The Final Empire (by Brian Sanderson)

Submitted by szaijan on Mon, 02/08/2010 - 9:47am

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I recently finished reading a trilogy which captured my imagination as well as the Name of the Wind. The fantasy series is set in a unique world, with main characters who use genetic magics based upon the consumption of various metal alloys. There is an almost post apocalyptic feel to a dying world, ruled over by a god-like emperor who keeps society static and requires his worship as sole deity. The first book starts with a professional band of thieve's, with a demagogue of a leader driving them to try and overthrow this nearly omnipotent Lord-Ruler. The characters are very good, and the writing is Brust-like in quality and dialogue driven style. It's the plot and the ever unfolding mysteries of the world that really drive these books, however.

Sanderson kept me spellbound and I plowed through this excellent series is far too short a time. This is a single story in three parts, and not part of an ongoing series. Highly recommended.

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Warbreaker

Submitted by szaijan on Thu, 02/25/2010 - 7:20pm.

I'm currently reading Sanderson's stand alone novel, Warbreaker. Once again he's created a uniquely magical world, the description of which left be absolutely cold. Once again he'd completely hooked me a third of the way in, and characters who seemed less than engaging now have my whole attention and affection. Sanderson's simply an excellent writer, and his plotting is as good as it gets in the fantasy genre. His plots remind me a bit of Stephen Donaldson's excellent "The Mirror of Her Dreams" and "A Man Rides Through" two book series, where Donaldson proved he could write, evidence from the Covenant series not withstanding.

EDIT: I just finished Warbreaker. I really liked the book, though it wasn't quite up to the standards of the Last Empire. Once again, the plot was excellent, the mysteries unfolded masterfully, and I ended up liking characters I thought I wouldn't. All in all, Sanderson rocks!

Impulsive

Submitted by Rick on Sun, 02/21/2010 - 7:39pm.

I've been looking for something to read for some time now, so I impulsively grabbed all three books off Amazon, and I'm about halfway through the first. I found the story a little slow, but there was enough there to keep me reading and I'm steadily being drawn in. Sanderson can write, and he's created an interesting world. If the trend continues, this should end up being a worthwhile investment.

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