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Brandon Sanderson
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Book
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Publisher | Gollancz | ||
ISBN | 9780575097360 | ||
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Reviewer
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Ann
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Synopsis
Released in two volumes due to size of book. According to mythology mankind used to live in The Tranquiline Halls. Heaven. But then the Voidbringers assaulted and captured heaven, casting out God and men. Men took root on Roshar, the world of storms. And the Voidbringers followed ...They came against man ten thousand times. To help them cope, the Almighty gave men powerful suits of armor and mystical weapons, known as Shardblades. Led by ten angelic Heralds and ten orders of knights known as Radiants, mankind finally won. Or so the legends say. Today, the only remnants of those supposed battles are the Shardblades, the possession of which makes a man nearly invincible on the battlefield. The entire world is at war with itself - and has been for centuries since the Radiants turned against mankind. Kings strive to win more Shardblades, each secretly wishing to be the one who will finally unite all of mankind under a single throne. On a world scoured down to the rock by terrifying hurricanes that blow through every few days is a young spearman ,forced into the army of a Shardbearer, led to war against an enemy he doesn't understand and doesn't really want to fight. What happened deep in mankind's past? Why did the Radiants turn against mankind, and what happened to the magic they used to wield?
Review
Can't emphasise enough - buy this for the Kindle - it's a huge, heavy book and uncomfortable to read unless sitting at a table !
Where to start - its classified as an epic, and the comparisons with Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time series (which Sanderson helped complete) are inevitable and valid. It nearly lost me at the first hurdle as the size, plus the complexity and goriness of the first chapter didn't appeal but as it was a gift, I thought I should carry on, and I was well rewarded. It's a fantasy feast - rich, satisfying, complex.
The tale is told through different characters but one spends long enough with each to really get to know them and not lose them when the switch occurs. The incidental chapters, seemingly uninvolved but casting a different or another light on matters are an inspiration.
Lots of things are not explained - stormlight, spren for instance, but such is the confidence of the writing that one is content to wait trusting the author that all will be made clear in the end. Hope the next book isn't too long in production, but I won't mind having to re-read this one!
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