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Firstborn
Of the son of a High Duke of the interstellar Empire, much glory is expected.- And expected.- And still expected, despite endless proof that young Dennison Crestmar has no talent whatsoever for war. But the life Dennison is forced to live will have its surprising lessons to impart-
32 pages, ebook
First published December 17, 2008
320 people are currently reading
8165 people want to read
About the author
Brandon Sanderson
469 books279k followersI’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.
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.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 650 reviews
June 10, 2021
Mini-review
I needed a short and engaging read, and I knew choosing a novelette written by Sanderson will be the right choice.
Dennison Crestmar has no talent for war, but despite non-stop failures displayed, so much is still expected out of him because he’s the son of the High Duke of the interstellar Empire. Plus, his genius older brother, Varion, constantly carved a legend that he cannot emulate. It’s a great little story about freedom and living up to immense expectations. For Sanderson’s non-Cosmere works, I’ve read only Legion series and Snapshot. I really should start reading The Reckoners, The Rithmatist, and also Skyward series, and I know I definitely will enjoy them. But honestly, I also dread the day I ran out of Sanderson’s books to read. One thing that could’ve improved this novelette, in my opinion, is to indeed extend it into a novel. Firstborn has all the potential to become a full novel, and the ending—which I didn’t see coming—felt like a forced closure due to the short length of the story. Regardless of that, there are enough characterizations and a few thought-provoking passages packed here to make Firstborn a quick—less than an hour—and entertaining read.
Additionally, this novelette is free to read on: https://www.tor.com/2008/12/17/firstb...
You can find the rest of my reviews at Novel Notions | I also have a Booktube channel
Special thanks to my Patrons on Patreon for giving me extra support towards my passion for reading and reviewing!
My Patrons: Alfred, Alya, Annabeth, Ben, Blaise, Devin, Diana, Dylan, Edward, Ellen, Gary, Hamad, Helen, Jimmy Nutts, Joie, Luis, Lufi, Melinda, Mike, Miracle, Nicholas, Sarah, Seth, Shaad, Summer, Wendy, Wick, Zoe.
I needed a short and engaging read, and I knew choosing a novelette written by Sanderson will be the right choice.
Dennison Crestmar has no talent for war, but despite non-stop failures displayed, so much is still expected out of him because he’s the son of the High Duke of the interstellar Empire. Plus, his genius older brother, Varion, constantly carved a legend that he cannot emulate. It’s a great little story about freedom and living up to immense expectations. For Sanderson’s non-Cosmere works, I’ve read only Legion series and Snapshot. I really should start reading The Reckoners, The Rithmatist, and also Skyward series, and I know I definitely will enjoy them. But honestly, I also dread the day I ran out of Sanderson’s books to read. One thing that could’ve improved this novelette, in my opinion, is to indeed extend it into a novel. Firstborn has all the potential to become a full novel, and the ending—which I didn’t see coming—felt like a forced closure due to the short length of the story. Regardless of that, there are enough characterizations and a few thought-provoking passages packed here to make Firstborn a quick—less than an hour—and entertaining read.
“Dennison could see this, but he didn’t know how to accomplish it. As always, he grasped the concepts, but not the application. He was not a practical, hands-on commander of the type of the empire preferred. It wasn’t so odd. Dennison knew of men who loved music, but couldn’t play a note themselves. One could enjoy a grand painting without being able to replicate its brushstrokes. Art was valuable for the very reason that it could be appreciated by those of lesser skill.”
Additionally, this novelette is free to read on: https://www.tor.com/2008/12/17/firstb...
You can find the rest of my reviews at Novel Notions | I also have a Booktube channel
Special thanks to my Patrons on Patreon for giving me extra support towards my passion for reading and reviewing!
My Patrons: Alfred, Alya, Annabeth, Ben, Blaise, Devin, Diana, Dylan, Edward, Ellen, Gary, Hamad, Helen, Jimmy Nutts, Joie, Luis, Lufi, Melinda, Mike, Miracle, Nicholas, Sarah, Seth, Shaad, Summer, Wendy, Wick, Zoe.
November 24, 2021
This Brandon Sanderson novelette is free on Tor.com, thus combining two of my favorite SF things, a Tor freebie and Sanderson. Firstborn is a space opera tale, stuffed full of spaceship battles and imperial galactic empires. Dennison, the younger son of a nobleman, feels completely overshadowed by his older brother, High Admiral Varion, the greatest military genius the empire has ever known. Dennison, unlike his older brother, is a complete failure at military command.
