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Perfect State

by Brandon Sanderson (Goodreads Author)

4.07 · Rating Details · 8,056 Ratings · 766 Reviews

From the author of Legion and the #1 New York Times bestselling Stormlight Archive comes an action-filled novella about privilege, culture clash, and expectations.

God-Emperor Kairominas is lord of all he surveys. He has defeated all foes, has united the entire world beneath his rule, and has mastered the arcane arts. He spends his time sparring with his nemesis, who keeps ...more

Kindle Edition, 87 pages

Published March 31st 2015 by Dragonsteel Entertainment

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Most Anticipated: Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Novels of 2015

457 books — 1,545 voters

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477 books — 1,012 voters

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Apr 04, 2015 Lindsey Rey rated it it was amazing

Shelves: fantasy, science-fiction, novella, 2016

LOVE LOVE LOVE! I recommend this for fans of Ready Player One and people who like Meta fiction.

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Oct 19, 2015 ✘✘ Sarah ✘✘ (former Nefarious Breeder of Murderous Crustaceans) rated it really liked it

Recommended to ✘✘ Sarah ✘✘ (former Nefarious Breeder of Murderous Crustaceans) by: Robin (Bridge Four)

Shelves: short-stories-novellas, science-fiction, read-2015

☢ Short story, long review. Don't say I didn't warn you.

✉ Dear ~~slightly deranged~~ members of the Sanderson Cult: see my rating up there? To think you wouldn't believe me when I repeatedly told you I wasn't completely hopeless! So ha! to you, QED, and all that. ~~Too be honest, before I reached the 50% mark I thought I would go for a 3-star rating~~ (← you did NOT just read this, dear ~~slightly deranged~~ Cult Members) but ~~Sophie~~ the second half of the story was pretty awesome so I went for 4 stars inste ...more

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May 10, 2016 Tadiana ✩Night Owl☽ rated it it was amazing

Shelves: science-fiction, the-shorts

4.5 stars. I reread this novella today, because I wanted to compare it to Sanderson's latest alternative reality novella, Snapshot. Final review, first posted on www.FantasyLiterature.com. Note: one major spoiler in the fourth paragraph of this review, but I haven't tagged it because it occurs so soon, on about page 10.

Kairominas has conquered the entire world … or at any rate, what constitutes “his” world, where his magical powers, called “Lancing,” enables him to do almost everything except co 4.5 stars. I reread this novella today, because I wanted to compare it to Sanderson's latest alternative reality novella, Snapshot. Final review, first posted on www.FantasyLiterature.com. Note: one major spoiler in the fourth paragraph of this review, but I haven't tagged it because it occurs so soon, on about page 10.

Kairominas has conquered the entire world … or at any rate, what constitutes “his” world, where his magical powers, called “Lancing,” enables him to do almost everything except control the weather. But there are other things out of his control: he has a relentless enemy in a neighboring state who is an endless source of trouble.

Worse, in Kai’s mind, is that the Wode Scroll, a device that carries communications from outside his world, has once again informed Kai that it is his duty, as one of the Liveborn, to meet up with a woman (to be chosen from a convenient list of compatible Liveborn) in order to have a child. Kai resists as long as he can, but when resistance becomes futile, he grumpily selects the woman at the very bottom of the list and travels to another world or “State” to meet her. Trouble awaits KAI there, as well as his blind date.

For a world based on magic, there’s a lot of odd discussion about programming and hacking. Then comes the big reveal (only about 10 pages into the story): Kai’s ― and almost every other human’s ― brain was removed when he was a fetus and placed in a box, attached to simulation machinery, so that each person can be given an entire virtual world where they are the most important person in it. They are the Liveborn; all of the other people in their world are computer constructs, Machineborn. It’s not a secret from the disembodied humans, and the additional twist is that Kai (like, presumably, most other humans) has no problem with this version of reality. He’s completely satisfied and delighted with his life. At least, that’s what he tells himself.

Kai has to travel to a magic-less border state to meet his blind date/procreation partner, and Sanderson does an excellent job of describing the conflicting physical laws governing Kai’s magical State and other States where technology reigns, and the computer programming underlying everything. It’s an intriguing premise and a creative twist on the Matrix world scenario, and Sanderson handles it well. The characters have some lively and rather meta discussions about what constitutes reality, and whether it’s important to treat Machineborn as real people. I'd love it if Sanderson would write more stories in this world.

