Perfect State

by Brandon Sanderson

From the author of Legion and the #1 New York Times bestselling Stormlight Archive comes an action-filled novella about privilege, culture clash, and expectations.

God-Emperor Kairominas is lord of all he surveys. He has defeated all foes, has united the entire world beneath his rule, and has mastered the arcane arts. He spends his time sparring with his nemesis, who keeps trying to invade Kai's world.

Except for today. Today, Kai has to go on a date.

Forces have conspired to require him to meet with his equal—a woman from another world who has achieved just as much as he has. What happens when the most important man in the world is forced to have dinner with the most important woman in the world?

Genres: Fantasy, Science Fiction, Fiction, Novella, Short Stories, Audiobook, Ebooks

87 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 31, 2015

About the author

I’m Brandon Sanderson, and I write stories of the fantastic: fantasy, science fiction, and thrillers.

The release of Wind and Truth in December 2024—the fifth and final book in the first arc of the #1 New York Times bestselling Stormlight Archive series—marks a significant milestone for me. 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. Now is a great time to get into the Stormlight Archive since the first arc, which begins with Way of Kings, is complete.

During our crowdfunding campaign for the leatherbound edition of Words of Radiance, I announced a fifth Secret Project called Isles of the Emberdark, which came out in the summer of 2025. Coming December 2025 is Tailored Realities, my non-Cosmere short story collection featuring the new novella Moment Zero.

Defiant, the fourth and final volume of the series that started with Skyward in 2018, came out in November 2023, capping an already book-filled year that saw the releases of all four Secret Projects: Tress of the Emerald Sea, The Frugal Wizard’s Handbook for Surviving Medieval England, Yumi and the Nightmare Painter, and The Sunlit Man. These four books were all initially offered to backers of the #1 Kickstarter campaign of all time.

November 2022 saw the release of The Lost Metal, the seventh volume in the Mistborn saga, and the final volume of the Mistborn Era Two featuring Wax & Wayne. Now that the first arc of the Stormlight Archive is wrapped up, I’ve started writing the third era of Mistborn in 2025.

Most readers have noticed that my adult fantasy novels are in a connected universe called the Cosmere. This includes The Stormlight Archive, both Mistborn series, Elantris, Warbreaker, four of the five Secret Projects, and various novellas, including The Emperor’s Soul, which won a Hugo Award in 2013. In November 2016 all of the existing Cosmere short fiction was released in one volume called Arcanum Unbounded. If you’ve read all of my adult fantasy novels and want to see some behind-the-scenes information, that collection is a must-read.

I also have three YA series: The Rithmatist (currently at one book), The Reckoners (a trilogy beginning with Steelheart), and Skyward. For young readers I also have my humorous series Alcatraz vs. the Evil Librarians, which had its final book, Bastille vs. the Evil Librarians, released in 2022. Many of my adult readers enjoy all of those books as well, and many of my YA readers enjoy my adult books, usually starting with Mistborn.

Additionally, I have a few other novellas that are more on the thriller/sci-fi side. These include the three stories in Legion: The Many Lives of Stephen Leeds, as well as Perfect State and Snapshot. These two novellas are also featured in 2025’s Tailored Realities. There’s a lot of material to go around!

Good starting places are Mistborn (a.k.a. The Final Empire), Skyward, Steelheart, The Emperor’s Soul, Tress of the Emerald Sea, and Alcatraz vs. the Evil Librarians. If you’re already a fan of big fat fantasies, you can jump right into The Way of Kings.

I was also honored to be able to complete the final three volumes of The Wheel of Time, beginning with The Gathering Storm, using Robert Jordan’s notes.

Sample chapters from all of my books are available at brandonsanderson.com—and check out the rest of my site for chapter-by-chapter annotations, deleted scenes, and more.

Reviews

[Clace · Rating 3 out of 5]

More towards his least impressive short stories, but I had a good time.

[Lindsey Daniels · Rating 5 out of 5]

LOVE LOVE LOVE! I recommend this for fans of Ready Player One and people who like Meta fiction.

[✘✘ Sarah ✘✘ (former Nefarious Breeder of Murderous Crustaceans) · Rating 4 out of 5]

⚠️ Short story, long review. Don't say I didn't warn you.

