A World of Magic, Still in Grey

Fantasy. A world just out of reach, created within a single mind and then brought to life in millions of other minds. It is mysterious and unfamiliar, yet somehow becomes real when held to the bright light of imagination.

What makes fantasy so appealing? The escape? The endless possibility, bound by nothing but the imagination? The ability to journey with characters that are somehow both relatable and impossibly unique to humanity? Whatever the reason, sparks of ingenuity have created bonfires, spreading visions of new worlds and bizarre creatures across the Earth.

Amidst the brilliant visions of magic, dragons, wizards, and more, one world, one writer, stands out like a beacon. Brandon Sanderson could be called the mad scientist of the fantasy world, a title quite distinct seeing as fantasy writing already requires a certain form of madness. Among his greatest works are the Mistborn and Stormlight Archive series, both part of a greater ‘Cosmere’, his fantasy word for ‘universe’. His vision is not limited to a single world or land, but instead spans the stars. The worlds are deftly crafted, each with their unique quirks and hints of relatability to anchor them to human experience. Each detail is meticulously laid out, an organized chaos as beautiful as the world around us, with its billions of organisms somehow coming together to creating a functioning whole.

For the sake of simplicity, I will focus on one world, known as Roshar. This world is far from simple, but taking on the entire Cosmere would be folly on my part. Within the world of Roshar, Sanderson crafts a beautiful magic system, a completely unique yet logical biological system of plants, animals, and weather, and characters so real that the reader cannot help but feel their every pain and joy.

His magic system is based on the manipulation of fundamental powers of the universe, such as gravity, friction, density, and metamorphism. Each power makes a logical sense. Instead of an uncertain and random variation of capability and strength, as can be seen in many fantasy works, the powers of Roshar are reliable and comprehendible. This is not the power that one day can defeat an army but the next day is vanquished by a single soldier. There is no frustration in wondering why the character ‘didn’t just…’ (fill in the blank). Yet this order does not make the magic system and less ‘magical’. It is mysterious and fascinating, with a million different facets to explore and nuances to discover.

Perhaps even more amazing than the magic is the world itself. Roshar is a planet unlike any other. It is formed mostly from rock, with unique plant and animal life to match its stoney nature. The creatures are mostly shelled beasts, with carapace to protect them. The trees are sturdier than those that would be found on Earth and grain grows inside stone, called ‘rock buds’. Grass grows out of the rocky ground but pulls in when it senses movement. All of this may seem very strange and eclectic, but it is actually quite calculated. For in the world of Roshar, the Highstorms rule. Strange, terrible tempests that move from east to west across the world, the Highstorms ravage the land. Any grass that that remained exposed, any creature unprotected by its shell armor, and any regular soil, would be ripped apart and torn away by its furious winds and rushing waters. The humans of Roshar survive in this world of storms in part by creating stone houses with no windows facing eastward. The Highstorms are what bring Stormlight, the source of magic on the world. With every passing storm, certain gemstones are imbued with this light, the light of a god, and special people are able to draw upon this light to manipulate the fundamental powers of nature. In this, Sanderson creates a beautiful mixture of destruction and salvation, a terrible tempest determined to rip apart the land, but carrying with it the means of light and power.

From the beginning, the characters of Roshar draw you in and captivate you not only with their stories, but with their very souls. Their emotions, thoughts, and actions are so human, so real, that it is impossible not to be swept away. Kaladin, a surgeon turned soldier turned slave, with a broken soul so torn from failing to protect those he loves yet still unable to stop trying. Shallan, a frightened yet stunningly courageous young woman who wishes for nothing more than to save her family even as she hides from her past. Dalinar Kholin, a hardened warrior and leader of armies, matured from his youth of bloodthirst and starting on a path he cannot return from. Each character, no matter how small their part, is woven with intricacies, with pasts and passions. There are no place holders, only people. From slave to murderer, each character is opened up as a human being with a story and a life, with complex reasons and motives all their own. No character is flat, with only one side or attribute. They are all dynamic, reacting to the situation and not some archetypal description.

For example, these characters react as humans naturally would, not as it would be convenient for them to, or as a cheesy portrayal of nobility would have them do. A stirring speech doesn’t change their outlook on life, and a step forward doesn’t mean they won’t take another two steps back. At one point, a character, I’ll call him Al, is placed into prison unjustly for a foolish and brash act. Another character, who I’ll call Lin, promises to get Al out, but demands that he stop acting like a child and do his duty. Now, Lin is a formidable man, the kind of military general that inspires awe and obedience in all around him. He is a just, moral man with a presence that demands respect. In many books, this rousing speech given by Lin would have helped Al to humble himself and see the error of his ways, to forgive the man who imprisoned him, and to move on. But do humans really react like that? Not in my experience. When someone tells someone else they are wrong, they only become more convinced of their own position. So it is that Al, like any human, reacts with resentment towards Lin. In his mind, Lin is being unjust in accusing him when he sees nothing wrong with his actions. Basically, he is a human. That is perhaps the most incredible part: Sanderson creates a world so disparate from Earth, yet still makes it home to people as real and relatable as those living next door.

Just as the characters are dynamic, so is the story. More specifically, the conflict within the story. Each struggle, from inner turmoil to Cosmere-wide war, is built around multiple factors and perspectives. Instead of a black and white vision of good versus evil, Sanderson creates a world where people must fight and struggle to find what is right for each situation. The ones who are initially thought to be villains are proven to simply be people, with complex motives, emotions, and relationships. Dalinar, considered a moral pinnacle throughout the first two books of the series, is revealed in stunning detail in the third books as the reader delves into his dark past. Dalinar stands atop a high tower, demanding a high code of morality and ethics from those around him. But is that tower built on beams of righteousness, or a mound of corpses? Is he a hypocrite? Can he demand goodness from others after all he has done, regardless of whether or not he has changed? Can good works wipe out a past of brutality?

On a grander scale, the conflict for Roshar is a mess of grey where no clear light can be found to mark the right path. The humans fight a foe known as the Parshendi, ancient enemies of mankind with humanoid figures but marbled skin and carapace. The humans believe these Parshendi are the ‘Voidbringers’, followers of the enemy god named Odium. However, in a series of stunning revelations, these terrifying creatures of destruction are shown to be people, not the dark forces of the god of hate. They each have their own lives and wills, and they have just as much right to live on Roshar as the humans. Is the war justified at all? Odium cannot be allowed to rule, but how can the humans justify the deaths of so many regular people, no matter how different they look? Is there another option, something between complete surrender and complete genocide?

There are a million and one intricate details that make the world of Roshar the best fantasy world in a sea of imaginative creativity. Its beautiful craftsmanship in every particular paints a picture in the reader’s mind. The world, the colors, the characters, they all come to life. The vivid descriptions serve as the match the lights the fire of imagination, the seed the sprouts the endless vines of possibility. The world is as real as the one around us, the characters as relatable as our own souls. Their conflicts and questions reflect our own confusions in a world full of shades of grey, creating a world that is both alien yet intimately familiar.