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Children of the Nameless
(Magic: The Gathering #72)
by
Since the day she was born, Tacenda has been both blessed and cursed. When her protective spell fails in the night and her Kessig village is attacked, she seeks revenge against whom she believes responsible: the demon-consorting Lord of the Manor.
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ebook, 217 pages
Published
December 12th 2018
by Wizards of the Coast
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Popular Answered Questions
Júlia Bozzino
no, it is a Magic The Gathering story
Jared
No. I have never played the game or read any other Magic: The Gathering books and I really liked this story.
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Start your review of Children of the Nameless

After 60 years, I will be sitting with my grandsons and I will tell them how one day I wrote a review for a Brandon Sanderson book and that it was the top review -even if for a short time-!!
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This review and other non-spoilery reviews can be found @The Book Prescription
“That was the first rule of demonology: make certain the demon’s incentives align with your own.”
🌟 I have been in the mood for a Sanderson story lately for an unknown ...more
**************************************************************
This review and other non-spoilery reviews can be found @The Book Prescription
“That was the first rule of demonology: make certain the demon’s incentives align with your own.”
🌟 I have been in the mood for a Sanderson story lately for an unknown ...more


Brandon Sanderson wrote a free-download Magic the Gathering novella for the 25th birthday of the worldwide known fantasy trading cards game so, having played MtG lots of years ago, it seemed to me this early xmas present timing was just perfect to start reading something of this author.

Loved the Sanderson's style, the storyline, the characters and the setting: Innistrad with its curses, werewolf-hunters and other red eyed creatures with too long claws prowling the woods, reminded me a lot Dungeo ...more

Thank you very much Mr Sanderson for spinning us this little tale as a Christmas freebie. I really hope you plan to take these characters further especially as you have introduced some of the best demons ever, especially Miss Highwater.
Davriel definitely deserves many more pages - I always love these laid back characters who have to be spurred into action. Davriel would always prefer to take a nap but when pushed he can take on any thing.
This is a great novella - not anywhere near long enough o ...more
Davriel definitely deserves many more pages - I always love these laid back characters who have to be spurred into action. Davriel would always prefer to take a nap but when pushed he can take on any thing.
This is a great novella - not anywhere near long enough o ...more

“‘Being good’ is simply a method used to signal that one is willing to conform to societal norms. Agreement with the crowd. Look at any history book, and you’ll discover that the threshold for acceptable conformation varies widely depending on the group.”
I love it! Brandon Sanderson did it again. I found out about this book the day it came out, through the articles google recommends for me.
Despite being 100+ pages, BS still wowed me.
Great world building as usual, amazing characters and plot. ...more

Dec 13, 2018
Divine
rated it
liked it
Recommends it for:
Beginning Fantasy Readers
Shelves:
2018-reads,
fantasy
Actual rating is 3.50. You can view my full review of this here! ALSO, THIS IS MY FIRST PUBLISHED BOOK REVIEW IN MY BLOG SO DOUBLE YAY!
I’m at that point in my life where I’d gobble up any written work of art Sanderson publishes. Apparently, I tend to gravitate more with his novellas rather than his epic fantasies. (I haven’t read the Mistborn ser ...more
"They were all so certain that secretly he was some kind of unnatural monster–rather than just a man, the most natural monster of them all."
I’m at that point in my life where I’d gobble up any written work of art Sanderson publishes. Apparently, I tend to gravitate more with his novellas rather than his epic fantasies. (I haven’t read the Mistborn ser ...more

3.5 Stars
Don’t you just love it when your favourite author writes surprise novellas!?!? Brandon Sanderson has gifted us with a novella set in the world of Magic: The Gathering and I was on it like white on rice.
A set of twin sisters protect their village against all sorts of things that go bump in the night, by way of their magical gifts/curses. But then the day comes when an unknown evil attacks, and the sisters’ gifts/curses fail them. The likeliest culprit seems to be the Lord of the Manor, a ...more
Don’t you just love it when your favourite author writes surprise novellas!?!? Brandon Sanderson has gifted us with a novella set in the world of Magic: The Gathering and I was on it like white on rice.
A set of twin sisters protect their village against all sorts of things that go bump in the night, by way of their magical gifts/curses. But then the day comes when an unknown evil attacks, and the sisters’ gifts/curses fail them. The likeliest culprit seems to be the Lord of the Manor, a ...more

