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Arcanum Unbounded

Arcanum Unbounded - Brandon Sanderson



Synopsis
A collection of Sanderson's "short" stories and novellas set in his Cosmere universe.


Review
It's no secret that Brandon Sanderson is one of my favorite authors. His writing is stupendous, his stories are incredible and his plot twists are mind-blowing. Rarely can I figure out exactly where the story is headed, but I am always exceptionally pleased when I get there!

Sanderson isn't as known for his "short" stories. Probably because they aren't short. Two of them in this collection clock in around 40k words, which is approaching the line between a novella and a novel.

A few of the stories (The Emperor's Soul, Sixth of the Dusk, Shadows for Silence) can be read with no knowledge of his other books, and would perhaps be a good introduction to his writing. Those ones you can get individually or are published in other anthologies. I myself had already read a few of the stories, but within the collection there is also a previously unpublished story.

But!!! This is so much more than a book of short stories.

Sanderson is slowly crafting an epic of epics. Basically, his adult books are all set in the same universe, called the Cosmere. A long time ago, "God" (called Adonalsium) was killed and divided into sixteen attributes, called Shards. These Shards ended up on few different planets and their presence on those planets influenced the magic systems there.

Honestly, the magic systems that Sanderson created are so wonderful and unique and fun. And he created a background that describes how they all work and essentially stem from the same source, but are manifest in different ways. There are also characters that can world-hop. One of them, Khriss, is the one who has "written" the introductions to the various planetary systems before the stories in the collection.

The stories in this anthology are organized according to world. So you have stories relating to Sel, the planet of Elantris, all grouped together, then Scadrial for Mistborn, etc.

Included is an except of the graphic novel, White Sand, along with the written story on which it is based, which I hadn't read before. The story was really only an introduction to the world, but as a short story it was engaging and fun.

There is also a brand new novella, set in Roshar (Stormlight Archives) and starring Lift, a delightful minor character who appears in Words of Radiance. It was a wonderful story, showing the growth of the character Lift as she accepts her role as a Knight Radiant while also fleshing out the world and moving the larger story forward. And, I only have one word for you: Shardfork. (Yes, you read that right.)

For those of you not ready to make such a mental investment, never fear. You can read and enjoy Sanderson's novels without worrying about all this other stuff. However, I think the background adds so much to the characters, stories, and worlds that he has created.

I bought the hardcover version of this book (and it has been a long time since I have done that; I usually read on my Kindle) because of the GORGEOUS illustrations and maps. It's just an all around beautiful book.

This volume is really for the Sanderson fan who wants to know more about what is going on in the background of the stories they love. And for that person, I would highly recommend.


Rating
I give this book 5 stars.


Details
Genre: Fantasy.
Language: None, and most "swearing" are curse words within that world.
Sex: None.
Violence: Some, but not graphic.





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Comments

  1. Dave28/11/16 18:13

    So should I get this even if I own Sanderson's short works on Kindle? Any new material worth owning?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Ashley28/11/16 21:37

      Yes! That's why I bought the hard cover

      Delete

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