Synopses & Reviews
2013 Hugo WinnerFrom the best-selling author of the Mistborn Trilogy and the co-author of the final three books of Robert Jordans Wheel of Time series comes the tale of a heretic thief who is the only hope for the survival of an empire.
Shai is a Forger, a foreigner who can flawlessly copy and re-create any item by rewriting its history with skillful magic. Although condemned to death after trying to steal the emperors scepter, she is given one opportunity to save herself. Despite the fact that her skill as a Forger is considered an abomination by her captors, Shai will attempt to create a new soul for the emperor, who is almost dead from the attack of assassins.
Delving deeply into his life, she discovers Emperor Ashravans truest natureand the opportunity to exploit it. Her only possible ally is one who is truly loyal to the emperor, but councilor Gaotona must overcome his prejudices to understand that her forgery is as much artistry as it is deception.
Skillfully deducing the machinations of her captors, Shai needs a perfect plan to escape. The fate of the kingdom lies in one impossible task. Is it possible to create a forgery of a soul so convincing that it is better than the soul itself?
Review
"Elantris is the finest novel of fantasy to be written in many years. Brandon Sanderson has created a truly original world of magic and intrigue, and with the rigor of the best science fiction writers he has made it real at every level." —Orson Scott Card on Elantris
Review
"Fantasy fans will love both the compelling story and the creative magical setting." —www.LibraryJournal.com
Review
"The Emperor's Soul is a worthy addition to Sanderson's bibliography: a new magic system with some interesting implications, a couple of fascinating characters, a focused plot, and a subtle link to the much larger picture he's been painting for years." —www.tor.com
Review
"This story had such a wonderful balance with the world, characters and magic building, that I truly hope the author will explore it more with Shai and the world she lives in." —www.OpenBookSociety.com
Review
"A fascinating study of clashing beliefs, another inventive magic system, and highly entertaining action sequence. . . . This is an easy recommendation to every fantasy reader out there." —www.FantasyBookReview.co.uk
Review
"Sanderson proves to be an exceptionally talented writer in the pages of this book. . . . The Emperor's Soul is one of those rare high fantasies that feels fresh and is filled with a sense of wonder." —Fantasy & Science Fiction (March 2013)
Review
The forgery was a masterpiece, an almost perfect replica of a priceless work of art. The minor inconsistencies were all but impossible for even an expert to detect. However, Shai had been betrayed. Now awaiting execution, Shai would be reprieved if she could do the impossible. As a Forger, Shai is a skillful artist who can apply complex magical glyphs to rewrite the history of the item to change it completely. Although Forgers are despised, the Empire needs Shai to accomplish the unthinkable: to Forge a new soul for the Emperor. Verdict: Sanderson, the best-selling author of the Mistborn Trilogy and The Way of Kings, has set this novella in the same world as Elantris, one of his earlier novels, but it is totally independent. Fantasy fans will love both the compelling story and the creative magical setting.”
Library Journal
Sanderson proves to be an exceptionally talented writer in the pages of this book.... The Emperors Soul is one of those rare high fantasies that feels fresh and is filled with a sense of wonder.”
Charles de Lint, Fantasy and Science Fiction
The Emperors Soul is a worthy addition to Sandersons bibliography: a new magic system with some interesting implications, a couple of fascinating characters, a focused plot, and a subtle link to the much larger picture hes been painting for years.”
Tor.com
With a fascinating study of clashing beliefs, another inventive magic system, and highly entertaining action sequence, The Emperors Soul is the book I would recommend to anyone who wants to find out for the first time what Sanderson is all about.”
Fantasy Book Review
This story had such a wonderful balance with the world, characters, and magic building, that I truly hope the author will explore it more....”
Open Book Society, five-star review
The Emperors Soul is fast-paced, clever, and fun....”
Fantasy Book Critic
This is a fantastic novella set in the Elantris world. Despite its short length this story was complex, intriguing, and just absolutely magical and engaging.”
Hidden in Pages
An excellent fast read, highly recommended for readers looking for unique story worlds and magic systems. It won the 2013 Hugo Award for a Novella, and that really says it all.”
Flight of the Dragon
It truly is a work of art.”
Pendemon
Synopsis
A heretic thief is the empires only hope in this fascinating tale that inhabits the same world as the popular novel, Elantis. Shai is a Forger, a foreigner who can flawlessly copy and re-create any item by rewriting its history with skillful magic. Condemned to death after trying to steal the emperors scepter, she is given one opportunity to save herself. Though her skill as a Forger is considered an abomination by her captors, Shai will attempt to create a new soul for the emperor, who is almost dead. Probing deeply into his life, she discovers Emperor Ashravans truest nature—and the opportunity to exploit it. Her only possible ally is one who is truly loyal to the emperor, but councilor Gaotona must overcome his prejudices to understand that Shais forgery is as much artistry as it is deception. Brimming with magic and political intrigue, this deftly woven fantasy delves into the essence of a living spirit.
Synopsis
Winner of the 2013 Hugo Award When Shai is caught replacing the Moon Scepter with her nearly flawless forgery, she must bargain for her life. An assassin has left the Emperor Ashravan without consciousness, a circumstance concealed only by the death of his wife. If the emperor does not emerge after his hundred-day mourning period, the rule of the Heritage Faction will be forfeit and the empire will fall into chaos.
Shai is given an impossible task: to create--to Forge--a new soul for the emperor in less than one hundred days. But her soul-Forgery is considered an abomination by her captors. She is confined to a tiny, dirty chamber, guarded by a man who hates her, spied upon by politicians, and trapped behind a door sealed in her own blood. Shai's only possible ally is the emperor's most loyal councillor, Gaotona, who struggles to understand her true talent.
Time is running out for Shai. Forging, while deducing the motivations of her captors, she needs a perfect plan to escape...
About the Author
Brandon Sanderson is the New York Times best-selling author of Elantris and the Mistborn Trilogy. In 2007, he was chosen by Robert Jordans widow to complete Jordans epic Wheel of Time series. The final volume was published in three novels: The Gathering Storm, Towers of Midnight, and A Memory of Light. Sanderson received his Masters Degree in Creative Writing from Brigham Young University (where he was a college roommate of Jeopardy! champion Ken Jennings). He participates in the weekly podcast Writing Excuses.