✉ Dear slightly deranged members of the Sanderson Cult: see my rating up there? To think you wouldn't believe me when I repeatedly told you I wasn't completely hopeless! So ha! to you, QED, and all that. Too be honest, before I reached the 50% mark I thought I would go for a 3-star rating (← you did NOT just read this, dear slightly deranged Cult Members) but Sophie the second half of the story was pretty awesome so I went for 4 stars instead.

Since I'm thoughtful and kind (yes, yes, I really am, no need to laugh) I didn't want to spoil anyone's fun by talking about the world this story is set in you're welcome. Then I realized that other heartless reviewers didn't have such qualms about it so I decided to flush "thoughtful and kind" down the toilet and go for "WTH, who cares?" instead. It's good to be inconsiderate.

So. This is what this story is about:



Yep, that's right, this story is about brains in vats. In this world people are nothing but grey matter floating around in little tubs. Not very sexy, I know, but it gets better. Well it certainly doesn't get better on the sexy front, but more on that later. Anyway, while their little grey cells are happily swimming around, people live in simulated words. Some people will tell you that this reminded them of The Matrix. I didn't think of dear old Neo while I was reading this but my poor synapses are not the fresh little daisies they once were, so that might have something to do with it. But I digress.

Meet our main brain, Kai. Oops! Please forgive me your majesty, what I meant to say was: meet our main character, God-Emperor Kairominas. Yeah, it sounds much grander, I agree. Anyway, Kai here is bored. I mean, the guy has been around for 300+ years so he's got the whole "been there, done that" thing pretty much covered. He's conquered the world he lives in and the only thing that's left for him to do is to master the weather. Hey, don't judge, to everyone their hobby. Some people like to crochet so if Kai here wants to play Mr Climate God to pass the time, it's his problem.



Actually, controlling the weather is not poor Kai's only problem right now. Because God-Emperor or not, he has to answer to a higher power. And said higher power has decided it was time for him to procreate. So off on a procreating date Kai goes. Granted, this is not the most fascinating premise ever. And there isn't much of a plot, either. But what is pretty fantastic here is the world building, especially when you think this story is only about 80 pages long. It's a very interesting, complex world with huge potential and I would love to see it developed in a full-length novel or a series. By the way, there might not be much of a plot but the story is still pretty great. Especially the second part. Because cool things happening! Because great dialogues! Because action! Because reasons! Because great character interaction! And because very unexpected twist! What? Did you think I was actually going to tell you about the twist in this spoiler? Hahahaha, you people are so naïve sometimes, you crack me up!!

Now, for the brains characters in the story: to be honest, I didn't like Kai that much. Well, he's alright but I guess he's pretty much as boring as he is bored. You know, the kind of guy who's concerned about the welfare of his people and all that nonsense. Much too nice for my taste and seriously lacking in the awe-inspiring department. In other words, not nearly assholish enough. Sigh. I actually liked Kai's sidekicks, Shale and Besk, a lot more than I did him. And his evil nemesis was pretty cool, too. But my favourite brain character here was definitely Kai's date, Sophie. Because this:

The only thing I could come up with—something truly difficult—was to become a complete anarchist. They built a perfect world for me, so I had to burn it down.

+ this:

“So let’s go back to your State,” she said. “I could probably stomach the singing trees and the elves long enough to get laid.”

= this:

Sophie, a girl after my own heart.



And this getting laid business takes us right to the "is it sexy? Is it not?" business. So I'm not that familiar with Sanderson's work. Yet ( ← I'm adding this for the sole benefit of the slightly deranged members of the Sanderson Cult who might be reading this review. It's all part of the "there is hope for me yet" act I'm working on). But it seems this story here is pretty revolutionary in that Sanderson almost wrote a sex scene. Mind you, I'm using the word "almost" very loosely here. Because dear old Brandon is still a long way from Fever book 4, chapter 4. I mean, the "almost sex scene" involves Sophie unzipping her dress halfway. BAHAHAHAHAHA. Sanderson definitely has his work cut out for him in the Smut department. I think it's time for him to call 1-800-JZB, the Jericho Barrons emergency hotline. Make that call, Brandon!!