Initial comments:
I've been mulling over buying this for several weeks, even though it's (normally) a $3 novella that you can read in about an hour if you're a fast reader, because (a) Brandon Sanderson! and (b) Hugo award nomination. (With the mess that the Hugos are in right now, normally (b) wouldn't mean much to me by itself, but combined with (a) it's worth something.) So when I got the alert yesterday that the price has temporarily dropped to 99 cents, I bit. And dropped everything and read it immediately, in one sitting, because (a).

It's an intriguing science fiction novella, with a splash of fantasy and a major twist that's revealed fairly early on and recasts everything that you read in the first 10 pages or so. It's definitely worth the buy if you like SF and are interested in exploring a twist on the Matrix world scenario. ...more

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Mar 21, 2015 Nimrod Daniel rated it liked it

Shelves: fantasy

First, I'd mention that it was totally different than what I had expected. You may think the story deals with a God-Emperor and his equal from another world, but that's not entirely correct (I won't say more than that :) ).

The characters are nice, the dialogues are somewhat witty,and the idea of the simulation is interesting and thought provoking. But unfortunately that's all the good things that I can say about this story. I think dealing with the simulation could have been done better, because ...more

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Aug 05, 2015 Brad rated it really liked it

Shelves: sci-fi, fantasy, worldbuilding-sf, reality-bending, 2016-shelf

Taking the holographic universe to very logical conclusions, or at least just adding a new spin to the Matrix, I thought this was a fairly interesting read only made better by the end message.

No spoilers, but it's kinda obvious from the start what the tale is about. It's telegraphed pretty heavily.

Still, there's a lot of great things about the novella, with good worldbuilding, a wide and sweeping grandiosity of scenes and settings that really makes this shine.

So what if I find the main characte ...more

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Mar 31, 2015 Robin (Bridge Four) rated it really liked it

Shelves: 4-5-stars, ya, fantastic-fantasy, super-sidekicks

God-Emperor Kairominas in 300 years has mastered everything in his world, well except weather but given another 50 years he’ll conquer that too. Now he has been informed by the powers that be that he must procreate. You’re probably thinking ‘hey if he is a God-Emperor who are these powers that be that can tell a God Emperor what to do’. Hahaha that is little twist #1 Kairominas lives in a simulated world.

After 300 years of simulation he has pretty much run out of things to do. He has a concept f God-Emperor Kairominas in 300 years has mastered everything in his world, well except weather but given another 50 years he’ll conquer that too. Now he has been informed by the powers that be that he must procreate. You’re probably thinking ‘hey if he is a God-Emperor who are these powers that be that can tell a God Emperor what to do’. Hahaha that is little twist #1 Kairominas lives in a simulated world.

After 300 years of simulation he has pretty much run out of things to do. He has a concept for a best friend and companion.

“You’re just saying that because it’s part of your Concept,” I said. “The dashing knight riding on horseback, winning the hands of fair maidens.”
“Sure, sure. I had quite the collection of hands. Couple of arms, the occasional foot . . .”

And a personal assistant Besk that keeps him on task. Besides the minor torment of his nemesis Melhi and his Robot invaders everything else in his world has become predictable. So a date with another ruler of there simulated world, how bad could it be?

This was a fun world to dip a toe in. It is a little bit the Matrixx, with a minor splash of steampunk, Pacific Rim like Robots and that special something that Brandon Sanderson always brings to a story.

Sophie ‘The Date’ was an interesting character and I really liked the spin made on her. She is a conundrum but so much fun and not what the God-Emperor was expecting.

“Unhand me,” Sophie muttered, dazed. “I’m not some damsel from your barbarian lands. . . .”
I reached a sheltered alleyway out of the robot’s sight, and set her down inside. She was limp, her eyes drooping.
“I’m not . . .” she said. “I don’t need to be saved, I . . .”
“Think of it this way,” I said. “Your inner feminist must be going insane at the idea of being rescued.”

Because this is only an 85 page novella there is a bit of rush to the plot and I definitely didn’t get enough time in this world. It was all interesting and so full of possibilities just because of the simulated reality of it all anything can happen, Brandon Sanderson almost wrote a sex scene *blush (for him, not for me)* but it is Brandon Sanderson so…

“Breasts later, giant robot now.”

Not that that is a bad thing. He is my favorite High Fantasy writer with or without sex scenes. This leaves off unexpectedly with a pretty good twist to the end. I’m hoping that we will meet up with God-Emperor Kairominas and his nemesis Melhi again in the future.
...more

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Nov 28, 2016 Gavin rated it it was amazing

Shelves: fantasy

This was an awesome novella. It had all the the elements that make Sanderson's epic fantasy series so entertaining. The fantastic world building, the likeable characters, the amusing banter between the characters, and the fascinating plot that never fails to surprise!

