Name: Dessa's review of Arcanum Unbounded: The Cosmere Collection by Brandon Sanderson
Item: Arcanum Unbounded: The Cosmere Collection
Rating: 4.5
Author: Dessa

Brandon Sanderson

An all-new 40,000-word Stormlight Archive novella, "Edgedancer," will be the crown jewel of Arcanum Unbounded: The Cosmere Collection, the first book of short fiction by #1 New York Times bestselling author Brandon Sanderson. A must read for fans of the series. The collection will include nine works in all. The first eight are: “The Hope of Elantris” (Elantris) “The Eleventh Metal” (Mistborn) “The Emperor's Soul” (Elantris) “Allomancer Jak and the Pits of Eltania, Episodes 28 through 30” (Mistborn) “White Sand" (excerpt; Taldain) "Shadows for Silence in the Forests of Hell” (Threnody) “Sixth of Dusk” (First of the Sun) “Mistborn: Secret History” (Mistborn) These wonderful works, originally published on Tor.com and elsewhere individually, convey the expanse of the Cosmere and tell exciting tales of adventure Sanderson fans have come to expect, including the Hugo Award-winning novella, “The Emperor's Soul” and an excerpt from the graphic novel "White Sand." Arcanum Unbounded will also contain the Stormlight Archive novella "Edgedancer," which will appear in this book for the first time anywhere. Finally, this collection includes essays and illustrations for the various planetary systems in which the stories are set.

Arcanum Unbounded: The Cosmere Collection

Annabelle Gauthier

The shade turned to her. Silence shivered, looking into those dead, glassy eyes of a matriarch she loathed and loved. "I hate you," Silence said. Thank you for making me hate you." 

Kelsier was nowhere in particular when God finally died.

“Ideas are never original", Kelsier said. "Only one thing is.” “And what is that?" "Style," Kelsier said. Then he punched Ruin across the face. Or he tried to. Ruin evaporated as his fist drew close, and a copy of him formed beside Kelsier a mnoment later. Ah. Kelsier," he said. “Was that wise?" “No," Kelsier said. "It was merely thematic. Leave her alone, Ruin." 

"They can't help us,” Preservation said. "They're callous. They plot over my corpse like scavenging insects waiting for the last beat of the heart. Don't go. Don't leave me." 

He vanished into the darkness. Kelsier watched after him, then did the only rational thing. He ate the bolt he'd taken from the bottom of the stool.

"Who are you?" Kelsier demanded. "Oh, I think you know." The man met Kelsier's eyes, and in them Kelsier saw eternity. A cool, calm eternity-the eternity of stones that saw generations pass, or of careless depths that didn't notice the changing of days, for light never reached them anyway. "Oh, hell," Kelsier said. "There's actually a God?" Yes." Kelsier decked him. 

Angelina Blyth

An all-new 120-page Stormlight Archive novella, "Edgedancer," will be the crown jewel of Arcanum Unbounded: The Cosmere Collection, the first book of short fiction by #1 New York Times bestselling author Brandon Sanderson. The collection will include nine works in all. The first eight are: “The Hope of Elantris” (Elantris) “The Eleventh Metal” (Mistborn) “The Emperor's Soul” (Elantris) “Allomancer Jak and the Pits of Eltania, Episodes 28 through 30” (Mistborn) “White Sand" (excerpt; Taldain) "Shadows for Silence in the Forests of Hell” (Threnody) “Sixth of Dusk” (First of the Sun) “Mistborn: Secret History” (Mistborn) These wonderful works, originally published on Tor.com and elsewhere individually, convey the expanse of the Cosmere and tell exciting tales of adventure Sanderson fans have come to expect, including the Hugo Award-winning novella, “The Emperor's Soul” and an excerpt from the graphic novel "White Sand." Arcanum Unbounded will also contain the 120-page Stormlight Archive novella "Edgedancer," which will appear in this book for the first time anywhere. It is a story of Lift, taking place between Words of Radiance and the forthcoming Oathbringer. Finally, this collection includes essays and illustrations for the various planetary systems in which the stories are set. The Cosmere The Mistborn series Mistborn: The Final Empire The Well of Ascension The Hero of Ages Alloy of Law Shadows of Self Bands of Mourning The Stormlight Archive The Way of Kings Words of Radiance Edgedancer (Novella) Oathbringer (forthcoming) Collection Arcanum Unbounded Other Cosmere Titles Elantris Warbreaker Rithmatist The Alcatraz vs. the Evil Librarians series Alcatraz vs. the Evil Librarians The Scrivener's Bones The Knights of Crystallia The Shattered Lens The Dark Talent The Reckoners Steelheart Firefight Calamity

I really enjoyed all of the different stories here! My favorite was definitely Mistborn: Secret History.

Dessa

listen the first 400 pages were great but I will not ever be normal about Shadows for Silence in the Forests of Hell, Sixth of the Dusk, and Edgedancer.

