? And the whole story wraps up beautifully. This book does stand alone, although I personally think show more it helps to at least know who Hoid is, and it is particularly useful to read this immediately after The Lost Metal, although that is by no means mandatory. show less

I'm not typically a fantasy reader, but I was persuaded to give this mammoth tome a chance, and I'm glad I did. While the pacing often felt slow (which explains the sheer size of the book), the writing itself was surprisingly easy to follow, and I found myself invested in several of the character arcs and the larger sense of purpose driving the story.

I especially enjoyed the glimpses into the world’s mythology through Jasnah and Shallan’s storyline, as well as Dalinar’s growing show more struggle to understand his visions and sense of duty. Those parts added a layer of mystery and hidden meaning amongst all the drama and action that met my more intellectual craving. I would love to see those threads explored even further in the following books.

On the other hand, the casual way the story often treated death in battle was jarring to me. It touched a little too close to home as a reminder of how easily human life can be dismissed during war. It contrasted so oddly with the deal and discussion of the value of the bridgemen's lives near the end.

I also have some conflicting feelings about how the Parshendi and Parshmen are depicted. I may be reading too much into it but I picked up on some racial undertones that made me a little uncomfortable. Maybe that was intentional and will be explored or redeemed in later books, but right now it's hard to stomach how almost everyone in this world dehumanizes, enslaves, and hates an entire people (besides a few of the main characters who expressed some desire to understand them).

I really appreciated the book’s moral undercurrents, particularly the idea of standing up for what is right, even when it’s difficult or unpopular. Those themes of honor, duty, and responsibility felt woven into the fabric of the story and bring up a lot of complex questions of morality.

Going in, I wasn’t sure if I’d have the motivation to continue with the series, but this first book did just enough to pique my interest to move forward with book two. show less

This novel was an absolute delight to read. Whimsical in its depictions of fantastical people, places, and ideas, it has the same playful feel of Tress of the Emerald Sea, but written for an older audience in a time when arts has all but been sent to the sidelines and reality itself is constantly questioned.

I love when Sanderson uses an entire book to answer simple questions. (In this case: What is art?) Because the book focuses on one simple question, we get to explore every nook and show more crevice of the possible answers and we get to examine the question itself just as deeply. The result is like a tiny crack in my brain that has allowed thoughts and feelings and possibilities to leak through and freshen up the room a bit.

Definitely read it. I know I'll be returning to this one often! show less

This novel was an absolute delight to read. Whimsical in its depictions of fantastical people, places, and ideas, it has the same playful feel of Tress of the Emerald Sea, but written for an older audience in a time when arts has all but been sent to the sidelines and reality itself is constantly questioned.

I love when Sanderson uses an entire book to answer simple questions. (In this case: What is art?) Because the book focuses on one simple question, we get to explore every nook and show more crevice of the possible answers and we get to examine the question itself just as deeply. The result is like a tiny crack in my brain that has allowed thoughts and feelings and possibilities to leak through and freshen up the room a bit.

Definitely read it. I know I'll be returning to this one often! show less