Tailored Realities

Tailored Realities by Brandon Sanderson

I've preferred Sanderson's science fiction work to his Cosmere mainstream. This collection does not disappoint. It contains many "short" works outside his typical universe. Many have been published in other areas. (After getting into the first one, I realized I had already read "Snapshot" before.) The length ranges from super-short flash fiction to long novella. The final work, "Moment Zero" is a new work that has Christopher Nolan vibes. A mad scientist has created a wormhole that has created a zombie apocalypse. The people that were at the scene of the wormhole creation were sent backwards and forwards in time. A couple detectives involved can somehow communicate across the timeline. They figure out what went wrong and work to push the "real" timeline to a peaceful ending.

Sanderson also includes notes for each story, often describing the genesis of the story and other important aspects. We learn that some of these stories were written as a pre-published starving author, while others were written well into his career. The "notes" are always one of my favorite parts of short story collections.

The collection includes:

1. Snapshot
2. Brain Dump
3. I Hate Dragons
4. Dreamer
5. Perfect State
6. Probability Approaching Zero
7. Defending Elysium
8. Firstborn
9. Mitosis
10. Moment Zero

Yumi and the Nightmare Painter: A Cosmere Novel

Yumi and the Nightmare Painter: A Cosmere Novel by Brandon Sanderson

There is a nightmare painter and a girl from another world. They discover what things are like on this world. One world is more "magical" while the one they are visiting is technology based. They discover some of the odd things like fashion in the tech world. It is an interesting fish out of water story. Then some of the Cosmere and shards parts get brought in. There is also discovery that the lead never made it to the school he wanted it. Book feels like it goes o a bit too long.

Wind and Truth: Book Five of the Stormlight Archive

Wind and Truth: Book Five of the Stormlight Archive by Brandon Sanderson

Wind and Truth is about as long as the Old Testament.  It also deals with religion and warfare. There are quotes from other "works" that are generally previous books in the series. The scope ranges from individual actors, to Cosmere level discussions. Most of the narrative takes place in a few days times. However, there are chapters that go back thousands of years. In this world, there are gods and people. The gods themselves are also "people" and have their foibles. Dalinar Kholin has challenged the god Odium to a duel. Odium used to be somebody else and we hear his history in some of the flashbacks. There are other characters like Jasnah and Szeth and Pattern. They are fighting battles, discussing slavery and other things. It is difficult to keep track of everything that is going on.

Seeing Like a State: How Certain Schemes to Improve the Human Condition Have Failed

Seeing Like a State by James C. Scott

Humans have this bad habit of using science to reduce complex systems to individual components. They then optimize the individual system of interest. This seems to provide positive results in the short run, but reduces resiliency in the system, leading to long term issues. 

The concept of "scientific forestry" was an early attempt to optimize nature. Why have all these other plants in the forest, when we just care about certain trees? These trees were planted in an orderly fashion. That made it easy to manage. The elimination of other growth contributed to the organization and management. Alas, these other organisms also contributed to the growth of the forest. While the scientific forest provided short term benefit, the forests did not last. It was much more susceptible to challenges, from pests to inclement weather. 

Governments have tried a similar approach with people. Cities like Brazilia were planned to be perfectly organized. People were grouped in certain areas with schools in fixed locations. Different uses were separated, with large roads to allow people to quickly move around in cars. People would live in apartments, and there would be no slums. It would be a totally optimized, totally drab city. Alas, this is not how people wanted to live. The slums also came to provide the need for additional housing. Many "planned" developments suffer from similar problems. There are good intentions from government to provide housing or other benefits. However, by restricting other uses, they eliminate the other aspects of a city that make it livable.

Governments attempt at mandating improvements in agriculture have met with similar disastrous outcomes. Communist collectivization in China and the Soviet Union attempted to implement what was "best". Alas, these top down mandates led to mass starvation. Attempts in Africa to improve agricultural performance with uniform approaches failed to take into account the needs of individuals. The result was similarly not good. Even in the US, government incentives have led to implementation of these standard monocrops.

A uniformly organized society is easy for a government to manage. States encourage standardization and organization to help with their ability to government. They can also often see some short term gains, while the long term resiliency is a problem for someone else. 