In a distant future overcrowding on earth has lead to the majority of humanity living as little more than brains in a jar. The minds of such people live in virtual reality worlds tailored to their fantasies and populated by AI's. G ...more

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Feb 28, 2017 edge of bubble rated it it was amazing

Shelves: short-story-novella, loved-it, sci-fi, audio-book, 2017, futuristic

My very first 5 stars rating for a novella! I wouldn't believe that it was possible for me to enjoy one that wasn't a part of a series this much. I loved everything about this awesome baby novel *except the audio part. with that one, I am annoyed on the outside while secretly admiring it inside. you need to listen the narrator say expectations to get my fruitcake attitude about it*.

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Apr 23, 2015 Mike rated it really liked it

Shelves: science-fiction, reviewed, novella

I am constantly impressed by the seeming ease at which Sanderson is able to blend disparate ideas, genres, and settings together and then deliver something with the emotional impact of a full length novel in a novella I finished in about an hour. Perfect State does all that and more firmly cementing Sanderson's status in my mind as either being a robot, having a bunch of writers chained up in his basement, or being a trafficker with unnatural forces.

Decartes struggled with the idea that we could I am constantly impressed by the seeming ease at which Sanderson is able to blend disparate ideas, genres, and settings together and then deliver something with the emotional impact of a full length novel in a novella I finished in about an hour. Perfect State does all that and more firmly cementing Sanderson's status in my mind as either being a robot, having a bunch of writers chained up in his basement, or being a trafficker with unnatural forces.

Decartes struggled with the idea that we could be deceived about the world. Maybe we aren't who we think we are, but instead, to use the modern vernacular, a brain in a vat. All of our experiences are not real, but instead merely external stimuli applied to a brain in a laboratory somewhere. We could be all hooked up to the Matrix, having all of our experiences generated by malevolent forces for their own purposes. Or, as Keanu would say:

description

But Sanderson, being Sanderson, takes this idea and gives it a nifty twist. Most of humanity is in fact brains in vats and are provided a "Perfect State" for them to grow up and experience life in.

Xinwey's Doctrine states that the most essential morality of mankind is to create the greatest amount of happiness among the greatest number of people while using the least amount of resources.

Turned out, the best way to create greatly satisfied people using minimal resources was to remove their brains when they were fetuses and attach them to simulated realities tailored to fir their emerging personalities.

So humanity has become unburdened by the risk of want or early death or many unpleasant realities of life, and provided a world where they can and do achieve greatness. Pretty great deal right? The main character has lived 350+ years, conquered the fantasy world he lived in, and rules as a god king. But even god kings have to answer to a higher calling. Namely the requirement to procreate occasionally with other "liveborns" (as oppossed to "Machineborn", the simulated people that populate their perfect states). So Our God King now has to go on a date with another absolute world ruler.

One of the great aspects of this novella was the cultural clash between liveborn. Kai comes from a high fantasy world where he wields magical powers and commands legions. Sophie, his date, hails from a modern realistic world. they meet in a sort of Gangland 1920's world Sufficed to say there is quite a lot of preconceived notions about the type of people who come from different worlds.

"I can't understand why the Woad would do such a thing, making them grow up in such barbaric and primitive surroundings."
"It's not the Wode's fault. they match the State to the emerging personality of the individual. He belongs there."

One of the other fascinating areas of discussion was about the nature of the system they existed in. Are they actually achieving anything? Or are they just wasting away their lives overcoming artificial barriers? And what oh the simulations they interact with that can pass Turning tests but are certainly artificial creations? Sanderson deftly explores these ideas offering conflicting views that really make the reader ponder these topics.

And of course Sanderson brings the wit:

"Worried? I thought you felt Simulated Entities were equal to Liveborn."
"I didn't say that. I said Machineborn were people, and that killing them is wrong. Liveborn are absolutely more important."
"Nice you have your own place in things straight."
"Well, I am a God-Emperor..."

And of course Sanderson builds an absolutely awesome world and cast of characters. It is seriously unfair he can pack such a potent punch in such a small space. If you are a Sanderson fan, you will adore this novella. If you like neat little sci-fi stories, this definitely scratches that itch. And if you like exploring philosophical concepts of reality, life, and responsibility this is a nice treat. All in all a novella that leaves me wanting more in this very cool universe. ...more

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Mar 03, 2016 Karl rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: subterranean_press-own, 2016-03-books-bought

In Brandon Sanderson's book/novella titled "Perfect State" Mr. Sanderson bridges a number of different genres. At first he places the reader into a fantasy realm where an all powerful emperor named Kai has ruled for three hundred years and brought peace to his kingdom.