This is Sanderson's first published story, and it shows. My biggest beef is that Dennison and Varion are drawn too much in shades of black and white: Dennison can't win and Varion can't lose. Because of that, the ending seems a little amateurish and facile. But it's still an enjoyable read, especially if you like space opera sci-fi, and there are more than a few glimpses of Sanderson's future greatness as an author.
And hey, it's free online here, and it's short, so if you like Sanderson I recommend you give this a read.
He moved like some ancient god of lore, presiding over a battlefield of miniature mortals who couldn’t see him, but certainly felt his almighty hand. Except, if Dennison was a god, his specialty certainly wasn’t war.Dennison really doesn't want to keep trying to overcome his ineptness and the shadow of his brother's greatness any longer, so he's fighting against his father's and the emperor's insistence that he continue striving to become a capable military commander. Why are they so stubborn about not letting him try a different profession?
This is Sanderson's first published story, and it shows. My biggest beef is that Dennison and Varion are drawn too much in shades of black and white: Dennison can't win and Varion can't lose. Because of that, the ending seems a little amateurish and facile. But it's still an enjoyable read, especially if you like space opera sci-fi, and there are more than a few glimpses of Sanderson's future greatness as an author.
And hey, it's free online here, and it's short, so if you like Sanderson I recommend you give this a read.
May 17, 2011
Mr. Sanderson...Sir...Brandon...it is with a heavy heart that I must report that this story contains a fair to moderate amount of...
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2.0 stars. The fail is by no means EPIC or UBER, but given how much I loved the Mistborn series, it was, in the end, a disappointment. Now, I don't mean to imply that this SF short story is horrible or poorly written because that is not the case. I just found it to be very UNDERWHELMING and seasoned with a healthy sprinkling of MEH...it is the very definition of just okay.
The story concerns Dennison Crestmar, the “no talent” younger brother of Varion Crestmar, a legendary fleet commander who has never been beaten in battle. AHHH.....can you just see what's coming.....yep, that's it. The story revolves around Dennison trying to find his place in the universe while dealing with as well as having to deal with his perceived inadequacies when forced to confront his older brother.
Nothing really bad to say about the story other then that I found it less than interesting and can’t really think of a reason to recommend that you read it. Of course, it is available for free at www.tor.com so you can certainly check it out and judge for yourself.
As for me, I went in with high expectations and was hoping for....
....and instead was served....
So while not a complete fail by Mr. Sanderson, it was certainly my least favorite of his works......
......
OWWWWW....JUST MISSED.....LET'S TRY THAT AGAIN SHALL WE.....
2.0 stars. The fail is by no means EPIC or UBER, but given how much I loved the Mistborn series, it was, in the end, a disappointment. Now, I don't mean to imply that this SF short story is horrible or poorly written because that is not the case. I just found it to be very UNDERWHELMING and seasoned with a healthy sprinkling of MEH...it is the very definition of just okay.
The story concerns Dennison Crestmar, the “no talent” younger brother of Varion Crestmar, a legendary fleet commander who has never been beaten in battle. AHHH.....can you just see what's coming.....yep, that's it. The story revolves around Dennison trying to find his place in the universe while dealing with as well as having to deal with his perceived inadequacies when forced to confront his older brother.
Nothing really bad to say about the story other then that I found it less than interesting and can’t really think of a reason to recommend that you read it. Of course, it is available for free at www.tor.com so you can certainly check it out and judge for yourself.
As for me, I went in with high expectations and was hoping for....
....and instead was served....
So while not a complete fail by Mr. Sanderson, it was certainly my least favorite of his works......
......OWWWWW....JUST MISSED.....LET'S TRY THAT AGAIN SHALL WE.....
![Profile Image for Anna [Bran. San. Stan].](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fi.gr-assets.com%2Fimages%2FS%2Fcompressed.photo.goodreads.com%2Fusers%2F1593184464i%2F98245866._UX200_CR0%2C0%2C200%2C200_.jpg&w=128&q=75)
May 26, 2024
This sci fi novelette is an enjoyable, entertaining, quick 40-page read well worth your time! At its core, it is about not meeting familial/paternal expectations and being forced into a career for which one has neither aptitude nor inclination.
