Spencer's Bookcase

Mexican Gothic

Title: Mexican Gothic

Author: Silvia Moreno-Garcia

Genre: Horror

Pages: 301 pages

Synopsis:

After receiving a frantic letter from her newly-wed cousin begging for someone to save her from a mysterious doom, Noemí Taboada heads to High Place, a distant house in the Mexican countryside. She’s not sure what she will find—her cousin’s husband, a handsome Englishman, is a stranger, and Noemí knows little about the region.

Noemí is also an unlikely rescuer: She’s a glamorous debutante, and her chic gowns and perfect red lipstick are more suited for cocktail parties than amateur sleuthing. But she’s also tough and smart, with an indomitable will, and she is not afraid: Not of her cousin’s new husband, who is both menacing and alluring; not of his father, the ancient patriarch who seems to be fascinated by Noemí; and not even of the house itself, which begins to invade Noemí’s dreams with visions of blood and doom.

Her only ally in this inhospitable abode is the family’s youngest son. Shy and gentle, he seems to want to help Noemí, but might also be hiding dark knowledge of his family’s past. For there are many secrets behind the walls of High Place. The family’s once colossal wealth and faded mining empire kept them from prying eyes, but as Noemí digs deeper she unearths stories of violence and madness.

And Noemí, mesmerized by the terrifying yet seductive world of High Place, may soon find it impossible to ever leave this enigmatic house behind.

(from Goodreads)

My Thoughts:

After receiving a frantic letter from her cousin, Noemi is sent to High Place, a very old house where her cousin now resides. And while there creepy things start to happen, as she gets deeper to figuring out the truth behind the Doyle family.

There are some very creepy imagery in this book and I do find it very interesting how they made mushrooms the main cause of the threat. There definitely a few Horror staples such as: a House shrouded in mist, and the feeling of dread throughout the book.

As for characters, I actually didn’t find Noemi that interesting. Although I do like how strong, smart and stubbornness. I found her ally Francis to be the more interesting character.

The main thing I do like about this is the books themes. The book actually covers some social issues, and I am a guy who loves it when Horror goes deep and covers real social issues. This book covers the issues of Sexism, Exploitation of Labour, Settler Colonialism and Eugenics.

I also like the references to The Yellow Wallpaper, a shorty story I read also during this month.

I have some issues with this book though. I think pacing was a major issue with this book as not a whole lot really happens in the first 100 pages. The creepy stuff doesn’t really start until well past page 100 and it isn’t until the last 100 pages where the pace really picks up.

I also felt the romance between Noemi and Francis, a little forced. I think they would have worked better if they just remained friends.

All in all, Mexican Gothic is just an okay Gothic Horror novel. It had it’s moments and I like it’s theme, but it’s really bogged down by it’s forced romance and pacing issues.

Rating:

Ring

Title: Ring

Author: Koji Suzuki

Genre: Horror, Mystery

Series: Ring#1

Pages: 282 pages

Synopsis:

A mysterious videotape warns that the viewer will die in one week unless a certain, unspecified act is performed. Exactly one week after watching the tape, four teenagers die one after another of heart failure.

Asakawa, a hardworking journalist, is intrigued by his niece’s inexplicable death. His investigation leads him from a metropolitan tokyo teeming with modern society’s fears to a rural Japan–a mountain resort, a volcanic island, and a countryside clinic–haunted by the past. His attempt to solve the tape’s mystery before it’s too late–for everyone–assumes an increasingly deadly urgency. Ring is a chillingly told horror story, a masterfully suspenseful mystery, and post-modern trip.

(from Goodreads)

My Thoughts:

Ring is a mystery horror novel about a man named Asakawa who investigates the mysterious deaths of four young people who died suddenly of heart failure. And what he discovers changes everything that he knows.

Oh and by the way this is the actual source material for the entire The Ring franchise.

There’s a few things I like about it. I liked the writer’s style. It was very accessible and I was able to devour this book very easily.

