The Rithmatist
Ratings231
Average rating4.3
Very much a young adult book, but still a lot of fun. This one reminded me of a cross between Elantris and Steelheart in a Harry Potter setting. The magic mechanic for this one focuses around a world where “Rithmatists” (think wizards) fight the worlds battles against a vague evil. Rithmatists fight by drawing figures in chalk that are effectively wards against evil, or offensive. The somewhat short story was entertaining all the way through, with great characters, a good magic system and just overall fun. Not the amazing, tell everyone you know fun, but an entertaining story. I'll surely read the next one in the series when it comes out.
Ok, Mr. Sanderson, let's just stop making me incapable of getting stuff done.
The Rithmatist is a new YA novel by one of the few adult authors I enjoy, and despite the YA “dumbing down” (which it didn't feel dumb, just, more YA. Someday I'll be able to better define that) it was a fantastic read. The characters are very relatable, the settings intriguing (an alternate United States configuration with a completely different world empirical history. Fascinating!), and the story just keeps you on the edge of your seat the whole time.
Definitely worth the time spent not napping.
This book! Oh, the rivalry between Joel and Nalizar at the end. There's so much more to the story. I NEED a sequel.
Brandon Sanderson does not miss. Another great book by him, all the issues I had with my previous book were fulfilled and then some. All the characters motives are clear and well developed and the ones that aren't are done purposefully so. The biggest draw (hehehe) for me for this book was the world building. I love how well Sanderson goes into explaining the world and how the magic functions and builds a world around that system rather than have that system placed into a world. The writing is good and the plot is good as well. The pacing was perfect always making me want to read more. I really liked how things didn't just go well for the main character, at the start of the book he has a dream and a want and while he gets so close by the end of the book even though he still wants and dreams of the same things not having gotten them yet, he is more content with the way things are. My only issue was that the second book isn't out yet
9.5/10
Super cool and detailed magic system. Short and to the point. I loved that the main protagonist is struggling with having no powers, and his only way to get what he want is to trust other people he wouldn't have trusted if he didn't need to.
I love a good standalone fantasy novel. The world Sanderson creates is unique, like nothing I've ever heard of before and features an engrossing protagonist. Highly recommend.
Age range: 10+
Perfectly appropriate for younger readers, if a little scary. I'm not sure of the re-readability of this one for adult readers, but I think it's original and interesting enough to hold a reader's attention at any age.
A good YA fantasy novel by Brandon Sanderson, it promises a really good worldbuilding in the future.
8 de 10
Lectura liviana, entretenida. Los personajes no estuvieron mal, pero faltó más libro para agarrarles cariño.
Final bastante abierto para mi gusto, pero bueno dentro de todo
I think this is the first YA marketed Sanderson that I have read. In this particular case, this still feels very much like any other Sanderson - the YA is probably more to do with the setting and the age of the protagonist rather than anything different in Sanderson's writing style. This could just as easily been a Cosmere book in the way it feels. Like most Sanderson books, the key device is based around some clever ‘hard' magic. In this case, magic is produced by drawing with chalk, but only if you have an innate ability to use it, determined through some test when you are a child. The rithmatic magic is used to fight against ‘chalkings' - wild creatures of chalk.
This takes the slightly tropey setting of a school for magicians, but adds the interesting twist that our main character, whilst being very knowledgeable about the theory of rithmatism, is not actual able to use the magic. The plot follow a murder mystery style pattern with an investigation into a series of disappearances of promising young rithmatists. As with any Sanderson, it is his character work and strong world building that really binds this story together. For the moment we only have this first book in this world, but I am sure that Sanderson will return to it at some point, and it is a fun one to read!
This was more of a mystery novel, than fantasy or sci-fi. I picked it up because of chalk magic but it turned out to be a lot more than that.
The beginning was slow, but really good once the murder mystery started. Joel and Melody were both interesting characters. Professor Fitch was my favorite, and I have no idea what Nalizar was in the end
I enjoyed this book, but what's driving me crazy is the ending. I need the second book. ASAP! This is an awesome story and it just can't end like this.
Fantastic worldbuilding and storytelling with a twisty plot that made me eager to read each chapter.
This was my first time reading Sanderson and I will most certainly be continuing on with his other stories. I recommend this book for all ages as its written with a very simple and intuitive style, while still managing to provide wonderfully complex descriptions of the world, magic, and characters.
I hope he is working on the second book as I am very much looking forward to continuing with Joel on his journey through the isles, and hopefully beyond.
Oh my goodness...starting off my reading year really well with my second Brandon Sanderson book! Leave it up to Sanderson to make chalk ‘magical', and to mix that with gearpunk and mystery in a fantastically fun blend that had me turning pages and impatiently waiting to see what was going to happen next. As always in Sanderson's books, the world building is unique and a lot of fun to get lost in. I really liked the characters, especially Melody with her unconventional personality and ‘don't give a care what others think' attitude. I liked the reversal on the ‘discovered special gift' character trope. Overall just another solid book by Sanderson and highly recommended if you want something different, fun and super exciting and engaging.
Thank goodness this is only the beginning. A rich new world by Brandon Sanderson. I look forward to the next books.
Meh. A basically competent but forgettable take on the YA magical-school genre. The world-building was pretty solid (I can tell a lot of time was spent on working out the details of the alternate history and exactly how the magic works), but the clichéd thinness of the actual plot and characters, not to mention the mediocrity of the actual writing, made the whole thing deeply dissatisfying.