Dennison, our viewpoint character, is supposed to emulate the success of his brother Varion, tactical master and an undefeated Great High Officer and High Admiral, but he fails no matter how hard he tries; and he does try. His repeated failures, however, make him cynical and pessimistic, understandably so. In an attempt to mold him into a successful copy of his brother, he then is forced to extensively study Varian’s battle strategies which make Dennison increasingly wonder about Varian, who is 20 years his senior and whom he has never met. The events then take an unexpected turn and lead to a climactic conclusion I did not see coming. All in all, a nice mix of human interest and space battles I highly recommend if you’re into sci fi and/or Sanderson.
You can read this novelette for free here:
https://reactormag.com/firstborn/
Dennison, our viewpoint character, is supposed to emulate the success of his brother Varion, tactical master and an undefeated Great High Officer and High Admiral, but he fails no matter how hard he tries; and he does try. His repeated failures, however, make him cynical and pessimistic, understandably so. In an attempt to mold him into a successful copy of his brother, he then is forced to extensively study Varian’s battle strategies which make Dennison increasingly wonder about Varian, who is 20 years his senior and whom he has never met. The events then take an unexpected turn and lead to a climactic conclusion I did not see coming. All in all, a nice mix of human interest and space battles I highly recommend if you’re into sci fi and/or Sanderson.
You can read this novelette for free here:
https://reactormag.com/firstborn/
December 31, 2020
Even though I’m not a big sci-fi fan, I enjoyed the story and its characters. It was fun but I was disappointed by the ending and found it underwhelming.
December 21, 2018
Perfection
This packs a wallop, and again Sanderson’s mastery of world and character development is, in what is essentially a 50-page book, outstanding.
This packs a wallop, and again Sanderson’s mastery of world and character development is, in what is essentially a 50-page book, outstanding.
November 6, 2016
Sanderson can do nothing wrong!!
In 41 pages he manages to suck you into a world, care for the main character and route for him and teach you a life lesson along the way.
Bravo Mr Sanderson, bravo!
In 41 pages he manages to suck you into a world, care for the main character and route for him and teach you a life lesson along the way.
Bravo Mr Sanderson, bravo!
April 11, 2017
3.5 stars (:
WOW. OKAY.
The reason I started reading this book is because I wanted to prove to myself that books about space is just not my thing xD..
But I actually liked this book, imagine my surprise xD..
Eventhough this book is so short, its so enjoyable :D..
A really fun read :)
WOW. OKAY.
The reason I started reading this book is because I wanted to prove to myself that books about space is just not my thing xD..
But I actually liked this book, imagine my surprise xD..
Eventhough this book is so short, its so enjoyable :D..
A really fun read :)
September 16, 2017
That freaking Brandon Sanderson, he couldn't just be awesome at writing fantasy, he had to do sci-fi as well, huh :D
April 11, 2017
3,5*, but I won't round it to 4, because... well, because I do have an undieable (is that a word or I just came up with it?) love for Sanderson, but I just can't compare this one to Mistborn or Stormlight Archives. Sorry. I really like it though.
Apparently there is a side of Sanderson that I don't know. A side that can write short (!) sci-fi (!!) novels that are incredibly good (nothing new here, right). I was surprised in a good way.
The beginning and the end were okay-ish, but I really love the middle part *claps eagerly*
Apparently there is a side of Sanderson that I don't know. A side that can write short (!) sci-fi (!!) novels that are incredibly good (nothing new here, right). I was surprised in a good way.
The beginning and the end were okay-ish, but I really love the middle part *claps eagerly*
October 22, 2014
In this short story, acclaimed fantasy author Brandon Sanderson writes science fiction! It was incredibly interesting to read something of Sanderson's that wasn't fantasy, and though the story was lacking his amazing magic systems that I love so much, it was a really entertaining read. There were several twists to the story that really surprised me, and it was both fast paced and easy to jump into. I would definitely recommend this story to any Sanderson fans, or any sci-fi lovers looking for a quick and engaging read.
September 24, 2013
The story felt quaint and derivative. It's science fiction, but very light on the science, so SF in the same sense that Star Wars is SF. The closest Sanderson comes to explaining a scientific principle is to say that heavier objects move slower in space than lighter ones. Thus, a fleet of starships gets slowed down by the largest ship in the fleet.
