Awakening

I have not played the game, but this was written by Brandon Sanderson... I don't think I need to explain more.

I highly enjoyed this audiobook. It made me want to play the game (even though I don't play games). But the one thing that bothers me is that I won't have a closure with the plot. Still, it was a very entertaining novella.

This is almost close to 4.5 stars. It was very short and enjoyable.

Sirus and Essa (?) were really good characters. Their interactions were funny. The whole mystery surrounding the deathless was so well written.

The God King and the Infinity Blade kept reminding me of Warbreaker and Nightblood (same vibes).

The ending was typical Brandon, completely woah. I know nothing about the actual video game but this short story was amazing.

I definitely wasn't expecting much out of this, considering the game that inspired it. I'm now intrigued by the world that the game creators envisioned and how Sanderson managed to bring it to life. It managed to turn my preconceptions regarding the back story and setting around in a happily unexpected way.

The book sort of continues from where the Infinity Blade game logically concluded (the game itself is designed to go on indefinitely). The author injected life into an otherwise unknown protagonist, providing believeable motivations and a nice plot.

The finale wasn't particulalrly exciting but it did sort of provide a satisfying conclusion to the story arc presented in this story. The twist at the end wasn't wholly unexpected but it does nicely set things up for future possibilities. Overall it was a really good and satisfying read.

My first Brandon Sanderson experience is an adaptation of a phone game and there's something very funny about that.

I definitely plan on reading more. It was nice to test the water with a short novella before diving into his grander epic fantasy. I definitely was not disappointed with this but can only rate it so higher being such a short experience.

An interesting companion to the Infinity Blade games, Awakening serves as a nice bridge between the two. Explained here through the narrative are some important elements to the fiction that help to flesh out the world the folks at Chair created. We understand more now the repetition of the first game as well as the hints at technology at the end of that game. All in all, a good read, and certainly worth it if you are at all invested in the fictions of the games. Sanderson's writing is good, though felt somewhat rushed in this short book. Still, recommended.

You have got to appreciate the man. He sets such high benchmarks and the best part is that he maintains them. Albeit that it be a large 3 part fantasy tale or a short story bridging a video game franchise. Infinity Blade is a game I have never played nor do I intend to. What I would love to see is a sequel by Brandon instead. As usual there is magical system interwoven neatly into the story and the characters are smooth and well crafted. A short and fast read that leaves you wishing it was a whole franchise in itself. He's the Man!