Oh come on, you Sanderson Freaks Fans, you know I'm mostly just kidding, no need to get all outraged here. I did not just dare criticize Brandon Sanderson. Brandon Sanderson can do no wrong. Brandon Sanderson is flawless. Brandon Sanderson is perfection. Brandon Sanderson is a living God.



Okay, have I redeemed myself enough here? It's not that I don't like bowing down to Mr. S but my back's starting to hurt here. Besides, I already said I'd give The Way of Kings another try at some point in this century so cut me some slack, will you? Need I also remind you that I LOVE Legion? No? Oh, good [Hears something in the background] Excuse me? What was that? I'm sorry, I didn't hear you, would you mind saying that again?



OMG OMG OMG, I think I have just been absolved by the slightly freaky Sanderson Cult. Life will never be the same [Puffs, pants & wheezes] Breathe Sarah, breathe. Listen, I'm afraid my recovery is going to take a while, so why don't you people go read this story while I hyperventilate? I'm pretty sure you'll love it.



[Pre-review nonsense]

Hey you, members of the Sanderson Cult! Yes, you right there! See my rating for this one? Told you I wasn't totally hopeless! HA.



►► Full review to come.

[Tadiana ✩Night Owl☽ · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars. I reread this novella today, because I wanted to compare it to Sanderson's latest alternative reality novella, Snapshot. Final review, first posted on www.FantasyLiterature.com. Note: one major spoiler in the fourth paragraph of this review, but I haven't tagged it because it occurs so soon, on about page 10.

Kairominas has conquered the entire world … or at any rate, what constitutes “his” world, where his magical powers, called “Lancing,” enables him to do almost everything except control the weather. But there are other things out of his control: he has a relentless enemy in a neighboring state who is an endless source of trouble.

Worse, in Kai’s mind, is that the Wode Scroll, a device that carries communications from outside his world, has once again informed Kai that it is his duty, as one of the Liveborn, to meet up with a woman (to be chosen from a convenient list of compatible Liveborn) in order to have a child. Kai resists as long as he can, but when resistance becomes futile, he grumpily selects the woman at the very bottom of the list and travels to another world or “State” to meet her. Trouble awaits KAI there, as well as his blind date.

For a world based on magic, there’s a lot of odd discussion about programming and hacking. Then comes the big reveal (only about 10 pages into the story): Kai’s ― and almost every other human’s ― brain was removed when he was a fetus and placed in a box, attached to simulation machinery, so that each person can be given an entire virtual world where they are the most important person in it. They are the Liveborn; all of the other people in their world are computer constructs, Machineborn. It’s not a secret from the disembodied humans, and the additional twist is that Kai (like, presumably, most other humans) has no problem with this version of reality. He’s completely satisfied and delighted with his life. At least, that’s what he tells himself.

Kai has to travel to a magic-less border state to meet his blind date/procreation partner, and Sanderson does an excellent job of describing the conflicting physical laws governing Kai’s magical State and other States where technology reigns, and the computer programming underlying everything. It’s an intriguing premise and a creative twist on the Matrix world scenario, and Sanderson handles it well. The characters have some lively and rather meta discussions about what constitutes reality, and whether it’s important to treat Machineborn as real people. I'd love it if Sanderson would write more stories in this world.

Initial comments:
I've been mulling over buying this for several weeks, even though it's (normally) a $3 novella that you can read in about an hour if you're a fast reader, because (a) Brandon Sanderson! and (b) Hugo award nomination. (With the mess that the Hugos are in right now, normally (b) wouldn't mean much to me by itself, but combined with (a) it's worth something.) So when I got the alert yesterday that the price has temporarily dropped to 99 cents, I bit. And dropped everything and read it immediately, in one sitting, because (a).

It's an intriguing science fiction novella, with a splash of fantasy and a major twist that's revealed fairly early on and recasts everything that you read in the first 10 pages or so. It's definitely worth the buy if you like SF and are interested in exploring a twist on the Matrix world scenario.

[Bradley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Taking the holographic universe to very logical conclusions, or at least just adding a new spin to the Matrix, I thought this was a fairly interesting read only made better by the end message.

No spoilers, but it's kinda obvious from the start what the tale is about. It's telegraphed pretty heavily.

