Cover art for Brandon Sanderson and Robert Jordan's A Memory of Light - For Real This Time

The actual Michael Whelan cover (plus full art) for Sanderson and Jordan's A Memory of Light. Is it sad that I find it completely uninspiring?

Cover art for Brandon Sanderson and Robert Jordan's A Memory of Light

The cover for the final book in the Wheel of Time epic is finally revealed. And as much as I am not a fan of the paper WoT covers, I have to admit it's really appropriate for the final chapter of the series.

EDIT: Of course, it turned out to be a placeholder, with the actual cover yet to be released. I'm dumb and out of the loop apparently...

Mistborn: The Alloy of Law - Brandon Sanderson

Three hundred years have passed since the events in Mistborn took place, and the world of Scadrial is vastly different. After the Terris servant Sazed absorbed the essences of Ruin and Preservation and became the god Harmony, he set off to repair the damage done to the land by Ruin and The Lord Ruler. He reinvigorated the dead world's nature, and gave the Words of Founding to the few survivors - all the knowledge he had spent his life protecting, hints of discoveries yet to be made, and directions to a better future, including the plan for the great city of Elendel. Harmony also changed the laws of Allomancy and Feruchemy - one ability is all a person could ever get in the new world, and Mistborn can now only be found in the legends of the Survivor and the Ascendent Warrior. Humanity has discovered electricity, and steam trains roam the land. Revolvers and shotguns are the weapons of choice, and tall buildings of metal and concrete reach for the skies.

Waxilium Ladrian is a Twinborn - a person who has both one Allomantic, and one Feruchemical skill. He can push metals by burning steel, and he can store and draw weight in his ironminds. He is also the heir of one of Elendel's big noble houses, but has abandoned the city, and has instead chosen to live in the Roughs. The wild and untamed territories are far from the reach of the metropolis, and the law of strength still rules there. Lawkeepers like Wax are the only ones who stand between the fledgling settlements and the roaming bandits. However, the nearly ruined House Ladrian needs him, and he has no choice but to abandon his duties in the Roughs and accept those he has to the many workers that depend on his family for their livelihood.

Once in Elendel however, Wax is quickly reunited with another lawkeeper - the half-mad Twinborn Wayne (capable of creating bubbles of sped-up time by burning bendalloy, and storing health in a goldmind) - who claims that something sinister is going on in the city, having to do with a crime group known as "The Vanishers", which is stealing shipments from trains, and taking seemingly random hostages. Wax and Wayne find themselves in the midst of a conspiracy that threatens the very foundation of the new human society.

The Alloy of Law is a fresh addition to the Mistborn universe. The events of the original trilogy are known to be history, but have been put into many religions and have taken the grandiosity of myth. All the heroes that once saved the world have been given names like The Ascendent Warrior (Vin), The Survivor (Kelsier), The Lord Mistborn (Spook), and even the god who created the world as humans know it is a factual entity, and not just a religious fabrication. The steampunk setting (which doesn't really feel too much like steampunk, as much as a turn of the 19th century Earth with magic in it) is a nice change of pace, and since Terris population constituted a third of all the surviving humans at the end of The Hero of Ages, Feruchemy is pretty commonplace, though still rarer than Allomancy. Twinborns are an exception, but not nearly as much as the ONE such in the entire old trilogy (the Lord Ruler), with the cool twist that if the two metals match, their power is enhanced thousandfold (hence, the Lord Ruler). The new "only one power" rule and the combination of Allomantic and Feruchemical skills make for completely new dynamic of the fighting scenes (not to mention that guns have replaced sharp objects), and that has only improved them. Just as with Mistborn, Sanderson somehow manages to make his action be almost more exciting than the actual plot (which is a relatively bland mystery).

Brandon Sanderson's style hasn't noticeably improved, but it still serves him well, and even though the characters are stereotypical, they work great both in themselves, and together. The story ends with a huge chunk of the main mystery unresolved, and the author has promised further installments in the adventures of Wax and Wayne (though this time period is still not considered part of the "main" Mistborn storyline). Which is nice, since they are both very likeable. All in all, The Alloy of Law is a stable book, not jaw-droppingly amazing, but still above average, and definitely better than both the second and third books of the original trilogy. It was a quick read, and I am excited about the sequels.