Yumi and the Nightmare Painter: A Cosmere Novel (Secret Projects Book 3)

this is another Sanderson "secret project" with audiobook available at the library, but not Audible. In this one, two people from different worlds. They are shocked to experience the other's world. One is more technologically advanced, while the other is more conservative. The values differ in each world. Even the understanding of art and science differ. The two people come together and come to a greater understanding, experiencing worlds through a different experience. It does suffer from the "length" problem of fantasy books. I got lost at times, but was able to keep going.

The Frugal Wizard’s Handbook for Surviving Medieval England (Secret Projects 2)

(Audiobook on Google Play) - Brandon Sanderson is not making his audiobooks available on Audible. I typically use Amazon for my links, but listen via the local library. I'd much rather have the audiobook available for listening at the library even if it means not being able to link to the Amazon version. It is nice to get some push on limiting the Audible exclusives.

As for the book, this one looked like it was a lot of fun to write, even if there are no talking bananas. The book centers around a person that does not know where he is or why he was there. However, he does have a handbook. He gradually remembers more about himself and works through his adventure.

He is in an "alternate time path". It is very similar to time travel, except it isn't really time travel. Companies sell the opportunity to travel to alternate dimensions that are similar to past periods of earth. This company focuses on sending people to places like Medieval England where people speak a language similar to modern English. The book contains many vary humorous bits of promotional materials and other guide information from this company.

As the man slowly learns more about himself, he is able to complete his journey and avoid catastrophe. He also discovers some of the challenges of living as a "modern person" in the a place like the past. He thought it be able to display the "magic" of modern science. Alas, without the internet, he is not able to demonstrate the details of modern science. However, when he draws an accurate drawing a person's face, the people are wowed. This perspective drawing is magical to them. (Writing is a different story, with some real magic implied.)

Brandon Sanderson says that he came up with the title first, and then wrote the book. He probably had a lot of fun doing it. The book was a lot of fun to listen to.

Tress of the Emerald Sea

Tress is one of Brandon Sanderson's "secret projects" books. It is set in his universe. However, it is very much stand alone. The book is very sassy in tone. Tess goes out with others on adventures. They battle some bad guys and complete the quest. Summarized, it feels like a fantasy book. The tone and actions make it much more accessible. The spores are also a fun part of it - especially with the one that allows creating a "spying" avatar.

I do need to find a better source for images. I'm using Amazon images, which tend to last a while. However, the audiobook is not available on audible, and amazon doesn't show other listings.

The Lost Metal: A Mistborn Novel

The Lost Metal starts with some backstory for the key character. He had a rough life growing up and continues to have a rough life. He is also the regular jokester. It feels like the author had a lot of fun writing the character. There are plenty of "law enforcement" conflicts, that end up getting involved with politics. Technology is advancing in a world that still has "metal-born" power. The end reminded me of the end of Sledgehammer. Though here the world does actually get saved, but remains in a precarious state. Our jokester hero is smarter than he makes out to be.

The Great Hunt: Book Two of The Wheel Of Time

Aes Sedai are women with special power. When a man is involved it is even better. There is some sort of "human leash" that causes others to feel what somebody feels. This makes it impossible for them to hurt the other person because. There is palace intrigue and people out in the country. Some women try to go out to a mission to their hometown to help solve things. Women seem to be both powerful and subservient. There is a hierarchy where people want to achieve new positions. The story ends.

Rhythm of War: Book Four of The Stormlight Archive

Rhythm of War is long. the audiobook clocks in at over 57 hours. (Thank goodness for 3x listening speed!) There are a lot of characters and a lot of things happening. It is also filled with increasing conflict among values. The honorspren are bound to honor. But what honor? My favorite part was the trial. It was filled with twists and turns as each side did something that was beneficial for the other. In the end, the "star" from one side ended up destroying the whole case after discussing their willingness.

The different beings continue to struggle to come to their own identity. They are challenged when they see negative things happen at the expense of others. Yet, without the others they cannot achieve their true potential. There are many corollaries to our current life. (Sanderson has even mentioned that Fantasy and Science Fiction are just ways of expressing today's concerns in different environments.) Some of the beings also are very parochial in their skills, not believing that any outsiders are capable. And there is also the researcher that makes potentially world-breaking discoveries. Plenty of things are going on, though it can be hard to keep track of the overall narrative.

