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Review
"Not only has Sanderson drawn a freshly imagined world and its society, he has also given us a plot full of unexpected twists and turns. . . . Anyone looking for a different and refreshing fantasy novel will be delighted by this exceptional tale of magic, mystery and the politics of divinity. Warbreaker might even take your breath away.”—Michael Moorcock
“Epic fantasy heavyweight Sanderson pens a powerful stand-alone tale of unpredictable loyalties, dark intrigue and dangerous magic. . . . Sanderson melds complex, believable characters, a marvelous world and thoughtful, ironic humor into an extraordinary and highly entertaining story.”—Publishers Weekly (starred review) on Warbreaker
“Sanderson again demonstrates his capacity for handling large and complex themes while creating believable characters.”—Library Journal (starred review) on Warbreaker
“Hilarious dialogue, descriptive action sequences, and genuinely sweet romance. . . . Sanderson knows how to wrap things up cleanly. He spins a world that’s easily complex and mysterious enough to warrant sequels, but prefers to end it climactically, answering many of his biggest questions, while leaving others to the imagination.”—The Onion on Warbreaker
“Sanderson is clearly a master of large-scale stories, splendidly depicting worlds as well as strong female characters. . . . May the author write long and prosper.”—Booklist on Warbreaker
“A highly readable and compelling stand-alone volume from the acclaimed author of the Mistborn trilogy. . . . Highly recommended to fans of epic fantasy.”—The Romantic Times BOOKreviews 4 ½ Stars TOP PICK!
Product Description
After bursting onto the fantasy scene with his acclaimed debut novel, Elantris, and following up with his blockbuster Mistborn trilogy, Brandon Sanderson proves again that he is today’s leading master of what Tolkien called “secondary creation,” the invention of whole worlds, complete with magics and myths all their own.
Warbreaker is the story of two sisters, who happen to be princesses, the God King one of them has to marry, the lesser god who doesn’t like his job, and the immortal who’s still trying to undo the mistakes he made hundreds of years ago.
Their world is one in which those who die in glory return as gods to live confined to a pantheon in Hallandren’s capital city and where a power known as BioChromatic magic is based on an essence known as breath that can only be collected one unit at a time from individual people.
By using breath and drawing upon the color in everyday objects, all manner of miracles and mischief can be accomplished. It will take considerable quantities of each to resolve all the challenges facing Vivenna and Siri, princesses of Idris; Susebron the God King; Lightsong, reluctant god of bravery, and mysterious Vasher, the Warbreaker.
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Most helpful customer reviews
7 of 8 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars
The colors of war,
By E. A Solinas "ea_solinas" (MD USA) - See all my reviews (HALL OF FAME) (TOP 10 REVIEWER) (REAL NAME)
This review is from: Warbreaker (Mass Market Paperback)
"Warbreaker" is a pretty good sign of why Brandon Sanderson is one of the best up-and-coming fantasy authors -- it's a book dense with magic, politics, complex schemes and characters that are never quite what they seen. While there are some stretches that are rather slow, Sanderson has a vivid style and a knack for political tangles that is rarely seen in modern fantasy -- and it leaves you hungry for more.For many years, the Idrian princess Vivenna was supposed to marry the Hallandren God-King, a powerful Returned named Susebron, and provide him with a divine heir. But at the last minute, her tomboy sister Siri is sent instead. And Siri is completely unprepared for her new life -- the opulent palaces, the bullying priests, and a silent husband who seems to ignore her every night (and whom she's not allowed to look at or speak to). Determined to rescue her little sister, Vivenna sets out for Hallandren and joins up with a band of Idrian rebels and mercenaries -- and runs afoul of Vasher, a mysterious man with a bloodthirsty, living weapon. And at the same time, a skeptical young Returned named Lightsong realizes that political wheels are turning in the gods' court -- and begins to manipulate them to his own ends. But things are not as they appear for either of the princesses. Siri soon discovers that Susebron is not the haughty cruel man she thought he was, but a childlike mute who is rapidly falling in love with her -- and she begins suspecting that his priests are plotting against him. And with the help of Vasher, Vivenna discovers to her horror that her trust has been horribly misplaced -- and that she may have set the wheels in motion for a vast, bloodstained plot that could destroy both Hallendren and Idris. Most "political" fantasy leaves me completely cold; I get bored easily by contrived schemes and equally contrived loopholes. But "Warbreaker" is one of the exceptions, since Sanderson is a master at manipulating your expectations -- every time you think you have all the sides figured out, he twists the story around and shocks you with the facts. Villains turn out to be allies, allies are villains, plots turn out to be imaginary fancies, and leaders turn out to be pawns (and vice versa). The only problem is that given its length and epic breadth, it gets rather slow at times. And his magical system can be rather confusing for awhile (especially regarding the Returned and BioChromatic breath), although eventually I think I figured it out. Sanderson's prose is smooth, fast-moving and robust, with lots of intricate descriptions of bright colors, lush clothes and opulent palaces. And when the political cogs aren't turning, he fills the story with a sweet and subtle romance between Susebron and Siri, humorous moments (Siri's "sex bouncing"), and funny dialogue ("You mean to tell me that our God-king -- the most holy and divine personage in our pantheon -- died to cure a few tummy aches?"). The entire plot essentially revolves around the sisters Vivenna and Siri, and they both go down very surprising paths -- Siri has to curb her tongue and learn how to navigate a court's treacherous currents, while the haughty Vivenna finds herself humiliated and forced to face her own arrogance, hypocrisy and weakness. There's a wide range of likeable and realistic characters, but the best include the sweetly childlike Susebron, the snarky but good-hearted Lightsong, and the grizzled wanderer Vasher. And Nightblood is a fun, unique -- bloodthirsty, chipper and a clever variant on the usual magical sword. "Warbreaker" is a rich and complex piece of work, with only a few flaws in its vibrant writing and plotting -- and the ending leaves you hungry for a sequel. Definitely a classic in the making.
