Review: Warbreaker
Brandon Sanderson’s first novel, Elantris, was published only five years ago, in 2005. Since then, this prolific writer’s impressive catalog of published novels has established him as a fantasy author to be reckoned with. His Mistborn trilogy is especially loved among fantasy readers for its knuckle-whitening action, meticulous world-building, and intricate system of magic. When fantasy author Robert Jordan died before completing his magnum opus, the 10,000 page The Wheel of Time, Jordan’s widow selected Brandon Sanderson to finish the series’s final three volumes, the first of which, 2009′s The Gathering Storm, was well received by both critics and fans. Somehow, even with all his devotion to concluding The Wheel of Time, his ongoing, youth-oriented Alcatraz series, and an upcoming epic fantasy saga, The Stormlight Archives (scheduled to commence in the summer of 2010), Sanderson has found the time to release another standalone novel, Warbreaker. As an experiment in attracting new readers, he released the entire novel on his webpage, as well as a document comparing all of the changes made between the first and second drafts. For anyone interested in a sneak peak at an author’s creative process, or looking for a free introduction to Brandon Sanderson’s writing, this is an amazing resource. And don’t think that the zero dollar price tag means the book isn’t worth publishing (and a hardback edition of Warbreaker was published by Tor, for readers like myself who prefer a physical copy to display on the bookshelf). Warbreaker displays all of Sanderson’s flair for strong female characters, fascinating mythology, and a fantastical system of magic.
For fans of the Mistborn trilogy, one of the highlights of that series was the elegant and elaborate system of magic, several systems actually: Allomancy, Feruchemy, and Hemalurgy. Puzzling out the relationships between the three, and the abilities and limitations of each, was half the fun of Mistborn. For Warbreaker, Sanderson has created a new sort of magic, Awakening. Awakening is fueled by “Breath,” an invisible force inherent to all individuals. But these Breaths can be gifted to others, heightening the holder’s awareness and appreciation for colors and sounds. With enough accumulated Breath, Awakeners can instill inanimate objects with a life of their own, even reviving a corpse to serve as an unfeeling and relentless servant or bodyguard. Awakening is not as intricate or logical as Allomancy, so some readers may find themselves disappointed by the seemingly arbitrary structure. Also, a hue can be described as “deeper,” “purer,” or “richer” only so many times before these descriptions begins to lose their color, so to speak. That said, Awakening is unique and interesting, and as the story progresses it becomes clear that Sanderson created the magic to service the story, not the other way around.
The Mistborn series was action-packed, with deadly battles, violent confrontations between Allomancers, and gruesome scenes of carnage and gore, and The Gathering Storm was notable for its livelier pace when compared to Robert Jordan’s previous volumes (though it must be said that The Wheel of Time has been suffering from epic fantasy bloat for quite some time). With these facts in mind, Warbreaker surprises with its focus on intrigue; wordplay instead of swordplay fills the bulk of the novel. Sanderson deftly weaves together three separate story-lines to great effect, balancing delicate court politics with dangerous maneuvers on the streets. The bulk of the story takes place in the colorful city of T’Telir, capital of Hallandren, a wealthy and powerful kingdom; the other major player, though only visited in the opening chapters, is the kingdom of Idris, a small and seemingly unimportant kingdom, except for the critical trade routes it controls and the mythology surrounding the royal family’s bloodline. The countries couldn’t be more dissimilar. Parallel to the prominence of colors in the magical art of Awakening, Warbreaker’s unique emphasis on the importance of colors, shades, tints, and hues helps to inform the cultural disparities. Idris is a quiet, almost ascetic country, with a fear of color and Awakeners ingrained into their culture; in contrast, Hallandren’s gaudy society worships living gods, powerful reincarnations of living mortals, imbued with immense reservoirs of Breath. 300 years of conflict between the countries have built to a head. The living God King of Hallandren has claimed a princess of Idris as his bride, mother to his divine child; unbeknown to the God King, another daughter of Idris has traveled to T’Telir as well, determined to overthrow his rule by any means necessary.
Warbreaker’s narrative brings together a wide variety of unique individuals. The first storyline follows Siri, youngest of the Idrian royalty, bride to the immortal God King. Little can be said of this portion of the plot without spoiling many of the story’s secrets, but suffice it to say that, even in the closely-guarded center of the God King’s palace, danger lurks. Another storyline follows Siri’s eldest sister, Vivenna, who joins an underground movement in the city slums to curtail the Hallandren’s power. She joins a larger-than-life crew of mercenaries, including Denth, Tonkh Fah, and Jewels. Vasher, another mercenary with mysterious business in the city, wields the bloodthirsty, sentient sword Nightblood. Perhaps the most fascinating character, Lightsong the Brave, a resurrected god with no memory of his life as a mortal man, lives in unimaginable luxury, surrounded by other gods and devoted priests, including the alluring and cunning Blushweaver the Beautiful. But sarcastic and wise-cracking Lightsong is the farthest thing from godly, questioning his own divinity, and troubled by the mysteries surrounding him. Sanderson has chosen an amazingly diverse cast: violent mercenaries, a royal bride, even politicking immortals. Most of these character don’t encounter each other until very late in the game, but as the action escalates, their paths cross in sometimes surprising fashion.
Readers expecting a duplication of the Mistborn trilogy may be disappointed, as Warbreaker explores a significantly different focus; the narrative approaches action with more subtlety and the sensory-driven magic feels much less rigid than the strict rule-set of Allomancy. Instead of depending on cliched violence and overused bloodshed, Sanderson has given birth to a story that swims surprisingly deep in the depths of the human spirit. Several of the characters are not whom you expect them to be, and almost everyone transforms dramatically as the story moves toward its powerful conclusion. At its heart, Warbreaker concerns itself with how people break down old beliefs, old prejudices, and find new meaning and understanding. Brandon Sanderson has challenged some old beliefs himself with the free release of Warbreaker on his web page, and I strongly encourage any fantasy reader looking for a thoughtful, character-driven story to visit the site and read a chapter or two. But don’t be surprised if you find yourself driven to pick up a copy so you can sit out in the summer sun with a glass of lemonade and enjoy this fantastic novel the way it was meant to be read!
Plot: 8.5
Characters: 9
Action: 7
Writing: 8
Overall (not an average): 8/10
Edition Reviewed: Warbreaker
* Hardcover: 592 pages
* Publisher: Tor Books (June 9, 2009)
* Language: English
* ISBN-10: 0765360039
* ISBN-13: 978-0765360038