Operation Snow: How a Soviet Mole in FDR's White House Triggered Pearl Harbor

In Operation Snow, John Kostner postulates that Harry Dexter White was a Soviet sympathizer that used his influence in FDR's cabinet to trigger Pearl Harbor and the US entry into World War II. The book presents a riveting history of the lead up to Pearl Harbor and the final Allied victory and partitioning of Germany. He tries to read a conspiracy among communist "fellow travelers" to steer the US involvement in a way that will most benefit the Soviets. However, his narrative describes a number of strong personalities with different personal motives. White may or may not have been a communist mole. However, he alone could not have led the US to enter the war via Pearl Harbor. There were a number of other people that actively desired US entry into the war. They would sit on key bits of intelligence, while trying to steer foreign policy in a certain direction. There were also a number of players that simply did not understand the culture and politics of other countries and were expecting different outcomes.
The author also had a fairly pro-Japanese viewpoint. Japan had just wanted peace with Europe. They were originally set to meet with Germany and England. However, the minister thought Germany was sufficient, and thus ended up with the Axis. Japan was "forced" to bomb Pearl Harbor due to the very strict demands the American's were placing on them as part of negotiations. The author also believes the Japanese destruction in Nanking was just that of a few enlisted men taking undue advantage of the spoils of war and that the Chinese overstated things for their own benefit.
To the author's credit, he does present a fairly detailed account of the facts, even if they do contradict his primary thesis. The book is well written, even if it doesn't help win the reader over to the author's point of view.

Oathbringer: Book Three of the Stormlight Archive

Oathbringer is a long book, even by Brandon Sanderson standards. The story centers around the arrival of the voidbringers, and the negative implications on society. The world consists of humans as well as other living beings with different attributes. In this universe, eye color determines social class. Even after a great upheaval that would negate any previous social standings, people would still revert back to their old ways.
I was confused with the various characters in the story. There seemed to be a few different groups that were fighting against each other, along with a few competing religions, with some magical deities. Despite being in some fantasy world, many concerns of modern society are displayed. Some people discover that a woman may in fact be the best leader. People eventually find out that their homeland was actually taken from another people. There are questions over what is right and ethical based on the their current situation. (There is a ton of violence, ranging form the destruction of a town to the "end of the world".)

Arcanum Unbounded: The Cosmere Collection

Arcanum Unbound is a collection of short stories in Brandon Sanderson's Cosmere universe. It is presented as a double abstraction, with an in-universe historian providing the background of the planet and the situation, as well as the author providing commentary on the story. Being fantasy, some of the stories are novella length on their own. There are some that focus on characters familiar to readers of other books he has written, while other stories are minor or new characters that have not had any significant appearances. Some served to add background to characters and events in his other novels. Others, were more random ditties. It felt like a fun dumping ground for interesting thoughts and stories that did not fit into the primary novel sequence.

The different titles (from Sanderson's website
“The Hope of Elantris” (Elantris)
“The Eleventh Metal” (Mistborn)
“The Emperor’s Soul” (Elantris)
“Allomancer Jak and the Pits of Eltania, Episodes 28 through 30” (Mistborn)
“White Sand” (excerpt; Taldain)
“Shadows for Silence in the Forests of Hell” (Threnody)
“Sixth of Dusk” (First of the Sun)
“Mistborn: Secret History” (Mistborn)

Shadows of Self

The Mistborn novels all blur into one for me. They are not bad, but I do prefer Sanderson's Reckoners books. Here we see the magic in a 19th century western setting. Political and labor strife is starting to arise. Religious conflicts also come about. (The characters in the early novels are now the 'deities' of the new religions.) And of course, there is the magic as an everyday occurrence.

Words of Radiance

Words of Radiance is written as a number of interleaved stories that eventually come together at the end of the book.
As with the first book in this series, I liked the story of Shallan best. I had trouble distinguishing among some of the light-eyed nobles. We also learn more about the Voidbringers. They seem to be a bad force that destroys the world, but we also gain some sympathy towards them.

