From the Bookshelf of Sci-fi and Heroic Fantasy…

The Emperor's Soul

Brandon Sanderson

Start date: December 3, 2012

Finish date: December 31, 2012

Discussion: Book Discussions

Why we're reading this: December Short Story
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What Members Thought

Jun 18, 2014 Athena Shardbearer rated it it was amazing

Shelves: fantasy, sci-fi-fantasy, scifi, buddy-read, epic, young-adult, short-stories, fan-fucking-tastic, high-fantasy, audiobook

Sandersonitis buddy read..Robin & Alexa Katie.g Monday July 21 ...more

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Feb 12, 2019 Ivy rated it it was amazing

Shelves: fantasy, audible-owned

A perfectly paced, imaginative novella set in the same universe as Elantris.

The story follows Shai, a young artisan who uses an uncanny ability to combine the history of objects with magical seals to forge art objects of every shape and size. But when she is caught and jailed, Shai is given the opportunity to win her freedom by forging a new soul for the Emperor Ashravan. The fate of Ashravan's life, and that of his empire, depends on it.

Highly recommended for those that would like a taste of S ...more

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Mar 08, 2013 Daran rated it really liked it

This is a very simple story, with a very interesting magic system. Brandon Sanderson's self-proclaimed love of the "heist" is very much in evidence, with a story reminiscent of an episodes of White Collar, or an Iain Pears novel. I'm a fan of these McGuffin plots in Sanderson's work, in that they keep the action up.

The magic system is an interesting combination of Chinese writing and Platonic idealism. Not only is the system interesting in and of itself, it is an excellent vehicle for the questi ...more

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Jul 15, 2013 Fungus Gnat rated it it was ok

An art forger is captured and offered her freedom if she can forge the soul of the emperor, who has suffered a brain injury. I was impatient with this story at first, which didn’t seem to have much going for it except the thought, or Thought, that forgery could be Forgery—by which Sanderson means a magical process in which the history of an object is rewritten to make the copy display hidden qualities of the original. At least, I think that’s the idea. It’s all a bit murky, especially when the c ...more

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Sep 11, 2013 Karen Azinger rated it it was amazing

A totally intriguing and enjoyable read with fresh ideas. I loved the concept, the main character and the world. In my opinion, this is one of Brandon Sanderson's best stories. My only real complaint is that it is a short story instead of real book! I was so disappointed when the book came in the mail and was so thin...but a wonderful read. ...more

1 like · Like · see review