White Sand Volume 1

In some ways I think this may be one of my favorite of Sanderson's works - in a lot of ways I identified with Kenton (constantly seeking approval despite the array of odds against him, the frustrating knowledge that no matter what you do you'll be judged for what you can't do) and for the first part (when he's undergoing the Master's test) I was rooting for him the whole way.

So of course when the meat of the story - the attack on the Sand Masters and Kenton meeting Khriss - I was a little let down. Also GDI another instance where our clever, but socially considered useless hero breaks with tradition and in return he's left orphaned and alone by the narrative. This is why people don't try to break the rules you know

The story suffered show more for two reasons - 1) if you're a fan of Sanderson's works you're used to a more detailed introduction to the world and its particular blend of magic and political atmosphere. Words on a page with more words and sometimes illustrations, but that's it. For a reader like me, who focuses on words not visuals, this is wonderful. WHITE SAND however relied on comprehension of the words while busy visuals were crowding around also trying to make their point.

While the "big" illustrations herein were eye-catching, the average panel distracted more then it helped to convey the story. Much of understanding what's happening involved reading the panels, then going back and looking at the illustrations for each. There was a disconnect for me between the two that made it hard for me to comprehend both at once. My problem wasn't with the illustrations themselves - like I said some were eye-catching and the overall style is pleasing - but with the layout of the action and paneling. I'm so far outside the world of comics I'm not sure if the illustrator has done superhero comics before, but it didn't have the easy transitioning between panels you'd expect from a more veteran illustrator.

The second problem is more of a "what if" sort. Sanderson has an introduction that details where this idea came from, how he's tweaked it and what made him finally bring it out again but in a different (read: non-prose) format. This is part of his larger "Cosmere" universe (I believe this is set at the earliest point in the timeline), so fans will see hints that tie it in (as this is the first volume of three its largely speculated the next two volumes will contain more clues, hints and information), but not so much that non-fans will be like "what is even?". Moreso the issue is that this was adapted from a novel - one that has not been published and I don't believe there are plans to publish it as such in the near future.

It both reads like a Sanderson novel and doesn't. The meat of his novels isn't the dialogue between characters (which is almost always fun), but the world building. A lot of this is shown in context, though some is, by necessity, explained (for instance in WARBREAKER, biochromatic breath is explained to us several different times because its a very visual magic system, whereas in the Mistborn books its shown to us through the characters' actions and reactions). The Sand Masters' (and other spoilery characters) magic may have had more of an effect on me if it had been explained without the visuals to me.

If this has been published as a novel first, I would have gotten more out of it. The pacing feels off - not enough time is given to Kenton and his fellow before/during/after the Master's test (it was over and done before I could blink!) so it lost some emotional resonance with me. I liked Khriss quite a bit, but she just...appeared in the story after the too short introduction to Kenton's people.

tdlr; - I enjoyed this, I'm happy Sanderson is branching into (yet another) type of media to conquer, but I wish more thought had been put into the pacing and overly busy illustrations. show less

I picked this up mainly because it's Brandon Sanderson, but after I read the foreword and got a peek at the artwork, I became quite enamored.

What author wouldn't be thrilled to see his first story-love get fulfilled in a format BETTER suited to it than the original novel? Or I should say... Damn. This is Sanderson, people. He's a writer KNOWN for great magic systems and fantastic visualizations... and this IS a perfect medium for that.

And so I read it and really enjoyed the setup. You know how it is. A kid full of willpower and drive and virtually no support from his society or his father. Stay down. Don't try. You're weak.

Only in this case, he can barely control one thread of sand in battle or defensive magic, where others easily show more handle three or more. He makes up for it with skill and intelligence.

It's classic. And then the test happens, intrigue happens, tragedy happens, and even a little budding romance, and all the while, the worldbuilding keeps pouring in.

Comparing this to another Sanderson book is all fine and well and I will not comment on how it stacks AGAINST some of his most beloved titles. I can say, however, that as a graphic novel, it's rather good, rather complete, and it's exciting in all the best senses.

It is sure as hell has a lot more going on in it than most anything else out there. Compared to the comic field in general, it's an awesome story with great artwork and I'm hooked even without Sanderson's name attached to it.

