If I hadn’t been told, at first I wouldn’t realize that The Emperor’s Soul takes place in a far away corner of the same world as Elantris. But as the story wears on, and the details of the magic system are revealed, it becomes more obvious that the worlds are one and the same. I really do love how Sanderson does magic systems. I’ve never seen anything quite like it, especially not at the same scale. Every system seems new, yet there’s a shared core to all of them. I love it.

Other than that, I did like the character of Shai. There’s something about an artist who works entirely to know that she did it, rather than for public acclaim that I enjoy. Sneaky and subtle. Excellent. I could see a few of the twists coming (that she wouldn’t escape until the last moment; the changes she made), but that didn’t make it any less enjoyable.

One thing I’d love to see if/when that Elantris sequel comes out? A meeting between the worlds. How would a Forger interact with an Elantrian? What about a Bloodsealer? I want to know more about them.

“You can’t always write what you know–not exactly what you know. You can, however, write what you see.” -- Brandon Sanderson