For the fantasy lovers out there, I would like to recommend/introduce you to Brandon Sanderson. You can read about him, and even sample the first couple chapters of his books, at
www.brandonsanderson.com .
If you're already familiar with his works, then feel free to discuss your favourite book, characters, or whatever. =D
If you're a fan of fantasy, you've no doubt heard of the infamous Robert Jordan, well known for his "Wheel of Time" series. Well, unfortunately, he passed away last year while working on the final book in the epic series. This is where Brandon Sanderson comes into play.
Despite the fact that he only has a few fantasy novels published, he's quickly becoming one of the more popular authors of the genre. This is partially due to the attention he has received since being chosen to finish Robert Jordan's saga; however, the main reason he's becoming a hit is, frankly, because he's a great writer.
I'm currently reading his first published book, called Elantris, and though I'm not even halfway done, it's one of the best books I've read in a long time. As I mentioned above, you can sample the first part of the book at Brandon Sanderson's website, but if you're too lazy to visit it, then I'll briefly explain what it's about.
'Elantris' was a beautiful city of gold and white, and its inhabitants were god-like people with silver skin and hair, who could use magic and heal quickly. They were not immortal, but did live a lot longer than normal people. And anyone could become one of these so-called gods. Young or old, rich or poor, the sudden change could happen at any time, out of nowhere, completely at random.
One day though, for reasons unknown, something changed. All of these god-like beings became sick, lost their ability to use magic, and the city itself began to decay. And the worst part about it was, the mysterious transformation could still happen to anyone at any time, cursing them with sickness instead of making them into a god. They would still live an unnaturally long life, but any kind of wounds they received would last forever, no matter how minor or debilitating.
*partial spoilers ahead*
With that as the setting, the book begins with the young prince of the fictional land, a great man respected by his people, waking up one morning to find he's been struck with this mysterious curse. Thus, he is exiled to the once-beautiful city of Elantris, where he has to try to discover the secrets behind the fall of these gods.
Of course, he is only one of the main characters in the book, and a lot of other things are unfolding as well, but I won't go into too much detail. Read it for yourself!
Sanderson's other books are part of a series called "Mistborn", and I found them to be very good as well. The main thing I liked about the series was his unique and in-depth system of magic, known as "allomancy". Basically, for those with the ability, they are able to use certain kind of metals to perform certain actions. For example, someone who could use iron could pull on any nearby metal objects, which could be then used as a weapon, or... if the object in question were heavy, then pulling on it would cause the allomancer to fly toward that object. (Think Spiderman. XD) A useful ability, creating some great action scenes.
