Brandon Sanderson
ebook | Pages: 688 pages Rating: 4.26 | 102741 Users | 7505 Reviews
Itemize Books As Warbreaker (Warbreaker #1)
| Original Title: | Warbreaker |
| Edition Language: | English URL http://brandonsanderson.com/books/warbreaker/warbreaker/warbreaker-rights-and-downloads/ |
| Series: | Warbreaker #1, The Cosmere |
| Literary Awards: | David Gemmell Legend Award Nominee for Best Fantasy Novel (2010) |
Chronicle To Books Warbreaker (Warbreaker #1)
4.5/5 starsA colorful, vibrant, and highly character-driven standalone fantasy.
If you haven’t seen the tenth-anniversary leatherbound edition of Warbreaker, I suggest you take a look now by clicking here: https://www.brandonsanderson.com/the-...
No, I don’t have one; I simply can’t afford it. However, staring at how gorgeous it is, it certainly solidified my decision to reread Warbreaker; this time with the annotated edition which I haven’t done before, and I will recommend reading this edition only if you’ve read the book before. It’s terrifying how fast time flies; I can’t believe that it has been three years since I first read this book. Warbreaker was the first book by Brandon Sanderson that I read after I finished his brilliant Mistborn trilogy. Back then, I didn’t even realize how important this standalone would become in the overarching magnitude of Sanderson’s Cosmere universe. Having read all of Sanderson’s Cosmere books and going back to this made me realize how much Sanderson has improved as an author, and how beneficial it would be to read Warbreaker first before you dive into The Stormlight Archives. Seriously, do it.
Picture: Siri and God King by Dan dos Santos
Taking place in the world of Nalthis, Warbreaker is a standalone novel within Sanderson’s Cosmere universe, since its publication and for many more years to come, it will remain standalone. The story in Warbreaker follows the tale of two sisters princesses from Idris: Siri and Vivenna. Idris is on the brink of war with Hallandren, and to prevent war from happening, the king of Idris decides to send Vivenna—who has practiced and learned the culture and religion in Hallandran for years—to marry the God King. The king couldn’t go through with it at the last minute, and send his other daughter—Siri—to marry the God-King instead. Other than Siri, Vivenna, and Susebron, we also follow two other main characters, the reluctant god of bravery Lightsong the Bold, and a mysterious swordsman with a sentient sword, Vasher and Nightblood.
Picture: Vasher and Vivenna by Dan dos Santos
Sanderson takes his time here. Warbreaker is mostly paced like the second book of Mistborn trilogy, The Well of Ascension. It’s slow-paced, and I thank Sanderson for it. Sanderson slowly and gradually builds up the tension of the storyline while making sure each main characters receive proper development and distinctive voices first. Contrast and differences in perspectives are a very huge driving factor of the story here. Sanderson himself has mentioned that Warbreaker is a book with many tone; this is also what made Warbreaker so good to read. An event, even when they’re witnessed together, can be perceived very differently depending on where you stand; everyone justifies their actions through the belief that they’re truly doing what’s best for themselves and society. The clash of opinions and beliefs the kind of theme constantly explored in this book, and it also made the characters more colorful in personality.
“Every man is a hero of his own story.”
I have always loved Sanderson’s characterizations, and Warbreaker contained, in my opinion, some of his most distinctive characters so far. Siri, Vivenna, Lightsong, Vasher, Nightblood, Susebron, and Denth respectively differ in key personality, and I enjoyed reading their progression immensely. Almost all of the chemistry between the characters in this novel comes in two; Siri with Susebron, Vivenna with Denth or Vasher, Lightsong with Blushweaver or Larimar, and Vasher with Nightblood. The development and the interactions of these characters made the book for me; they felt so natural. The romance development between Siri and God-King, in particular, was endearing and it felt very genuine. Warbreaker is a very heavily character-driven book, which luckily is my favorite type of narrative to read, and these characters have so much to love and for me to feel invested in. I honestly wish the sequel would be published already because I want to know more about them.
Picture: Blushweaver and Lightsong by Miranda Meeks
Also, I would like to give a suggestion. If you haven’t read any of Sanderson’s book in his Cosmere universe, Warbreaker would be a great book for you to start your adventure. I usually recommend readers to start with Mistborn trilogy, but if you find the idea of going through a 1500+ pages long series daunting, Warbreaker should be a safer choice. I don’t think you should worry too much about it though, Sanderson has one of the most accessible prose in the genre, and he knows how to write impactful scenes without relying on “beautiful” writing style. His prose allows him to tell a high fantasy story that’s accessible to many readers around the world, and I believe this is one of the many reasons why his books are so damn successful. The internal thoughts of characters were always well-delivered; the dialogues and banter were incredibly entertaining and fun to read. More than any other book in the Cosmere universe, Warbreaker is most likely the one that relies on banter and dialogues the most. Pretty much every appearance that involved Lightsong was utterly delightful to read.
“I swear, my dear. Sometimes our conversations remind me of a broken sword."
She raised an eyebrow.
"Sharp as hell," Lightsong said, "but lacking a point.”
