Fascinating world, but not Sanderson's best writing
589607
While this isn't Sanderson's most ambitious work, it's a fun little tale that sets up a fairly interesting universe.  It takes a world where certain people are gaining superpowers and puts an unusual twist on it:  they all seem to be evil.  The characters here aren't nearly as fascinating as in the Stormlight Archive or Elantris, and because of the plot there are very few characters introduced.  What this book does very well is in creating a world I want to know more about (meaning I'll be reading the rest of the series when it comes out).  The disappointment for me was that in a typical Sanderson book, the ending is completely unexpected while being utterly logical and spectacularly written.  In Steelheart, most elements of the ending could be predicted well in advance, and it doesn't flow as well as his endings usually do.  Still worth reading for me, but I'd rather be reading a sequel to Elantris or the next book of the Stormlight Archive.
1100967
I DON'T THINK Mr. Sanderson is a good writer but the plot has an interesting concept. The dialogue is such that his characters end up sounding the  same, like he is trying to develop these characters with distinct personalities and voices but you do not get the feeling that they are real or that they are different from one another. It is not a satisfying read due to his writing style but i will try to finish the book because the story is intriguing.
4634231
Not completely finished with it yet, but so far it's a solidly well-built and engaging story with the sort of deep character development and world-building Sanderson is known for. I'm not as in love with it as I was the Mistborn series - I'm find myself somewhat less able to "disappear" into the world as a reader or to feel as personally connected to the characters as I have with Mistborn. But that's totally an individual preference thing and other readers might feel exactly the opposite. That said, I'm still enjoying the book quite a bit and would absolutely recommend it to anyone who enjoys Sanderson's work or fantasy in general. I may not feel that it's his greatest work ever, but it's still a damned fine story and a good, fun read.
3175082
3.5 stars.

I had been hearing about how phenomenal the Wheel of Time books were, so when the opportunity presented itself, I finally decided to see what all the fuss was about. Turns out, no one told me about how tedious an undertaking I was about to be presented with. Had I known, I might have spent my $6.99 elsewhere.

That's not to say that I didn't enjoy The Eye of the World . It was a very ambitious debut, with plenty of the makings of an epic fantasy series that, as other critics have noted, smacked of Tolkien and the other fantasy greats. Jordan's skill for world-building is excellent; the story takes place in a small village, and as the plot moves forward, the stage broadens, revealing a land of harrowing scope, rich with perils and peoples alike. The way Jordan paints portraits of the places the characters visit is vivid, and I found myself easily picturing the events taking place as they unfolded.

The characters, as well, are each unique and interesting in their own way. Rand al'Thor, arguably the story's main character and the POV character for a good portion of the book, is a young lad who grew up in a farming village up in the mountains. His world is shattered when creatures called Trollocs attack his village, seemingly without reason... but the reason is soon revealed as he and his two best friends, his crush, the village wise woman, and two mysterious and powerful strangers, are thrust into a journey that will determine the course of the future. Each person in this band of travelers has an important piece to play. The women, Egwene, Nynaeve, and the powerful sorceress Moiraine, were my personal favorites because they were each strong and iron-willed, making them essentially the driving force behind the men that they accompanied. While the male characters were generally likeable, the only one who really stood out to me was the Warder, Lan, who struck me as a cross between Aragorn of Lord of the Rings and Sandor Clegane of A Song of Ice and Fire .

The Eye of the World is not without its faults, the greatest of which lies in its length. The scenes of danger and battle were genuinely tense and engaging. However, in between these scenes were lengthy stretches of dullness that lacked any real excitement. Due to the lengthy setup at the beginning of the book, it took perhaps a dozen chapters before anything of note truly happened. A lot of seemingly mundane and unnecessary plot turns seemed to happen as well, which I felt could have been done without in order to move the story along at a faster clip. In fact, by the time the gang split up and took on three separate journeys, I found myself skipping the chapters that took on the POV of the characters I was least interested in, all in an effort to get to the point.

While in some ways The Eye of the World lives up every bit to its praise, it also earns its criticism. This book was bogged down by its own detail, slowing the pace of the storytelling to a crawl and dulling the edge of the plot. This is every bit an original tale, filled with compelling characters and unique settings, plots, and antagonists. However, the way in which the story is told deflates the excitement and makes what could be a fantastic book just a cut above average.
2584451
This book was very good, I read it compulsively from cover to cover.  Unfortunately it's not the best of the series or the best of Sanderson's work.