This is a book for the diehard Sanderson fan. Arcanum delves deep into Sanderson’s vast and complex universe. Taking place on almost all of Sanderson’s (and of course their books). Though nothing from Nalthis (Warbreaker.) It does a lot to expand the lore of his universe. That is not to say that is just a lore dump. The short stories are all very compelling. My personal favorite is Emperor’s Soul. The masterpiece does have to be Secret History. For any Mistborn fan reading era 2, secret history, published in this book, is a must. All in all the book was a good read, just be versed in Sanderson knowledge first. 

Noah Cross

Rachel Kanyid

Why is everything in the cosmere so amazing. 😍 Reread just to recap on some cosmere goings on

Celeste Richardson

Full review (finally) posted!
Original review can be found on Booknest.

I started this book over three months ago. And I really enjoyed it! But I couldn’t bring myself to finish it for the longest time. You see, whenever I finished Edgedancer, the last story and the only original tale in the collection, I would be completely caught up with Sanderson’s Cosmere until he publishes something else. Being caught up with a series I love is something I can’t stand. It makes me sad, and leaves me feeling at a loss until the next installment is released. That’s why I hardly every finish a series, because I can’t help but put off closure for as long as I can.

But I could only hold off for so long. This was by far one of the best short story collections I’ve ever read, and I’m not generally a short story fan. Not every story was a five star story, but the collection was pretty solid. Of the nine stories in the collection, one was perfect (The Emperor’s Soul), two were fantastic (Mistborn: Secret History and Edgedancer), one was cringe-worthy (I wish I could unread that Allomancer Jak story…). The rest were pretty solidly good, though some were stronger than others. 

The Emperor’s Soul was life-changingly good. The philosophy was incredibly deep, and was conversational fodder for my family for weeks after I made them read it so I would have someone to discuss it with. Mistborn: Secret History was incredibly nostalgic, and reading it gave me so many feelings. Seriously, there were tears. Sixth of the Dusk, White Sand, and Shadows for Silence in the Forests of Hell all introduced us to fascinating new worlds and compelling characters within the Cosmere. But all of these stories had been published before. The star of this collection was Edgedancer, a never-before published novelette in the Stormlight Archive. 

I wasn’t the biggest fan of Lift in Words of Radiance, but she grew on me so much in this story. Yes, she can be obnoxious, but she’s a kid! The sass is strong with this girl. And her spren, Wyndle, was adorable. There was a lot of character development here. If you’re a fan of Stormlight Archive, regarded by most as Sanderson’s magnum opus, and you haven’t read this novelette, it’s worth buying Arcanum Unbounded for that story alone. Plus, it’s pretty! This is a solid collection, that deserves to be on the shelves of every fantasy fan.

A buddy read with some of my favorite people: Sarah, Petrik, Haïfa, Mary, and Tweebs.

Judy Hudgins

Lots of back story, front story and side stories of some of the series I have read. Which only makes me want to read ALL of Brandon Sanderson's works.

Ben Nathan

A very fun collection of books related to his titles. The first story has no relation to them, but is a blast. Has a short Elantris related one that was ok. The Mistborn stories were a smile. Really, it's all about the last story and its relationship to the Stormlight Archives. Really top notch.

Matthew Xu

Neat collection of 3/5 star short stories that are elevated to a solid 4/5 thanks to Sanderson's expansive shared universe. I've repeated before that some of the character weaknesses in Sanderon's longer works benefit from the tightened scope of the novella format, and the stories here definitely reinforce that notion. Protagonists across each of the stories feel genuinely distinct and alive, and it's satisfying to see growth arcs start and finish in fewer than 1,000 pages. The cherry on the top for whole collection is the written preface to each story / Cosmere system, which basically entails Sanderson editing his personal Wiki.

Quick rankings:
1. Edgedancer - Goated novella, Lift is the best character in the Stormlight Archives don't @ me.
2. The Emperor's Soul - Most developed (if "out there") magic system, with a really interesting core concept and a characteristic self-awareness of typical "forgery / imprisonment" story tropes. Felt like the "truest" short story to me, as it raises some great questions about the nature of identity and self but doesn't overstay its welcome.
3. Shadows for Silence in the Forests of Hell - Really cool, unconventional protagonist and portrayal of motherhood. Pacing and action were done really well, but I would have liked a little more time spent in worldbuilding here... the idea of living in a practical hellscape is super interesting, but raises so many existential questions that go unaddressed. 
4. Sixth of the Dusk - Great prologue for another novella that's probably going to release in 15 years. (Unsarcastically) exciting. Another excellent main character.
5. Mistborn: Secret History - Fan service and worldbuiling. 
6. Mistborn: The Eleventh Metal - Fan service.
7. White Sand - Fine? And read earlier

Angelina Blyth &
Arcanum Unbounded: The Cosmere Collection by Brandon Sanderson

Reviews

Highlights

Join the club

Angelina Blyth &Arcanum Unbounded: The Cosmere Collection by Brandon Sanderson

Reviews

Highlights

Join the club

Angelina Blyth &
Arcanum Unbounded: The Cosmere Collection by Brandon Sanderson