The Emperor's Soul

The Emperor is dead. Can he live again?

Shai has two choices. She can die, condemned for attempting to steal the Emperor's scepter. Or. She can accept the deal and use her magic, a skill despised by her jailers, to Forge a new soul for the Emperor, who is for all intents and purposes dead. Can she do this incredibly complex bit of magic, and find a way to escape before her captors kill her for her knowledge of the very act she is being forced to commit?

What a mindblowing story. And so short. This book is Sanderson with an intensity you usually only experience at the very end of his books, when things are coming together and getting ready to hit the fan. It's absolutely awesome. I can't ever recall a short story completely capturing my attention and imagination in such a way before. I literally couldn't move, I just had to finish reading this in one sitting, after I'd started and things got moving.

Interestingly enough, this takes place on Sel, the same planet where Elantris is set, though I was made to understand in a distant part and with entirely new characters [I haven't read Elantris as yet], and one not so new: the mysterious Hoid. Who, by the way, is the one that got Shai caught in the first place, right when the servants of the empire are in dire need of a practitioner of the very magic they so despise. Obviously that was entirely, 100% coincidence.

Though it's short, The Emperor's Soul is going to absorb you and keep you captivated through to the end, and most definitely stay with you for a long time to come. It's your standard Sanderson, except bite-sized: unique magic system, a great main character, and a story you can't take your eyes off until the very last page. If you haven't read this yet, you should. I also highly recommend this to people who have never read Brandon Sanderson and a curious to see what the hubbub is about; it's nice and short and provides a brilliant example of why the guy has such a rabid fandom in fantasy circles.