7.5/10

Memory of Light release date

Tor just announced the release date for the final chapter in Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson's eternal saga The Wheel of Time. It's hard to believe the day is finally near, but Memory of Light will be released on January 8, 2013. It is a little disappointing, considering the book is close to being ready, and a lot of people were hoping to see it on the shelves some time between September and December, but I personally am good with this later date, as I am yet to read the Sanderson entries to the series.

For more, check Tor's website.

Second excerpt from Brandon Sanderson's The Alloy of Law

Tor has released a second excerpt from Sanderson's upcoming Mistborn novel, The Alloy of Law. Chapter 2 can be read here.

Brandon Sanderson wins the David Gemmell Legend award

So, Brandon Sanderson won the DGLA 2011 for best novel with his Way of Kings. Congrats to him, even if I have severe reservations where this particular award is concerned. The other winners and coverage of the event could be found here.

Excerpt from Brandon Sanderson's The Allow of Law

Tor has released the prologue and first chapter of Brandon Sanderson's upcoming Mistborn novel, The Alloy of Law.

We are very excited to offer this excerpt from Brandon Sanderson’s fourth and latest Mistborn novel, The Alloy of Law, out November 8th from Tor Books!

Tor.com will be releasing six excerpts in all from The Alloy of Law as the weeks go on, along with sweepstakes, news, and other fun stuff, so keep checking back!

You can keep track of the excerpts by bookmarking this page, or by visiting our Brandon Sanderson Master Index.

It seems good, although you can't really get much from so little text. To read the excerpt, click here.

UK cover for Brandon Sanderson's The Alloy of Law

In the style of all the other UK editions, as expected. It's really good looking, but I still prefer the more direct "fantasy art" US covers.

Cover art and synopsis of Brandon Sanderson's The Alloy of Law

Here is a first glimpse at the cover for Sanderson's upcoming Mistborn novel The Alloy of Law. It looks monochrome, so I guess it's not the final version. Bellow is the synopsis for the book. It's spoiler-free for those who haven't read or finished the original trilogy, and it seems to me that the novel will be in the style of The Final Empire, which translates as made of victory!

Three hundred yearsafter the events of the Mistborn trilogy, Scadrial is on the verge of modernity, with railroads to supplement the canals, electric lighting in the streets and the homes of the wealthy, and the first steel-framed skyscrapers racing for the clouds.

Kelsier, Vin, Elend, Sazed, Spook, and the rest are now part of history—or religion. Yet even as science and technology are reaching new heights, the old magics of Allomancy and Feruchemy continue to play a role in this reborn world. Out in the frontier lands known as the Roughs, they are crucial tools for the brave men and women attempting to establish order and justice. One such is Waxillium Ladrian, a rare Twinborn who can Push on metals with his Allomancy and use Feruchemy to become lighter or heavier at will.

After twenty years in the Roughs, Wax has been forced by family tragedy to return to the metropolis of Elendel. Now he must reluctantly put away his guns and assume the duties and dignity incumbent upon the head of a noble house. Or so he thinks, until he learns the hard way that the mansions and elegant tree-lined streets of the city can be even more dangerous than the dusty plains of the Roughs.

Brandon Sanderson cover goodness

Just a little cover art I stumbled onto - the Mistborn trilogy cover for the e-book edition, and the UK art for Elantris - Sanderson's debut novel. They are both very good, and I like how all the UK editions share the same style, but I have to admit that I am thoroughly in love with the first one, shallow creature that I am. Honestly, if I saw this artwork on an actual omnibus edition, I'd buy it in an instant!

Cover art for the e-book edition of Brandon Sanderson and Robert Jordan's Knife of DreamsTowers of Midnight

Here's the amazing artwork for the e-book edition of the thirteenth installment of The Wheel of Time. As usual, it is a universe apart from the awkwardness that happened to the actual hardcover...