Gothic horror infused fantasy, accessible to both readers familiar with the characters and planes (Avacyn and Innistrad feature respectively) of Magic the Gathering and those new to the table-top gaming lore.
Introducing new characters (those not previously featured in Magic the Gather lore in card/other formats), Tacenda and Davriel gives author Brandon Sanderson an established but new playground to explore and expand upon and he does it in a captivating and entertaining way.
Using the shorter l ...more
Introducing new characters (those not previously featured in Magic the Gather lore in card/other formats), Tacenda and Davriel gives author Brandon Sanderson an established but new playground to explore and expand upon and he does it in a captivating and entertaining way.
Using the shorter l ...more

You know, I'm pretty sure that if Brandon Sanderson decided to write a story based on a cooking recipe it would still be epic and the characters compelling, because I have no evidence that he can do anything
but
that ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
I know nothing of Magic, but I enjoyed this story! The characters were so compelling and intriguing (and veryyyy humorous!), the story, although really short, kept me always interested and intrigued aaaaand the magic system had also a very Brandon Sanderson touch in my ...more
I know nothing of Magic, but I enjoyed this story! The characters were so compelling and intriguing (and veryyyy humorous!), the story, although really short, kept me always interested and intrigued aaaaand the magic system had also a very Brandon Sanderson touch in my ...more

“Hellfire,” he muttered. “Someone’s been imitating me.”
“A difficult task,” Miss Highwater said. “Think of the sheer number of naps they’d have to take.”
Davriel eyed her.
“Admit it, Dav,” she said. “It would require a true master of imitation to impersonate you. Most people would accidentally do something relevant or useful, and that would destroy the entire illusion.”
...more
“You have to help them,” she said. “You are their lord.”
Davriel shrugged.
“If you don’t,” Tacenda said. “I will...I...”
“I’m a

A light, entertaining, and quick read. From what I've gathered on GR, I believe this novella is part of a series of books by different authors, set in the same world, based on a card game. However, I feel that this works well as a standalone read also. There are references to events that occur in some other books, but not too much is spoiled to prevent me from considering reading more in this series.
What you're in for: chatty demons, pitchfork wielding villagers, magical singing, and strange cu ...more
What you're in for: chatty demons, pitchfork wielding villagers, magical singing, and strange cu ...more

"Perhaps we were all created for a specific purpose, but that doesn’t prevent us from finding other purposes as well.”
Δεν έχω διαβάσει πολλά βιβλία του Σάντερσον, αλλά ήταν αρκετά για να γίνει ένας απο τους αγαπημένους μου.
Η συγκεκριμένη νουβέλα ήταν μια μικρή απόλαυση για εμένα και περισσότερο μικρή ιστορία για τα δεδομένα του συγγραφέα -παρά νουβέλα.
Λάτρεψα τους δαίμονες και τον μαγικό κόσμο, συμπάθησα τους χαρακτήρες και χάθηκα στις σελίδες και στη σκοτεινή ατμόσφαιρα τους για μια ακόμη φ ...more

The book is available for free here.
I would never have read this if not for the r/Fantasy Bingo challenge. And for once, I'm glad. Media Tie-In was the Bingo square I dreaded the most - I don't really do any media that has tie-ins and I had doubts there was anything out there I'd like. So free and short and by an author I read before...what did I have to lose?
I went in with no expectations. And despite my complete lack of MtG knowledge, I ended up enjoying it immensely - plus, it's straight up o ...more
I would never have read this if not for the r/Fantasy Bingo challenge. And for once, I'm glad. Media Tie-In was the Bingo square I dreaded the most - I don't really do any media that has tie-ins and I had doubts there was anything out there I'd like. So free and short and by an author I read before...what did I have to lose?
I went in with no expectations. And despite my complete lack of MtG knowledge, I ended up enjoying it immensely - plus, it's straight up o ...more

Perfect. As a big fan of both Brandon Sanderson and MtG—and Innistrad being my favourite plane—I almost feel as if this book was written just for me.

Davriel Cane has quickly become my favourite planeswalker. The day his card is released I intend on obtaining a complete playset as fast as possible! I predict he’ll be U/B and exiles the top card of the opponents deck to play for yourself, and possibly even the ability to steal abilities from other planeswalkers. And what of Tacenda? A G/W origins ...more

Davriel Cane has quickly become my favourite planeswalker. The day his card is released I intend on obtaining a complete playset as fast as possible! I predict he’ll be U/B and exiles the top card of the opponents deck to play for yourself, and possibly even the ability to steal abilities from other planeswalkers. And what of Tacenda? A G/W origins ...more

I thought I'd download this as it was a free Sanderson novel. It had a weird gothic fantasy style to it. Wasnt his best work in my opinion. I've never played magic or been exposed to characters or the world building. So the world never seemed to be an issue for me. I think the plot just didnt seem to spike an interest for me
I have a feeling it was due to the small length. Sanderson seems to write better when he has a larger scope. ...more
I have a feeling it was due to the small length. Sanderson seems to write better when he has a larger scope. ...more

I really enjoyed this! It’s a fun fantasy novella filled with magic, demons, and mystery. Like all Sanderson books, this features great world-building, an intriguing plot, and fantastic characters. This has some of the most likable demons you’ll ever encounter. And Davriel is just the best! His humorous dialogue with Miss Highwater was easily my favorite part.
Note: I didn’t have any previous knowledge of Magic The Gathering, and still enjoyed it.
Note: I didn’t have any previous knowledge of Magic The Gathering, and still enjoyed it.