Also, in the tradition of Star Wars, we have a highly advanced technological society whose political structure seems bound up with ideas of Empire and feudalism that come from the middle ages. It's always been a puzzle to me why the social structures always seem to revert in these societies.
The other book that this reminded me of was Ender's Game. Suppose Peter Wiggin had been accepted into the acadamy, saved the Empire, and then gone on to pursue his dream of total domination. And then suppose that his brother, Andrew, was the only one in the universe with a hope of stopping him. Now add into the mix that Andrew has been a failure all his life. Now substitute Varion and Dennison for Peter and Andrew, and that's what this felt like to me. It was vamping in a shallow way on stuff I've seen before.
The writing was capable but not particularly inspired. The characters were not well rounded at all. And the ending, which is meant as a big pay-off, left me feeling a bit flat. This wasn't particularly bad, but I expect more from Sanderson, even out of his genre.
Also, in the tradition of Star Wars, we have a highly advanced technological society whose political structure seems bound up with ideas of Empire and feudalism that come from the middle ages. It's always been a puzzle to me why the social structures always seem to revert in these societies.
The other book that this reminded me of was Ender's Game. Suppose Peter Wiggin had been accepted into the acadamy, saved the Empire, and then gone on to pursue his dream of total domination. And then suppose that his brother, Andrew, was the only one in the universe with a hope of stopping him. Now add into the mix that Andrew has been a failure all his life. Now substitute Varion and Dennison for Peter and Andrew, and that's what this felt like to me. It was vamping in a shallow way on stuff I've seen before.
The writing was capable but not particularly inspired. The characters were not well rounded at all. And the ending, which is meant as a big pay-off, left me feeling a bit flat. This wasn't particularly bad, but I expect more from Sanderson, even out of his genre.
June 2, 2017
Very nice quick and easy read with a lot of potential for a full sized novel or series. Sanderson has yet to dissapoint me. One thing on the down side is that maybe it was a bit too short. Once i got into it, it was already over and left me wanting more. 4 stars
September 6, 2021
This is a short story available to read online, for free, here.
Dennison has been conscripted as a military space commander. Everyone anticipated great success with him leading attacks and for him to follow in his elder brother, Varion's, footsteps. This could not be any further from what actually occurred.
I really felt for Dennison's character, throughout this short story. He spent his entire life being compared to his successful and renowned sibling, by his father, his peers, and his colleagues. He seemed unable to separate himself from this inability to lead in as logical and tactical a manner and had little self-esteem or belief in his abilities lying in other areas.
This early bond formed between reader and main character had me fully immersed in this tale, but the vivid world surrounding him was equally as intriguing. I loved learning about how future humans lived, the war they were fighting, and the technology they were using to push back against the enemy. The science never became overwhelming and the politics never too overbearing, making this is story containing the perfect amount of action and thrills with battle strategy and good pacing. The powerful ending was its crowning glory.
Dennison has been conscripted as a military space commander. Everyone anticipated great success with him leading attacks and for him to follow in his elder brother, Varion's, footsteps. This could not be any further from what actually occurred.
I really felt for Dennison's character, throughout this short story. He spent his entire life being compared to his successful and renowned sibling, by his father, his peers, and his colleagues. He seemed unable to separate himself from this inability to lead in as logical and tactical a manner and had little self-esteem or belief in his abilities lying in other areas.
This early bond formed between reader and main character had me fully immersed in this tale, but the vivid world surrounding him was equally as intriguing. I loved learning about how future humans lived, the war they were fighting, and the technology they were using to push back against the enemy. The science never became overwhelming and the politics never too overbearing, making this is story containing the perfect amount of action and thrills with battle strategy and good pacing. The powerful ending was its crowning glory.
September 2, 2024
Well. It's sure got a premise. That's about all it has going for it.
July 24, 2024
Review on English, followed by the Bulgarian one. Ревюто на английски е първо, следва това на български.
"Firstborn" is a cool short sci-fi story which proves that Sanderson has no problems to create whatever he wants. Military fantastic.
You can find it for free at: https://www.tor.com/2008/12/17/firstb...
———————————————————————————————
"Първороден" е много добър кратък sci-fi разказ, с който Сандерсън доказва за пореден път, че може да твори и в този жанр без никакви проблеми. Военна фантастика.
