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3.87 AVERAGE
3.87 AVERAGE
This was a lot of fun. Really enjoyed it. It helps to know some of the history of Innistrad (of Magic: The Gathering lore), but I don't think that really holds anything back.
If you're not an MTG player, just know this: fans of this world love all the artwork with the native's hats. It's been a thing. So when Sanderson calls it out, he's demonstrating some amount of love for the fans, which is really cool.
If you're not an MTG player, just know this: fans of this world love all the artwork with the native's hats. It's been a thing. So when Sanderson calls it out, he's demonstrating some amount of love for the fans, which is really cool.
I'm not sure what to think about this book. On the one hand, it's written by my favorite author, Brandon Sanderson, on the other land, it's written in an universe that I know nothing about. Therefore, it was just an okay book to me. I couldn't really connect with the characters, despite being intrigued by the worldbuilding. I'm sure fans of the game would really enjoy this novella, but this just wasn't for me.
Sanderson's books with a more mystery-focused plot just don't seem to be my favourites.
While he managed to fascinate me with this world and I enjoyed the characters, the whole plot just never really came together for me. Maybe because there isn't enough of it, they only go question like two people and the rest of the book is just the main cast interacting. Which could be something I like but in this relatively short book it wasn't enough.
I liked the discussion of fantasy clichés like good and evil or destiny/being the chosen one. It wasn't anything new for modern fantasy but it still appreciate it.
The structure of the book provided a nice change in tone, from being only in Tacenda's head, with the frustration and sadness, to having Davriel and his demons around, who provided comic relief and a contrast with their detachment from Tacenda's way of life. It was fun to be around the cast and while they weren't Sanderson's deepest, they all had really interesting aspects and nuances to them.
While I don't want that to influence my rating, but I can't promise since it absolutely influences my enjoyment: The translation I was reading was somewhat off. Some phrases were just translated literally without regards to if that sounds good or not, while some words and phrases were made to be old timey or fairy tale like which just seemed unnatural.
Nothing actually bad about the book itself, the plot just wasn't exactly my cup of tea.
While he managed to fascinate me with this world and I enjoyed the characters, the whole plot just never really came together for me. Maybe because there isn't enough of it, they only go question like two people and the rest of the book is just the main cast interacting. Which could be something I like but in this relatively short book it wasn't enough.
I liked the discussion of fantasy clichés like good and evil or destiny/being the chosen one. It wasn't anything new for modern fantasy but it still appreciate it.
The structure of the book provided a nice change in tone, from being only in Tacenda's head, with the frustration and sadness, to having Davriel and his demons around, who provided comic relief and a contrast with their detachment from Tacenda's way of life. It was fun to be around the cast and while they weren't Sanderson's deepest, they all had really interesting aspects and nuances to them.
While I don't want that to influence my rating, but I can't promise since it absolutely influences my enjoyment: The translation I was reading was somewhat off. Some phrases were just translated literally without regards to if that sounds good or not, while some words and phrases were made to be old timey or fairy tale like which just seemed unnatural.
Nothing actually bad about the book itself, the plot just wasn't exactly my cup of tea.
Hat er ja ein ganz schönes Geheimnis um sein secret project gemacht, der Gute. Ende letzten Jahres hatte er es dann enthüllt und verraten, dass er eine Novelle zu Magic: The Gathering geschrieben hat. Ich selbst habe mit dem Spiel nicht viel am Hut, weiß aber, dass Sanderson ein riesen Fan davon ist. Wizards of the Cost hatten ihn um eine Kollaboration gebeten und dabei ist diese Geschichte entstanden. Eine spannende Kriminalgeschichte, in der die einzige Überlebende eines Massakers herausfinden will, wer der Mörder ihres Dorfes ist. Gewürzt wird das ganze mit Dämonen und Brandons einzigartigem Humor. Auch wenn ich von Brandons eigenen Welten mehr überzeugt bin, so ist diese Geschichte doch auf jeden Fall lohnenswert! Und außerdem gibt es sie kostenlos.
The book is available for free here.
I would never have read this if not for the r/Fantasy Bingo challenge. And for once, I'm glad. Media Tie-In was the Bingo square I dreaded the most - I don't really do any media that has tie-ins and I had doubts there was anything out there I'd like. So free and short and by an author I read before...what did I have to lose?
I went in with no expectations. And despite my complete lack of MtG knowledge, I ended up enjoying it immensely - plus, it's straight up one of Sanderson's best.
Tacenda and her twin have been cursed since birth - one is blind during the day, the other during the night. One day, Tacenda's protective songs fail, and her whole village is killed. Thinking the Lord of the Manor, a planeswalker who consorts with demons is responsible, she heads off to kill him. Of course, things turn out quite differently.
It's set in a backwater village of Verlasen in the gothic-inspired plane of Innistrad. I have never played MtG so I don't know the backstory, but the story offered enough context I didn't feel like I was missing anything. So no need to worry. It did have some German words used as names (geists, Verlasen), which is a big pet peeve of mine, but luckily it was minimal enough to ignore.
Characters are one of the most fun aspects. Davriel Cane may be a dark lord, but at his core, he's just selfish and extremely lazy, a great lover of naps and dustwillow tea - I loved how Tacenda was able to effectively threaten him with "think of the inconvenience!" It's amazing. Then there's his host of demons that he tricked into contracts they can't fulfil who provide most of the comic relief. Tacenda is the usual more traditionally heroic contrast, honourable and empathetic.
The writing style and the humour, two of my main complaints with [b:The Way of Kings|7235533|The Way of Kings (The Stormlight Archive, #1)|Brandon Sanderson|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1388184640s/7235533.jpg|8134945] are also a lot better than I usually expect from Sanderson. It's somewhat more stylistic and less windowpane, without being any less easy to read - it's no Valente or Samatar, but this is Sanderson at the top of his game.