I call that a win. And besides, it's SAND MAGIC! Flashy, yo! show less

A novel rendition of his graphic novels, I'm not sure which came first, it was on his website for a while, but no longer appears to be there. Which is a shame because it's one of his better ones, on par with what warbreaker should have been. Even after all the words Brandon's written I still think his real talent lies in his inventive magical systems, and much of the rest of his worldbuilding and characterisation exists only to support these amazing constructs.

IN White Sands, the magic is Sand Mastery - the ability to command a pool of sand obey your will. It forms a ribbon from the floor, which is useful constraining limit, and after that it's in the will and power of the beholder. The setting is a tidally locked planet (in and of show more itself quite reasonable, but sadly Brandon plays fast and loose with the physics of such worlds). In the Bright side, everything is hot (but bearable) and baked dry, with plants etc existing under the ubiquitous sand. The Darkside is something else, and we only learn a little about this as our heroine flees from political oppression there, and contrasts the Bright to the Dark she knows. She is of course a Princess, but her kingdom is ruled by an Emperor. Her betrothed fled to investigate whether the rumours of Sand Magic were real, and whether they could help them wrest independence. When he didn't return, somewhat uncharacteristically Khriss leads an expedition of her own to find him. Kenton is our over-looked underdog Sand Mage struggling with only being able to call 1 ribbon of sand, but achieving much with it that others' cannot. He's grown up wishing for his father's respect but without more ribbons this seemed a remote dream. And then the sand mages are all attacked by religious fanatics leaving Kenton and few others alive. Khris meets him staggering in the desert, and together they investigate the various strands of political factions swirling around them both. It ends with a very obvious hook for a sequel being based in the Darkside and probably called Black Sands or similar, but as far as I know it's never been written.

I enjoyed this quite a lot. The length and pacing are good, the sad orphan mage trope doesn't get played, and all the characters have pretty good motivations for their actions in the end, although it's not always apparent on the surface. Unlike many of Brandon's women, Khriss has agency, independence, intelligence and other than once or twice doesn't just wilt into letting men do things for her. show less

The desert planet of Taldain is locked between two suns so that that with one side is constantly in light and the other in constant darkness with powerful magic apparently only occurring amongst the sands on the dayside. The first volume of Brandon Sanderson’s White Sand graphic novel trilogy is an introduction to a new world of the Cosmere and another unique magic system.

Kenton, a weak but skilled sand master, tries to earn a higher-ranking position in the guild of sand masters by running the Mastrell's Path, despite the disapproval of his father, the Lord Mastrell. The day after Kenton proves himself on the Path, the sand masters gather for a ceremony where new rank advancements will be granted. One man, Drile, is demoted for having show more attempted to sell out himself and others as mercenaries. Just as Kenton is grudgingly granted the highest rank, his father is shot with an arrow, and an army of Kerztian warriors attacks. The sand masters, being surprised and unprepared, are soundly defeated. Just before his death, the Lord Mastrell unleashes a wave of power that leaves Kenton buried beneath the sand. After waking, Kenton is joined by Khrissalla, Baon, and two Darkside professors who are lost. They are searching for information about Khriss' late fiancé and the "sand mages" he sought. On the way to the nearest city, they are attacked by a small group of Kerztian warriors. Kenton's sand mastery suddenly proves to be inaccessible, but Baon drives the warriors away with his gun. Upon arriving in Kezare, Kenton's powers return with greater strength than ever, and he stands before the Taishin, who plan to disband the Diem of sand masters. He is granted the position of acting Lord Mastrell and is given two weeks to convince the Taishin otherwise. Kenton returns to the Diem and drives away the rebellious Drile, who Kenton believes was responsible for betraying the sand masters to the Kerztians. Elsewhere, Trackt Ais works to catch a crime lord, Sharezan, amid threats to her family. The Lady Judge meets with Ais and asks her to spy on Kenton. Meanwhile, Khriss inadvertently locates Loaten, an infamous Darksider, in her search for information. He offers little direct help but sets her on a path to meet with the leaders in the city. Ignorant of the role of the sand masters, and of Kenton's new station, she arrives at the Diem just as Drile returns to do battle with Kenton.

