In the land of Hallandren, men who die noble deaths Return as gods, living within the capital city T'Telir. Life revolves around the magic known as BioChroma, the intrinsic connection between life, color, and sound. Each individual possesses one Breath, which can be given away to others, or used to Awaken objects. The Hallandren gods possess many, many Breaths, and rule over the nation. The gods themselves are ruled by the God King, a supreme being who possesses tens of thousands of Breaths.
Siri and Vivenna are princesses of Idris, the tiny nation north of Hallandren. Betrothed to the God King, in accordance to a twenty-year old treaty between the two nations, Siri, a seventeen-year old frightened girl, journeys to Hallandren, unknowingly followed by her older sister Vivenna, who is determined to save her sister. Meanwhile, Hallandren isn't as unified as Idris believes. Lightson is a Returned god, yet may be the only god who doesn't believe in his own religion. Susebron, the God King, is an aloof and distant figure, and various priests wage political wars of intrigue, creating factions and divisions hidden from neighboring nations. Throughout all this chaos, the mysterious Vasher emerges, pursuing his own agenda.
Warbreaker is the fifth novel by fantasy author Brandon Sanderson, immediately following his acclaimed Mistborn series. Again, Sanderson shows off his talent for crafting a meticulous and detailed magic system. Mistborn had Allomancy - Hallandren has BioChroma. The intricate system of Breath is well thought-out, and poses some ethical questions as well, regarding the connection between Breath and humanity. Despite this, Sanderson avoids the deep moral issues brought up in the beginning of the book, favoring a more focused storyline that focuses on the plot and characters. The book could have taken a different direction, but that would have changed the overall nature of the story.
The characters are a lot tighter than in Sanderson's previous works. He has improved his writing, showing more and telling less. There is also less "witty" dialogue that is not actually witty, although some characters do feel like they are "witty" altogether too often. Nevertheless, the characters are fleshed out, and many supporting characters have a depth to them that is surprising. For example, one character is introduced as a joking, "good" figure, though more is revealed about him later that is surprising. If there is one complaint, it is that the point-of-view characters all feel very reactive. For the better part of the novel, they react to their surroundings, are remain ignorant of the many undercurrents in T'Telir.
The plot is very focused, and provides many twists and turns that are refreshingly hard to guess at. One moment in particular, about midway through the novel, left me stunned at its suddenness. Warbreaker functions very well on its own, and manages to introduce and wrap up nicely in 500 or so pages. The ending is a little short, when compared to the long buildup the rest of the novel is, but the last 100 pages are very action-packed and resolve plot threads satisfactorily. The epilogue is sufficiently vague, hinting at possible sequels to come, but the main story is summed up completely.
Warbreaker is a bit of a unique novel, in that it can be downloaded for free off of Brandon Sanderson's website. A nice touch from the author, for a novel that is quite enjoyable.
Rating: (8/10)
