The Rithmatist

I just finished reading Brandon Sanderson's The Rithmatist. It was a pretty good read. World building is definitely one of Brandon Sanderson's strong points as a writer. The Rithmatist is a steampunk/gearpunk YA novel that takes place in a world very similar to ours, but different. The United States is actually the United Isles. I believe there are about 60 islands total. We join the main character, Joel, at Armedius Academy, where they train Rithmatists to defend the world against wild chalklings--yeah, wild creatures made of chalk. But they're pretty dangerous. A couple of times, we find out what happens to someone attacked by these chalklings, and it's not very pretty. Like I said, Brandon Sanderson is great at building new worlds and then taking us into them.

That being said, I think I prefer his adult novels. The Mistborn trilogy is still my favorite, but I haven't yet been able to dive into The Way of Kings. I'm waiting until I graduate for that one--I think I'll need the extra time. And, getting back onto my train of thought, his YA novels aren't as compelling to me as his adult novels. The endings was still surprising and good (I've never been disappointed at the end of one of his books). I was pleased that things weren't wrapped up quite in the way that I was expecting. There was just enough resolution of conflict to satisfy me, but at the same time "the plot thickens."

I'm not quite sure that Joel has the voice of a 16 year old, especially since he often is accompanied by a girl of his same age, yet he rarely thinks about her in a romantic sort of way. Maybe there are some teenage boys that don't think about that, but I would guess that plenty do. He does seem to be pretty engrossed in Rithmatics, so perhaps that obsession pushes all romantic notions out of his head. 

Those are my only complaints. I'm curious to see what happens in the next installment.

Brandon Sanderson is a pretty big name in fantasy these days, but if you do't know who he is, you should check out his website. And if you haven't read Mistborn, put down what you're reading (if it's boring) and pick that one up!

http://brandonsanderson.com/