Throughout the book I found annoying coherency problems.  From what I have read the final trilogy was originally meant to be one book, then two, then finally split in three.  I think this book as the middle book got roughly split, and the timeline and sequence of the book were muddled as a result.  People seemed to move between locations and their movement was not mentioned in conversation with other characters who would have noticed and more than likely brought it up.

Really not major problems, but frustrating from an Author as talented as Sanderson and in a series as complex as the wheel of time.

A good read overall though, if you have read the rest of the series, the above problems are no reason to stop.
4223865
This is a really interesting fantasy novel, with really good world building and a complex who-dunnit that keeps you guessing to the end, just a bit let down by somewhat clunky language. It takes place in a world where gods are very many and very real, and where the key trade and business activity is trading in the "soulstuff" that keeps the gods powerful. The gods, however, have lost a major war with humanity in the past, and now humans known as Craftsmen/Craftswomen also wield god-like powers. In the aftermath of the God Wars, different societies have accommodated the changes in different ways, with some continuing to worship and sacrifice to their chosen gods, while others have rejected them and are generally ruled or run by powerful Craftspeople. In this story, an apparently failed Craftswoman is recruited to a significant law firm and her first case is to represent the church that worshipped and cared for a major god who has just died, leaving his city in something of a limbo. Trying to work out who is responsible for the God's death turns out to be anything but easy for the heroine, but makes a fascinating read. I thought that this read a little like a first novel and could have used some tighter editing, but overall I found it well worth reading, and have gone on to read the other books in the (loose) series by the same author, which I have also enjoyed.
3544168
The setting and artwork were intricate and gorgeously dark. The world-building was creative and fascinating. However, I didn't like the set up of who the main conflict was between. It seemed banal/simple compared to the grandness of the rest of the story. That said, I will continue to follow the series in hopes it fulfills its potential.
2599195
The Magic Wakes blends sci-fi and fantasy elements to build an intriguing world and interesting characters. Talia's world, Sendek, is richly described and is a sound backdrop and foundation for the story. Talia is a strong, capable heroine, but she is also a relatable, very human character: brilliant without arrogance, brave in spite of uncertainty and terror. Landry was a hunky and competent hero. I felt like their relationship skipped a few stages (from fighting to kissing to being desperately in love--the switches just felt too stilted), but their dialogue and camaraderie were enjoyable to witness and they were both well-written, strong characters. Jaron was somewhat of an anti-hero but was probably the most sympathetic of them all--he was the most complex of the characters but the least developed. I would have liked to hear more of his story.

I thought the author did a good job with the ethical dilemmas inherent in the story line; they were addressed if not resolved. Each of the characters and races had depth and driving force. With the exception of one character, there was no "absolute" good or evil--to an extent, each character was multi-layered and wrestled with the good and evil within themselves.

The reason I only gave the book three stars is because, while it was an engaging and enjoyable read, there were parts that were clunky and sequences that had rough edges. In some ways it read more like a draft than a polished novel: there were a few conflicts that resolved far too easily, the romance occasionally felt forced, and the story lacked a certain smoothness--the events didn't always flow naturally. I also wish the ending had been more complete: I'm assuming the author left room for another novel, but she could have done that while still briefly explaining what Talia's plans are for the mages (my theory is she's going to send them to colonize Sendek's moon). This may not be an issue for anyone else, but there were a handful of spelling errors and many sentences in need of commas or semicolons. Perhaps this is only true for the Kindle edition, but the run-on sentences were frequent.

Overall, it was a pleasant read and an interesting world. I would like to see another book that delves deeper into the politics and culture of Sendek, deals with the aftermath of the dragumon invasion, and explores the newly-found powers of the mages.
3373305
The one overwhelming impression I leave this book with is CONFUSION. Oh, it's intrigued confusion, but confusion nonetheless. In Hunter's post-apocalyptic world, seraphs and demons fight each other, but a new species has arisen - neomages. They appear human but can control energies around them. This story centers around Thorn St. Croix, a stone neomage who cannot survive with other neomages because her strange powers cause her mind to be open to all those of her kind, and all their unfiltered thoughts would drive her insane. So she lives in hiding among humans as a jeweler. But when her ex-husband is captured by Dark Powers, she risks everything to find him, even if revelation of her true self would mean death.