I really like the setting, it taking place in Japan helped make this book feel unique. I actually enjoyed the whole mystery part of this novel. It also had a nice time ticking clock device as our main characters only have 7 days to avoid the fate of death after watching the cursed videotape. The suspense definitely kept me reading. And the lore in this book was very interesting and I think a lot more detailed than the movies.

My biggest criticism is the deuteragonist Ryuji. As he is a rapist as he raped a girl. And he made zero apologies for it. I’m sorry but this is a character that we are supposed to care about??? A rapist? Why the fuck should I care or get emotionally invested in a rapist? Now at the end, the book suggests that he never actually raped a person but I was just not convinced by this and just feels like a last minute attempt to make us empathize with this character.

Not to mention rape doesn’t seem to be a big deal in this book. As in the end, there was a doctor that confesses to both murdering and raping Sadako (the main antagonist). And our main characters do not do anything about it. They don’t call the police about it, they just leave him. What?? And while our main character Asakawa does show some disgust at Ryuji for his rape, he does nothing else about it.

I also have to condemn the transphobia and intersexphobia that went on this book. Like why? Just why?

Overall, the Ring is a book that I was able to read very quickly and the suspense and the lore kept me reading. It’s hard for me to recommend it though just on how poorly this book handles rape.

Rating:

Five Book Recommendations for Halloween (2023)

Hey everyone! Since it’s getting close to Halloween so I want to give you all my five additional book recommendations for Halloween.

5. The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson

The Haunting of Hill House is a classic horror novel and it’s movie adaptation is pretty good as well. It has strong characters and the questioning of whether the events in the book are supernatural or it being in the character’s heads was very well handled.

4. Bad Cree by Jessica Johns

This book has an amazing premise: A person is having weird dreams where you bring something from the dream to the real world. Has some great themes and has scenes that are terrifying to read.

3. How to Sell a Haunted House by Grady Hendrix

The haunted house, it’s a horror staple. And this book is a very decent recent entry in this horror staple. It has scares, an interesting family dynamic and full of suspense.

2. Misery by Stephen King

Despite this being a winter horror novel, this is scary enough for me to qualify as a decent Halloween read. Stephen King’s best horror writing is on full display here. No supernatural in this book, no monsters, just a man trapped with a psychopath.

1. Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

This is a Horror classic. Period. It has great characters, an iconic monster, it has deep themes and some really scary scenes. This is definitely a perfect read for the Halloween season!

The Green Mile

Title: The Green Mile

Author: Stephen King

Genre: Horror

Pages: 500 pages

Synopsis:

Welcome to Cold Mountain Penitentiary, home to the Depression-worn men of E Block. Convicted killers all, each awaits his turn to walk “the Green Mile,” the lime-colored linoleum corridor leading to a final meeting with Old Sparky, Cold Mountain’s electric chair. Prison guard Paul Edgecombe has seen his share of oddities over the years working the Mile, but he’s never seen anything like John Coffey–a man with the body of a giant and the mind of a child, condemned for a crime terrifying in its violence and shocking in its depravity. And in this place of ultimate retribution, Edgecombe is about to discover the terrible, wondrous truth about John Coffey–a truth that will challenge his most cherished beliefs….

(from Goodreads)

My Thoughts:

The Green Mile is about a guy named Paul Edgecombe who is a prison guard in charge of people who are on death row. He tends to believe that all people who he sees deserves the electric chair, although he usually still gives them respect before it happens. He maintains this belief until he meets John Coffey, a mysterious man who was accused of a heinous crime. Paul meeting John changes everything for him. We also cut to Paul as an older person who is writing his story in the present.

The Green Mile has a lot of the things that I love about Stephen King: his characters, his building of suspense, and his use of metaphors. I truly think one of Stephen King’s best strengths is his characters, and the Green Mile once again shows this strength. While Paul Edgecombe is definitely the driver of the story, this book has a very interesting cast of characters such as Brutus, Eduard “Del” Delacroix. And even a character that you just hate in Percy Whetmore. You hate this character but at the same time it’s a very human antagonist and a believable character.

