Book Review - Mistborn

Mistborn: The Final Empire
Brandon Sanderson
Tor Books

Brandon Sanderson has had a pretty awesome past few years. His debut novel, Elantris, was well-received by critics and readers, and also caught the eye of Harriet Rigney, the widow of the prominent and bestselling Wheel of Time author, Robert Jordan. Based on his work, Sanderson was selected by Rigney and the editors at Tor to complete the Wheel of Time series, and has successfully published numerous original works as well. Not too shabby, if you ask me. Mistborn: The Final Empire, published in 2006, is the first volume in Sanderson's Mistborn trilogy.

Now that I've dumped all that information out there, let's get to the juicy stuff: Mistborn (I'm leaving out "The Final Empire" in the interest of space, laziness, and sounding less like a total nerd) highlights Sanderson's strengths as a writer, as well as a few of his weaknesses. Starting with the positive, though, the worldbuilding and way that magic works in the novel are both utterly compelling and fascinating. "Magic" in Mistborn comes in the form of Allomancy, where certain people have the ability to manipulate the world around them by ingesting specific kinds of metals (For example, someone can ingest tin and use it to enhance their hearing and other senses). It's a system that's fairly easy to comprehend, but also offers up a multitude of interesting and unexpected possibilities. The world of Mistborn is equally simple on the surface, but is inhabited by such captivating characters that it feels rich and lived-in.

A Worthy Cause

For my first order of business in my return to this blog, I thought it would be fitting to call attention to the blog of someone much smarter, funnier, and more talented than I. That person is one Patrick Rothfuss. Rothfuss, for those of you who aren't quite as massively nerdy as I am, is the author of the widely-acclaimed fantasy novel "The Name of the Wind," as well as the forthcoming sequel, "Wise Man's Fear." Now, I haven't read any of his work, but "The Name of the Wind" is definitely near the top of my gargantuan list of books I want to read, and I have followed his blog for the past couple years or so.

One of the reasons I consider myself to be a fan of Pat's, without having read anything by him, is that every year around the holidays, he runs a fundraiser of sorts to benefit Heifer International. He reaches out to all of his fellow author friends, a fantastic Sci-Fi/Fantasy specialty press called Subterranean Press, and a plethora of other sources to come up with a ton of books, comics, and other items of interest to give away for charity.

The specifics of the fundraiser, which is called Worldbuilders, can be found at his blog, but the basic idea is that for every $10 you give to Heifer International, you get a chance to win one of the fabulous books that Pat has assembled. And these are things that any Sci-Fi/Fantasy lover would drool over - limited editions, signed copies, advanced reading copies, rare and out of print volumes - it's a cornucopia of nerdy awesomeness. And the best part is, Rothfuss has pledged to match 50% of the amount raised, because he's just a great guy.

Last year, Worldbuilders raised almost $200,000 for Heifer International and gave away some pretty sweet stuff. I've given money the past two years, and managed to pocket two books for my contributions. So, if you're the type of person that gets irrationally excited by the thought of owning a book signed by Neil Gaiman or Jim Butcher, be sure to head over to the Worldbuilders site and fork over some of your cash - it's a good cause with great prizes.

Book Review -- Bone

Bone: The Complete Cartoon Epic in One Volume
Jeff Smith
Cartoon Books

The Louisiana Purchase is generally considered to be one of the better deals in our nation's history. It has nothing on Bone. For a list price of $39.95, purchasers receive: a 1300 page epic fantasy of the highest caliber, a 1300 page hilarious comic strip, and 1300 pages of one of the most excellently written and well-drawn graphic novels (one of TIME's top ten) ever created.

Bone was a comic book series published between 1991 and 2004 (that's 13 years, for those of you playing at home), written and drawn by Jeff Smith. While it was originally released in nine separate books, the complete edition contains the entire series in one hefty volume. The series is a humorous fantasy epic, and Smith actually provides a shining example to the fantasy genre for how to craft a superb large-scale adventure. The story follows three cartoon-like "Bone creatures" (Smiley Bone, Fone Bone, and Phoney Bone) as they are chased out of their hometown and end up in a mysterious valley, and soon become embroiled in a massive quest to save the world. However, Smith starts the series playfully, emphasizing character building and drawing the reader in with humor and a sense of shared exploration and discovery. Frequent comparisons to Lord of the Rings are apt in this sense, as Tolkien was a master at easing the reader into his monumental world. Smith gradually unfurls more of the mythology and master narrative as the series progresses - add that to the fact that his characters are so compelling and fully-fleshed (and frequently riotously funny), and it's impossible to not want to keep reading. While the ending isn't quite as strong as I would have liked, I can't help but be amazed at the fantastic progression that's evident throughout the complete series.

It would be extremely difficult to talk about every aspect of Bone - I've gone this far without even mentioning Smith's creative utilization of the black and white artwork. Suffice it to say, this is a classic. It's immediately accessible to people of all ages - everyone from young kids to old geezers can appreciate the humor, stellar writing, memorable characters, and the absolutely Herculean undertaking this series was. I honestly do not expect to give out many of these grades; it's reversed for only to the most indelible and spectacular works. Bone is one of those. It's one of those things that you want everyone you know to read, that you can't wait to introduce to children of your own. And it's only $40! Or you could spend the money on a couple Slap Chops™. It's your money, do whatever you want. But really. $40.

Grade: A+

"Do something quick, small mammal, before we are all killed to death!"