Shadows for Silence in the Forests of Hell & Perfect State

By: Brandon Sanderson

Narrated by: Christian Rummel, Kate Reading

Length: 4 hrs and 11 mins

Publisher's Summary

Shadows for Silence in the Forest of Hell is a novella set in the Cosmere. Who names their daughter Silence, and what does it imply? What is it like to grow up with this name? The answer's built into the concept of a stout pioneer woman who ran an inn on the frontier, drawing the seediest criminals the land had to offer. She’d then track them after they left her inn and murder them for their bounties.

Perfect State sets God-Emperor Kairominas on a date. What happens when the most important man in the world is forced to have dinner with the most important woman in the world?

©2013, 2015 Dragonsteel Entertainment, LLC (P)2015 Audible, Inc.

Two Perfect Sanderson Miniatures

Brandon Sanderson's imagination is prodigal, spitting out richly developed worlds at a rate much too fast for even his breakneck writing to keep pace with. Some of the worlds get long novels, some get very long novels, and some even get whole series of very long novels devoted to them. Some (THE EMPEROR'S NEW SOUL, SHADOWS FOR SILENCE IN THE FOREST OF HELL, and PERFECT STATE) get only novellas. But regardless of the volume of prose, one always has the sense that one is visiting a complete world, with its own history, laws, and tensions. Some visits are brief, some protracted, but all are rewarding.

This program offers the listener two brief visits: two novellas set in different worlds. Both are very interesting and exciting places, with unseen depths we would like to see explored. The experienced Sanderson fan should have no trouble imagining either of them getting its own epic trilogy. A fan who has kept track of his recent output, though, will doubtless realize that he already has too many irons in the fire. We won't get those trilogies, and must be content with miniatures. Both of them are delightful.

15 of 16 people found this review helpful

Brilliant novellas

I loved Shadows of Silence and the concept of Perfect State. Both the novellas develop character and story in the few hours.

Shadows of Silence was very well written and conceptualized. I ended up caring for the characters in just a few hours of reading.

Perfect State character development was a little slow and dull. the concept was brilliant.

Narrators are great as always.

6 of 6 people found this review helpful

Great stories

kate reading was fabulous as usual but i didnt love the other narrator... stories both were fantastic though.

4 of 4 people found this review helpful

awesome book

The main character was a bad a** woman who you could not help but love her spunk. Reading about how they lived made you wish the book was longer. You really hated the villain and you were very happy when you saw how Silence defeated him.

3 of 4 people found this review helpful

state is good silence is better

Perfect state was a 3 star and silence was 4 star yay. I love Brandon Sanderson which is a dedicated writer.

3 of 4 people found this review helpful

you want to hear this

oh my... for such short stories I was completely hooked! my only regret is knowing how they end so I cannot re-enjoy the thrilling twists

2 of 3 people found this review helpful

Perfect was great while Shadows... was ok.

I'm a huge fan of Brandon Sanderson. Shadows for silence was good but should have been twice as long. Too many questions were left unanswered and narration was bland. maybe that was the point. 3 stars for this book

On the other hand, Perfect state couldn't be better named. I would like to see more of this world for sure. Anything can happen. 5 stars for this book.

2 of 3 people found this review helpful

These were ok listens

I prefer hearing complete stories. Both of these would make great full length novels but the way they are I am left feeling like I am missing something in the beginning and in the end. These stories are a 3 course meal but only the meat is on the plate.

2 of 3 people found this review helpful

Amazing As Always

I enjoyed both stories, and wish they were longer! Both narrators were great. It took me a minute to get into Rummel's narration, but I ended up thinking it was perfect.

Brandon Sanderson nails it again.

I am a prolific consumer of fantastly and have enjoyed Sanderson's work ever since I discovered his fantastic writing in the final books of Robert Jordan's WOT series. I say this to give context. These two short stories are crafted pieces of storytelling that deserve their place among the larger anthologies. These two pieces were both compelling, easy to follow, and worth their price thrice over. In a sea of fantasy, I'm always impressed with Brandon's storytelling and unique ideas. Hats off. Bravo!

Like a Teaser Trailer for something more

Just enough to get me interested....what a pity these were just novellas! (I'd be clamouring for more, but in order of clamouring priorities, the next Stormlight instalment is at the top of my list)

Both of these stories are short, yet perfectly formed. Helpfully, well narrated too.

Silence: Set in the Cosmere (along with the Mistborn and Stormlight worlds), the characters develop real depth quickly. This world is dark, and the mood sinister. There is so clearly a deeper tale here with the Forescouts, and "the god beyond". This novella is just a window into this world.....

Perfect State: Think medieval fantasia colliding with digital gaming.... It has the same light tone as the Reckoners series. Urban fantasy, almost. Again, this was just scratching the surface of a what could potentially be a really rollicking good yarn. It felt like an introduction to something bigger - and I was left with a sense that the real story was only about to begin with the meeting of the "contents of the closet 10 jars"

If you're a Sanderson fan, you won't be disappointed. As ever, I'm left in awe of the author's endless imagination for new worlds and magic systems.... I'd be more than happy to read the next instalment of either of these.

11 of 13 people found this review helpful

loved both books.

excellent books. perfect states needs to be made into a series. loved the concept. definitely needs a follow-up book