What also makes things interesting is how things get subverted. Usually prison guards in stories tend to be bad people, people that you just do not like. Here though, we see these guards form almost like a bond with the inmates and they try to make things pleasant for these people who are on death row. And the inmates we meet in this story even though they have done terrible things, they are characters with layers and we hear there stories. Again characters are really Stephen King’s best strengths.

I also really liked the dialogue between these characters. It’s deep and you feel the connection between the characters in much of the dialogue.

I also really like how this book approaches its themes: doing what’s right even when it isn’t easy or popular, death, commentary on the U.S. prison system and prejudice.

Now I do have some criticism: there is some racial slurs being used in this book, and there are depictions of rape, assault and murder.

I also kind of didn’t like the Paul as an older person storyline, I much preferred the 1932 storyline better. And there were times when the 1932 storyline abruptly stops just to reveal what Paul is doing in the present.

Overall, I really did like this book. This is another great example of Stephen King’s brilliance as a storyteller. If you want to read a Stephen King book that isn’t too long, with characters that you will care about, give this book a read.

Rating:

How to Sell a Haunted House

Title: How to Sell a Haunted House

Author: Grady Hendrix

Genre: Horror

Pages: 419 pages

Synopsis:

When Louise finds out her parents have died, she dreads going home. She doesn’t want to leave her daughter with her ex and fly to Charleston. She doesn’t want to deal with her family home, stuffed to the rafters with the remnants of her father’s academic career and her mother’s lifelong obsession with puppets and dolls. She doesn’t want to learn how to live without the two people who knew and loved her best in the world.

Most of all, she doesn’t want to deal with her brother, Mark, who never left their hometown, gets fired from one job after another, and resents her success. Unfortunately, she’ll need his help to get the house ready for sale because it’ll take more than some new paint on the walls and clearing out a lifetime of memories to get this place on the market.

But some houses don’t want to be sold, and their home has other plans for both of them…

(from Goodreads)

My Thoughts:

This is the first time that I am reading one of Grady Hendrix’s books. I’ve heard about him and when I read the title of this book I was immediately intrigued. And as I said in my Horror Month TBR List post, this is a recent release as it was released earlier this week, and since it’s a story about a haunted house it’s perfect for this month!

How to Sell a Haunted House is about a woman named Louise who’s life gets turned upside down when she learns that her parents have died. She has to go back to her childhood home where she has to deal with her brother Mark, who she doesn’t get too along well with. While she is at her parent’s house she realizes that there is more mysterious things going on and secrets her family has been keeping for years.

I had a good time reading this. There’s quite a few things that I do like about this. I actually liked the family dynamic. And I like how Mark evolved throughout this book, he starts off being a complete asshole in the beginning but by the end of the book, he becomes one of my favourite characters in this entire book.

I also liked how puppets were the main antagonists of this novel (Pupkin in particular was terrifying). There were legit scenes that really had me in suspense as to what the hell was going to happen next. I really felt that Grady did a great job at building tension, not just between the puppet antagonists and our protagonists, but also tensions between the family in this story. I also felt the reveals and twists throughout the novel was very well handled. The twist when our main character got home, made me literally go: “What the-?” The reveal at the end was also pretty clever and I wasn’t expecting it. Also the climax in the ending was a real page-turner and intense.

There’s also a lot of different themes that are explored throughout the novel: grief and loss, mental health, religion, family and trauma.

The thing that prevents me from rating this book higher was that I didn’t really think this needed to be this long. It just felt like it dragged a little, and I felt this during the second half of the novel.

Overall, How to Sell a Haunted House was a decent horror read and I definitely feel that now is the perfect time to be reading this book.

Rating:

Frankenstein: The 1818 Text

Title: Frankenstein: The 1818 Text

Author: Mary Shelley

Genre: Horror

Pages: 245 pages

Synopsis:

A brash young doctor named Victor Frankenstein wants to unlock the secrets to life itself and create the perfect human. Instead, he animates—and abandons—a horrific creature who from its moment of birth is shunned by society and refused all compassion and love. Frankenstein must either face his creature and pay for his hubris, or watch as those he loves pay for his mistake with their lives.

