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guiltyoftsundoku's review against another edition
1.0
Unpublished for a reason. Needs massive work before it can be released.
The female characters are flat, and written by someone with a juvenile and untested understanding. The main female character is NoT lIkE oThEr GiRlS. Brown hair, homely, whip smart, and the only woman with secret powers. The competition brides are all blond and buxom; adorned with jewels and low cut clothing.
The main story line involves a set of twins who switch places. That’s not how that works. IRL everyone knows when twins switch places.
The government is heavily Roman and not interesting.
Just leave it be, don’t update it, let it go.
The female characters are flat, and written by someone with a juvenile and untested understanding. The main female character is NoT lIkE oThEr GiRlS. Brown hair, homely, whip smart, and the only woman with secret powers. The competition brides are all blond and buxom; adorned with jewels and low cut clothing.
The main story line involves a set of twins who switch places. That’s not how that works. IRL everyone knows when twins switch places.
The government is heavily Roman and not interesting.
Just leave it be, don’t update it, let it go.
adamkull's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
oofrie's review against another edition
3.0
I really liked the main characters (Darro, D'Naa, Raeth). The ending was a bit shaky, but overall a good book.
aix83's review against another edition
5.0
Excellent book that every Sanderson fan should read. If you're not a Sanderson fan, disregard the intro and read it even if it's your first Sanderson book. It's very good.
Most of the comments on this book are extremely misleading and I will explain why.
Major spoilers. I'm not kidding.
And that Aether 5 and 6 and primordial Aethers connected to the very power of creation. And the priesthood, who was serving one of the Twin gods of the world but not the other, was covering it all up with the purpose to fulfill their master's wishes. After all, by ensuring that only their own followers survive, each of the Twins could ensure their personal domination over this world. Of course, they would also destroy everything in the process. So two evil gods seeking to win, shall we say, their bet. Without this information, the conflict is intractable because the Living Night warriors are immortal. When killed, they will respawn until no Bestarin and Amberite bonds are left alive. And this information is deduced, slowly and painfully throughout the whole book, by the main characters. In the end, everything makes perfect sense.
It's not true that the mistaken identity clashes with the war epic, like Sanderson says in the intro. You would think mistaken identity is a main theme. It's not. In any other book, it would be. But you know Sanderson. He's just using it in passing here and there to create some funny moments and embarrass his character. In fact, he's making Raeth very likable in that way. With this backstory, Raeth has a lot more depth to him.
Despite the ominous introduction, this book is not just okay. It's as good as any of his published ones. Better than Elantris and the first volume of Mistborn. It's faster paced than both and D'Naa is a lot more likable than Sarene. She's adventurous, smart, and - unlike most of Sanderson's feminine characters - she's not annoyingly princessy. She is useful and powerful and makes for a fun thief. Yes, there's also an insanely ambitious heist mini-plot in this book, just like we're used to having.
For Aether, the problem is with how people see it. What they expect. They read the intro and actually expect to find flaws. But if you listened to how to Write About Dragons, you know this book is a win by the Sanderson rules guidebook.
Many say that Aether is similar to Mistborn or the Stormlight Archive. That's just plain wrong. There are elements of cosmere in this book. However, the way they are used is wholly unlike the plot in other books. At most, they're cosmere elements. But then cosmere elements show even in Steelheart and other non-cosmere books. That's just the way Sanderson thinks and what makes his genius.
Some readers have tried to map the Twins in the Aether on Ruin and Preservation. Nothing more false. The Aether has 3 entities, a father and two evil twin gods. All three of them are so different in motivation and personality from Ruin and Preservation that the comparison doesn't even make sense. It's like saying that every villain out there is perfectly matched with Ruin. Totally missing the point.
Then there are those wondering how to fix Aether. I bet this discussion only started because Sanderson said in the intro he's not entirely happy with the book. After all there's no thread on how to fix White Sand or one of the unpublished novellas Sanderson is shedding for free. And some proposed solutions for fixing Aether only demonstrate a complete misunderstanding of the book. One reader complains that Raeth had his victory and the part after it is redundant. Well, that part after is the Sanderson avalanche. And the Sanderson avalanche, the last 20% of his books where he's closing every plot line and explaining every bit of the magic system left unknown is the best and most satisfying part of his books! Never has a Sanderson book been resolved in a dumb armed confrontation. There's always another secret! His work is about smart people finding out things and learning how their magic works before our eyes.
Some proposed that the Living Night warriors should not reform. But then the book would be just another war epic without any catch. Another proposal was that the Harrmen, a race of dumb invaders in the north, should help fight the Living Night because they're the only who can fight Amberite bonds. This proposal demonstrates the person didn't understand the book. D'Naa told Raeth that she would have loved to see Amberite bonds fighting but they never came soon enough to fight the Harrmen. So the Harrmen never ever fought anything like a bond. So that point is really dumb, sorry.
Most of the comments on this book are extremely misleading and I will explain why.
Major spoilers. I'm not kidding.