Still, there's a lot of great things about the novella, with good worldbuilding, a wide and sweeping grandiosity of scenes and settings that really makes this shine.

So what if I find the main character a bit of a blowhard and not very sympathetic? He's uber powerful but he still has to account for himself in the Wode. But to procreate? Oh my, this has just turned into a comedy.

And it is. From that point forward, the novel is a comedy, but only in the traditional sense, where lessons are learned and the MC moves forward, barely sidestepping tragedy by the grace of others.

Pretty cool, all told. A decent and quick tale.

It was nominated for 2016 Hugo for best Novella.

[Nimrod Daniel · Rating 3 out of 5]

First, I'd mention that it was totally different than what I had expected. You may think the story deals with a God-Emperor and his equal from another world, but that's not entirely correct (I won't say more than that :) ).

The characters are nice, the dialogues are somewhat witty,and the idea of the simulation is interesting and thought provoking. But unfortunately that's all the good things that I can say about this story. I think dealing with the simulation could have been done better, because the story doesn't get to the level that it could have, especially when comes from Brandon Sanderson. The story has a potential to be a super smart story (the Sanderson way) about an interesting idea, but in my opinion it doesn't get to the "super smart " level or any nearer. It's just a nice short story, but not as good as other short stories written by Brandon Sanderson.

3.5/5

[Robin (Bridge Four) · Rating 4 out of 5]

God-Emperor Kairominas in 300 years has mastered everything in his world, well except weather but given another 50 years he’ll conquer that too. Now he has been informed by the powers that be that he must procreate. You’re probably thinking ‘hey if he is a God-Emperor who are these powers that be that can tell a God Emperor what to do’. Hahaha that is little twist #1 Kairominas lives in a simulated world.

After 300 years of simulation he has pretty much run out of things to do. He has a concept for a best friend and companion.

“You’re just saying that because it’s part of your Concept,” I said. “The dashing knight riding on horseback, winning the hands of fair maidens.”
“Sure, sure. I had quite the collection of hands. Couple of arms, the occasional foot . . .”

And a personal assistant Besk that keeps him on task. Besides the minor torment of his nemesis Melhi and his Robot invaders everything else in his world has become predictable. So a date with another ruler of there simulated world, how bad could it be?

This was a fun world to dip a toe in. It is a little bit the Matrixx, with a minor splash of steampunk, Pacific Rim like Robots and that special something that Brandon Sanderson always brings to a story.

Sophie ‘The Date’ was an interesting character and I really liked the spin made on her. She is a conundrum but so much fun and not what the God-Emperor was expecting.

“Unhand me,” Sophie muttered, dazed. “I’m not some damsel from your barbarian lands. . . .”
I reached a sheltered alleyway out of the robot’s sight, and set her down inside. She was limp, her eyes drooping.
“I’m not . . .” she said. “I don’t need to be saved, I . . .”
“Think of it this way,” I said. “Your inner feminist must be going insane at the idea of being rescued.”

Because this is only an 85 page novella there is a bit of rush to the plot and I definitely didn’t get enough time in this world. It was all interesting and so full of possibilities just because of the simulated reality of it all anything can happen, Brandon Sanderson almost wrote a sex scene *blush (for him, not for me)* but it is Brandon Sanderson so…

“Breasts later, giant robot now.”

Not that that is a bad thing. He is my favorite High Fantasy writer with or without sex scenes. This leaves off unexpectedly with a pretty good twist to the end. I’m hoping that we will meet up with God-Emperor Kairominas and his nemesis Melhi again in the future.

[Gavin · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an awesome novella. It had all the the elements that make Sanderson's epic fantasy series so entertaining. The fantastic world building, the likeable characters, the amusing banter between the characters, and the fascinating plot that never fails to surprise!

In a distant future overcrowding on earth has lead to the majority of humanity living as little more than brains in a jar. The minds of such people live in virtual reality worlds tailored to their fantasies and populated by AI's. God-Emperor Kairominas has been alive for over three hundred years and has long since conquered all the enemies in his own realm. His only problems now are complacency and his nemesis, a fellow human from neighbouring realm. Or those were his only problems before circumstances forced him into a neutral realm to meet a fellow human ruler of a different realm for a date!