Although Frankenstein was a bestseller when first published in 1818, Shelley heavily revised the 1831 edition to reflect her radically altered outlook on life (changing some of the message from the consequences of personal choice to a more fatalistic viewpoint), as well as to blunt criticisms that her story and her protagonist were ‘immoral.’ This faithful reissue of the beautiful and imaginative 1818 horror story restores the fast-paced, lucid writing of the author’s original tale—the first science fiction book in the English language.

(Backcover of the book)

My Thoughts:

So yeah, I’m starting off Horror Month by reading a Horror classic: Frankenstein, and I am reading the original text version. The book as Mary Shelley originally intended. As there are two versions of Frankenstein: 1818 text and the 1831 text. There are some differences such as in the 1818 text, Victor Frankenstein has agency and free will, while the 1831 text is more fatalistic.

I think we all know the story: Victor Frankenstein creates a monster out of human body parts, the monster gets no feelings of love and start causing problems.

Honestly, what I can say about this book that hasn’t been said already? This is a Horror classic, no matter what version of Frankenstein you read it’s going to be a classic.

There’s a few things I do like about this book. The letters in this book almost gives this book a “found footage” feel to it. I also really like how Victor Frankenstein does have free will and agency. I also really like how we do get into Victor’s head and how the book shows his mental health decline throughout the story. I also do like how the Monster is meant to be a sympathetic creature who just wants to be loved.

I also appreciate the many themes of Frankenstein: Ambition and Fallibility, Family, Isolation and Prejudice. The themes definitely help make this book a better reading experience.

I also really like Mary Shelley’s description and imagery as they are are some really creepy scenes in this book.

Now I do have a little criticism. I find the passage of time a little questionable in this book. Also Elizabeth, the love interest of Victor Frankenstein is Victor’s cousin. Which feels a little creepy today (apparently this was considered not to unusual back in the day).

The first few chapters of Volume 1 begin very slowly. It doesn’t really get interesting until Victor creates the monster. I also just find it hard to believe how articulate the monster can be especially considering how much anger and rage this monster has.

Overall, Frankenstein is a must read if you are into Horror. And I actually liked the 1818 text. And since it’s October, the month of Halloween. Now is the perfect time to give this a read. Give this a read!

Rating:

Horror Month TBR List 2023

It’s now October! You know what that means? It’s Horror Month! I want to show you my TBR List for Horror Month this year.

So I am aiming for around 5 books this month, plus two short stories (that have a Horror theme to it). Here is my list:

Currently Reading: Frankenstein: The 1818 Text by Mary Shelley

This is the one that I am currently reading right now. I am reading the original text and so far it’s good.

2. How to Sell a Haunted House by Grady Hendrix

This is actually a relatively recent release that came out earlier this year. And if it’s a book about a haunted house… why the hell not? It fits the theme and the month.

3. Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

I’ve heard a lot about this book so… let’s read it!

4. Ring by Koji Suzuki

Fun Fact: This book is the source material for the Ring movie franchise. And I want to read it for this month!

5. The Green Mile by Stephen King

C’mon it wouldn’t be Horror Month without a book from the King of Horror. As always I am excited to read another Stephen King Horror novel.

The Short Stories:

Now I am not sure if I will do an actual review of short stories but I definitely would like to read them for this month. Let me know in the comments if you want reviews of these short stories.

The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman

I’ve heard a lot about this short story from a friend of mine so I decided I am going to give it a read.

The Red Room by H.G. Wells

Turns out one of the most well known Science Fiction authors also did a Horror story. Who knew?

Conclusion:

That’s my reading list for this month. I hope I can read all of them this month! Stay tuned because Horror Month has just begun! See you all soon!

