The Emperor's Soul

Oh, I loved it.
I was immediately transported to an Asian setting by the names, even reading in Kindle and not having the cover to look at all the time, and I'm pretty sure I got the pronunciations right from my Mandarin classes.

I loved how simple and yet full of detail and emotion the story was. It all happens in the course of a hundred days, in only one or two settings, with as few as half a dozen characters, and yet it feels complete.
I like how by now I can pick up on the similarities and differences between world settings and characters by Sanderson, how Shai strongly reminds me of both Vin and Shallan, as she's constantly impersonating a character, how many of his characters revolve around lying, faking, pretending, to make them stronger, but later find that they really have it all in them somewhere, somehow.
The magic system was another very pleasing element. It does remind me of the one of Stormlight Archive, but manages to be different enough. All being from the same universe, I'm guessing the similarities may come in handy and be explained as all being part of how the universe works.

I very much liked Shai and how she set about to both perform her task, plan her escape, make her life more comfortable and study and manipulate the people around her. It was delightful to learn her story and see her passion for the Emperor grow as she worked. The ending was also very satisfying.
I wonder if Hoid figures here...

Brandon's end note made me smile when he described the history and culture of stamps in Asia, as not a month ago my Mandarin teacher taught us the exact same thing. How the artist would place his stamp, then the buyer would place his, and then his child, and their children, and how you can trace back the origin, lineage and heritage of a piece by those stamps.

This may very well be the best stand alone novella I have read. Maybe even he best novella I have read. Often with stand alone short stories, I have trouble connecting to the characters and the world, with such little character and world development.

In 175 pages Sanderson manages to deliver to 2 very good character arcs. I guess it helps that there is some established lore to build upon from Elantris, but except for a few mentions of distant lands, this book could be set in another universe.

While Brandon Sanderson is one of the finest authors I have personally read, this book, to me, transcends most of what I have read. The creativity and uniqueness which his books offer is exemplified in this book. If you are a fantasy fiction fan this is a must read to any list.

Executive Summary: I'd say a “surprisingly” good novella, but this is Brandon Sanderson we're talking about, and there is very little he's written that I haven't enjoyed. Plus there is the whole Hugo Award thing..Full ReviewI'm not really a fan of Novellas and short stories. It seems like the world building and character depth is always lacking. Often times things seem to end just as they are getting good. Plus, they always feel overpriced for me. Given the accolades for this (not to mention really getting my money's worth from [b:Words of Radiance 17332218 Words of Radiance (The Stormlight Archive, #2) Brandon Sanderson https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1391535251s/17332218.jpg 16482835]) I felt I couldn't pass this one by.I'm glad I did. This one is well worth it. It starts a bit slow, but Mr. Sanderson packs in excellent world building, a cool magic system and some enjoyable characters in such a small package. Though, it's not really that small as it did take me 2 nights to read.I will say I'm stumped as to how it relates to Elantris at all however. I just finished listening to that book, and this doesn't seem to tie in at all. Maybe that will become more clear if/when he writes a sequel to it. For someone like me obsessed with reading things in publication order, I'll say you can safely read this without having read Elantris, and this is definitely a lot better in my opinion.Like most Sanderson books the end is nearly impossible to put down. If the pacing had been that way through the whole thing, it would have been an easy 5 stars from me. That's really the only drawback.I certainly hope we get more of this magic system (and ideally the protagonist Shai) in the future.

With fantasy being almost exclusively full of long drawn out epics, it is hard to imagine a single tale being told in 175 pages complete with interesting characters, interesting magic and a satisfying conclusion, but that is exactly what has been done here. Yes you do wish there was more when you finish, but in and of itself it is a wonderfully told tale that is actually kind of inspiring and very satisfying. I was worried that I wouldn't get sucked in like I do with those huge epic stories, but I knew within the first few pages that I was hooked.
Well worth checking out if your Sanderson fan or not and very refreshing to be able to start and finish a fantasy novel that didn't consume my life for a month or more.

A short story by Sanderson which earned a Hugo award. Much of the feel from this seemed to be the inspiration for the soulcasters in his Stormlight Archives series. Like other worlds, this has a magic element which allows for “forging” – modifying the history of an object to change how it appears today. For instance – rewriting the history of a neglected table to have been cared for in order to make it strong a beautiful today. What about rewriting the past of a person? Would that change their soul?

A short story by Sanderson which earned a Hugo award. Much of the feel from this seemed to be the inspiration for the soulcasters in his Stormlight Archives series. Like other worlds, this has a magic element which allows for “forging” – modifying the history of an object to change how it appears today. For instance – rewriting the history of a neglected table to have been cared for in order to make it strong a beautiful today. What about rewriting the past of a person? Would that change their soul?

reviews.metaphorosis.com

4.0 stars

Shai, a “Forger”, is caught replacing a painting, and forced to create a fake soul for a severely injured emperor.

Brandon Sanderson's approach, as he admits in an afterword, is to develop magic systems that operate according logical, vaguely scientific principles - an approach he demonstrated to good effect on his debut, Mistborn. In some ways, it's quite similar to L.E. Modesitt's Recluce series, but less topheavy, and with better story. In The Emperor's Soul, he does more of the same.

Much of the story is devoted to an exploration of the mechanism of soulstamps - the tools Forgers use to alter an item's history (and thus its present substance). It's interesting and well thought out. But Sanderson never loses track of the fact that we're reading this for story - the magic system is just a support. And despite a limited environment - Shai is locked in her room, and interacts with a handful of people - he provides a full, balanced story.