Does this novella provide anything genre-bending and new? No. But it also didn't feel like it was supposed to in the first place, and for what it is, it's excellent. All in all, if you're in need of something short and fun, go for it - what are you waiting for?
Enjoyment: 4.5/5
Execution: 4/5
Recommended to: anyone looking for a short, fun read, Sanderson fans
Not recommended to: those expecting something groundbreaking
More reviews on my blog, To Other Worlds.
I would never have read this if not for the r/Fantasy Bingo challenge. And for once, I'm glad. Media Tie-In was the Bingo square I dreaded the most - I don't really do any media that has tie-ins and I had doubts there was anything out there I'd like. So free and short and by an author I read before...what did I have to lose?
I went in with no expectations. And despite my complete lack of MtG knowledge, I ended up enjoying it immensely - plus, it's straight up one of Sanderson's best.
Tacenda and her twin have been cursed since birth - one is blind during the day, the other during the night. One day, Tacenda's protective songs fail, and her whole village is killed. Thinking the Lord of the Manor, a planeswalker who consorts with demons is responsible, she heads off to kill him. Of course, things turn out quite differently.
It's set in a backwater village of Verlasen in the gothic-inspired plane of Innistrad. I have never played MtG so I don't know the backstory, but the story offered enough context I didn't feel like I was missing anything. So no need to worry. It did have some German words used as names (geists, Verlasen), which is a big pet peeve of mine, but luckily it was minimal enough to ignore.
Characters are one of the most fun aspects. Davriel Cane may be a dark lord, but at his core, he's just selfish and extremely lazy, a great lover of naps and dustwillow tea - I loved how Tacenda was able to effectively threaten him with "think of the inconvenience!" It's amazing. Then there's his host of demons that he tricked into contracts they can't fulfil who provide most of the comic relief. Tacenda is the usual more traditionally heroic contrast, honourable and empathetic.
The writing style and the humour, two of my main complaints with [b:The Way of Kings|7235533|The Way of Kings (The Stormlight Archive, #1)|Brandon Sanderson|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1388184640s/7235533.jpg|8134945] are also a lot better than I usually expect from Sanderson. It's somewhat more stylistic and less windowpane, without being any less easy to read - it's no Valente or Samatar, but this is Sanderson at the top of his game.
Does this novella provide anything genre-bending and new? No. But it also didn't feel like it was supposed to in the first place, and for what it is, it's excellent. All in all, if you're in need of something short and fun, go for it - what are you waiting for?
Enjoyment: 4.5/5
Execution: 4/5
Recommended to: anyone looking for a short, fun read, Sanderson fans
Not recommended to: those expecting something groundbreaking
More reviews on my blog, To Other Worlds.
After 60 years, I will be sitting with my grandsons and I will tell them how one day I wrote a review for a Brandon Sanderson book and that it was the top review -even if for a short time-!!
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This review and other non-spoilery reviews can be found @The Book Prescription
“That was the first rule of demonology: make certain the demon’s incentives align with your own.”
🌟 I have been in the mood for a Sanderson story lately for an unknown reason! I didn’t want to continue the second Mistborn trilogy yet so I was going to discover his other works as Elantris and Warbreaker. When I saw this Gift from Brandon, I thought it was a sign, it was also the perfect time to read this. This is a short story so that was also a good thing because his other books are huge.
🌟 The first thing I touched upon starting this is unsurprisingly the World building which Brandon is a master of. I have never played Magic: The Gathering but you don’t need to before going into this. I believe there will be things that I missed but it was a good experience nonetheless.
🌟 The writing is good but I know this is not Sanderson at his best and I guess authors as him are better in writing longer stories because it shows their potential and intellectual potential.
🌟 The plot was very expected for me from the first few pages and I don’t know if this is due to reading many Sanderson books or if it was obvious, guess I will never know!
🌟 Summary: I don’t have much to say about this book, guess because of its short length. It had an OK writing, good pacing but was kind of expect able. This is definitely not a new favorite but it does not change the fact that Sanderson is still a fav author of mine! I ended up giving it 3 out of 5 stars!
🌟 Prescription: For fans of Magic: The Gathering game and for those who wants to discover Sanderson style by reading something light.
**************************************************************
This review and other non-spoilery reviews can be found @The Book Prescription
“That was the first rule of demonology: make certain the demon’s incentives align with your own.”
🌟 I have been in the mood for a Sanderson story lately for an unknown reason! I didn’t want to continue the second Mistborn trilogy yet so I was going to discover his other works as Elantris and Warbreaker. When I saw this Gift from Brandon, I thought it was a sign, it was also the perfect time to read this. This is a short story so that was also a good thing because his other books are huge.
🌟 The first thing I touched upon starting this is unsurprisingly the World building which Brandon is a master of. I have never played Magic: The Gathering but you don’t need to before going into this. I believe there will be things that I missed but it was a good experience nonetheless.
🌟 The writing is good but I know this is not Sanderson at his best and I guess authors as him are better in writing longer stories because it shows their potential and intellectual potential.
🌟 The plot was very expected for me from the first few pages and I don’t know if this is due to reading many Sanderson books or if it was obvious, guess I will never know!
🌟 Summary: I don’t have much to say about this book, guess because of its short length. It had an OK writing, good pacing but was kind of expect able. This is definitely not a new favorite but it does not change the fact that Sanderson is still a fav author of mine! I ended up giving it 3 out of 5 stars!
🌟 Prescription: For fans of Magic: The Gathering game and for those who wants to discover Sanderson style by reading something light.