Helpful Score: 3
This book, Warbreaker, is another brilliant creation by master fantasy novelist Brandon Sanderson. While the version I read was rough and unfinished, it still had that unique feel to it that he is so good at creating. Warbreaker features yet another new and different world, magic system, and overall feel. Although I personally didn't think it was quite as good as the Mistborn books, that may have been due to the fact that I was not reading the final version, but the in-progress one that was available on the author's site. Even so, I recommend anything by this absolutely amazing author, and I hope to be able to read more from him soon! Highly recommended!!
Helpful Score: 2
I got this book through Amazon vine and when I received it in the mail I was intimidated; it is quite the brick of a book. All I can say is that I was really, really, really impressed with this book. It is the most amazing book I have read in a long time. Previously Sanderson has written the Mistborne Trilogy and a stand alone novel called Elantris. I haven't read any of those books but I wanted too; so getting this book from Vine gave me a chance to check out this work.
A quick side note, I am a bit Wheel of Time fan and when Robert Jordan died I was devastated. Well, it looks like Sanderson has been chosen to conclude the Wheel of Time series; he is going to conclude it in three final books. After reading Warbreaker I think this is an awesome choice. Sanderson's writing style echoes much of Jordan's style but it is much more approachable.
In Warbreaker Halladran and Idris are at the brink of war. Idris sends one of their princesses, Siri, to wed the God King of Halladran in an effort to stall the war. Initially Siri, was not supposed to be the one sent; her sister, the eldest princess, Vivenna had been trained since birth to wed the God King. But in a last minute decision the Kind of Idris sends Siri instead. Siri is thrown into a dangerous city of court intrigue and the mysterious magic of BioChromatic Breath and is left to fend on her own as her country totters on the brink of war. Vivenna is bereft when Siri is sent in her place and decides to journey to Halladran to rescue her sister; when she arrives she finds herself quickly thrown into dangerous city politics. The set is completed with Vasher a deadly man with a darkly humorous sword who has an agenda of his own and Lightsong one of the Halladran's gods; Lightsong is a Returned who can't understand why he was returned to godhood. It all makes for an intricate, exciting, and very enjoyable book.
I can't say "Wow" enough times. This book was executed with brilliance. I really mean it. With epic fantasies such as this book sometimes you run into plots that are too complicated, having too many names thrown at you at once, or having systems of magic that are too complicated to grasp; not to mention epics that need to run 12 books to make a good story. This book did everything right. All of the characters are intriguing and engaging; they are introduced in such a way that you are never confused about who is who or who is on whose side. The system of BioChromatic Breath magic is unbelievably creative, entertaining, and very complex; yet somehow Sanderson introduces this system of magic with an ease that does not confuse the reader and yet delivers great complexity. The plot is immense and complicated yet it is nicely resolved in one book; very satisfyingly resolved...nothing seems rushed.
I really can't believe how good this book is. Sanderson did everything right; I couldn't find a single thing to dislike about this book. It is an immense book but I breezed through it; it was sooo hard to put down. The book propels you forward, the action and suspense is non-stop. It is also so creative, the magic system is like nothing I have ever dreamed up or heard of before. I have put all his previous books on my "to read list" and I am keeping this book safe on my bookshelf so that I can read it again soon. I am also so glad that this is the author chose to finish the Wheel of Time series. Just wow!!
A quick side note, I am a bit Wheel of Time fan and when Robert Jordan died I was devastated. Well, it looks like Sanderson has been chosen to conclude the Wheel of Time series; he is going to conclude it in three final books. After reading Warbreaker I think this is an awesome choice. Sanderson's writing style echoes much of Jordan's style but it is much more approachable.
In Warbreaker Halladran and Idris are at the brink of war. Idris sends one of their princesses, Siri, to wed the God King of Halladran in an effort to stall the war. Initially Siri, was not supposed to be the one sent; her sister, the eldest princess, Vivenna had been trained since birth to wed the God King. But in a last minute decision the Kind of Idris sends Siri instead. Siri is thrown into a dangerous city of court intrigue and the mysterious magic of BioChromatic Breath and is left to fend on her own as her country totters on the brink of war. Vivenna is bereft when Siri is sent in her place and decides to journey to Halladran to rescue her sister; when she arrives she finds herself quickly thrown into dangerous city politics. The set is completed with Vasher a deadly man with a darkly humorous sword who has an agenda of his own and Lightsong one of the Halladran's gods; Lightsong is a Returned who can't understand why he was returned to godhood. It all makes for an intricate, exciting, and very enjoyable book.
I can't say "Wow" enough times. This book was executed with brilliance. I really mean it. With epic fantasies such as this book sometimes you run into plots that are too complicated, having too many names thrown at you at once, or having systems of magic that are too complicated to grasp; not to mention epics that need to run 12 books to make a good story. This book did everything right. All of the characters are intriguing and engaging; they are introduced in such a way that you are never confused about who is who or who is on whose side. The system of BioChromatic Breath magic is unbelievably creative, entertaining, and very complex; yet somehow Sanderson introduces this system of magic with an ease that does not confuse the reader and yet delivers great complexity. The plot is immense and complicated yet it is nicely resolved in one book; very satisfyingly resolved...nothing seems rushed.
