The Emperor's Soul

By: Brandon Sanderson

Narrated by: Angela Lin

Length: 3 hrs and 55 mins

Publisher's summary

When Shai is caught replacing the Moon Scepter with her nearly flawless forgery, she must bargain for her life. An assassin has left the Emperor Ashravan without consciousness, a circumstance concealed only by the death of his wife. If the emperor does not emerge after his hundred-day mourning period, the rule of the Heritage Faction will be forfeit and the empire will fall into chaos.

Shai is given an impossible task: to create—to Forge—a new soul for the emperor in less than one hundred days. But her soul-Forgery is considered an abomination by her captors. She is confined to a tiny, dirty chamber, guarded by a man who hates her, spied upon by politicians, and trapped behind a door sealed in her own blood. Shai's only possible ally is the emperor's most loyal counselor, Gaotona, who struggles to understand her true talent.

Time is running out for Shai. Forging, while deducing the motivations of her captors, she needs a perfect plan to escape...

©2012 Dragonsteel Entertainment, LLC (P)2012 Recorded Books

So much heft for a short novel. Hugely Satisfying

I have never read anything by this author before, and was completely enchanted away by the concepts, or rather the exploration of them. This short novel had so much packed into it.

Shay is a fascinating character, exploring the conceits of their captors, attempting to create a complete forgery at the same time as developing escape scenarios. Hugely satisfying, well narrated novel.

Fully written short story

Not all short stories feel full of life or completely written. This book accomplished both. It was amusing and detailed, with unique characters, situation, and magic style.

Good for a short story

The beginning exposition was rather tedious because the story is too short to flesh out the world. The main character was very good, the main villain however could have been more fleshed out. Overall it was a good short story.

Brilliance never shined so bright!

This is one of my favorite Sanderson stories,and he has a lot of greatness to choose from. the characters are well written, the story engaging, and the world he builds is beautiful.
The narrator does a great job as well, with clear character voices, great emotion, and clear speaking.

Great story and reading. Very enjoyable

I struggle to find great sci-fi these days, so this book was truly a pleasure. Great idea, great characters, lots of tension, and I truly enjoyed it from start to the very lss

Don't miss this novella

What made the experience of listening to The Emperor's Soul the most enjoyable?

I bought this book because Brandon Sanderson wrote it. Though I don't recommend using a credit to buy this book ... just buy it outright, it is cheaper. If you have never read any of Brandon Sanderson's books and are a bit leary of the size/length of his books, this is a good starter. A woman imprisoned for the crime of forgery is facing death at the hands of the empire. She is given a choice to aid the Empire by saving (recreating the soul) of the Emperor. This is a huge task which would normally take 2-3 years but she has only less than 100 days. As a forger she is despised and knows that her life is on the line. She must deal with political maneuverings of the Grands, convince them that she is the only one that can complete the task, figure out the motivations of all those that imprison her, and find a way out before it is too late. This is a fast paced read and I was surprised by the complexity of this world. Sanderson not only created a world I wished to visit with all the flaws of our own, but it had its own slang like in all his other novels.

What other book might you compare The Emperor's Soul to and why?

I cannot think of any other books that that it is like.

Which scene was your favorite?

When she gets to use her soul stamps in her escape.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

No I didn't laugh or cry but I have read it twice more since this summer.

Any additional comments?

Brandon Sanderson's website indicates that there will be a second installment to this story line in the next year or so. I cannot wait. This story I do find more intriquing than Legion or Legion: Skin Deep. Brandon please send me that sequel soon.

great

I love a lot of Brandon Sanderson's work. This one is great. A novella w characters abd a plot better then a lot of full novels! Give it a try.

Short but amazing

with the scope of this story, novella is probably the correct size, but do not think that size has any bearing on quality. Very good story. Consider this book as a small part of an epic, where the rest of the saga is just not fully explained. And it does not need to be explained.

I highly recommend the time spent listening to this book, very rewarding.

A True Masterpiece in Fantasy.

This is my favorite fantasy book of all time. there are rare stories in fantasy that can compare. even Sanderson's own works seldom hit this well.

Another masterpiece

I'm familiar with Sanderson's lengthier works so I was curious about this novella. It is like early songs from the Beatles- the perfect length to pack a punch without a single unnecessary note. The narrator was simultaneously warm and slightly clinical,, ideal for this storytelling.