Rating: 2.5
A fairly interesting novella, in true Sanderson style it’s nicely written and well paced.
Davriel and his demons are interesting but the plot isn’t much to write home about. Probably since it’s a novella, it doesn’t have the depth, the compelling aura and those twists we usually expect from him.
Overall, it’s a fair enough, quick read.
A fairly interesting novella, in true Sanderson style it’s nicely written and well paced.
Davriel and his demons are interesting but the plot isn’t much to write home about. Probably since it’s a novella, it doesn’t have the depth, the compelling aura and those twists we usually expect from him.
Overall, it’s a fair enough, quick read.

This Magic: The Gathering novella only in ebook edition was very enhancing. And great sources of magical abilities from these characters based on the card game. It came as quite a surprise for what he called his "secret project". In this MtG universe, even a story like this will have the big flip of surprise you didn't expect to think in the situation of the main plot.
Tacenda Verlasin possesses the ability to sing a song that puts ease into the darkness, but for some reason, the song did not wor ...more
Tacenda Verlasin possesses the ability to sing a song that puts ease into the darkness, but for some reason, the song did not wor ...more

Amazing! At this point I swear I could read anything by Brandon Sanderson; he's just so talented. For those of you wondering if one can read this without playing Magic I am here to say that I don't play Magic at all -in fact I find it really intimidating- but I didn't need to know anything about it to enjoy this story. My only complaint really is that now I want either a full book with Davriel Cane and his delightful demonic servants or an entire bind up of novellas about his adventures. This ch
...more

As of yet, this has been the best magic story I've read. Sanderson really shows he's a good author. However, this story isn'ylt one of his best works I must say. The overal plot was compelling as were the characters (mostly at least).
It reads slightly like it was a bit of a rushed job however. The characters are more cliché than the other novels I've read from him and the dialogue sontimes seems to be forced towards certain conclusion. ...more
It reads slightly like it was a bit of a rushed job however. The characters are more cliché than the other novels I've read from him and the dialogue sontimes seems to be forced towards certain conclusion. ...more

Quick read with some enjoyable MTG easter eggs if you're even passingly familiar with the game.
Davriel is a hoot of a character. All his interactions are golden. (Or rather, Blue/Black) ...more
Davriel is a hoot of a character. All his interactions are golden. (Or rather, Blue/Black) ...more

An excellent standalone epic fantasy novella with a ton of magic, action, and interesting characters. If you're a fan of Magic: the Gathering, that's just gravy on top--no knowledge of the game is necessary (no interest in playing it, either.) Very satisfying.
...more

This novella is free in his website, and I have to say Sanderson is awesome. It is a quick one hour read with an amusing story with interesting characters. I enjoyed reading it. The story is told from the viewpoint of two major characters- Tacenda and Davriel, the former a girl with magic, and the later a demonologist with his own secrets. I liked the manner in which Sanderson integrated the themes of paganism and Christianity into the story, with a light subversion to the mythology. The Prologu
...more

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Such a quick and fun read from Sanderson here! I've started playing MtG recently, so I had even more incentive to try this out past it being written by my favorite author. Only a ~120 page pdf, this thing flew by but mostly everything was enjoyable. I think it really got good once our main character, Tacenda, was introduced to Davriel Cane and his mansion of demons; both were a joy to read. Davriel especially was super charismatic and hilarious. I think his character is best summed up in his quo
...more

I recently got back into Magic The Gathering so obviously it was the perfect time to read this|
It's got everything that's good about Brandon Sanderson novels, but in a more simplified setting. I'm not that familiar with Magic lore, but it wasn't confusing at all; it's also perfectly readable if you don't even know what a planeswalker is (but it's more fun if you do).
...more
It's got everything that's good about Brandon Sanderson novels, but in a more simplified setting. I'm not that familiar with Magic lore, but it wasn't confusing at all; it's also perfectly readable if you don't even know what a planeswalker is (but it's more fun if you do).
...more
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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
Archive, among others. This collection features The Emperor’s S ...more
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“It was so hard to find warmth in the darkness. But when the night grew cold and the darkness came for you, that was when you needed to light a fire.
And make your own light.”
—
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And make your own light.”