Ambos relatos dan para bastante más, de lo bien escritos que están. Me estaban gustando tanto, que se me han hecho cortísimos...

As I mentioned, there are ties to Sanderson's first novel, Elantris. If you haven't read Elantris, don't worry, that won't slow you down at all. If you have, you'll appreciate the little touches that show the Empire is part of the same world, even if far away, and you'll have fun puzzling out how Shai's Forging ties into the magic system seen in the parts of the world depicted in Elantris. Sanderson always delivers great magic systems in his fantasy books, and the magic here is different enough from Elantris to be interesting while still be consistent with the logic of the other book. A con-exclusive version of this and Legion was printed at some point, and a similar version was published in the UK by Gollancz Shai is a Forger, a foreigner who can flawlessly copy and re-create any item by rewriting its history with skilful magic. Condemned to death after trying to steal the emperor's sceptre, she is given one opportunity to save herself. Though her skill as a Forger is considered an abomination by her captors, Shai will attempt to create a new soul for the emperor, who is almost dead. Just a reminder that Brandon Sanderson is probably my favorite fantasy writer I’ve read 9 full length books by him and 2 novellas, he consistently never disappoints so I might be a little biased, but deservedly so. His worlds, his imagination, his magic systems, his surprise twists always amaze me. The Emperors Soul was no different, it is a complete story with another strong female character and I was totally drawn into the story immediately. Shai is the focus of the book, but the secondary characters are well-rounded, especially considering the space Sanderson has to work. We learn as Shai does just who the Emperor really was, and we get a lot of interesting interaction between Shai and Gaotona, on of the Emperor's advisor's, and Gaotona himself is very compelling, given his personality and role. The other characters are less of a focus, but Sanderson still develops them well, giving the reader a good view of everything from the politics of the Empire to why the guard captain especially doesn't like Shai.

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At the beginning of The Emperor’s Soul, the young Emperor Ashravan is braindead after an assassination attempt which also claims the life of his beloved wife. The crime is apparently an inside job, committed by one of his corrupt council members vying for power. La primera de ellas es Legión, en la cual conoceremos a Stephen Leeds, un hombre que vive en una mansión con siete habitaciones, las cuales ocupan sus alucinaciones con las cuales puede interactuar. Como anteriormente era un detective, se dedica a resolver casos de gente que viene a su casa y le resultan interesantes, en este caso, se embarca en la búsqueda de una cámara que saca fotos del pasado. Ambientado en nuestra propia época pero con toques de ciencia ficción, Sanderson nos describe un pequeño episodio en la vida de Stephen, donde los diálogos entre sus alucinaciones y él me resultan la mar de cómicos, dado que aunque él tiene una personalidad bastante plana sus alucinaciones o aspectos tiene una personalidad fuerte y marcada definida sobre todo por sus interesantes habilidades. Lo que más me ha encantado es la forma de interactuar de Stephen con sus alucinaciones, el relato en si se me queda bastante corto y espero futuros relatos (ya que hay Legión 2).

En este volumen Brandon Sanderson nos regala un dos por uno de historias en apenas 250 hojas, ambas de gran calidad; con temáticas, argumentos e historias que son totalmente diferentes entre sí pero que devorarás sin darte cuenta. Shai is a thief and practitioner of magical forgery who has been arrested and sentenced to death. The Emperor's corrupt advisors offer to free her if she agrees to forge a new soul for the Emperor, who has been left brain dead by an assassination attempt. She agrees, but plans to escape. She is given 100 days to forge the soul, given only official histories, the Emperor's diary, and Gaotona, the only non-corrupt advisor, a task even she deems impossible. As the two research the Emperor's past together, Gaotona learns more about forgery, a generally detested practice, and the two develop a grudging respect for each other. During this task, Shai realizes the Emperor had once been idealistic, but a life of leisure resulted in his recent indulgence, and resolves to create and tweak the soul as her masterpiece, setting him on a better path. Though many opportunities present themselves, Shai puts off escaping until the work is done, whereupon Gaotona helps her win her freedom against his colleagues' treachery. The Emperor, with the forged soul, resumes his rule. The other thing that I'd like to point out, and that amazed me, is that for the short time we spend with them, the character development, even that of the hallucinations is fully realisedBrandon began forming ideas for "The Emperor's Soul" during a trip to the National Palace Museum in Taiwan. The tojang, or red stamps that adorned much of the artwork, stood out to him. In addition to the stamps of the artists who created the work, scholars and nobility who particularly liked the work would add their stamp to it, as well. From these stamps came the idea of Soulstamps, capable of rewriting the nature of an object's existence. I wish it had been longer, not that it felt rushed at the end but because I was thoroughly enjoying myself reading it. I do have a 'bind up' with all 3 Stephen Leeds stories in, from which I will read #2 and #3 straight after I finish this. Während ihrer Zeit in der Gefangenschaft, steht Gaotona, einer der Berater, ihr zur Seite, um ihre Kreationen zu testen... Then there's Ivy, a whizz at interrogation and deducing people's intentions and emotions, Tobias who is unreasonably clever, and many more. The Emperor’s Soul takes place in the Rose Empire on the same world as his epic fantasy novel, Elantris. Although The Emperor’s Soul connects to Sanderson’s greater Cosmere universe, it is a standalone story, and hence it is unnecessary to read any of his other work to understand and appreciate this novella.