Audible Book Review - The Rithmatist by Brandon Sanderson

It's amazing how different semesters can take your time over. In the past I was able to successfully blog every week, but this week is certainly taking a lot of time. I've got two other books I need to review, plus I'm almost done with one more in the same series. Well, as the semester winds down I can finally get to this. While I may not have read everything Sanderson's written, I've enjoyed everything I've read. The Rithmatist is no exception. Sanderson has a way with magic. He creates some of the most interesting and diverse magic systems there are. And the awesome thing is that he uses the rules of the magic to make it cooler. I recently bought Warbound, which was the first Sandrson book I read which uses the idea of breath and color in magic. The Alcatraz books use magic sand, lenses, and innate "talents" to great effect. Stormlight Archives uses spirits tied to ideas and gems. And don't get me started on Legion, The Emporer's Soul, and Mistborn. Each system is unique and intriguing. What's more, Sanderson immerses the reader in the world. I love the cussing in his books. That may sound strange, but it's amazing how strong "Colors!", "Shattering Glass!" and "Dusts!" can be. Here is a link to Audible's page for the book. For anyone listening to the book, there are quite a few illustrations that help. They can be found on Sanderson's home page here. The spoken descriptions are very good, so they not be necessary. Michael Kramer narrated it and did a fantastic job. He also narrates Sanderson's Stormlight Archives and the only thing that threw me was that one of the characters sounded a bit like Sadeas, but the syntax and other contexts rapidly established Nalizar as his own character.

Plot: Rithmatics is the ability to draw chalk lines and figures and make them come to life. Such skill is needed as the American Isles are constantly under threat from wild chalklings, two dimensional chalk creatures that will kill without mercy. Rithmatics is the only thing, short of a bucket of acid, that can hold them back. Joel has always wanted to be a rithmatist. The fact that he studies at one of the top rithmatic schools in the Isles doesn't help his chances though. A rithmatist is something that you are or aren't - no amount of studying will change that. Joel is not a rithmatist. But he knows rithmatics better than many of them and is doing everything he can to try to learn more. However, non-rithmatists are discouraged from studying rithmatics. Joel is determined however, and finds his opportunity when rithmatic students begin disappearing from their homes without a trace of where they went. Perhaps a non-rithmatist is just what is needed to solve the mystery. However, can a non-rithmatist survive the solution?

My personal favorites: Like I mentioned, Sanderson is fantastic with magic. Rithmatics is a simple, yet rich science that was fun to think about while listening to the book. The mystery was well done to boot. I loved the Characters and as Howard Taylor says there were some "stand up and cheer" moments. The young characters behaved believably, which is always a plus. I look forward to seeing what else Sanderson does with this world.

Considerations: This book is suitable for young adults and didn't have anything I objected to. There are some great suspenseful parts that might frighten middle grade readers, but overall it is a appropriate for young teens.

I loved The Rithmatist and will probably return to it several times in the future. Sanderson's world building is almost unmatched (with Frank Herbert being the only contender) and it was a fantastic listen. The total length was just shy of 10 and half hours.