Post-Mortem: Mistborn Era Two Series Review

Series: Mistborn Era 2

Author: Brandon Sanderson

Books: 4

Genre: Fantasy

Series Synopsis:

Three hundred years after the events of the Mistborn trilogy, Scadrial is now on the verge of modernity, with railroads to supplement the canals, electric lighting in the streets and the homes of the wealthy, and the first steel-framed skyscrapers racing for the clouds.

Waxillium Ladrian, a rare Twinborn, can Push on metals with his Allomancy and use Feruchemy to become lighter or heavier at will. After twenty years in the Roughs, Wax has been forced by family tragedy to return to the metropolis of Elendel. Now he must reluctantly put away his guns and assume the duties and dignity incumbent upon the head of a noble house. Or so he thinks, until he learns the hard way that the mansions and elegant tree-lined streets of the city can be even more dangerous than the dusty plains of the Roughs.

(from Goodreads)

My Thoughts:

Mistborn Era 2 is a very worthy follow up to what I think is one of the greatest Fantasy trilogies ever made. This series was fun.

I feel like this series biggest strength is it’s cast of characters. Wayne is probably one of Brandon Sanderson’s best characters and he is more than just being the comedic relief character. The dynamic between Wayne and Wax has made these two my favourite dynamic duo in all of Fantasy! Steris is a great character (excellent Autistic representation). Marasi is a great leader in her own right. Wax, Wayne and Marasi even have a Han-Luke-Leia like dynamic and I love them for it!

I also appreciate the worldbuilding that went on in this series. The world of Scadrial has changed and evolved from the first era. The first era felt like the Medieval Times and maybe the early renaissance era, this era felt more like the Victorian and early 1910s era. The world evolved with time, but the world was still familiar to us. And it’s cool to see a Fantasy world evolve as we rarely do see that in Fantasy worlds as too many are stuck in either the Medieval Times/Renaissance era. So yeah it’s refreshing to see a world change and evolve over time. I also love the references and callbacks to the first era. And I like this series has more ties to the broader Cosmere.

The magic system as always is one of the biggest strengths of Mistborn. And I liked the concept of being a Twinborn (where you have one Allomancer power and one Feruchemy power). Having access to two powers and not all of the powers helped make our characters be more creative in how they use their magic to solve problems.

As always the action scenes are great and entertaining.

Now I do have some criticisms, one of the biggest criticisms I have with this series is I wish we had more characters representing the different Allomantic powers. One of the things I liked about the first era is we had characters represent each of the Allomantic powers. In this series there are lack of characters with important Allomancer powers: Pewter, Tin or even Cooper. I just wanted more Allomancers.

My other criticism is that the previous era it was an Epic Fantasy. Here it’s not an Epic Fantasy, and for some people that may seem like a step down. Also if you are not into Westerns, this series might not be the book series for you.

How I rank these books:

Shadows of Self: This was my personal favourite of this series. I like the higher stakes this book was as Wax, Wayne and Marasi have to save the City of Elendel before the city tears itself apart. We also got a lot more context as to what happened between Era one and Era two. I also just feel like this book is a proper sequel to The Hero of Ages.
The Lost Metal: I really liked this book. This book is the Sanderlanche! I liked how this book had the most action and how this book explores the importance of each character is to one another. This was also just the perfect ending for this era.
The Alloy of Law: The Alloy of Law is a great introduction into this series: it establishes what this series is going to be like, who the characters are and the overarching plot is. It also introduces a very interesting villain.
The Bands of Mourning: Now I am not saying The Bands of Mourning is bad. It still is well worth the read. Especially for that twist ending! And this is the book that convinced me that Steris is a great character. However this book really doesn’t do anything different. It’s about what you’d expect after reading both The Alloy of Law and Shadows of Self. Again this is still a good book, but I feel like this is the weaker one of the series.

Final Thoughts:

Mistborn Era 2 is still very much well worth reading. I love these characters and I had a very fun time reading this series. I think this is the most fun Fantasy series that I’ve read so far. I look forward to Mistborn Era 3, and whenever it comes out I most certainly will be there for it.