As fascinating as the concepts of this world and its characters are, the story proceeded at an extremely slow, plodding pace, and this despite a great beginning that thoroughly captured my imagination, and occasional bouts of action. I also felt the story lacked focus, as the protagonist did not seem to have a clear direction to go. I understand that first books of a series can sometimes be slow because of all the necessary exposition, but I found myself putting this book down too often for lack of interest in the direction it was taking. There was also a tad too much description of the very similar preparations she takes every time she did a conjuring, although in itself the prose was well done. The battle scenes were also smooth, action-packed and well described. Overall, the book had enough good points that I will read the second of the series, which luckily I have on hand, and from there I can decide whether I will look for the rest of the books.
3779863
No doubt Morgentstern is a skilled writer with the ability to transport the reader into her dark, magical world. Her description are lush and evocative, so vivid that I expected a bit more from her characters, but I felt a distance with them that I did not feel with the setting. In fact, the setting seemed more real that the feuding magicians.

It's a great idea, and a wonderful world that Morgenstern creates. I wish she would have flushed out the characters a bit more. I think then it would have gone beyond a good story in a beautiful reality, to an ageless, remarkable book.
1990386
Let me preface this by saying that I loved both Words of Radiance and The Way of Kings. However, I found The Way of Kings to be a notch above this in some areas, while this book was better in others. This time around the ending felt oddly rushed, while the buildup to it felt overly extended. Kaladin's arc remains in neutral, in my opinion, for the latter part of the book, which takes away from the pacing.

That said, the fight scenes are just as thrilling in this one as they were the first time around. We finally get a long awaited showdown between Kaladin and Szeth and it does not disappoint one bit! Sanderson's writing easily places you into the pages, and the sight of Kaladin and Szeth dancing about would be mesmerizing. Still, and this is just my opinion, but the emotional punch of the climactic battle this time around was not as great as that of Bridge 4 rallying to save the trapped Kholin men.

As others have mentioned however, I don't find all characters to be equally interesting. Kaladin is a favourite of mine, while I found Shallan's chapters to be a bit lacking. Thus, the book being so heavily focused on Shallan, made it slightly less enjoyable for me. I did enjoy her chapters more in this book than the first one, and her flashbacks were interesting, but some of her chapters dragged on a bit. As mentioned earlier, while Kaladin's chapters were interesting, his arc seemed to stall, which also took away from the enjoyment. On the other hand, Dalinar's story was engrossing and kept me entertained.

Overall, the writing and world building was much better this time around. I have focused on the flaws in my review but please note that if you had even a passing interest in the first book, you will love this one. Slight pacing and character preferences notwithstanding, this is another great entry into the Stormlight Archive by Brandon Sanderson, is now one of the series I am most invested in (along with A Song of Ice and Fire). If you loved Shallan, you will love this book. The fight scenes are still top notch, and I can't wait to see what happens next. Highly recommended.
2239712
Quick warning: this story has been previously published in the "Dangerous Women" short story collection, which Sanderson admits in the intro he was a bit anxious about. So if you own it, don't buy this.

One of the fun things about Brandon Sanderson's Cosmere multiverse is that, with multiple worlds to play in, he can create lots of little side-stories with interesting characters without being restricted. One good example would be "Shadows for Silence in the Forests of Hell," a novella about a powerful bounty hunter who doesn't fit the leather-wearing, snarky stereotype -- which makes the story all the more intriguing.

In the Forests of Hell, there is a legendary bounty hunter known as the White Fox. According to the stories, no one knows the White Fox's identity -- and if you see his face, he'll kill you. He's afraid of nothing, and only goes after big-time criminals (not, say, small-time horse thieves). No one would ever guess that he has anything to do with the middle-aged innkeeper Silence Montane.

When bandit-turned-assassin Chesterton Divide and his men come into her inn, Silence immediately recognizes them -- and so does Sebruki, a child whose family was murdered by him. With the help of her daughter William Ann, she goes out into the night to find Chesterton's gang... only to be cornered by another gang of vicious bounty hunters and a swarm of shades. And before the night is our, she may lose what is most precious to her.

Most of Sanderson's stories are a bit more urban in nature, but "Shadows for Silence in the Forests of Hell" takes place in a more remote part of this fantasy world. It's in a sparsely-populated forest continent, riddled by ghostly shades who can only be banished with silver arrows, and which are attracted to motion, flames and blood. It gives the feeling that this is a place which is actually pretty scary -- think the Wild West combined with a haunted forest full of ghosts.

Sanderson's writing is typically robust and riddled with poetic moments ("The heads rippled, faces shifting like smoke rings. They trailed waves of whiteness about an arm's length behind them"), and he puts plenty of horrifying moments in what seems like a standard bounty hunt. He manages to cram a lot of plot and worldbuilding into a pretty brief story, including a scheme by the cruel Theopolis to force Silence to sell her inn.

