Title: Arcanum Unbounded: The Cosmere Collection
Author: Brandon Sanderson
Published by: Gollancz
Published on: November 8, 2016
Pages: 672 (Hardcover)
'You came all this way, leaving behind luxury, to eat some pancakes.' 'Really awesome pancakes.'
-- Edgedancer
Other than Mistborn and The Stormlight Archive, the two most prominent series of his, Brandon Sanderson is also well known for his novellas, especially ones set in Cosmere. Thanks to my online book club friends and our digital library, I got to read most of them. But as they say, there are two types of bookworm, and I'm that type who just loves the feel of physical book. Nothing can beat the smell of each page as you turn it!
Hence, when it was announced that Edgedancer, a novella on Lift, would be released alongside other novellas of Brando's in a collection called Arcanum Unbounded, I immediately pre-ordered it online. That I was doing my masters abroad at the time really helped my early access on this magnificent baby!
There are 9 novellas included in Arcanum Unbounded: The Cosmere Collection:
The Hope of Elantris
The Eleventh Metal
Allomancer Jak and the Pits of Eltania, Episodes 28 through 30
White Sand
Edgedancer (The Stormlight Archive, #2.5)
Since I have done the reviews for most of those stories (do click on the links!), this time I will focus solely on Edgedancer.
Remember Lift, my favourite Interlude character from Words of Radiance? Edgedancer is her time to shine! And Brando doesn't waste time. At the beginning of the story, she was heading to Yeddaw with her trustworthy spren, Wyndle. Though claiming that she wanted to eat ten special varieties of Weeping pancake *audible sigh*, she was actually locating a Radiant whom the Darkness hunted. Upon arriving at the gate, she made sure to showcase her powers as to distract Darkness from killing said Radiant.
But alas, it isn't Lift if she's not hungry. Trying to find food to satisfy her empty stomach AND to recharge her powers, Lift stumbled upon an orphanage run by a lady called Stump. Seemingly grumpy, Stump actually really cared for the kids she took care of. They were left on the streets, and Stump was the only one who took them in. But she was annoyed: those kids, who seemed to suffer from certain mental ilnesses, would suddenly become better after some time being in her care. Stump felt she was manipulated but couldn't find the proof, hence she still continued.
Later that night, Lift tried to find Darkness but couldn't find him. It wasn't until the second night that she managed to do so and followed Darkness to his place, thanks to a certain guard. While the guard recounts about Lift, Darkness vowed that the Radiant would be killed that night and that Lift would be his to finish.
Panicking, Lift now had to race with time to find the Radiant and save them. Where and who was this Radiant? Would she be able to protect her? And what would happen when Lift met with Darkess once more?
EGGLYSIS
If you're looking for plot development, Edgedancer is not your thang. As a novella with limited word count, Brando could only do so much to give Lift voice and to introduce the world he's so painstakingly created. Roshar is expansive and I surely can't wait to explore it more!
What I love the most about Lift's Interlude chapters in WoR is that she always managed to turn a serious plot into something fun. It happens here as well in Edgedancer. The novella actually has a very dark storyline, yet Lift injected a sense of light and humour to lighten it up. And among all the other unexpected plot twist to happen here, one I find exhilarating is Lift and Szeth's interaction. But who am I kidding? The best interaction is of course the one between Lift and Wyndle! Their back and forth and witty banter are what makes this book tick. Honestly, the day Wyndle decided to bond Lift was the right decision he'd made.
The other stories are great too, hence I'm recommending it to you. Let's explore more Brando and Cosmere! ;)
Oh, and Your Pancakefulness, overall Arcanum Unbounded, with Edgedancer in particular, is...
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