We see the characters go through great trials and emerge the more powerful. Khaladan, in particular, must repent from his approval of an assassination attempt in order to regain his powers. (And in the process, it seems like a new "bad guy" is being set up.

It is a very long book. The start is a little tough to get through, but it does pick up the pace and moves along well afterwards.

The Way of Kings

The Way of Kings is long - fantasy long. And this is only the first of a multi-volume saga. This was much harder to really get "into" than Sanderson's other books. It does, however, seem to borrow from some of his other ideas and even names. (Occasionally, I think I remember a character or event, only to realize it was from another book.) By the end, I was eager for the next book in the series.

The novel is told from the point of view of a number of different characters that (at least initially) seem to be unrelated. I found the story of Shallan to be my favorite. I was eager for more "installments" of this arc while going through other sections. Shallan is attempting to steal a Soulcaster from Jasnah, a heretic nobel academic. She apprentices herself to Jasnah to become close to her. In the process, she comes to become attached to her master and enjoy her studies. She also gains feelings for the ardent Kabsal. However, it turns out Kabsal was trying to kill Jasnah with poisonous bread. (The antidote is in the jam - Jasnah is known to not like jam.) Jasnah soulcasts the jam into something else, and Kabsal ends up being the one that dies. (Jasnah soulcasts Shallan's blood to heal her.) From this episode Shallan begins to learn that Jasnah and herself can soulcast without a soulcaster.

The other arcs involve an assassin, a nobel who has dreams, and Kaladin, a slave. Kaladin was initially the son of a "dark eyes" surgeon. (In the society, light eyes were nobles. Another society was mentioned where leadership is entirely based on age. It seems very open, until one realizes that the dominant clan simply kills off other pretenders before they get too old.) He joins the army to help protect his younger brother who was drafted. However, he gets in trouble, especially as his powers begin to manifest themselves. Eventually, he helps train a lowly "bridge crew" to be brave fighters. They come back and rescue the army of a rival ruler (even though they could have just escaped to freedom.) After doing this the ruler buys their freedom and gives them a spot in the military.

These arcs all go together for a large story about a society that is cycling through a fall. They are fighting a human-like class of people called parshinde (who happen to be similar to their docile servents the parshmen.) There are, of course, some magical and supernatural powers. And there are a number of philosophical questions involed. Many of the characters are torn by situations that do not have clear cut black and white morality. (Is it okay to harm somebody to prevent them from harming other people in the future?) The philosophical interludes slowed the action, but they could often be more interesting.

My biggest complaint of the novel is the bizarre names. This seems to be an issue with all Fantasy works. There are so many "odd" names that I have trouble telling them apart. With the many different stories going, I'd think the names were the same, when they weren't (or that they were different, even though they were the same.)

I also see elements of many of Sanderson's other novels here. You could almost create a unified universe by adding in Mistborn and even the Alcatraz series. Alas, this is "long fantasy". But, as far as fantasy goes, it is pretty good.

Eye of the World

I really liked Brandon Sanderson's young adult Alcatraz books. That inspired me to try out some of his mistborn books, despite my poor experience with other high fantasy. They were actually good books (though not quite up to the Alcatraz quality.) Sanderson has also written the final books in Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time series. He was chosen to do so after Jordan's widow was impressed by his Mistborn books. I want to read the Sanderson books. However, since they are in the end of the series, it would probably be best to start with book one. Hopefully the series would be as good as Sanderson's.

Thus, I am starting on Eye of the World. The book is really slow going. I'm halfway through and not a whole lot has happened so far. There has been some conflict. People fled a village. There is some gender-linked magic. There are some half-human monsters that fight.

Now I've made it to the end, and there still hasn't been a whole lot of stuff happening. Its tough to understand what the purpose was of all the words. The characters seem fairly flat, the action is pedestrian. I fell asleep listening to part of the audiobook and didn't seem to miss much. Apparently, Jordan tried to write his novel in the style of Tolkien. At least he got the tedium part right.

There are people out there that like the work of Tolkien and Jordan. Alas, I am not one of them. If they were shorter books, I might consider slogging through. But a dozen big fat novels? Nope. I think I'll be skipping to the end to get to Sanderson's novels. At least has a track record of fantasy that I can handle.