Spoiler
In this world, High Aedin nobility can bond one of the four Aethers, each of which give them one power and one power alone. Ferrous lines can encase themselves in metal and become immortal Corpates - living machines like walkers, elevators, heating pillars. Bestarin bonds can heal immediately by applying animal tissue on their wounds. Verdant immobilizes adversaries by vining them. Amberite bonds can grow crystalline swords and suits of armor making them invulnerable in battle. Until the Living Night came and the shadow warriors swept the land like an avalanche made of death. They spawned from the Night pool during the bride Choosing and they are unstoppable. They killed the Emperor and his first Heir, so now it's up to the Emperor's two remaining sons to save the empire. In like every other Sanderson novel, political machinations add complexity and the main characters discover their world and their magic system as the plot progresses. The very ending shows that there's always another secret. We find out that there are, after all, 5 Aethers. No, wait, 6. Because each 2 Aethers form a pair and cancel each other.And that Aether 5 and 6 and primordial Aethers connected to the very power of creation. And the priesthood, who was serving one of the Twin gods of the world but not the other, was covering it all up with the purpose to fulfill their master's wishes. After all, by ensuring that only their own followers survive, each of the Twins could ensure their personal domination over this world. Of course, they would also destroy everything in the process. So two evil gods seeking to win, shall we say, their bet. Without this information, the conflict is intractable because the Living Night warriors are immortal. When killed, they will respawn until no Bestarin and Amberite bonds are left alive. And this information is deduced, slowly and painfully throughout the whole book, by the main characters. In the end, everything makes perfect sense.
It's not true that the mistaken identity clashes with the war epic, like Sanderson says in the intro. You would think mistaken identity is a main theme. It's not. In any other book, it would be. But you know Sanderson. He's just using it in passing here and there to create some funny moments and embarrass his character. In fact, he's making Raeth very likable in that way. With this backstory, Raeth has a lot more depth to him.
Despite the ominous introduction, this book is not just okay. It's as good as any of his published ones. Better than Elantris and the first volume of Mistborn. It's faster paced than both and D'Naa is a lot more likable than Sarene. She's adventurous, smart, and - unlike most of Sanderson's feminine characters - she's not annoyingly princessy. She is useful and powerful and makes for a fun thief. Yes, there's also an insanely ambitious heist mini-plot in this book, just like we're used to having.
For Aether, the problem is with how people see it. What they expect. They read the intro and actually expect to find flaws. But if you listened to how to Write About Dragons, you know this book is a win by the Sanderson rules guidebook.
Many say that Aether is similar to Mistborn or the Stormlight Archive. That's just plain wrong. There are elements of cosmere in this book. However, the way they are used is wholly unlike the plot in other books. At most, they're cosmere elements. But then cosmere elements show even in Steelheart and other non-cosmere books. That's just the way Sanderson thinks and what makes his genius.
Some readers have tried to map the Twins in the Aether on Ruin and Preservation. Nothing more false. The Aether has 3 entities, a father and two evil twin gods. All three of them are so different in motivation and personality from Ruin and Preservation that the comparison doesn't even make sense. It's like saying that every villain out there is perfectly matched with Ruin. Totally missing the point.
Then there are those wondering how to fix Aether. I bet this discussion only started because Sanderson said in the intro he's not entirely happy with the book. After all there's no thread on how to fix White Sand or one of the unpublished novellas Sanderson is shedding for free. And some proposed solutions for fixing Aether only demonstrate a complete misunderstanding of the book. One reader complains that Raeth had his victory and the part after it is redundant. Well, that part after is the Sanderson avalanche. And the Sanderson avalanche, the last 20% of his books where he's closing every plot line and explaining every bit of the magic system left unknown is the best and most satisfying part of his books! Never has a Sanderson book been resolved in a dumb armed confrontation. There's always another secret! His work is about smart people finding out things and learning how their magic works before our eyes.
Some proposed that the Living Night warriors should not reform. But then the book would be just another war epic without any catch. Another proposal was that the Harrmen, a race of dumb invaders in the north, should help fight the Living Night because they're the only who can fight Amberite bonds. This proposal demonstrates the person didn't understand the book. D'Naa told Raeth that she would have loved to see Amberite bonds fighting but they never came soon enough to fight the Harrmen. So the Harrmen never ever fought anything like a bond. So that point is really dumb, sorry.
giantbryant's review against another edition
adventurous
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
leiacf's review against another edition
4.0
I actually thought this book was way better than "everyone" says. Even though I can see a lot of ideas being reused in other works, I seriously hope it will someday be rewritten.
cerysreb's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
ellen's review against another edition
4.0
this book was so much fun??? I have no idea why sanderson at the beginning says that he doesn't think the double identity and war plots of this book don't mesh bc oh my god they do.
like it's obvious that this is an early work of his but I love the story and the magic and the characters and omg I am SO ready for years from now when he finally gets around to rewriting aether!!! this world is so interesting and I'm so interested to figure out where in the cosmere timeline the canon aether books will take place because WOW!!!
like it's obvious that this is an early work of his but I love the story and the magic and the characters and omg I am SO ready for years from now when he finally gets around to rewriting aether!!! this world is so interesting and I'm so interested to figure out where in the cosmere timeline the canon aether books will take place because WOW!!!
rsantorella's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5