The story has all the hallmarks of Sanderson book with excellent execution of character introduction and conflict amongst the important members of the cast. The art of Julius Gopez and coloring of Ross A. Campbell bring this unique world and environment alive very well. However, while the elements that makes Sanderson, well Sanderson, are there the book also doesn’t feel like Sanderson. I do not want to blame scriptwriter Rik Hoskin for this, the change of format to graphic novel from the usual book could be the main factor and Hoskin could very well be the reason this story still reads like a Sanderson story but there is a noticeable difference from other Sanderson works. The other main issue I somewhat have is more biological than story, the color pigmentation of the characters is reversed from what it should be given the planetary environment they are living in unless there was a cosmic shift that changed things.

White Sands Volume I is a wonderful addition to Brandon Sanderson’s Cosmere and is given a unique place in it with the graphic novel format. The art and color are amazing, yet the change from word medium to visual does have an impact on how Sanderson’s style comes across. Overall a very good beginning with story, characters, and atmosphere. show less

When it comes to world building and magic systems, Brandon Sanderson is a master so it was only a matter of time that one of his stories would be made into a graphic novel or, in this case, a series of three graphic novels. White Sand Vol. 1 is based on The Cosmere, an early and unpublished novel by Sanderson. It is set on Taldain, a planet split into two sides: one light or Dayside and one dark, the Darkside. The Darkside is more technologically advanced but the Dayside has sand masters who can manipulate sand through magic. The story follows Kenton, the son of the Lord Mastrell, leader of the sand masters. Kenton has almost no ability to control sand and, despite years of trying, he remains a trainee which makes him an embarrassment show more to his father. Still, he is determined to prove that he can be a master so, at the next gathering to test trainees and despite his father’s objections, he insists on taking the test for Mastrell, the highest rank. He succeeds but, during the advancement ceremony, the group is attacked by Kertzians, another race of Daysiders who despise the Sand Masters. Without any magic of their own, the Kertzians should be easily defeated but, somehow, they are able to prevent the Sand masters from using their own magic. Kenton manages to survive the slaughter and, convinced he is the only one left, sets out to discover who is behind this treachery.

Since this is the first in a series, it is very much an introduction to the world, the magic, and the characters. Still, there’s plenty going on here to keep the reader’s attention both in the story and in the amazing artwork by Rik Hoskin and Julius Gopez. I have seen reviewers mention the grainy somewhat unfinished feel to the graphics but I thought this worked well for a story set in a world composed mainly of sand. The novel is being released by Dynamite Entertainment and should appeal to fans of Sanderson or graphic novels or, well, pretty much anyone who enjoys a good epic fantasy.

With thanks to Netgalley and Dynamite Entertainment for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review show less

That is a solid "it's okay" 2 stars.

A couple thoughts:
- if Naruto and Gaara had a baby that was plopped onto Taldain...
- if you have to include arrows to direct readers through the panels in the correct order, you may not have a good layout.
- seems like the skintones should be reversed for the amount of sun exposure they receive?
- Sanderson's strengths do not translate well to graphic novel -- or at least, aren't translated well here. His novels are full of interior thoughts and motivations (that also show off the world-building), and you just don't get that as much here. (Which is funny, because usually it seems to work out that a visual medium adds to stories by quickly depicting facial expressions or knickknacks that otherwise might show more be annoying or distracting to read about in depth.)

Edit to add: I read the original prose version of this in Arcanum Unbound, and yep, it was much more interesting and full of more character nuance than comes out in the graphic novel. Sigh. show less

I like Sanderson's novels. After reading this, I think that he had a problem moving from thousand page fantasy novels to 30 page comics. It's tough.

The story seems alright, but the effort he would usually put into fleshing out the workings of his world is rushed, so it's not always clear why the characters are doing what they do.

It also seems vaguely racist (and totally backwards) that the inhabitants of the dark side of the planted are all black and the denizens of the perpetually sunny side are all white. There may be a cool explanation of that, but its not in volume 1.