The Emperor's Soul

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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 100-day mourning period, the rule of the Heritage Faction will be forfeit and the empire will fall into chaos. The second novella, The Emperor's Soul, is a story set in Sel, the fictional world that Sanderson created in Elantris. Also, because I finished Elantris only a few days ago, it was perfectly timed. Die Geschichte handelt von der jungen Shai, die dabei erwischt wurde ein wertvolles Zepter zu stehlen. Sie ist eine Fälscherin deren größtes Vergnügen darin besteht, Originale mit ihren selbstgefertigten, täuschend echt wirkenden Nachbildungen auszutauschen. What I find absolutely refreshing from Sanderson's books is that he never focuses on his character's appearances. It doesn't matter what a person looks like - what matters is how they behave themselves, how they present themselves and what their skills and talents are. I feel that this is a very important message to deliver in a world where everyone and everything is judged by looks. The story follows a young girl named Shai, a Forger who is imprisoned after an attempt to steal a famous sceptre on display in the emperor's palace. Shai has the ability to alter any object by creating a stamp that forges a new history for the object it is applied to. For example, a plain old wooden table can be transformed into a masterpiece by altering the history of the plain old wooden table to say it was created by a master carpenter. When an assassination attempt leaves the emperor in a vegetative state, Shai is offered her freedom in exchange for a stamp that will alter the history of the emperor so that he is able to recover from his vegetative state. But crafting such a stamp is highly complex and controversial process, and Shai knows she is a loose end that the emperor's council will be desperate to get rid of.

I can count with one finger the number of novellas I have felt compelled to own, and in hardcover nonetheless, and The Emperor’s Soul is that book. I like how each hallucination has an own personality: J.C. (a former SEAL, very passionate about guns), Ivy, Tobias, Monica, ... One has an interest in history, another in psychology, ... All aspects of Stephen's personality that help him through life. Delving deeply into his life, she discovers Emperor Ashravan's truest nature—and the opportunity to exploit it. Her only possible ally is one who is truly loyal to the emperor, but councillor Gaotona must overcome his prejudices to understand that her forgery is as much artistry as it is deception. Legion · Skin Deep · Lies of the Beholder · The Many Lives of Stephen Leeds · Stephen Leeds: Death & Faxes In November 2020 we saw the release of Rhythm of War—the fourth massive book in the New York Times #1 bestselling Stormlight Archive series that began with The Way of Kings—and Dawnshard (book 3.5), a novella set in the same world that bridges the gaps between the main releases. This series is my love letter to the epic fantasy genre, and it’s the type of story I always dreamed epic fantasy could be. The fifth volume, Wind and Truth, is set for release in fall 2024.

About this book

The Emperor's Soul is set in the Rose Empire, a nation on the shardworld of Sel. This is the same world in which Elantris was set, though few connections are made to that book within The Emperor's Soul. In the postscript, Sanderson explains that he was inspired to write this story after visiting the National Palace Museum in Taiwan and also by memories from the two years he spent in Korea as a missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It’s a compact story where the magical system is the true star, but in the remaining spaces there are questions of morality and honesty, the nature of art, the questions of ethics, originality and deception. It’s complex and yet not needlessly so, measured in tone and pace, not relying on plot twists (seriously, books have started to over-rely on that, and it’s unnecessary most of the time), avoids any romance (there are so much more depths to the multitude of human interactions, but most writers tend to default to romance as it’s the most easily gratifying — but thankfully Sanderson does not go there). Decía que ‘Legión’ parece ciencia ficción cercana. La historia podría discurrir en el presente, siempre y cuando alguien inventara hoy una cámara para hacer fotografías del pasado. La premisa no es precisamente nueva. Sin ir más lejos, Carlos Somoza ya la exploró en ‘Zig zag’ hace unos cuantos años. Pero en este caso se podría decir que el argumento es casi lo de menos. Lo verdaderamente interesante de este relato largo (unas 80 páginas en la edición de Fantascy) es el protagonista, Stephen Leeds, cuya portentosa inteligencia ha ideado una curiosa formar de funcionar: crear imaginarios expertos en diferentes materias que conversan animadamente con él para transmitirles sus conocimientos. Lo malo (o lo bueno, según se mire), es que esas alucinaciones que le permiten acceder a toda la información que el protagonista precise, hacen su propia vida y tienen lo que podríamos definir como una fuerte personalidad. La situación llega hasta tal punto que Leeds se ve obligado a vivir en una mansión para poder albergar a toda esa ‘legión’ de expertos imaginarios que ha ido creando durante los años, y con los que no siempre es fácil convivir.

Shai is a Forger, a woman who can “flawlessly copy and re-create any item by rewriting its history with skillful magic,” according to the synopsis. And she is the very best at what she does. The story follows Shai as she attempts an impossible task. It made me question everything I believe about what makes art worthy of praise and what defines a person or object. Nun aber weiter zur Geschichte. Shai wird erwischt und soll eigentlich schon hingerichtet werden, als die Berater des Imperators ihr einen Handel vorschlagen, Der Imperator wurde bei einen Attentat schwer verwundet und gilt, trotz aller Versuche seinen Körper wiederherzustellen, als hirntot. Shai soll seine Seele nachmodellieren, sodass er erwacht und weiter regieren kann, wenn auch nur als unvollständige Kopie seiner selbst. Denn wenn herauskäme dass der Imperator tot ist, würde ein neuer gewählt werden und eine andere Partei käme an die Macht, was die Berater natürlich verhindern wollen da sie damit selbst jegliche Macht verlieren würden. Shai is both overly confident and the most humble. She is brilliant. Yes, some of her morals might be askew, but she has a big heart and a shining soul. Während ihrer Zeit in der Gefangenschaft, steht Gaotona, einer der Berater, ihr zur Seite, um ihre Kreationen zu testen...Although The Emperor’s Soul is not an especially dark fantasy, grimdark lovers will appreciate the complex and opposing views on morality expressed by Shai and Gaotona during their thought-provoking discussions, and the respect that the two characters develop for each other over time. Instead, the challenge consumes Shai, and we learn a lot about who she is, why she does what she does, and how her talents work as she works away at the problem. No simple thief or charlatan, Shai considers herself an artist, and we see just how accurate that appraisal can be as she approaches the Forging of the Emperor's soul. Now, she's got to do this in secret because the dude's been left a vegetable due to a failed assassination attempt.