This is a novella, but I'd have been happy to read more. The story is based in the same world as Elantris, though I didn't see any major links. In any case, a very good book from a very consistent and satisfying writer.

What can I say that probably isn't always said about Brandon Sanderson?

The magic system is, as usual, amazing. Slowly revealing the magic system's in the way he does is a treat, watching the pieces unravel before you feels decadent at times. The Emperor's Soul was a simple book, comparatively speaking to a lot of other Sanderson books - not too many overly complicated politics, or mysteries are revealed. Instead we follow the life of a magic user who has been jailed in a world where the magic is all but outlawed. She gets given a second chance (of sorts) to save the Empire. I loved the main character and the way her evolution was shown and how her thinking was laid out so you could read and watch her transition.

The descriptions of the forging and the complexity of the magic will stay with me, as well as the weight of the book. For something so simple, the religious discussions, the discussions on belief and reality, and the idea of the self were fantastic and weighty.

Maybe it's the high standards he sets that you expect each book to be a standout. This largely hold true for emperor's soul too. The world is excellent and so is magic system. The characters well crafted and a well rounded plot. Yet somehow it never reaches the levels of greatness of some of his other works. Of I were to hazard a guess I would point to the ending week which was in the simplest terms simplistic. However with this I have completed all of Sandersons books and he is undoubtedly one of the finest writer s I'm this genre ever. Keep on rocking us Brandon

I do not give out 5 stars lightly. A book has to earn such a rating. And Brandon Sanderson has really earned it with The Emperor's Soul. Sanderson won the Hugo award for this novella this year, and it was a well deserved award.

A quick read, I still felt a strong connection to the major characters of the book. Once again, Sanderson creates an entirely unique magic system. His ability to do this repeatedly makes him one of the most interesting fantasy authors.

I won't spoil anything in the book, it is sufficient to say that this is well worth the time to read and I can honestly see myself coming back to read it now and again.

Sanderson is a master of this craft.

I started out reading this book like a writer. Then like a jealous writer. Then like a stunned and awestruck would-be writer. Then like a well-eff-that-I'm-just-gonna-drool reader. Then I wasn't reading anymore. I didn't exist. There was just the story.

Then, oops, I was done.

I think this novella is what happens when Brandon Sanderson tries to write a short story... ;-)

I quite enjoyed this novella. It's a much smaller stage than he usually writes on, a story involving a small handful of people (three main characters, and three minor named characters) and a very limited scope of time. It's an in-depth exploration of a kind of magic that allows the practitioner to re-write the history of a thing and change it's current nature by use of intricately carved stamps. The main character is a master of this magic who gets caught in the midst of the swap of an original item for the forgery she made (though this particular part of the story evolves quite a bit during the telling), and how people who find her magic repugnant discover to their disgust they need her talents. But it's also the story of learning so much about a person that you thoroughly understand them, and how this is the real magic.

It was a short read – it took me a couple of hours – but a compelling one. It would be a great introduction to Sanderson's writing for anyone who isn't already familiar with this epic fantasist. It's also a showcase for something Brandon does amazingly well: the exploration of a thoroughly imaginative magic system. And, of course, if you are already a Sanderson fan, pick this one up to read while you're (patiently) waiting for his next epic tome to be published.

I read this novella in a two-hour sprint, and it seems to me that every word, in this work of art, serves a definite purpose. Absolutely superb storytelling!

Full review at SFF Book Review.

So this is what everybody is going on about.
My first Brandon Sanderson, chosen because it's a nice and short novella, gave me a glimpse of this writer's talent. After reading this, I can't wait to read his longer novels and series. What an intriguing magic system. What a fantastic little story.

If you're like me and you don't dare start with Sanderson's huge, chunky series, I highly recommend this. You can read it in one sitting - in fact, you'll have to, it's impossible to put down - and it shows just how much talent this author has.

I have been reading Brandon's work ever since he was chosen to finish the Wheel of Time series, and I must admit that he has quickly become one of my favorite story tellers. I find that all of his books are quick to read, and are full of interesting characters and interesting ideas. I always enjoy the way he crafts his worlds and magic systems - there is always something realistic and utilitarian about them, even though they are fantastical and set in completely made-up worlds.

I found that, while The Emperor's Soul does demonstrate many of the typical hallmarks of Sanderson's style, it is also somewhat of a departure from his other works. Most of Brandon's works comprise of a group of fun and interesting characters using a fascinating magic system to overcome some long-term problem faced by a society. (This is not always the case, but, in general it is. Of course, that is probably because that is the general structure of most fantasy and sci-fi stories, but, you know, the format works well.) Typically his stories involve the characters running about quite a bit, with many changes of settings and locations. Which is why it is very interesting to note that the majority of this story takes place in a single room. Instead of Brandon using his characters to explore the world that he has created, he uses his magic system to allow for a very introspective look at the characters. While the story may not be as inherently exciting as some of his other works, it was still a compelling read. It allows a reader to see how people become what they are, and it offers the reader an opportunity to examine their own past and question how life events have shaped their own choices and behaviors.

Overall I found The Emperor's Soul to be a quick and interesting read. Like all of Brandon's works I found it to be a fun escape from the real world, even if only for a few hours. It can certainly stand on its own merits, however, I feel that it would be best read in the context of some of Sanderson's other works. I would recommend new readers to Brandon Sanderson start with Elantris, Mistborn, or Warbreaker and then branch into his other works from there. For those who have read any of Sanderson's other stories, I think The Emperor's Soul is a great addition to his collection of other works and I highly recommend it.