As it turns out Kai is the only human born in his kingdom, everyone else is a construct (think "The Matrix") we learn that Kai is only a brain living in a jar and the "controllers" of his existence want him to procreate as part of ...more

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May 16, 2017 Mary ~Ravager of Tomes~ rated it really liked it

Shelves: audiobook, year-2017, short-works

I really love this trend with some of Sanderson's short stories that deals with altered reality & simulations. I don't know where he keeps this crazy stockpile of ideas, but it's safe to say he's hogging all the genius.

With this story and Snapshot, Sanderson shows his ability to step out of the High Fantasy genre & edge into Science Fiction. This is one of those stories that has great potential to be expanded, but it was a satisfying glimpse into an awesome concept!

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Apr 01, 2015 Kogiopsis rated it liked it

Shelves: reviewed, why-i-love-my-kindle

Congratulations, Brandon, on almost writing a sex scene!*

(*as someone who wouldn't feel comfortable doing so myself, I don't see anything wrong with choosing not to write sex, but he's been edging closer and closer to it for years and this is a distinct step forward so. confetti.)

Perfect State was... solid? I'm not sure how else to describe it: it met my expectations, based on its length and the bit that was read aloud at a signing some months ago. I did, however, have trouble with the basic con ...more

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Jan 10, 2016 Kelly's ( Next Best Read ) rated it it was amazing

Shelves: fantasy, fiction, favorite-authors, brandon-sanderson, novella

Wow!!! That ending was intense. Loved it all the same.

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Mar 28, 2017 Abigail rated it really liked it · review of another edition

DLACZEGO TO MA TYLKO 80 STRON?! POTRZEBUJĘ WIĘCEJ.

Niby to tylko krótka historia, niby nie da się wiele zrobić z taką formą... A jednak jak jesteś Sandersonem to potrafisz wszystko!

Tak fajny świat, tak ciekawy pomysł na fabułę! Chciałabym więcej takich książek. ❤

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Apr 30, 2015 Phrynne rated it it was amazing

It takes a very talented author to present a satisfyingly complete story set in a whole new world in only 71 pages but in this novella Brandon Sanderson does exactly that. The man is brilliant! Even his characters are presented with enough information for the reader to know and care for them. No information dumps (no time for them) just the right amount of detail imparted where necessary and always as part of the narrative. Of course as with any good novella the reader is left wanting more. A fo ...more

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Jun 27, 2016 Althea Ann rated it liked it

Hmm, I expected to like this one more than I did. It was decent, I just wasn't blown away.

Our protagonist, Kai is the emperor of the world. Of course, his position is put into perspective when we learn that this is a Matrix-like future. Humans are now brains in vats, each individual given a whole virtual world of their own, peopled by AIs and uniquely tailored to their own individual personality.

However, since the truth is revealed when a person comes 'of age' at fifty, and life expectancy is i ...more

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Apr 02, 2015 Kaitlin rated it liked it

Shelves: short-fiction-2016, sci-fi-2016, booktubesff-2016

I read this as part of the #BooktubeSFF Awards Shortlist and it was one of the few Sanderson shorts that I'd not yet got to. I have to say that as this is not a Cosmere story I wasn't sure what we'd be getting but I'd class this much more as sci fi than fantasy (which isn't a bad thing).

This story follows a character as he rules over his world as Emperor. It's set in a time when Earth is overcrowded and so many people are kept in alternate 'states' Where they live among simulations and can rule ...more

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Dec 01, 2016 Desinka rated it it was amazing

This was perfect!
A perfect story, perfect characters and a perfect ending. Just Perfect Sanderson:)

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May 02, 2016 Scott Hitchcock rated it it was amazing

Shelves: the-5-stars, sci-fi, sanderson

I don't think I've ever given something this short 5*'s but Sanderson delivered. Very thought provoking, original and a twist at the end I didn't see coming.

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May 31, 2017 Trevor Frazier rated it liked it

Shelves: fantasy, science-fiction

A very solid, although very short novella filled with interesting ideas - which is per the usual for Sanderson. My biggest gripe is how rushed it felt. With all the concepts being dived into, I feel that this could have easily been a hundred pages longer, if not more. Character development was also a little weak, because again, there just wasn't enough time to get attached.

