/lit/ - Literature

>>17249974
Warbreaker - Brandon Sanderson (2009)
Sanderson is primarily known for his worldbuilding and unfortunately it was rather spotty, and that's being charitable, in this book. Many characters serve no purpose, much is left out of the text that's to be assumed, and what's present isn't well-constructed. This was the first time I've read the annotations for something he's done, I didn't know he did them at all, and while they were mildly interesting, there was a considerable amount that could have been a line or two that would have helped with the worldbuilding significantly. Sanderson even states several times that he left out a lot intentionally because he didn't want to reveal too much in the first book. That's disagreeable to me.
The viewpoint character in the prologue isn't shown much in the book, which was disappointing and Sanderson admitted that this was by far the largest complaint he received. If he ever does the sequel, it seems that character will be the protagonist, or at least have more have a much larger role. When he wrote this he had just finished writing Mistborn, so the most disliked character as per his statement, may be a subversion of the protagonist of the Mistborn. The two other POVs are basically a fairy tale romance, kind of like a weird take on Beauty & The Beast, but that may just be me. Then there's the comedic character, who is the highpoint of the book.
In terms of the magic system, it's kind of a mess that he tries to do too much with, so it comes across as unfocused and diffuse. It's the soul, wealth, social status, physical wellness, and so much more. The technical aspects are basic commands combined with visualizations, but only specific phrases work, so it's sort of like a text-based roleplaying game in that respect.
I increasingly wonder why I read Sanderson, as my overall average from everything I've finished from him is 2.9 when taking into account half-star ratings. It's a mystery to me, as I also don't feel any particular urge to stop. If I don't enjoy Way of Kings sufficiently, 4 stars, I'll likely stop.
Rating: 2.5/5