I really can't believe how good this book is. Sanderson did everything right; I couldn't find a single thing to dislike about this book. It is an immense book but I breezed through it; it was sooo hard to put down. The book propels you forward, the action and suspense is non-stop. It is also so creative, the magic system is like nothing I have ever dreamed up or heard of before. I have put all his previous books on my "to read list" and I am keeping this book safe on my bookshelf so that I can read it again soon. I am also so glad that this is the author chose to finish the Wheel of Time series. Just wow!!
Excellent stand-alone book. Interesting characters, unique magic, good plot twists (some you could guess, others you couldn't, but all well forshadowed). Hopefully a sequel will be in the works soon!
My first thought was how much like Mistborn it was, but it was different enough that it didn't feel like a copy. There was a lot of humor and I just laughed out loud several times. I would like to see Sanderson explore this world or the Elantris world more. But given his involvement in the finishing up of The Wheel of Time series, that is doubtful. This was a worthwhile read.
Warbreaker was a very interesting book for a lot of different reasons.
The most unique reason, perhaps, is that Brandon Sanderson released Warbreaker for free online as he wrote it. Early readers were literally able to watch the book grow as it was written, edited, corrected, and completed.
Warbreaker is also Sanderson's counterpoint to Elantris. In the lore of Elantris, normal people were turned into gods at random. However, due to the illness that killed those gods, Sanderson was never able to explore what it must have been like for those people to deal with their new life as a deity. In Warbreaker, normal people are also turned into gods, but this time we get to spend some time inside of their heads and their lives.
In Elantris, a princess is sent from home to marry a foreign prince, but arrives only to find that her fiancée has died. In Warbreaker, a princess is sent to a foreign country to marry a God-King, and has no choice but to accept and deal with her fate.
The magical system in Warbreaker focuses on color and the use of Breath. I was skeptical at first, but the concept quickly drew me in by its complexity and potential. Sanderson develops all of the characters with his usual skill, and it's not until the very end that you truly figure out who it is that you can really trust.
I would have preferred that Sanderson would have taken more time on the ending (like Elantris, Warbreaker also ended in "The Sanderson Avalanche") but that is really my only complaint. In all, it was a very fun book with a lot of great surprises.
Note: While all of Brandon Sanderson's books take place on different planets at different points in time, they are all tied together in a fictional universe that he calls the Cosmere. One common thread throughout all of the books is a character that makes a named or cameo appearance in every single book. When named, he is called Hoid. His overall story arc is still a mystery, but he is obviously important. In Warbreaker, he makes a named appearance on page 373 of the mass market paperback.
Recommended Sanderson reading order (should you be interested): Elantris > Mistborn 1-3 > The Emperor's Soul > Warbreaker > Stormlight Archives 1-2 > Alloy of Law trilogy (Alloy of Law + Shadows of Self + Bands of Mourning)
The most unique reason, perhaps, is that Brandon Sanderson released Warbreaker for free online as he wrote it. Early readers were literally able to watch the book grow as it was written, edited, corrected, and completed.
Warbreaker is also Sanderson's counterpoint to Elantris. In the lore of Elantris, normal people were turned into gods at random. However, due to the illness that killed those gods, Sanderson was never able to explore what it must have been like for those people to deal with their new life as a deity. In Warbreaker, normal people are also turned into gods, but this time we get to spend some time inside of their heads and their lives.
In Elantris, a princess is sent from home to marry a foreign prince, but arrives only to find that her fiancée has died. In Warbreaker, a princess is sent to a foreign country to marry a God-King, and has no choice but to accept and deal with her fate.
The magical system in Warbreaker focuses on color and the use of Breath. I was skeptical at first, but the concept quickly drew me in by its complexity and potential. Sanderson develops all of the characters with his usual skill, and it's not until the very end that you truly figure out who it is that you can really trust.
I would have preferred that Sanderson would have taken more time on the ending (like Elantris, Warbreaker also ended in "The Sanderson Avalanche") but that is really my only complaint. In all, it was a very fun book with a lot of great surprises.
Note: While all of Brandon Sanderson's books take place on different planets at different points in time, they are all tied together in a fictional universe that he calls the Cosmere. One common thread throughout all of the books is a character that makes a named or cameo appearance in every single book. When named, he is called Hoid. His overall story arc is still a mystery, but he is obviously important. In Warbreaker, he makes a named appearance on page 373 of the mass market paperback.
Recommended Sanderson reading order (should you be interested): Elantris > Mistborn 1-3 > The Emperor's Soul > Warbreaker > Stormlight Archives 1-2 > Alloy of Law trilogy (Alloy of Law + Shadows of Self + Bands of Mourning)
