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The Emperor's Soul

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The Emperor's Soul

Written by: Brandon Sanderson
Narrated by: Angela Lin
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About this listen

When Shai is caught replacing the Moon Scepter with her nearly flawless forgery, she must bargain for her life. An assassin has left the Emperor Ashravan without consciousness, a circumstance concealed only by the death of his wife. If the emperor does not emerge after his hundred-day mourning period, the rule of the Heritage Faction will be forfeit and the empire will fall into chaos.

Shai is given an impossible task: to create—to Forge—a new soul for the emperor in less than one hundred days. But her soul-Forgery is considered an abomination by her captors. She is confined to a tiny, dirty chamber, guarded by a man who hates her, spied upon by politicians, and trapped behind a door sealed in her own blood. Shai's only possible ally is the emperor's most loyal counselor, Gaotona, who struggles to understand her true talent.

Time is running out for Shai. Forging, while deducing the motivations of her captors, she needs a perfect plan to escape...

©2012 Dragonsteel Entertainment, LLC (P)2012 Recorded Books Adventure Classics Fantasy Fiction Genre Fiction Historical Literary Fiction Science Fiction Supernatural Thriller & Suspense Paranormal Crime
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In such a short book Sanderson does an incredible amount! Makes me want to read more novellas

Quick and fun

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Cool main character. Cool magic system as always with Brandon Sanderson. Narrator was good too.

Good!

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considering this book takes place 90% in one room the writing is amazing and you still feel like your on an adventure. this world is so interesting and i want Brandon sanderson to write another book in this world. #audible1

Sanderson need to re visit this world.

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It's good!! The characters are written strongly, it's well narrated, there are interesting ideas and themes that are strongly present and compellingly explored without them taking over the story, and it leaves you satisfied but still hoping for more.

Very unique and interesting, set in Elantris world

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An intriguing character, a fantastic magic system and a wonderful story, I love The Emperor’s Soul. It is set in the same world as Elantris, but reading that novel is not required to read this. The connections are only apparent if you’ve read Elantris.

I read this book years ago and just listened to it for the first time. The story is not only great to immerse yourself in, but it is also the kind of story your mind can dwell on. It is every bit as good as I remember it being. Maybe even better, because Angela Lin was the perfect choice for narrator.

A Favourite Sanderson’s Story

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this was great. the world is so big, so open. I could not be happier

amazing book. loved it

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Its amazing how Sanderson pulls off this epic tale in so few of words ! wow! A MUST read if you are a fan or if you haven't read any of his books yet. you will be hooked. #Audible1

GREAT short story.

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This is my favorite of the (at least half dozen) Brandon Sanderson books I've listened to so far. It's got a great heroine, a fascinating magic system, a surprisingly interesting setting, considering that almost the entire thing takes place in one room where the heroine is being held captive, and I was horribly disappointed when I got to the end and realized it was over already. My only complaint is that this is only a novella, because I WANT MORE!

Apparently this is set in the same world as Elantris, but although I've read that I would never have noticed and this is completely stand alone, no need to have ever read anything else by him. Sanderson is really into detailed systemic worldbuilding and magic systems that have rules so clearly defined that they could easily be translated into computer or board game systems. In his full length novels I sometimes find this a little TOO much, in all honesty - while it's nice to know the system is there and balanced, I don't necessarily need all the detail in the middle of the plot. This novella strikes the perfect balance of not going into TOO much detail, and tying the details that are given into the very center of the plot so that learning how it all works IS unravelling the plot and not just exposition for the sake of it.

I would snap up a sequel to this story in a heartbeat, and, although they're good, I wouldn't say that for any of Sanderson's other books that I've read. (Also, if you enjoy the heist-like suspense aspects of this book, you may also enjoy the Rogue's Republic series by Patrick Weekes, which I found myself thinking about throughout this book.) Anyway, if you're on the fence, definitely pick up this novella!

My favorite Sanderson story so far!

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Brandon Sanderson brings readers back to the politically complex 'Elantris' reality - following the travails of an imprisoned "forger" - able to make copies of virtually anything.. including people - enlisted to create a facsimile of an emperor to forestall a societal disaster.
The writing is outstanding, the plot is imaginative, and Sanderson's conceptualization of a politics-obsessed world is incredibly thought-provoking. The book doesn't have the whimsy of most Sanderson stories, but 'The Emperor's Soul' is thoroughly enjoyable.

As to presentation: Recorded Books Inc. did incredibly well casting Angela Lin to read the book. Her male voice interpretations are occasionally too "growly".. but her performance is otherwise solidly "above-average".

In toto, this Brandon Sanderson standalone novella merits 9/10-stars. It's a relatively short listen and well worth your attention.

Impressive Fantasy Novella

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I found this story very predictable and formulaic. I also found that the author felt the need to explain everything (emotion, thoughts or characters) and nothing was left to the imagination or for the reader to figure out. Boring.

Predictable

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