The twists were good though and the system behind the main character's world (worlds) is a really cool, matrix-y idea. I wou ...more

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Mar 30, 2015 Mark Morabito rated it liked it

2.5 Stars
Awesome worldbuilding, awkward plot

Being a big fan of Brandon Sanderson's other work, I couldn't wait to get my hands on this novella. However....I feel like I'm missing something here.

The worldbuilding was awesome and I really wanted to spend time reading about adventures in this place. Unfortunately, the plot was unfulfilling and answered none of the questions I felt a reader would want to know. And, without going into spoilers, I feel the final twist invalidates the necessity of the ...more

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Mar 23, 2016 Paul rated it liked it

Shelves: own-ebook, z_archive_read-2016, z_archive_novella-2016, z_archive_boughtin2016

I liked this novella by Brandon Sanderson because it reminded me of how much I used to live my life in MMOs. I believe there is a strong connection between this story and individuals that live their life online. Achievements with video games are a lot like Kai and his achievements in his own State. In fact, with simulation games being as they are now days, I can see this "play as a god" type of system being a big seller.

I think that Kai's revelation for something more deep and meaningful is kin ...more

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Jun 24, 2015 Joel rated it really liked it

Interesting, definitely a change of pace and writing style for Sanderson (The phrase "sexy as hell" was uttered by the protagonist). Overall a very interesting concept that could make for an interesting full length novel - I was not all that entertained, however, for most of it. The ending caught me a bit by surprise though, and I would say that ended up bumping up the rating for me. A nice change of pace.

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Mar 31, 2015 Daniel rated it really liked it

Odlična novela. Vidi se da je neko gledao Matrix kada je bio mlađi, odnosno imamo svet koji bi dobili da smo popili palvu pilulu.

Priča je interesantna ali u glavnom planu je u suštini kako ljudi reaguju u situacijama koje radije ne bi priznavali.

Jedini minus je što opet imamo osećaj da je ovo samo uvod u neku daleko veću priču ali odlično ide i kao stand alone. Slobodno pročitajze.

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May 03, 2016 Paige Bookdragon marked it as to-read

Shelves: dying-to-have

I have to slap someone.I wasn't informed about this!!!!

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Mar 30, 2015 Eon ♒Windrunner♒ rated it really liked it

How does he...What the... I cannot even...
Brandon, your brain is a treasure.

description

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May 22, 2017 Jeraviz rated it it was ok

Shelves: fantasy, science-fiction, short-stories

Me ha dejado algo frío. Creo que la mezcla de estilos, ideas y que la voz del protagonista no me ha convencido del todo hace que le ponga tan pocas estrellas. Pero se lee fácil, está llena de cosas interesantes propias de Sanderson y tal vez si hace una historia larga podría ser interesante.

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Aug 10, 2015 Tosh rated it it was amazing

Shelves: brandon-sanderson

Received this for Christmas...another of his duel story editions with Shadows for Silence in the Forests of Hell on the opposite side, which I was able to read in Dangerous Women.

Another fun read from the master himself, complete with a nice little twist. The end left an opening for a potential sequel, which I will gladly read if he finds the time to write it.

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Mar 21, 2015 TS Chan rated it really liked it

Shelves: dr-reading-challenge

Fantastical does not mean primitive

A bit different from the usual Sanderson and I like it a lot. This is not a Cosmere story, however, and it touches both sci-fi and fantasy in a semi-Matrix spin. An entertaining short read with an interesting theme around reality and existence. Of course, no Sanderson novel or novella is complete without a twist to the end.

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Mar 31, 2015 Krbo rated it really liked it

simpatična pričica.

Sanderson drugi puta u SF vodama, sada u cyber okusu virtualne stvarnosti.

Već viđena tema no bilo je ugodno pročitati i njegov pristup.

Na kraju će napisati i SF roman što neće biti čudno ako primijenimo Clarkeov teorem o vrlo razvijenoj znanosti kao magiji.

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About Brandon Sanderson

Brandon’s major books for the second half of 2016 are The Dark Talent, the final volume in Alcatraz Smedry’s autobiographical account of his battle against the Evil Librarians who secretly rule our world, and Arcanum Unbounded, the collection of short fiction in the Cosmere universe that includes the Mistborn series and the Stormlight
Archive, among others. This collection features The Emperor’s S ...more

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The Way of Kings (The Stormlight Archive, #1)

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“A person needed to experience real danger or they would never find joy in excelling. There had to be a risk of failure, the chance to die.” — 6 likes

“It does strange things to you to realize that the conservative establishment is forcing you to be a progressive liberal fighter for universal rights.” — 5 likes

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