Here are some much better books I recommend instead: His Dark Materials, The Name of the Wind, Earthsea, Every Heart A Doorway.
The Rithmatist started of light and fluffy but was so very exciting by the end. That twist! I was screaming!!
I just finished it so I'm pretty hyped 🤪
Too bad it seems like 6-7 year between books for this series...
I do like all of Brandon Sanderson's work though so I'm excited no matter what comes out next.
Enter a new unique world created by Sanderson, where chalk drawings, called chalklings, come to life when a Rithmatist draws them. Seems innocent enough until you realize those same chalk drawings can strip a person of their skin. Add to that lines rithmatists can draw that shoot across the ground to hit opponents and any defenses they may have set up. And, in the background we have a mysterious island where wild chalklings can be found. An island where rithmatists fight daily to keep them contained. This book lays the ground rules of a new series, taking place at an academy where rithmatists and normal students attend. You're shown the politics between those who are rithmatists and those who are not. In this case the rithmatists are of a higher class and secretive with their abilities. Sanderson also provides pictures of each type of defense a rithmatist can draw in order to protect them from chalkings and attacks from other rithmatists. I appreciated the drawings, as descriptions alone would have lost me. And then we have Joel, a non-rithmatist who can draw every defense form almost perfectly, but they bear no power. He wants nothing more than to be an actual rithmatist, but has to settle for sneaking around to lectures about it. When he begs for a summer elective to study under a Rithmatist, he finds himself as a research assistant to Professor Fitch and right in the middle of a series of rithmatist kidnappings. I love how the main character isn't a rithmatist, so we see him have to go the extra length in creative problem solving. I also found Joel entertaining because of his ambition. Even when hope seems irrelevant, he pushes on to find new solutions. This book does leave a lot of questions to be answered, ecspecially in regards to what is going on with the island of wild chalklings, but I'm sure more will be revealed as the next story unfolds. Can't wait!
Good pacing, relatable characters, and a world just a little different from our own. Readers who loved following Percy Jackson or Septimus Heap will enjoy Joel's trials and success in The Rithmatist.
Joel has a lot going for him, but he isn't at the top of the pack in his school or community-the same thing for Joel, who lives at a private high school/college hybrid. He is talented and smart, almost every other person seems to adore Joel. He lacks a certain something that makes him feel excluded in this super friendly world that's just starting to feel a little less friendly and safe. Can Joel overcome his insecurity and be a hero anyways?
Adults or older readers who are familiar with Sanderson's work in the mainstream fantasy genre (Mistborn, Stormlight Archive) may expect more than this youth story supplies.
4.5 Stars
It was a great book although it was sometimes predictable. I loved the world building and the steampunk elements. The characters were quiet naive at first but got a great development.
Very much a young adult book, but still a lot of fun. This one reminded me of a cross between Elantris and Steelheart in a Harry Potter setting. The magic mechanic for this one focuses around a world where “Rithmatists” (think wizards) fight the worlds battles against a vague evil. Rithmatists fight by drawing figures in chalk that are effectively wards against evil, or offensive. The somewhat short story was entertaining all the way through, with great characters, a good magic system and just overall fun. Not the amazing, tell everyone you know fun, but an entertaining story. I'll surely read the next one in the series when it comes out.
reviews.metaphorosis.com
4.5 stars
Joel, a staff-brat attending a posh and prestigious prep school, shares classes with regular students and with Rithmatists - children chosen young as trainees in a war of magic waged with chalk drawings. Obsessed with Rithmatism, Joel finds every opportunity to learn more about it, even when his interest is unwelcome. When a series of crimes targets students, and the perpetrator appears to be a Rithmatist, Joel finagles his way into an investigation much more serious than he expected.
Creative magic systems are a long-standing feature of fantasy. Sanderson has chosen to specialize in them. While I recently ran across a comment suggesting audience interest was thinning out, I disagree. In fact, I'm beginning to be a little in awe of Sanderson's output. Fantasy is often weaker on ideas than science fiction, but makes up ground with character and story. Sanderson's strength is that he's able to bring ideas and character together - and the speed with which he keeps creating interesting, logically consistent worlds populated with likeable characters is astounding, especially because they're good.
The Rithmatist is more of what Sanderson does well - young folks discovering more about their world and its magic. He's taken some liberty with steampunk, and the tone of the bookis very much YA, as are the characterizations, but the former is no flaw, and the latter is not a major impediment to enjoyment. It's true that I sometimes felt the story being constructed around me (sort of “let's have one of these, and drop a clue about that”), but it didn't get in my way.
The ending is very much a cliffhanger, and I'm a bit surprised it was issued as a standalone piece. Perhaps Sanderson felt another book on the Stormlight Archive scale would be too much. I was also surprised to find no references to Edwin Abbott's Flatland - a source seemingly tailor made for the concept. On the other hand, this is a book that really gains from the excellent illustrations by Ben McSweeney.
All in all, highly recommended. With the exception of the very weak Alcatraz, Sanderson is proving one of our most satisfyingly consistent SFF authors, and I look forward to the rest of this series.
What started as a 3-star “eh, not too bad” experienced morphed into 4 stars when I learned that there would be a follow up to this book. That's a good thing; there are so many neat ideas to explore in this pseudo-Earth that I would have been supremely disappointed had there not been any follow up. As it stands now, I eagerly anticipate #2.