2010 In Retrospect

I read a staggeringly small amount of books this year (you will notice that only two of my choices were actually published in 2010), due to life coming out of nowhere to intervene with my quiet geekiness. Also, this is the first time I've ever actually had to do this kind of thing, so I decided to keep it modest. If - Xenu willing - I'm here next year, I'll probably put more thought into the task.

So, here's

Roland's Random Lists of 2010:

Best books of 2010:



1. The Windup Girl by Paolo Bacigalupi (Review)
There is absolutely no competition for my first place this year. Bacigalupi's environmental dystopia is easily one of the best books I've ever read, and I am happy it got all the acclaim it deserved. I am expecting great things from Bacigalupi, and can't wait to read his novella The Alchemist, if only to see what he would do when unleashed on the Fantasy field.



2. Dragonfly Falling by Adrian Tchaikovsky (Review)
After the first slightly uncertain steps Tchaikovsky made in his debut novel Empire in Black and Gold (review here), the second book in his Shadows of the Apt series showed how grand his world really is, and how much more complex it will get in future novels. The totemic relationship between kindens and their insect avatars, as well as the steampunk elements make for one of the most original epic fantasy worlds in a long time. The fact that Tchaikovsky seems to be getting better with each new novel doesn't really hurt either.



3. Little Brother by Cory Doctorow (Review)
I honestly didn't know what to expect from Doctorow's dystopic YA tale when I started reading it. I am allergic to books that are too "savvy" when it comes to the techno-slang and online culture, but in this case the balance between that and actually good story-telling turned out to be so good that I instantly fell in love with the book.



4. Leviathan Wept and Other Stories by Daniel Abraham (Review)
Although slightly underwhelming - after the hype I'd been exposed to - Daniel Abraham's short story collection was among the events of 2010, and definitely shows an amazing storytelling potential. A name to pay attention to, without a shadow of doubt.



5. The Hero of Ages by Brandon Sanderson (Review)
Although not the best of the series (that honor falls to Mistborn (review here, and here for The Well of Ascension)), The Hero of Ages was a great and mind-bogglingly epic conclusion to one of the best fantasy trilogies written in a long time. Sanderson's detractors keep pointing out his "shyness" when it comes to the topic of relationships and sex, as well as his two-dimensional characters, but in truth, the Mistborn series was almost a text-book example of how to do high fantasy without being numbingly cliche about it. And of course there is the gloriously good magic system(s) that seems to be Sanderson's trademark.


Author of 2010:



Brandon Sanderson
He may not be the brightest literary star in the fantasy genre (it's hard with competition such as George Martin, Gene Wolfe, Scott Bakker or Steven Erikson), but regardless of whether you're a fan or not, Sanderson's success can't be denied. 2010 saw the publication of three of his novels, and the guy doesn't seem to ease up or slip in terms of quality. To be as prolific and consistent is no small feat, and I believe it deserves recognition. As well as the fact that - my respects to both the late Robert Jordan and his most dedicated fans - he is single-handedly saving The Wheel of Time from an underwhelming and disappointing ending while writing with a speed three times that of its creator. So how was your 2010?


Biggest disappointment of 2010:



The Dervish House by Ian McDonald (Review)
Yes, I know this book is on the top places in most other people's "best of" lists, and of course I'm not putting it in this category because I think it's bad. It just didn't connect with me in any conceivable way, and I felt it was completely unequal to the praise it got. And although Ian McDonald is obviously an amazingly talented writer, both this book and the 3/4 of Desolation Road that I read make me think that he just doesn't have the spark that makes the reader actually want to go on reading his work. Or at least he definitely doesn't have the spark that makes me want to...


Discovery of 2010:



Paolo Bacigalupi
There was a pretty big list of names to chose from, considering most of the writers I read this year I had no previous experience with. But Bacigalupi is easily the most promising of all of them, and I can't wait to read his next mature novel. Of course, my mild dislike of environmental themes might ultimately ruin the relationship, but so far it's all going so well...


