I am sure everyone has that friend (I have at least two) who tries to get you to read a great book of a genre you would never attempt on your own. As most people probably do I did not heed the advice at the appropriate time. In my defence, I was not a fan of the ebook format it was available in at the time. Now that I have a relatively vast number of books at my disposal(or whenever the library processes my request) I contritely thought to ask for guidance on where to begin. Upon the advice of one well accustomed to the world(s) of Brandon Sanderson I started with this series. It may not have been as lyrical as The Wise Man’s Fear (The Kingkiller Chronicle #2) and The Name of the Wind (also suggested by same person) but this book has a lot of heart and is simpler to follow.
This is not the story of just the hero mentioned in the blurb, it is also not the story of the man(the survivor) who rebels against the Lord Ruler of this world with the red sun and ash falling from the sky. The little urchin (who sorely lacks trust in her fellow human beings) the rebels take under their wing,who is to be a bigger asset than they would know, is also not the whole of the story. It is about the crew of assorted people trying to do one thing but may achieve that and more.The world we are introduced to is sharply divided between the ‘noblemen’ who have it all and the ‘skaa’ who are nobodies (except that they are the entire labour force!). The Lord Ruler (rumoured to be immortal) has a hierarchy of people directly under him.Each chapter is preceded by a narration ,more details of which we are only given in hints till almost the very end.One man has set out to try to do the impossible and along with his band of people makes a concrete plan to change the status quo.There are strange powers that a few possess in this even stranger world. What we know about those powers may be just the tip of the iceberg.It was a thrilling tale and I am very partial to multiple protagonists with a lot of engaging dynamics between them.I am really looking forward to the next book in the series.This book seemed pretty self-sufficient on its own except for a few niggling questions.
Superfluous Reading 