Reviews

Long Chills and Case Dough by Brandon Sanderson

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reaingmom02's review

funny fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot

3.75

3/5 stars

The book is exactly what it says on the tin - a Sanderson curiousity. An interesting short story from a time before his books were published. Some people are saying it's secret project #5, but I wouldn't call it that. It is what he said, something fun to send to his fans around Christmas time. Maybe he was trying to set a record for how many books were released in a year and this was how he obtained it, I don't know. But to me it seems like it was just something fun to cap off what was, for him, a very busy but rewarding year.

The book itself is ok. It's a strange setting that takes place in the future but the protagonist speaks like it's in the past which made it so I never really settled into the setting. Maybe it's just the lack of word count. Plot and characters are decent enough. Fun enough read but not something id read again

judythedreamer's review

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1.0

Why was it necessary to publish this?

rhordric's review

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4.0

A fun short story and a nice surprise in the final box of the year of sanderson. Very quick read and some nice humor and overall an interesting world in the limited scope we see it

hardbackednooks's review against another edition

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adventurous mysterious fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

This was (another) difficult one to rate. I'd like to see this fleshed out more and rewritten today, maybe as a 2- or 300-page novel in Brando Sando's current style. I loved the premise and spirit behind the idea, but you can definitely tell it was written by an author early in his career. I think it's a product of its time as well with how it tried to turn misogyny on its head by leaning into it (see also: Michael from The Office).

The idea of a detective in 2151 being so obsessed with the 1920s that he turns it into his personality could be compelling and interesting (and was, to an extent). I'd love to spend more time with these characters, with some tweaks, and see where the plot goes. There was so much to explore with Derrins' decision to leave the force, as well as the state of policing in the far future. It would take a careful hand, but Sando could do it.