This novella just confirms that Sanderson is as talented at writing short stories as he is at writing fantastic epic fantasy series. I loved the virtual reality worlds and how each character had their worlds and subjects suited to their own dreams. The culture clash between the characters was a ton of fun. The story even managed a few surprise twists and turns despite its relatively short size.

All in all I loved this story and hope Sanderson returns to this world for a few sequels in the future.

Rating: 5 stars.

Audio Note: This was narrated by Christian Rummel who did a great job with the audio.

[edge of bubble · Rating 5 out of 5]

My very first 5 stars rating for a novella! I wouldn't believe that it was possible for me to enjoy one that wasn't a part of a series this much. I loved everything about this awesome baby novel *except the audio part. with that one, I am annoyed on the outside while secretly admiring it inside. you need to listen the narrator say expectations to get my fruitcake attitude about it*.

[Anna [Bran. San. Stan] · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you want to go into this blind, please don’t read any further. I will only explain the basic world building, which is why I‘m not labeling this as a spoiler.

In this science fiction novella Sanderson is giving a creative new spin to the central idea of the Matrix - most notably, it appears to nix the dystopian angle: human beings are not turned into batteries for world-dominating machines. The underlying concept is similar though: the humans‘ brains are stored in jars, as so-called Liveborn, and are each given a State, a simulated world, to live in. However, here this State is based on the individual personality, aiming to make the person happy while being cognizant of the situation. As an example, our MC Kairominas is God-Emperor of his world, long-lived, having magical powers.

But there are also so-called Machineborns, which constitute the majority of people, Simluated Entities, basically AI constructs that make up the population of a State. (The existence of these would suggest this might very well be a dystopia after all.)

There is even more to this world, however: in addition to Personal States like Kai’s, there are also Communal ones, which can be visited by the Liveborns. Kai is content in his Personal State until something unexpected prompts him to go to a Communal State: he is forced to go on a date!

I have to admit that it took me a while to familiarize myself with the complex world building and I don’t think I grasped it all, mainly where the so-called Machineborn were concerned. Still, I had a lot of fun with the story. Exploring that entire world was incredibly entertaining, fascinating, and thought-provoking: Perfect State - or is it?

PS: All this left me wondering what my Personal State would look like. I’d have some magical powers, that’s for sure. What a fun thought experiment.

[Mike · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am constantly impressed by the seeming ease at which Sanderson is able to blend disparate ideas, genres, and settings together and then deliver something with the emotional impact of a full length novel in a novella I finished in about an hour. Perfect State does all that and more firmly cementing Sanderson's status in my mind as either being a robot, having a bunch of writers chained up in his basement, or being a trafficker with unnatural forces.

Decartes struggled with the idea that we could be deceived about the world. Maybe we aren't who we think we are, but instead, to use the modern vernacular, a brain in a vat. All of our experiences are not real, but instead merely external stimuli applied to a brain in a laboratory somewhere. We could be all hooked up to the Matrix, having all of our experiences generated by malevolent forces for their own purposes. Or, as Keanu would say:



But Sanderson, being Sanderson, takes this idea and gives it a nifty twist. Most of humanity is in fact brains in vats and are provided a "Perfect State" for them to grow up and experience life in.

Xinwey's Doctrine states that the most essential morality of mankind is to create the greatest amount of happiness among the greatest number of people while using the least amount of resources.

Turned out, the best way to create greatly satisfied people using minimal resources was to remove their brains when they were fetuses and attach them to simulated realities tailored to fir their emerging personalities.

So humanity has become unburdened by the risk of want or early death or many unpleasant realities of life, and provided a world where they can and do achieve greatness. Pretty great deal right? The main character has lived 350+ years, conquered the fantasy world he lived in, and rules as a god king. But even god kings have to answer to a higher calling. Namely the requirement to procreate occasionally with other "liveborns" (as oppossed to "Machineborn", the simulated people that populate their perfect states). So Our God King now has to go on a date with another absolute world ruler.

One of the great aspects of this novella was the cultural clash between liveborn. Kai comes from a high fantasy world where he wields magical powers and commands legions. Sophie, his date, hails from a modern realistic world. they meet in a sort of Gangland 1920's world Sufficed to say there is quite a lot of preconceived notions about the type of people who come from different worlds.

