Book Review: The Rithmatist

First of All: You knew it was coming.  As huge a Brandon Sanderson fan as I am, it was only a matter of time before another one of his books showed up here.  I heard of this book from my awesome Grandma, who gave it such a stunning recommendation that I had to read it immediately, and honestly, I couldn't put it down.  Such was my fascination with this book that I was up until 3 A.M. on a school night, gripped by this stunning tale.  I'm probably giving away some of my review here, but the sheer amount of awesome in this book is going to bleed out onto the entirety of this post, so just go with it. Also, this book has some pretty heavy steampunk in it, and if you don't know what that means, then check out my description over on this other post here.

Second of All: The book!
Set in an alternate version of Earth, The Rithmatist takes place on the United Isles, which is basically the USA, except that it's made up of a bunch of islands in the shape of states that are all chilling where we know America to be in our world.  Other countries seem pretty much the same geographically, but have different names in some cases (i.e. Mexico is now the Azteca Empire or something).

In this alternate world, technology has evolved along the lines of clockwork, making everything run with gears and cogs.  Surprisingly, this technology has advanced enough to where functioning, semi-thinking robotic creatures are working all by clockwork. Fascinating stuff.  The biggest difference, however, is that much of society revolves around a magic-like power called Rithmancy, which enables certain individuals to manipulate energy with a very mathematical system of drawing chalk lines on the ground.  Based in geometry, this system uses several different kinds of lines: Lines of Warding, which create a protective circle around the Rithmatist; Lines of Forbiddance, which create tangible force fields; Lines of Vigor, used to attack other Rithmatists at a distance, and Lines of Making, which are used to create two-dimensional creatures named Chalklings, used to defend or attack.

The story follows Joel, a sixteen-year old boy whose passion for Rithmancy has led him to study everything he can get his hands on, despite the fact that he is unable to perform it himself.  After witnessing a Rithmatic duel where an upstart new professor claims the tenure of an aging Rithmatic scholar, Joel is embroiled in a startling series of events as more and more Rithmatists begin disappearing without a trace.

Third of All: The Review!
I'm going to say this once and for all: Brandon Sanderson is the King Midas of contemporary fantasy.  Everything he touches turns to gold.  This story was full to bursting with dynamic, powerful characters, intrigue, real-feeling society and politics, social tensions, and witty, clever dialogue.  As with all of his stories, Sanderson invents new and incredibly creative ways of doing "magic" that feel completely real.  The system of Rithmancy portrayed in the book follows its own rules amazingly, and is based on legitimate mathematical concepts which give it even more of a tangible effect.

The story is endearing, powerful, terrifying, and yet still incredible.  Plot twists and heart-stopping encounters punctuate the real-world struggles of a poor family and struggling scholars, mixing it with a supernatural detective story whose clues--scattered through the entire book--aren't recognized until the intense climax at the end.

The only thing I can see which might be a downside to this book is the spooky nature of the disappearances and the antagonist.  There was some pretty creepy stuff that happened toward the end, which didn't bother me as it worked well with the story's buildup.  For those who can't stand that kind of thing, however, it might be a bit of a problem.

Overall, this book was stunning and fantastic, with a fantastic story that keeps running until the very last page.  I give it a Six out of Six Nerd Stars.

Book Review: Steelheart

First of All:  I am a huge Brandon Sanderson fan.  Ever since I first read his novel Elantris, I've been fascinated by his vast creativity and in-depth world-building.  What is so intriguing to me about all of his books is that they're fantasy books (which definitely falls under the nerdy categories appropriate for this blog), but he's not content with sticking to traditional fantasy tropes like spell-casting and dragons and trolls.  He starts from the ground up, constructing entire worlds from scratch, each with their own rules of how things work, their own completely original creatures, and very real-feeling political and economic systems.
Now if that wasn't enough, the vast majority of Brandon Sanderson's works are all tied together in the same universe called the Cosmere, where there's a much bigger cosmic plot running above what most of his characters ever experience.  Some fans might get a bit frustrated that he jumps from one world to the next so rapidly, but I for one am glad to get a consistent stream of his books, even if he does have to take a break from his big projects to work on something smaller.  It keeps him from burning out, which works just fine for me.

Second of All:  The book!
I was a bit sad that Steelheart turned out to be one of the books he writes that isn't set in the Cosmere, but he more than made up for it with one big thing: super powers.  Heck yeah super powers!  I'm a big fan of anything super-human, and so I was jazzed right from the start at seeing my favorite author taking his turn at the super-power batting cage.

As you can find out from the teaser text on the back of the book (or the inside flap of the cover), Steelheart is set in a somewhat futuristic Chicago, where every non-organic substance has been converted into pure steel by a superhuman--or Epic, as they're called here--named Steelheart.  These Epics first started showing up when a huge star-like object called Calamity started floating above Earth, granting certain people superhuman abilities similar to what you'd find in comic books.  The only problem is that every person who turns into an Epic also becomes an evil, power-hungry thug.  Within a few years, Epics have taken over the world, and now fight for dominance over scraps of territory all over the globe.

The story is told from the perspective of David, a young man who watched as the Epic named Steelheart killed his father and then took over all of Chicago, transforming it into a totalitarian state deemed Newcago.  Driven by his desire for revenge and the fact that he's seen Steelheart bleed--though the Epic is supposedly completely invulnerable--he begins collecting information on every Epic he can find.  He stumbles across a group of resistance fighters called the Reckoners, and convinces them to join on his quest for revenge.

Third of All: The review!
I went into the book expecting Brandon Sanderson's typical detail-ridden style, and was surprised to see it much more basic in feel than his normal books.  It is definitely written for a young adult audience, rather than his usual more grown-up readers, and so it reads accordingly.  Those who are expecting something with the feel of The Way of Kings or Mistborn will probably be disappointed and maybe turned off by the simplistic style that he employs here.  Young adults, on the other hand--or those who read at their level--will probably love it (not to mention the super-powers, tons of awesome guns, lots of explosions and the feel of a spy-action novel).

Plot-wise, I rather enjoyed it, as anyone who loves a good underdog story does.  There were plenty of twists and turns, tons of plot twists, a slightly kid-ish love story, and--as with all of Brandon Sanderson's books--a huge climax that doesn't stop till very near the end, leaving you hanging on the edge of your seat to find out what comes next.  I loved most of the characters, though there were only a few who we really get to see in-depth, as far as why they're doing what they're doing.

The only thing that I could really say that I didn't enjoy about it was the lack of explanation about how things work that usually comes with a Brandon Sanderson novel.  In most of his books, the huge climax at the end is so gripping not only due to the events in the book, but also because he drops a huge realization about the workings of the world that explains so much about all of the little clues you've been picking up along the way.  This one did have some big reveals about several characters, but not about the world as a whole, which did leave me a bit disappointed.  Just a bit, though.

Overall, I would give this book a 5 out of 6 Nerd Stars

Last of All: Thank you for getting this far.  Lots of text can be intimidating to some, but not to you, dear reader!  

Let me know what you think of the book in the comments, whether you agree, disagree, and also--perhaps most importantly--if you're as psyched as I am for the next Stormlight Archives book to come out early next year!