Most underwhelming new voice of 2010:



Jon Sprunk
I feel slightly penisy for doing that, especially considering that Sprunk's Shadow's Son (review here) wasn't half-bad. Thing is, it was way, way, WAY too predictable and "by the numbers". I'd read it before. Many times. And in some cases more interestingly written. I guess that's the curse of the time we live in - you can only use the classical tropes if you are really amazing with them (Patrick Rothfuss), or if you introduce new elements (Adrian Tchaikovsky). And since Jon Sprunk did neither of those things, Shadow's Son read like something... tired. You don't want that from a debut novel. I am having my fingers crossed for the second part in the series to do better; I think Sprunk has the potential for that.


The books I'm most sorry I didn't get around to:

This is just a list of the titles I really wanted to check out, but couldn't read this year. There's no particular order to it.

Kraken by China Mieville
Surface Detail by Iain M. Banks
The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson
The Gathering Storm and Towers of Midnight by Brandon Sanderson and Robert Jordan
The Sorcerer's House by Gene Wolfe
Dust of Dreams by Steven Erikson
The Long Price Quartet by Daniel Abraham
The First Law Trilogy by Joe Abercrombie
The Living Dead and The Living Dead 2 anthologies by John Joseph Adams
Ship Breaker by Paolo Bacigalupi
Anything by Glen Cook, Michael Moorcock, Alastair Reynolds, Paul Kearney, K.J. Parker and Richard Morgan


Well, that's all folks. 2011 promises to be utterly amazing on the SFF front, and I hope I have more time to dedicate to that, as the amount of forthcoming books I HAVE TO read is slightly scary. But anyway, Happy New Year to everyone, and I hope you didn't make any NY resolutions, as those are lame, but I also hope the year turns out to be all you're hoping it to be!

New Mistborn novel!

Branden Sanderson has confirmed via Facebook that a short Mistborn story he was writing "went out of hand" and Tor has bought the new novel, scheduling it for publication some time next year. It will be set halfway between the original trilogy and the planned second one, where technology is advanced to a level reminiscent of 20th century Earth. We are promised "gunpowder and allomancy". I am so excited about this one!

Brandon Sanderson's Long And Rambling Post On Future Books

Brandon posted a huge post on his site, concerning where he is now in his writing, how long his most anticipated projects - Memory of Light and Stormlight Archives Book 2 - will take to finish, as well as some further ideas he's working on. I was especially thrilled with Scribbler's concept, and can't wait for him to start working on his second Mistborn trilogy (supposed to be taking place in a 20th century-like setting). And he actually apologizes for deciding to take a three-month break, after what he's done these last two years! Gotta love such people.

First chapter from Towers of Midnight now up on Tor's site

Tor has the first chapter of the upcoming Towers of Midnight by Brandon Sanderson and Robert Jordan - titled "Apples First" - on their site. Dig in!

Mistborn: The Hero of Ages - Brandon Sanderson

Mist is suffocating the Final Empire, killing plants by obscuring the sun, and killing people by unknown means. The ash is falling faster and faster, covering the land in blackness, and earthquakes are becoming more and more common. Ruin is touching the world, set free by Vin's mistake when she gave up the power at the Well of Ascension. Now the godlike being is controlling the Inquisitors and Koloss to do his bidding in bringing the final days of the planet he once helped Preservation create. But the Lord Ruler has left secret caches of supplies and messages for his followers, and Emperor Elend Venture is on his way to the city of Fadrex, hiding the last of those, where he hopes to find the atium stash. Meanwhile Spook has been sent to scout in the northern city of Urteau, where a skaa rebel called Quellion has turned the place into a nightmare of persecution and fear. Sazed has lost his faith with the death of his beloved Tyndwil, and he is desperately searching through the religions he has collected, hoping to find one that offers Truth. And the kandra TenSoon returns to his Homeland to bring word of the end of days, dreading that it may fall on deaf ears. But the kandra First Contract is the most important thing the Lord Ruler ever did, and it might hold the salvation of the world... if Vin learns about it in time.