"I can't understand why the Woad would do such a thing, making them grow up in such barbaric and primitive surroundings."
"It's not the Wode's fault. they match the State to the emerging personality of the individual. He belongs there."

One of the other fascinating areas of discussion was about the nature of the system they existed in. Are they actually achieving anything? Or are they just wasting away their lives overcoming artificial barriers? And what oh the simulations they interact with that can pass Turning tests but are certainly artificial creations? Sanderson deftly explores these ideas offering conflicting views that really make the reader ponder these topics.

And of course Sanderson brings the wit:

"Worried? I thought you felt Simulated Entities were equal to Liveborn."
"I didn't say that. I said Machineborn were people, and that killing them is wrong. Liveborn are absolutely more important."
"Nice you have your own place in things straight."
"Well, I am a God-Emperor..."

And of course Sanderson builds an absolutely awesome world and cast of characters. It is seriously unfair he can pack such a potent punch in such a small space. If you are a Sanderson fan, you will adore this novella. If you like neat little sci-fi stories, this definitely scratches that itch. And if you like exploring philosophical concepts of reality, life, and responsibility this is a nice treat. All in all a novella that leaves me wanting more in this very cool universe.

[Karl · Rating 4 out of 5]

In Brandon Sanderson's book/novella titled "Perfect State" Mr. Sanderson bridges a number of different genres. At first he places the reader into a fantasy realm where an all powerful emperor named Kai has ruled for three hundred years and brought peace to his kingdom.

As it turns out Kai is the only human born in his kingdom, everyone else is a construct (think "The Matrix") we learn that Kai is only a brain living in a jar and the "controllers" of his existence want him to procreate as part of his life cycle. Kai must leave his kingdom to go to a neighboring kingdom in order to accomplish this task, and so we enter a portion of the book close to urban fantasy/mystery where all the rules of existence have accordingly changed. Here Kai meets his femme fatale they immediately fall for each other and want to have sex.

Mr. Sanderson, the cleaver devil, will not allow this to happen as we enter into a section of Science Fiction, in which a giant robot threatens to kill Kai, his new sexy buddy, and wipe out the whole town.

This is all quite cleverly done and a tip of my hat must go to Mr. Sanderson for creating such a fun romp, which is also beautifully illustrated by Tom Kidd.

This is copy 35 of 500 signed and numbered copies, signed by Brandon Sanderson and comes in a slipcase with "Shadows for Silence in the Forests of Hell" also signed and numbered with the same number.

[Thea Wilson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm a little gobsmacked upon finishing this novella to tell you the truth..... in a good way though!

This was first taste of Sanderson's work and it WILL NOT be the last either as a found Perfect State to be immensely enjoyable, quirky but nevertheless a fantastic little read, a nice little nibble at the man's work.

The idea for the story was unusual, yet engrossing and intriguing. The characters were realistic and understandable despite the works short length and their obviously limited depth.

All in all I think this was a nice little starting off point for my future Sanderson adventures!

[Mary ~Ravager of Tomes~ · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really love this trend with some of Sanderson's short stories that deals with altered reality & simulations. I don't know where he keeps this crazy stockpile of ideas, but it's safe to say he's hogging all the genius.

With this story and Snapshot, Sanderson shows his ability to step out of the High Fantasy genre & edge into Science Fiction. This is one of those stories that has great potential to be expanded, but it was a satisfying glimpse into an awesome concept!

[Alexandra Elend Wolf]

Mmm, why had I never heard of this?

Now, I need to get my hands on it and read it ASAP. I mean, it's even short!

[Kogiopsis · Rating 3 out of 5]

Congratulations, Brandon, on almost writing a sex scene!*

(*as someone who wouldn't feel comfortable doing so myself, I don't see anything wrong with choosing not to write sex, but he's been edging closer and closer to it for years and this is a distinct step forward so. confetti.)

