3 of 5 stars
I got this book as one of a set of four that were published as a Kickstarter a few years ago. It’s not part of any of Sanderson’s other series (as far as I know). It’s also the first of the four that I’ve read.
It’s set in a future world where other worlds in alternate dimensions have been discovered to exist. The “rights” to these alternate worlds are sold to pretty much anyone who can pay for them. Most of the people in the “real” world have nano enhancements to strength, vision, and numerous other improvements. They are sent to the world they pay for with a book that outlines the policies of the company and gives strategies for surviving and thriving in this new world. The main character in this one wakes up in a world sort of paralleling medieval England around the time of the Viking incursions. He has no idea who he is, why he’s there, and his book has been (conveniently) mostly burned so that he has scattered pages that don’t tell him much. He starts to recall bits and pieces, and thinks he is or was a cop, and is trying to escape from a situation he got into. Of course, none of that is completely correct, and he is forced to try to help the people of this new world survive an invasion from his world while he is trying to piece together the puzzle of his background and how everything fits together. (Yeah, it sounds confusing but I didn’t want to give too much away for anyone who may have this and not read it.)
This also may be the first Sanderson novel I’ve read that I have to say I did not really enjoy. I haven’t read everything he’s written, but I’ve read some in most of his series and have really not found any I’ve been unhappy with. Except this one. I’m not even really sure why I didn’t like it. Some of the characters were interesting, the setting is good (worldbuilding is Sanderson’s strong point), and the main idea is good. It just felt like the characters and their world went off in search of a plot, and found one, but it didn’t quite fit. Something felt off in the whole book, and I never quite put a finger on what. It just didn’t resonate with me like others of Sanderson’s books.
Overall, it wasn’t bad. I’m sure there are people for whom this will be the fun read it looked to be. It just wasn’t for me.
