2020 Reread

In advance of Rhythm of War releasing in November I wanted to revisit the larger Cosmere. Let's be honest though, I was here for Nightblood and any appearance with Vasher was excellent. I forgot about Hoid's appearance in the story and when the Cosmere tale has been woven his transition from world to world will be fun to map out.

It may be that the magic or world doesn't interest me but I didn't feel compelled to carve out additional time in my day to read the story. Ultimately this is probably my least favorite Sanderson/Cosmere story. True to any Sanderson story it finishes strong and the final 15% is a rollercoaster of a ride and with the hint of another story I'm like "sign me up, this was fun" because I'm quick to forget the days prior to that climax.

Original review from 2016

"I learned it many, many years ago from a man who didn't know who he was, Your Majesty. It was a distant place where two lands meet and gods have died. But that is unimportant."

A person knows when they're in darkness, Nightblood said. Even when they can't see.

In my quest to consume more Cosmere material (that wasn't Mistborn or Stormlight Archive) I turned my attention next to Warbreaker. The magic system was well executed and made for some interesting perspectives on power and deitiy. I liked the humor that some of the characters had and each POV was written with a very distinct style.

I would have rated this higher if more of the areas surrounding Hallandren were explored, or discussed, because when the end of the book was accelerating towards me I found the motives of some characters a bit surprising.

Vasher and Nightblood steal the story and it's a shame there wasn't more focus on them. Sanderson has a way of writing a character in the background and after the climax you realize how incredible they were and want to read more of their work, or even re-read the story a gain to pick up on details you missed the first time around.

Overall this was a good story from Sanderson. There were a few tidbits about the Cosmere mythology that Hoid shared, but overall an enjoyable standalone read that could offer new readers of Sanderson to his material.