Rating:

My Mistborn Reviews:

Mistborn: The Final Empire

The Well of Ascension

The Hero of Ages

The Alloy of Law

Shadows of Self

The Bands of Mourning

Mistborn: Secret History

The Lost Metal

Monthly Wrap-Up: September 2023

Hello everyone! Welcome to the Monthly Wrap-Up where I give updates on my reading and other things I’m up to in the past month. So let’s get to it!

Total Books Read: 4

This month was unofficially a Brandon Sanderson month, as three of the four books I read this month was from Brandon Sanderson.

Warbreaker by Brandon Sanderson

This was another really good novel from Brandon Sanderson. There are still scenes from this book that has stuck with me. And as I said in my review two of the best character concepts that I’ve seen from Brandon are in this book.

Harley Quinn, Vol. 3: The Trials of Harley Quinn by Sam Humphries

This was another fun Harley Quinn story as she has to do six trials to become a demigod and each trial has Harley overcome her fears. But seriously why not include the last trial? This just felt like an incomplete story.

The Lost Metal by Brandon Sanderson

I had a lot of fun reading the Wax and Wayne series or Mistborn Era 2. This series had a great cast of characters that’s full of shenanigans throughout all four books. And the ending for this book was perfect for this series. I said this before but I will say it again: This entire book is the Sanderlanche!

The Emperor’s Soul by Brandon Sanderson

The last book I read this month was The Emperor’s Soul and for a novella it definitely accomplished quite a bit in just a 117 pages. I mean it establishes characters that you like and understand, a magic system, and even themes on the nature of art!This was a really good story and it proves once again that Brandon Sanderson is a master at storytelling.

Currently Reading:

Frankenstein: The 1818 Text by Mary Shelley

I started Horror Month a little early and am reading one of the Horror Classics: Frankenstein and I am reading the original version of Frankenstein! I am about 80 pages in and really liking it so far.

What I’ve been doing and Watching:

September was a great month! I got to see some important friends to me in person and spent Labour Day Weekend with them! I also went to Graffiti Alley in Downtown Toronto and it was a great experience.

I pulled off a win that I am very proud of in Commander earlier this month. I pulled off a win with my Prossh, Skyraider of Kresh. I wanted to swing with my team for game with Craterhoof Behemoth but unfortunately one of my opponents had a creature that if you sac it, it would prevent all combat damage. So I had to do some math as I had the combo in hand. And I had all the mana for it. So I went: “Screw it, let’s go for it!” The combo: Prossh himself, Food Chain and Goblin Bombardment. I played both Food Chain and Goblin Bombardment and Prossh all on the same turn, and I got the win! I am really proud of myself for just going for it there, sometimes you really do have to just go for it!

Also this month, I watched two new tv series: Centaurworld and Succession (Geez, it’s been a while since I last watched a new tv series). Let’s talk about Centaurworld first:

Centaurworld… is a weird show. I’m not going to lie. I will be honest it’s hard to recommend this series. As this series isn’t going to be for everyone. I personally did liked it. After watching the first episode my reaction was: “This is really weird, but I kind of like it though.” I like the cast of characters (Glendale, Wammawink and Zulius were my favourite characters) and how each character was different but they all worked well together, some of the songs were good (this is a musical series), and there are scenes from this series that I am still thinking of till this day. So yeah it made an impression on me. I also do like how the songs are relevant to the actual plot. Again this series probably won’t be for everyone (especially if you do not like musicals), but I liked it.

I started watching Succession. And I’ll admit at first I didn’t think I would like the show. I was put off immediately by the amount of swearing that was going on, but when I realized what was actually happening in this series and the overarching story for this series is, I started to like this series. I love the politics, the maneuvering as a family is fighting for power over a billion dollar company. With the recent retirement of Rupert Murdoch, this series is still very relevant. So far Kendall is the most interesting character to watch in this series.

I went to a few more green spaces and enjoyed the last days of summer.