0 of 4 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars
Interesting take on magic,
By
This review is from: Warbreaker (Hardcover)
I read the version at his website and liked the characters and storyline enough that I am happy to buy this book and see how the final edit turned out
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta) Amazon.com:
4.2 out of 5 stars (289 customer reviews) 110 of 117 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
One of the Best Books I've Read,
By David A. Lessnau - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Warbreaker (Hardcover)
Pre-release customer review from the Amazon Vine™ Program
Simply put, Brandon Sanderson's "Warbreaker" is one of the best books I've read. When I ordered it, I was a bit apprehensive over the official write-up and the "SciFi Essential Book" logo on the front page. Essentially, I was worried that the book might read like a comic book or a screenplay. Thankfully, that worry was unfounded. Within just a few pages, I was totally absorbed in the story. Why is the book so good? Well:- Premise: this is one of those books where you wonder where the author comes up with even the basic premise. As stated in the official write-up: "By using breath and drawing upon the color in everyday objects, all manner of miracles and mischief can be accomplished." Once I saw what the author did with that, I was amazed. - Authorship: the technical aspects of the writing and the internal consistency of the world and characters are excellent. In many books, people and things don't necessarily behave as they should in all instances. In "Warbreaker," I never noticed any such deficiency. - Points of View: one of the really clever things that Sanderson does is to constantly compare the main characters' points-of-view to the *expectations* of the other main characters' points-of-view. He does an excellent job of this and it leads to some interesting twists as he follows each character's development. And, finally, - Plot Twists: there are a lot of plot twists in the book and they're done well. Usually, when I read a book, I can figure out what's going to happen right from the beginning. In this case, Sanderson has a few of those "obvious" twists present. But, there are others which spring up entirely unexpectedly. That's a rare and precious thing in an author and something to be treasured. So, all-in-all, I loved the book and rate it an Excellent 5 stars out of 5. I highly recommend it to everyone (and I'll be reading Sanderson's other books shortly). 35 of 37 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
A long novel that is worth the time it takes - and no cliffhanger!,
By Glenda Boozer "Live, live, live! Life is a ba... - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Warbreaker (Hardcover)
Pre-release customer review from the Amazon Vine™ Program
When I first saw how long this book was, I thought I would be sick of it before I could plough through to the end. Nothing could have been further from the truth! Warbreaker kept me interested and sometimes delighted; the characters were interesting, the story was full of surprises, and even the rules of magic were a little bit different than any I've seen in too many long, involved fantasy novels.Here we have two sisters; the princess who expected to be sent to the god-king of her enemies in marriage, and the pricess who was sent instead. Neither got what she bargained for, and both ended up with very important roles to play before the story's astonishing conclusion. I'll have to read some of this author's other works; he knows how to craft a story that will entertain and move the reader, and although I would welcome a sequel to this book, I don't feel that I was given only half a story. I predict a long career for Brandon Sanderson. 93 of 108 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Sanderson's best yet.,
By A. Richards - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Warbreaker (Hardcover)
Brandon Sanderson is hardly a rookie author. Having read Elantris and all of Mistborn, I came to the table expecting an enjoyable read out of Warbreaker. Still, I was blown away. Though a little apprehensive about reading it all on a computer screen, I was board while traveling for work, so I downloaded it. I couldn't stop reading. I stayed up till the wee hours of the morning because the book was so engaging. The story was excellently told, and the comic relief was spot on. Warbreaker is much better than Elantris and Mistborn in every way (except, perhaps, the magic system; alomancy is too cool). While I appreciate Sanderson's motives in writing stand alone epic fantasy, I hope that he reneges. I would be thrilled to see another novel set in the Warbreaker world. If Sanderson keeps improving at this rate, he will become the benchmark over and beyond Tolkien, Jordan or any other author you care to mention. Though I already read the free downloadable version off of Sanderson's website, I will definitely order a hardback for my personal library.
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