Може да се намери безплатно на: https://www.tor.com/2008/12/17/firstb...
"Firstborn" is a cool short sci-fi story which proves that Sanderson has no problems to create whatever he wants. Military fantastic.
You can find it for free at: https://www.tor.com/2008/12/17/firstb...
———————————————————————————————
"Първороден" е много добър кратък sci-fi разказ, с който Сандерсън доказва за пореден път, че може да твори и в този жанр без никакви проблеми. Военна фантастика.
Може да се намери безплатно на: https://www.tor.com/2008/12/17/firstb...
April 1, 2017
I really enjoyed this little novelette. While Sanderson's greatest talent lies in longer, epic works, his characterization is always stunning. And this was no exception.
I enjoyed the space battles, the world that was developed, and the overall flow of the story. I think Dennison's story could have been a full novel, but this story was a lot of fun.
I enjoyed the space battles, the world that was developed, and the overall flow of the story. I think Dennison's story could have been a full novel, but this story was a lot of fun.
August 7, 2016
Nope, a battle between some spaceships doesn't mean sci-fi. Nope.
My last try in reading BS' sci-fi experiments. I'll just stick to Stormlight.
My last try in reading BS' sci-fi experiments. I'll just stick to Stormlight.
August 5, 2018
This was a fast paced, quick and enjoyably Sci-fi themed work by Brandon Sanderson. I would definitely recommend it!
4 stars
4 stars
May 17, 2020
All my life, I didn't give a single fck about space operas or any intergalactic shtstorm. Everything I know about it are all thanks to movies like Ender's Game, Star Trek, and Star Wars which I was just forced to watch. BUT THIS BOOK MADE ME INTO A TOTAL CONVERT. BRANDON SANDERSON IT'S ALL THANKS TO YOU THAT I'M NOW A FCKING BELIEVER.
They say that in reading, you find one little thing you like and try to find that little thing again with other works until YOU'RE AN OFFICIAL FANGIRL. That little thing for me was Sanderson's technical yet digestible world building. This novelette is insane and I fcking love it.
This follows Dennison Crestmar, younger brother of the great Varion Crestmar who had singlehandedly defeated rebellious fleets in the Reunification War at such a young age. This whole book skirts through Denisson's little nook behind his brother's shadow.
They say that in reading, you find one little thing you like and try to find that little thing again with other works until YOU'RE AN OFFICIAL FANGIRL. That little thing for me was Sanderson's technical yet digestible world building. This novelette is insane and I fcking love it.
This follows Dennison Crestmar, younger brother of the great Varion Crestmar who had singlehandedly defeated rebellious fleets in the Reunification War at such a young age. This whole book skirts through Denisson's little nook behind his brother's shadow.
"Varion was perfect. And Dennison was perfectly incompetent"And believe me, for all Dennison's incompetence, he was such a likeable character, what with his self deprecating attitude and witty mouth. I truly love this one! The last pages had gripped my poor heart to no end.
"Better to be the failure who nobly strived than the success who never really had to."
March 25, 2018
Space battles in a galactic empire! But pretty simplistic, and none of the characters really come to life, for me anyway. Well, the Emperor, and the clone-officer's mentor come pretty close. An early story, and it shows.
If you want a real review, see Tadiana's:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
If you want a real review, see Tadiana's:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
August 23, 2017
Great Story but I was extremely disappointed with the conclusion.
July 2, 2015
A decent mini space opera with a good premise. Good writing especially considering it came quite early in Sandersons career before he perfected his short form. Its definitely a concept that could have stretched to a novel .
October 5, 2018
Reminds me of Ender's Game, and I didn't quite buy the finale, but for a short story it packs a good punch and has a remarkable MC. Brandon Sanderson can definitely write science fiction. Looking forward to Skyward.
September 27, 2019
Pretty original story about an unheroic main character who lacks confidence in himself, but has to face down his brother who is his opposite in every way. It's very short, but a thought provoking sci-fi.
June 5, 2021
Another brilliant story by Brandon Sanderson. 5 ⭐
April 28, 2019
Ce texte d'une 50ène de page m'a vraiment bien plu. On y suis Dennison Crestmar, le plus jeune fil d'un haut duc de l'empire.