In Dungeons & Dragons not much has happened. The campaign with my Rogue/Wizard character seems to be on an indefinite hiatus, which is really sad as I really worked hard on this character, and in my opinion it’s the most detailed character I made so far. As for the Ravnica campaign, the party is exploring Ravnica while fighting Eldrazi. My Warlock character is now level 6! And he now has access to Fireball, so it’s time for some fireball shenanigans.

Plans for Next Month:

Horror Month is back! I got an interesting read list for this month so stay tuned for that!

I am also considering building a Gandalf the Grey Wizard Tribal Spellslinger deck. Gandalf is one of my personal favourite Wizards, and I would argue that he is the face of Wizards in all of Fantasy. So why not have a Wizard Tribal Spellslinger deck with him as the Commander? Wizards cast spells and the tribe is led by the most iconic Wizard. I’ll make this work, just trust me.

I am looking forward to Thanksgiving and Halloween!

See you soon!

The Emperor’s Soul

Title: The Emperor’s Soul

Author: Brandon Sanderson

Genre: Fantasy

Pages: 117 pages

Synopsis:

A heretic thief is the empire’s only hope in this fascinating tale that inhabits the same world as the popular novel, Elantris.

Shai is a Forger, a foreigner who can flawlessly copy and re-create any item by rewriting its history with skillful magic. Condemned to death after trying to steal the emperor’s scepter, she is given one opportunity to save herself. Though her skill as a Forger is considered an abomination by her captors, Shai will attempt to create a new soul for the emperor, who is almost dead.

Probing deeply into his life, she discovers Emperor Ashravan’s truest nature—and the opportunity to exploit it. Her only possible ally is one who is truly loyal to the emperor, but councilor Gaotona must overcome his prejudices to understand that Shai’s forgery is as much artistry as it is deception.

Brimming with magic and political intrigue, this deftly woven fantasy delves into the essence of a living spirit.

(from Goodreads)

My Thoughts:

The Emperor’s Soul follows Shai, a thief and a master at a forgery, as she is tasked with forging the Emperor’s soul after an assassination attempt. And she only has 100 days to make a forgery of the Emperor’s soul.

For a 117 page novella, this was actually a really good novella. Shai is a great and interesting protagonist (Rogues are awesome!) as she tries to do what she is assigned while trying to figure out what the arbiters real plan and plan her escape. I also like how she leans more into the very smart Rogue rather than just the charismatic Rogue. Shai has now joined my list of favourite Cosmere characters. Gaotana, the only non-corrupt arbiter was also a very interesting character and a man that actually cared about whether or not we would be getting the real Emperor or just a flawed copy of him. Even the novella helps us understand where the antagonists is coming from!

Honestly this novella makes the world of Elantris much better (yes, this novella does take place in the same world as Elantris). Now, this novella doesn’t change my opinion of the book of Elantris, as this is not a sequel and is a stand-alone story. I will admit did make The Lost Metal much better. It shows us a different government and country in this world. And it introduces a very interesting magic system in soulstamps. Stamps that are magical! Stamps that have the power to change one’s past or nature. And that is just really cool. Dammit Sanderson, why do you have to make such interesting magic?

The novella actually does touch on a few themes such as what is the nature of art? Is forgery can be considered art or not? What is the nature of the soul? Will the Emperor still be the Emperor with the new soul?

Also I like how despite Hoid not being in this novella, he still is influencing the story. And even in a novella, Brandon Sanderson still pulls off the Sanderlanche.

Now I do have a little criticism for this novella, I know this was a novella but when it skips several days, like day 20 to day 28, it just leaves me asking: What happened during those days? Are you telling me nothing of significance happened during those days? Shai was in a race against time just to create this forgery of the Emperor’s Soul!

I also just kind of wanted a little more. More use of the Soulstamp, learn more about the Rose Empire and it’s place in the world.

Overall, The Emperor’s Soul is a novella that accomplishes quite a bit: an interesting magic system, great characters and touches on some interesting themes. If you want a read a stand-alone Fantasy story that isn’t too long, The Emperor’s Soul is an excellent choice. We are nearing October and Horror Month is right around the corner! Stay tuned.

Rating: