Have you ever felt angry at an author while you read? Like, “How rude of you to yank my emotions about and drag out an inevitability until I scream aloud, ‘Just tell Jasnah the truth already, Shallan!’ Sigh. Well, Sanderson? Is this what you wanted?” I do think an author should be more considerate of his readers.

While I was listening to this audiobook, where deadly storms roll in on black clouds of destruction and The Windrunner drinks in the power of the storm to heal his wounds and run up walls, I drove into an ashen wall of clouds. This book gave me the courage to face the brutal mountain storm. That’s how magic it is.

There is so much war, but I understand that in exposing the horror, Sanderson is exploring a different way, a new origin story for a better world.

Back stories and Preludes, world building and an array of character perspectives, kingdoms and plants, an island on a turtle’s back and a variety of different species of people, theology and Gods, wars and shard blades, Spren and hidden dimensions are all printed into words onto the thousand+ paged book. It is an intense experience for a non-fiction lover.