And Silence is a pretty awesome character -- she's strong and deadly without being icy or sociopathic, and breaks the mold of what people imagine an action heroine to be. What's more, she isn't one of those characters who revels in her ability to go out and bludgeon bandits to death; if anything, she's scarred by a childhood with her cold-blooded grandmother, which comes to a head as she deals with all the worst things in the forests.

For those who are just getting into Brandon Sanderson's work, "Shadows For Silence in the Forests of Hell" is a strong little introduction -- and longtime fans will know exactly what to expect. Powerful writing, some solid twists, and a genuinely spooky setting.
3361517
I'm a big Sanderson fan but this is definitely one of his weaker books. Since it's shorter we don't get the higher quality character development, instead relying on tropes and archetypes to fill in the blanks. Despite the weak characters, is still cool to see what happened to the Mistborn world and the plot is rather compelling once it gets rolling. It's a nice quick read to keep you in the Cosmere between releases of the more developed works
4050013
I am reading it, and I am about half-way through.  The storyline is interesting, but the fantasy is initially inhibited by too many cryptic words used for labeling castes and people to keep a clear focus on developing its environment.  Really good sci-fi-fantasy writers do not need a lot of jumbled, password-qualified terms to develop an exotic world.  For example, the Fellowship of the Ring trilogy and the Wheel of Time series do a better job of developing even more complex worlds with simpler terminology.
3359448
The writing was exhilarating, capturing the dread of the world the author created spectacularly. Beyond that, the descriptions of places and things and the characterizations were fluid and deep, and characters were realistic. The action was tense and visceral. The prose was engrossing and smooth, without being pedantic. I thought the world the author created was really interesting - a dead civilization, but still deadly, filled with tombs and dungeons to explore as vicious and bloodthirsty as their creators. There was unexplored depth in the magic/religion system, and hints that things are not as they seem.

I felt like the climax was slightly slower-paced than earlier descriptions of the dungeon explorations and therefore seemed weaker by comparison, but it was still a great ending. I can't wait to read more about this universe.
3493172
I enjoyed this book, but it is certainly unusual in a couple of ways as compared to a lot of other scifi literature.

Biggest strengths: Most importantly, the writing is beautiful -- the style is more typical of fiction than scifi, which brought a very human element to the story. Additionally, the characters were engaging, the world-creation was fascinating and immersing, and the book communicated ideas and philosophies without beating you over the head with them.

Biggest weaknesses: The pre-apocalypse material is just not as interesting. I still don't really understand why I read so much about a guy who died before the flu even hit -- he knew most of the other characters we followed, true, but I really didn't need quite so much backstory on him. And second, but somewhat related, the jumping back and forth in time from post- to pre-apocalypse, and vice versa, was obnoxious and unnecessary. Every time we switched back to pre- times I was bored, and just trying to get through to the next interesting section.

Despite some of its messages of hope, and the survival of more than just animal-humanity, the story generally is told in some pretty grim times. I've been having a rough week, and some days I just didn't feel like I wanted to jump into a story that was a bit dark.

Overall, I really enjoyed the combination of the literate writing style with the post-apocalyptic story and world creation. One of the major flaws I see in scifi lit is that often the quality of the writing is a bit sub-par. As such, this book is a pleasant change from the scifi standard.
3383601
This was a somewhat unusual fantasy book, because in it the dead are
almost as important as the living. There's a constant switching
between the real world and "the other side" which has its own
mysterious rules that the protagonist does his best to understand. The
author clearly tried hard to immerse the reader in his world through
careful description and attention to what the characters are seeing,
feeling and thinking. When it works, it works very well, but there are
also some parts where it is in my opinion overdone and the story
stutters. That said, the majority of the tale is gripping and really
picks up pace in the second half. I particularly liked the
interactions between the characters, especially Tergin and the
spearmen, and how they clearly don't like each other but continually
try to paper over the cracks for the sake of "the mission". The little
mini-stories the characters tell each other gave the tale a lot more
depth and richness, although I guess some readers may find them
pointless. The writer manages to tease the reader with questions about
the world that are answered as the plot progresses, notably when
Tergin meets Thrios, but these answers in turn lead to more mysteries.
There's a definite feel that the writer is in control of the narrative
and that it is building up to something big as one reads the book.
Without giving away too much plot, the book ends where the main
plot-lines in the book have come to a conclusion, but theres clearly a
lot more story to tell. I would have liked to have read the whole
series in one shot, but since this was already long (around 180k
words) it is quite acceptable for the first book in a series.