The Hero of Ages is the conclusion to the Mistborn trilogy, and it is a truly apocalyptic novel. The world is ending so badly, that it is a miracle that anyone survives at all. Elend and Vin's battles seem more and more inconsequential when the sky itself is black with ash, and the mists leave only a few hours of unobscured light. It is a book of revelations and ancient secrets resurfacing through Ruin's lies and the Lord Ruler's misdirections. An interesting detail in that regard is that for a time the reader knows more than the characters about the forces of the world, due to the little snippets of information at the beginning of each chapter. In The Final Empire those were excerpts from the journal of Alendi - the original Hero of Ages whom Rashek killed to become the Lord Ruler. In The Well of Ascension they were parts of the final letter written by the Worldbringer Kwaan - the one to initially discover Alendi only to later realize that the prophecies have been manipulated. Here though the excerpts are omniscient. They are written from cosmic perspective and deal with the changes Rashek made with his godlike power, as well as the nature of Ruin, Preservation, Allomancy, Pheruchemy and the new third metal art - Ruin's own Hemalurgy which steals powers and transfers them to another host through the application of carefully places spikes.

The Hero of Ages suffers from the same flaw that The Well of Ascension had - it is too long, and not dense enough plot-wise. Just like the second part, it plays the stalling game, by dealing with two major story-lines and a few minor ones, and switching between those fast enough that not much progression can happen in any one chapter. Of course, the book's redeeming quality is that it is chock-full of revelations, and although those are often highly implausible leaps of logic, they are still very cool - the nature of the mists, the truth about Vin's ability to pierce copperclouds, Ruin's machinations, what Rashek did to the world, and more, and more besides. In truth, the ending of the series is epic in the purest sense of the word, and I was flying through the las fifty pages with the speed of true ecstasy.

In terms of style, Sanderson doesn't always deliver with even quality. There are moments of brilliance, but there are also places where the emotional impact just isn't happening, and unfortunately the final battle is one of those. It works, because it's cool and awesome, but the sacrifices and losses somehow don't connect the way they should. Still, characterization is vastly improved. Vin and Elend are no longer the insecure creatures of The Well of Ascension, while Spook is given a lot more personality than he ever possessed in the series. He effectively becomes an almost main character in The Hero of Ages, and the result is surprisingly good. Unfortunately, the insecurity and constant whining have not been removed, but only transfered, like hemalurgic spikes, and implanted into Sazed. The Terrisman has become annoyingly faithless and apathetic, but at the same time obsessed with telling us how faithless and apathetic he has become. And there is way too much of him in the book to be healthy.

In the end, I would still say that the Mistborn trilogy is a great series. True, it is flawed in some ways, and doesn't always deliver in terms of characterization, emotion or plot structure. But at the times that it does, it does it brilliantly, and in terms of worldbuilding, magic and plot-twists, it is among the very best in the genre. I still think that both the second and third book could have benefited from being tighter and shorter, and it is a bit sad that the trilogy never recaptured the quality of The Final Empire, but when looked in its entirety, it is a great success, and a proof of how promising an author Brandon Sanderson is. I can only hope he develops that promise to become the writer that he obviously has the potential to be.

8/10

Towers of Midnight prologue on Kindle

So, if you're feeling impatient, and can't wait until November, here's the prologue to Brandon Sanderson and Robert Jordan's Towers of Midnight. Personally, I think that sort of teasing is just mean, but if you don't think you can handle the abstinence, do knock yourself out!

A preview of Brandon Sanderson and Robert Jordan's Towers of Midnight

Brandon posted on his site a preview of a chapter from Towers of Midnight called The Seven-Striped Lass. Also, a better looking version could be found on Dragonmount.

Although I am yet to read Sanderson's first entry in The Wheel of Time, I am more than excited about this book, and I'll probably have finished The Gathering Storm by the time Towers of Midnight hits the shelves. Can't wait!

Towers of Midnight trailer from Tor

This is the trailer for the forthcoming Towers of Midnight by "Robert Jordan" and Brandon Sanderson. One more to go, guys, and The Wheel of Time is done!

Cover art for the e-book edition of Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson's The Gathering Storm

How do they do it? How is it, that even though every e-book cover of the series is by a different artist (this one being Tod Lockwood's), they are all infinitely better than the original cover art? Oh wait, I know how. The original cover art is just that bad...