Warbreaker tells us of two countries, Indria and Hallandren, that used to be one, but have separated on grounds of their belief. Once again Sanderson manages to create an interesting world full of mysteries, while telling you a gripping story full of plot twists and mind games. It’s rare to come across a standalone novel that’s so full of content as Warbreaker.

The shifting dynamics of the politics and loyalties, the beautifully-convoluted magic system, the relatable and despicable characters, and the way the book finished – which is always a tough thing to manage – all make this one of the better books I’ve read this year. I really can’t recommend this book enough, right now.

Sanderson managed to perfectly loop me into the fiction he was writing so that the twists and turns came completely unprepared-for, and left me shocked as my world was turned upside down, creating for a wonderfully fun reading ride. The characters are similarly well rounded, much more so than found in Steelheart, and left me visibly stunned at several points throughout the story. It helps define the world, the actions of those good and bad, their religions, politics, and motivations: it is in every way the perfect example of Tolkien’s ‘secondary creation’ – a fact that raised great ire in me whenever I saw it in the blurb of this book, but now represents the highest compliment I can fathom. Despite a mild reception from Orson Scott Card – quoted as saying he initially found some aspects of the magic system disappointing – I can quite honestly say that Warbreaker’s magic system is as wonderfully wrought and visualised as any Sanderson has ever created. Mistborn is beautifully representative of Sanderson’s world-building abilities, specifically his magic system creation. I normally find myself dismissing standalone books by authors published around their ‘big hits’ – in this case, Sanderson’s ‘Mistborn’ trilogy – but I should have known better, considering the author in question. I’m actually relatively surprised by just how good this book really is. So here, finally, is my long-overdue review of Warbreaker by Brandon Sanderson.Īnd boy did he know what he was doing when he wrote this one! I have found myself in a bit of a Brandon Sanderson mood, of late, thanks mostly to my lacklustre feelings surrounding ‘Steelheart’, and while I have pulled ‘Way of the Kings’ off the shelf to re-read, I also remembered that ‘Warbreaker’ had a bookmark left in the first 150 pages that I hadn’t returned to in a while.

Brandon sanderson warbreaker series