Toute sa vie on a attendu beaucoup de lui. Beaucoup trop en fait, vu qu'il est le frère de Varion, celui qu'il surnomme "l'homme parfait", le meilleur général qu'a jamais connu l'empire, celui qui a fait sa gloire et que tout le monde encense. Jamais il n'a perdu la moindre escarmouche, combat ou bataille, il a le sens inné de la bonne stratégie à adopter au bon moment, et de comment manipuler l'ennemi.
Du coup la vie de Dennisonb n'a été qu'une succession d'échecs car il est décidément vraiment trop différent de son frère pour arriver à quoi que se soit.
Mais son père, ainsi que l'empereur, le poussent à réussir à se rapprocher de son frère, ils essayent tout pour lui donner sa chance ... mais Dennison n'est vraiment pas du tout fait pour ça ...
Sans être la lecture du siècle j'ai trouvé que ce texte était au bon format. On n'a pas besoin de plus pour comprendre tout les enjeux, l'univers et les personnages.
Certes ce n'est pas vraiment très développé mais la fin donne aussi tout l’intérêt à l'ensemble. Et dans ce sens c'était un bon texte court.
C'est vrai que Sanderson est doué pour avoir de bonnes idées, et ce texte est l'un de ses premiers d'ailleurs.
Après c'est vrai que si il faut comparer ce texte aux meilleurs de l'auteur il sera dans les plus anecdotiques vu la qualité, mais ça n'en reste pas moins une bonne lecture que j'ai beaucoup apprécié. Le personnage principal est très crédible et j'ai passé un bon moment de lecture.
16/20
Toute sa vie on a attendu beaucoup de lui. Beaucoup trop en fait, vu qu'il est le frère de Varion, celui qu'il surnomme "l'homme parfait", le meilleur général qu'a jamais connu l'empire, celui qui a fait sa gloire et que tout le monde encense. Jamais il n'a perdu la moindre escarmouche, combat ou bataille, il a le sens inné de la bonne stratégie à adopter au bon moment, et de comment manipuler l'ennemi.
Du coup la vie de Dennisonb n'a été qu'une succession d'échecs car il est décidément vraiment trop différent de son frère pour arriver à quoi que se soit.
Mais son père, ainsi que l'empereur, le poussent à réussir à se rapprocher de son frère, ils essayent tout pour lui donner sa chance ... mais Dennison n'est vraiment pas du tout fait pour ça ...
Sans être la lecture du siècle j'ai trouvé que ce texte était au bon format. On n'a pas besoin de plus pour comprendre tout les enjeux, l'univers et les personnages.
Certes ce n'est pas vraiment très développé mais la fin donne aussi tout l’intérêt à l'ensemble. Et dans ce sens c'était un bon texte court.
C'est vrai que Sanderson est doué pour avoir de bonnes idées, et ce texte est l'un de ses premiers d'ailleurs.
Après c'est vrai que si il faut comparer ce texte aux meilleurs de l'auteur il sera dans les plus anecdotiques vu la qualité, mais ça n'en reste pas moins une bonne lecture que j'ai beaucoup apprécié. Le personnage principal est très crédible et j'ai passé un bon moment de lecture.
16/20
March 27, 2024
It's a nice short space-opera story. It's evident that it's among his very first works.
It's ok, but it's one of his weakest works.
3.5/5
It's ok, but it's one of his weakest works.
3.5/5
February 22, 2011
I've got mixed feelings about Brandon Sanderson -- I liked his Mistborn series, and I've gotten invested in his new doorstopper epic fantasy series The Stormlight Archive, but he's kind of a dork and sometimes he writes dorky stuff. He talks on his blog about being a big Magic: The Gathering player, the magic systems in his novels are very clearly based on spending his teen years as an RPGer, and while reading this short story, I pictured him pushing little cardboard chits around on a Starfleet Battles hex map.
So, Firstborn is a space opera with all the space opera tropes, including capital ships acting like "aircraft carriers" in space who launch swarms of fighters (something we know is completely unlike the way any actual space warfare is ever likely to be fought -- "space fighters" just do not make any sense. (Go check out the Project Rho page some time for all sorts of spaceship geekiness.) But that's all right, science fiction about space fighters and "beamships" and so on is still cool. In Firstborn, Dennison Crestmar is the younger brother of Varion Crestmar, a legendary fleet commander who has never lost a battle. Dennison, on the other hand, is completely inept as a leader. But when his brother turns traitor, Dennison is the empire's only hope.