Perfect State was... solid? I'm not sure how else to describe it: it met my expectations, based on its length and the bit that was read aloud at a signing some months ago. I did, however, have trouble with the basic concept - not that it was difficult to grasp, but that it was unnerving. For readers who are disoriented by unreality, this may not be a good experience. The entire premise is based on simulated, artificial worlds, and a significant portion of the text is dedicated to discussing it in detail. That's unfortunate, because as usual Sanderson's worldbuilding is interesting, but every time this came up I got more and more uncomfortable with it.

As for the plot: sadly, not a whole lot to write home about; which shouldn't be surprising given the length of the book, I suppose, but still. I've read enough Sanderson now to pick out his tells, and if I'd been less distracted by the setting it would have been easy to predict, roughly, the course of events. There was a twist at the end that I wasn't expecting, but it all fit. The one exception may have been a Kindle error: the pronouns referring to the antagonist changed from he/him to she/her on the last page. If this is meant to hint that Sophie is in fact a manifestation of Melhi, and that Kai was genuinely interacting with his nemesis, it would be fascinating, but it's probably just something that got missed in copy-editing.

At its current price, I'm not sure I'd recommend this to any but the truly obsessive Sanderfans; it's not a lot of book for $3, and the quality isn't good enough to make up for the lack of quantity.

[Deborah Obida · Rating 4 out of 5]

XinWey’s Doctrine states that the most essential morality of mankind is to create the greatest amount of happiness among the greatest number of people while using the least amount of resources.

Just like all of BS books that I've read this is just as great and original as the rest. I love the world and the world building was so well depicted without taking so much space. Same goes for the writing.

The book is just 50+ pages with a great story, I wish its a series, I'd love to know what happens next. Don't worry it didn't end in a cliffhanger.

[Dystopian · Rating 4 out of 5]

বড় কলবরের বই এর ক্ষেত্রে নিজে আস্তে আস্তে আবিষ্কার করে নেওয়া যায় গল্পের পাতায় পাতায়। সেখানে এত ছোট একটা নোভেলাতে এত দ্রুত এনগেজড হয়ে যাব ভাবতে পারিনি। সত্যিই অতুলনীয় লেখা! আর সেই সাথে অন্যবদ্য অনুবাদ।

[Phrynne · Rating 5 out of 5]

It takes a very talented author to present a satisfyingly complete story set in a whole new world in only 71 pages but in this novella Brandon Sanderson does exactly that. The man is brilliant! Even his characters are presented with enough information for the reader to know and care for them. No information dumps (no time for them) just the right amount of detail imparted where necessary and always as part of the narrative. Of course as with any good novella the reader is left wanting more. A follow on book would be really good. Just saying:)

[Abigail · Rating 4 out of 5]

DLACZEGO TO MA TYLKO 80 STRON?! POTRZEBUJĘ WIĘCEJ.

Niby to tylko krótka historia, niby nie da się wiele zrobić z taką formą... A jednak jak jesteś Sandersonem to potrafisz wszystko!

Tak fajny świat, tak ciekawy pomysł na fabułę! Chciałabym więcej takich książek. ❤

[Kells Next Read · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow!!! That ending was intense. Loved it all the same.

[Althea Ann · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hmm, I expected to like this one more than I did. It was decent, I just wasn't blown away.

Our protagonist, Kai is the emperor of the world. Of course, his position is put into perspective when we learn that this is a Matrix-like future. Humans are now brains in vats, each individual given a whole virtual world of their own, peopled by AIs and uniquely tailored to their own individual personality.

However, since the truth is revealed when a person comes 'of age' at fifty, and life expectancy is in the hundreds of years, having it all doesn't mean that human rivalry has been eliminated. Kai has a nemesis - the brain in the 'next jar over,' who's an expert hacker. He's also subject to the instructions of the Wode - the technicians who cater to the brains' needs. When they inform Kai that he must meet a woman in order to procreate (a conceit which makes zero sense, even if there's some hand-waving regarding the idea), he picks the lady he's forecast to be least compatible with, rather than most. Meeting her will turn out to be a revelation.

Some nice content about how we decide what it is that really 'matters,' what constitutes happiness, and what it means to be human.

Read as part of the Hugo voters' packet.

[Brent · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was the first Sanderson story I have read and I liked it okay.

I like the idea of a virtual fantasy setting but I feel it could have used a little more science fiction detail to really sell it. The technology seems just as vague and magical as the the magic it is supposed to explain.

