Book of the Month: December 2021

01.12.2021

This time around, we've got a fantastic (yes, that's a really bad pun) book recommendation by Marten Juskan: The Mistborn Trilogy by Brandon Sanderson.

"Brandon Sanderson's trilogy (The Final Empire, The Well of Ascension, The Hero of Ages) provides 1500+ pages of high fantasy escapism. The setting is a world where mysterious mists come out at night to haunt an enslaved population ruled by a seemingly immortal emperor. Some people are able to gain supernatural abilities by "burning" metals inside their bodies. You'll encounter some well-known elements (hero's journey, religious imagery), but they come with their own unique twists. Sanderson's pacing is fairly slow for long stretches, but once the books approach their respective finales you may find them very hard to put down. The most noteworthy feature is the world building, and in particular the focus on a "hard magic system" (google "Sanderson's Laws of Magic"), which comes with clearly defined rules and limitations. These are relatively simple and straightforward while still capable of triggering complex and multi-layered consequences. As a scientist, I see beauty in that, but it's not just an academic issue. All major aspects of the cleverly constructed plot are inherently connected to the magic system the world is built around. This means that, in the end, everything falls into place in a way that seems logical and feels very satisfying."