It's an interesting set-up and just the sort of hero's journey I like to read about. My problems with it (besides the bad science and dorkiness) are two. The first is that Sanderson has this creepy "predestined for greatness" vibe in all of his stories. Larry Niven once wrote a great essay about how Star Wars reeked of predestination and only the "chosen elect" being worthy of leadership, while Star Trek was more democratic, where an Everyman could be a hero. Sanderson's stories all feature natural-born leaders, usually born with powers and part of a hereditary nobility. His moral may be that you have to work hard to be worthy of your destiny, but it's still a destiny that was handed to you. Heroes are born, not made.
My other problem is that I found the ending just too pat and convenient. Okay, it's a short story, but it felt like he wanted it to be a full-length novel (or maybe a ten-volume series of doorstoppers -- damn you, Sanderson, for making The Way of Kings so good), and had to compress it into a short story. I thought the ending did not deal convincingly with the plot holes.
So, I recommend this story if you like grand space operas, because it's like a grand space opera condensed to 30+ pages, and it's a free download. But Sanderson really seems to do better with long-form works. Also, it may be that he's just better with epic fantasy (where heroes born with great destinies are kind of standard) rather than sci-fi. 3.5 stars for Firstborn, which I rounded up to 4 because of my fondness for the author.
So, Firstborn is a space opera with all the space opera tropes, including capital ships acting like "aircraft carriers" in space who launch swarms of fighters (something we know is completely unlike the way any actual space warfare is ever likely to be fought -- "space fighters" just do not make any sense. (Go check out the Project Rho page some time for all sorts of spaceship geekiness.) But that's all right, science fiction about space fighters and "beamships" and so on is still cool. In Firstborn, Dennison Crestmar is the younger brother of Varion Crestmar, a legendary fleet commander who has never lost a battle. Dennison, on the other hand, is completely inept as a leader. But when his brother turns traitor, Dennison is the empire's only hope.
It's an interesting set-up and just the sort of hero's journey I like to read about. My problems with it (besides the bad science and dorkiness) are two. The first is that Sanderson has this creepy "predestined for greatness" vibe in all of his stories. Larry Niven once wrote a great essay about how Star Wars reeked of predestination and only the "chosen elect" being worthy of leadership, while Star Trek was more democratic, where an Everyman could be a hero. Sanderson's stories all feature natural-born leaders, usually born with powers and part of a hereditary nobility. His moral may be that you have to work hard to be worthy of your destiny, but it's still a destiny that was handed to you. Heroes are born, not made.
My other problem is that I found the ending just too pat and convenient. Okay, it's a short story, but it felt like he wanted it to be a full-length novel (or maybe a ten-volume series of doorstoppers -- damn you, Sanderson, for making The Way of Kings so good), and had to compress it into a short story. I thought the ending did not deal convincingly with the plot holes.
So, I recommend this story if you like grand space operas, because it's like a grand space opera condensed to 30+ pages, and it's a free download. But Sanderson really seems to do better with long-form works. Also, it may be that he's just better with epic fantasy (where heroes born with great destinies are kind of standard) rather than sci-fi. 3.5 stars for Firstborn, which I rounded up to 4 because of my fondness for the author.
May 2, 2019
”Better to be the failure who nobly strived than the success who never really had to.”
This was amazing!
The first paragraphs confused me a little though; it was such an abrupt beginning with all the science-y stuff that would be hard to understand even if it were described in my native language, but Dennison’s character and his thoughts have convinced me to soldier on, and I am so glad I did.
At the very roots of the story we had a little brother, who had always been trying his best to live up to his elder brother and their father’s expectations, and it was portrayed in a genius way. I loved all the twists, and the end!! That was truly a brilliant move, both by Dennison and by Brandon Sanderson creating that moment.
This short novelette is free to read on Tor’s website, and Brandon even has a little intro and backstory on his own website; I laughed so hard when I read this:
"You who visit the blog frequently may have heard me say that I don’t think much of my short story writing skills. I think I’m best suited to long-form fantasy epics, but when I do turn my attention to short stories, they almost always come out as classic-style space operas."
In my opinion, he writes excellent short stories, but it’s true that they cannot be compared to his long fantasy novels – they are on a whole another level.
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