Excluding the vivid and cinematic quality that came from the writing, one of the most important aspects and enhancement that came from Sanderson’s accessible prose would be the ease delivery of the staple hard magic system that’s clearly in play here. Designing an intricate and unique magic system is one of Sanderson’s main talents as an author and storyteller. I won’t even bother to explain to you the in-depths complexity of the magic system in Warbreaker that is called Awakening. The basic explanation for how it works is that Awakeners are capable of combining colors, BioChromatic Breath, and a Command to animate an object. This, however, doesn’t begin to touch the surface of the complexity and intricacies of the magic system. Sanderson ramp up the intensity of the story progressively, eventually leading it all towards the staple “Brandon Avalanche” conclusion in the final ten percent of the book.
Picture: Vasher and Nightblood by Micah Epstein
I loved Warbreaker, not a surprise there. I would devour its sequel—currently Nightblood is the title—immediately when it’s out. From what I’ve gathered in the most recent State of Sanderson in 2019, there’s a good chance that we won’t see any continuation to this novel until—at least—2025, that’s sixteen years since Warbreaker was first published; it sounds ridiculously long but that’s just how things work in Sanderson’s multi-volume Cosmere universe. Not only Warbreaker is a wonderful standalone, but it’s also filled with well-realized characters that made the multitude of story elements such as mystery, politics, actions, romance, and intricate magic systems worked. Color me impressed once again, Sanderson. Your book left me breathless on my first read, and it continues to be breathtaking on reread.
Yes, I'll let myself out now.
You can order the book from: Book Depository (Free shipping)
You can find this and the rest of my reviews at Novel Notions
Define Containing Books Warbreaker (Warbreaker #1)
| Title | : | Warbreaker (Warbreaker #1) |
| Author | : | Brandon Sanderson |
| Book Format | : | ebook |
| Book Edition | : | Draft version |
| Pages | : | Pages: 688 pages |
| Published | : | 2009 by Self-published |
| Categories | : | Fantasy. Fiction. Epic Fantasy. High Fantasy |
Rating Containing Books Warbreaker (Warbreaker #1)
Ratings: 4.26 From 102741 Users | 7505 ReviewsEvaluate Containing Books Warbreaker (Warbreaker #1)
What is better than Pi day (3.14)? A Warbreaker reread/buddy read starting on Pi Day with my felllow Sandersonitis friends at Fantasy Buddy Reads This is a private group. Let me know if you need an invite.What made this book Awesome all over again? Two Characters Vasher and Nightblood!!! Would you like to destroy some evil today? Original Review Jun 2014:4.25 StarsBuddy read with Athena and Alexa. I have Sandersonitis Symptoms include- Bleary eyes from reading too long or staying up tooMy life to yours. My Breath become yours. This book blew me away, I love everything about it from the very first page to the last one. I was neither bored nor annoyed by any of the characters, I love them all, I don't even hate the villains, they are just to wise but I love how things ended for everyone despite their loss, it was worth the gain.This book has a very complex but simple magic system that I love so much, the magic use colour and breath, if you are familiar with Sanderson then you
SANDERSON, YOU FUCKIN' GENIUS! *sobs* I can't review this book. I refuse to! How in gods earth do I form coherent sentences when my mind has been obliterated into pieces?! I'm in damn awe! My emotions are in a state of frenzy! If you haven't jumped on the bandwagon that is Brandon Sanderson, you haven't lived. Over and out.
3.5 starsYou should watch yourself, child, he whispered. Not all here in the palace is as it seems.Siri and Vivenna are princesses of the mountain kingdom of Idris, a minor power whose very existence is threatened by invasion from the Kingdom of the Iridescent Tones. And so, to avoid war, one of them must leave her home to marry the God King of Hallandren, a man reputed to be a monster.Read a book by Brandon Sanderson, and certain things are guaranteed to appear. An innovative magic system for
*** 5 ***Wow! Another spellbinding, mind blowing, fast talking, action packed Sanderson hit! I have gotten so used to his brilliance already that it doesn't surprise me anymore - I have come to expect it from him and wonder if he will ever write something that lets my high expectations down... Well, not this time, that is for sure!I love the universe Sanderson has created for the majority of his Fantasy, of which this world is a part of. This time the magic system depends on the human "breath" ,
*** 5 ***Wow! Another spellbinding, mind blowing, fast talking, action packed Sanderson hit! I have gotten so used to his brilliance already that it doesn't surprise me anymore - I have come to expect it from him and wonder if he will ever write something that lets my high expectations down... Well, not this time, that is for sure!I love the universe Sanderson has created for the majority of his Fantasy, of which this world is a part of. This time the magic system depends on the human "breath" ,
Reviewed by: Rabid ReadsI've been had. I'm simultaneously impressed and infuriated by this knowledge. It's not that I consider myself to be exceptionally smart so that nothing ever gets by me, or that I'm super sneaky and thus able to suss out super sneakiness in others, but you know how it is: when you've read enough books, you become cynical. If a character does even a single eyebrow-raising thing, you've got their number. Anything that qualifies as "questionable" behavior a suspect makes.Take
0 Comments:
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.