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Of the son of a High Duke of the interstellar Empire, much glory is expected. And expected. And still expected, despite endless proof that young Dennison Crestmar has no talent whatsoever for war. But the life Dennison is forced to live will have its surprising lessons to impart…
Brandon Sanderson’s novels include Elantris, the Mistborn series (Mistborn, The Well of Ascension, and The Hero of Ages), Warbreaker, and the several volumes of the Stormlight Archive beginning with 2010’s The Way of Kings. Following the death of Robert Jordan in 2007, Jordan’s wife and editor Harriet McDougal recruited Sanderson to finish Jordan’s multi-volume fantasy series The Wheel of Time from Jordan’s extensive drafts and notes. Published in 2009, The Gathering Storm, by Jordan and Sanderson, is the first of the three volumes that will conclude Jordan’s epic.
First off, pay no mind to the goofball first reviewer below. If you can't figure out that a $.99 ebook that's only a little over 800kb isn't a full novel (or can't simply pop over to another title to compare)...well, really that's just silly.
Anyway, here the ever-impressive Sanderson proves he is just as skilled with a tight, focused short story as he is with the grander scale pieces he's done previously. The switch to a sci-fi setting is interesting, but seemingly handled with ease. Characters are interesting and believable, even given the limited space for development. Most importantly Dennison's struggle, central to the story as it is, is handled deftly, and I think can easily be related to by a lot of people. And as always, not everything is quite as it seems.
To avoid any more rambling, suffice it to say this is a fun, quick read, and most definitely a dollar well-spent, regardless of whether or not you realize what you're getting yourself into.
9 out of 11 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.OnyxRing
Posted July 28, 2010
Not a book at all. This is a short story published a few years ago and available for free on the internet. Not at all what it appears to be by the description. It may only be a dollar, but a badly spent one unless you know what you're buying. I'm disappointed. Not in the story, but in the way I was misled into thinking it was a new book and wasting money I wouldn't have spent otherwise.
5 out of 16 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted August 31, 2010
I Also Recommend:
Worth a $1.
Sanderson is a good writer nd I did enjoy this short story. It was about 36 pages long. The first reviewer screwed up the star rating because they weren't smart enough to figure out that this is a short story...so they decided to give it a one star rating because they spent a whole .99 cents for "not a book at all".
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted February 16, 2012
This book has a deep meaning, written with wisdom. Short story that gives more than what is expected. Sci-Fi -but portrayed like a fable story- very wise!
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted January 17, 2012
As with anything written by Brandon Sanderson, I was blown away by this short story. As I was reading I was stunned by how well the story of Dennison was told in a mere 36 pages. Not only were the characters believable, they were masterfuly written. While the story with its sci-fi setting and short length may not appeal to everyone, this is a story I will be reading again and again.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.jmbownes
Posted August 11, 2011
I enjoyed this brief tale. Pride is shown in the minutia of the tale, as the outcome is set in stone. No course but the path taken could be offered. ;,)
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Posted April 21, 2012
Would have been better fleshed out and extended time lines to make a better book.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.RpD
Posted March 25, 2012
I'd give it four stars, but I just don't enjoy 'frustrated' heroes as much... and it was, abrupt. It's still actually pretty good. If you've read sci-fi from early decades, you might recognize the feel of brevity in Firstborn... perhaps that's what Sanderson intended (harking back to early sci-fi), perhaps not. Short stories are not best served by over-detail, so I can't fault that. I liked Firstborn, but the ending is... abrupt. I would have liked some additional description of the antagonist's mindset just before the end of the story, but the brevity fits in with the intended surprise/conclusion of the story being rather pointedly made. And it shows the protagonist does have an area of competence/subterfuge in conflicts, perhaps serving as a reason for his -almost- 'just knowing' more concrete battle maneuvers. Short, pointed/abrupt... good short story... basic sci-fi rather than fantasy-based like Sanderson's other work. I would like to see the author write a longer 'hard sci-fi' story.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.DannySling
Posted March 8, 2012
I took this read because I've been having trouble finding any good sci fi lately. Glad I did, though. Sanderson's character Dennison is definitely likable. He manages a few twists in the game. These twists are fun, even if the first is a little hard to swallow. Overall I enjoyed it and agree it should be shared. Also sort of hoping Sanderson decides to make this into a series.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted February 15, 2012
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Posted April 29, 2011
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Posted January 14, 2011
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Posted March 4, 2011
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Posted February 5, 2011
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Posted January 11, 2011
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Posted September 19, 2011
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Posted November 25, 2011
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Posted November 11, 2010
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Posted April 15, 2011
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Posted April 26, 2011
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Overview
Of the son of a High Duke of the interstellar Empire, much glory is expected. And expected. And still expected, despite endless proof that young Dennison Crestmar has no talent whatsoever for war. But the life Dennison is forced to live will have its surprising lessons to impart…
Brandon Sanderson’s novels include Elantris, the Mistborn series (Mistborn, The Well of Ascension, and The Hero of Ages), Warbreaker, and the several volumes of the Stormlight Archive beginning with 2010’s The Way of Kings. Following the death of Robert Jordan in 2007, Jordan’s wife and editor Harriet McDougal recruited Sanderson to finish Jordan’s multi-volume ...