Having said that, I felt that the story did start to take off once Sophie was introduced.

To any one who enjoyed this story, I would recommend Walter Jon Williams's Implied Spaces which approaches a similar concept from a well fleshed-out science fiction angle.

[Kitty G Books · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this as part of the #BooktubeSFF Awards Shortlist and it was one of the few Sanderson shorts that I'd not yet got to. I have to say that as this is not a Cosmere story I wasn't sure what we'd be getting but I'd class this much more as sci fi than fantasy (which isn't a bad thing).

This story follows a character as he rules over his world as Emperor. It's set in a time when Earth is overcrowded and so many people are kept in alternate 'states' Where they live among simulations and can rule over their 'subjects' as they see fit.

It's a quirky story with some funny moments and cool twists. I definitely liked the ideas Sanderson came up with, but I think it felt a little predictable at times too.

Overall a likeable read for sure, but not my favourite Sanderson short. 3*s

[Desinka · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was perfect!
A perfect story, perfect characters and a perfect ending. Just Perfect Sanderson:)

[Veronique · Rating 4 out of 5]

This novella surprised me. What started like a fantasy featuring a God-Emperor quickly turned out to be a scifi tale à la Matrix. And I loved it - not for the main character, who is rather arrogant and unsympathetic, but for the world building and the meta discussions on what is Reality and Identity.

[Tina➹ lives in Fandoms · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 Silver Stars
with Golden Sparks

a rare possibility, probably only happens with Sanderson. when the World Building, beat the Plot & the characters to achieve more stars.
I liked Besk though.
but the concept & consequently, the world building, a mixture of both sci-fi, technological society & magical medieval times. it was so cool & unique, I can't even explain it!
I just didn't like a few stuff in the middle (sexual attraction. just get it together man!) & the end.
the characters also were average, not likable, nor hateful. (but that doesn't mean they were shallow. because they were totally not. I just didn't find an interesting trait in their characteristics to care about either of them. except Besk.)
-
Plot: ★★★/5
Characters: ★★★/5
World Building: ★★★★/5
Written style: ★★★/5
General idea: ★★★★/5

[Wybredna Maruda · Rating 4 out of 5]

W skrócie: Panie Sanderson, co Pan ćpie

Może słyszeliście – Hilary Putnam, amerykański filozof, teoria mózgu w naczyniu. W skrócie: nasze mózgi leżą w naczyniach, są podpięte do technologii, która to doprowadza do nich symulacje.

Sanderson bazuje na tym pomyśle tworząc wylegujące się w słojach mózgi i dostarczane im symulacje światów, planet i królestw, w których człowiek może robić co mu się żywnie podoba. To jak gra VR albo Matrix. Z dodatkowym komentarzem politycznym i wytknięciem absurdów ludzkich działań.

I w takich okolicznościach funkcjonuje główny bohater, żyjący od setek lat i zmagający się ze swym arcywrogiem cesarz, który przez 80 stron ten krótkiej nowelki będzie próbował zrozumieć, że świat, w którym egzystuje, jest tylko iluzją.

Pomysł jest świetny, ale myślę, że realizacja wypadłaby lepiej, gdyby była to dłuższa historia. Nie mówię o kilkutomowej serii, do jakich przyzwyczaił nas Sanderson, ale chociażby 200-300 stron, zamiast tych 80. Dzięki temu mielibyśmy więcej czasu, by zrozumieć zasady panujące światem, by spróbować bardziej filozoficznie i metaforycznie przeanalizować słowa poszczególnych postaci – tymczasem jesteśmy wrzuceni w wir akcji i zanim zdążymy zrozumieć co i dlaczego, nowelka się już kończy. Jednak nadal wyobraźnia Sandersona to coś, czego mój umysł pojąć nie potrafi.

[Eon Windrunner · Rating 4 out of 5]

How does he...What the... I cannot even...
Brandon, your brain is a treasure.

[Skylar Phelps · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cool stuff. It has a great science fiction feel to it and a very intriguing setting that leaves you wishing there were about 500 more pages.
Lots of bantering dialogue, humor, pondering questions, and even a little action and surprise all stuffed into a remarkably small package.