Children of the Nameless

Magic: The Gathering

by Brandon Sanderson

Since the day she was born, Tacenda has been both blessed and cursed. When her protective spell fails in the night and her Kessig village is attacked, she seeks revenge against whom she believes responsible: the demon-consorting Lord of the Manor.

Genres: Fantasy, Fiction, Novella, Magic, Short Stories, Horror, Mystery

217 pages, ebook

First published December 12, 2018

About the author

Brandon’s major books for the second half of 2016 are The Dark Talent, the final volume in Alcatraz Smedry’s autobiographical account of his battle against the Evil Librarians who secretly rule our world, and Arcanum Unbounded, the collection of short fiction in the Cosmere universe that includes the Mistborn series and the Stormlight
Archive, among others. This collection features The Emperor’s Soul, Mistborn: Secret History, and a brand-new Stormlight Archive novella, Edgedancer.

Earlier this year he released Calamity, the finale of the #1 New York Times bestselling Reckoners trilogy that began with Steelheart .

Brandon Sanderson was born in 1975 in Lincoln, Nebraska. As a child Brandon enjoyed reading, but he lost interest in the types of titles often suggested to him, and by junior high he never cracked a book if he could help it. This changed when an eighth grade teacher gave him Dragonsbane by Barbara Hambly.

Brandon was working on his thirteenth novel when Moshe Feder at Tor Books bought the sixth he had written. Tor has published Elantris, the Mistborn trilogy and its followup The Alloy of Law, Warbreaker, and The Way of Kings and Words of Radiance, the first two in the planned ten-volume series The Stormlight Archive. He was chosen to complete Robert Jordan’s Wheel of Time series; 2009’s The Gathering Storm and 2010’s Towers of Midnight were followed by the final book in the series, A Memory of Light, in January 2013. Four books in his middle-grade Alcatraz vs. the Evil Librarians series have been released in new editions by Starscape, and his novella Infinity Blade Awakening was an ebook bestseller for Epic Games accompanying their acclaimed Infinity Blade iOS video game series. Two more novellas, Legion and The Emperor’s Soul, were released by Subterranean Press and Tachyon Publications in 2012, and 2013 brought two young adult novels, The Rithmatist from Tor and Steelheart from Delacorte.

The only author to make the short list for the David Gemmell Legend Award six times in four years, Brandon won that award in 2011 for The Way of Kings. The Emperor’s Soul won the 2013 Hugo Award for Best Novella. He has appeared on the New York Times Best-Seller List multiple times, with five novels hitting the #1 spot.

Currently living in Utah with his wife and children, Brandon teaches creative writing at Brigham Young University.

Reviews

[Hamad · Rating 3 out of 5]

After 60 years, I will be sitting with my grandsons and I will tell them how one day I wrote a review for a Brandon Sanderson book and that it was the top review -even if for a short time-!!

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This review and other non-spoilery reviews can be found @The Book Prescription

“That was the first rule of demonology: make certain the demon’s incentives align with your own.”

🌟 I have been in the mood for a Sanderson story lately for an unknown reason! I didn’t want to continue the second Mistborn trilogy yet so I was going to discover his other works as Elantris and Warbreaker. When I saw this Gift from Brandon, I thought it was a sign, it was also the perfect time to read this. This is a short story so that was also a good thing because his other books are huge.

🌟 The first thing I touched upon starting this is unsurprisingly the World building which Brandon is a master of. I have never played Magic: The Gathering but you don’t need to before going into this. I believe there will be things that I missed but it was a good experience nonetheless.

🌟 The writing is good but I know this is not Sanderson at his best and I guess authors as him are better in writing longer stories because it shows their potential and intellectual potential.

🌟 The plot was very expected for me from the first few pages and I don’t know if this is due to reading many Sanderson books or if it was obvious, guess I will never know!

🌟 Summary: I don’t have much to say about this book, guess because of its short length. It had an OK writing, good pacing but was kind of expect able. This is definitely not a new favorite but it does not change the fact that Sanderson is still a fav author of mine! I ended up giving it 3 out of 5 stars!

🌟 Prescription: For fans of Magic: The Gathering game and for those who wants to discover Sanderson style by reading something light.

[Gianfranco Mancini · Rating 4 out of 5]

Brandon Sanderson wrote a free-download Magic the Gathering novella for the 25th birthday of the worldwide known fantasy trading cards game so, having played MtG lots of years ago, it seemed to me this early xmas present timing was just perfect to start reading something of this author.



Loved the Sanderson's style, the storyline, the characters and the setting: Innistrad with its curses, werewolf-hunters and other red eyed creatures with too long claws prowling the woods, reminded me a lot Dungeons and Dragons' Ravenloft and the Man of the Manor Deckard Cain Davriel Cane (with his delicious set of black/blue mana-fueled Planeswalker's skills) and demonic Miss Highwater were a great couple of characters making me smile a lot.
No need at all of knowing MtG to fully appreciate this tale, but being a novella some parts seemed rushed to me and characters in need of a few more fleshing.



Liked a lot my first Sanderson's read and I'll read more of him in the future.

[Phrynne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you very much Mr Sanderson for spinning us this little tale as a Christmas freebie. I really hope you plan to take these characters further especially as you have introduced some of the best demons ever, especially Miss Highwater.

Davriel definitely deserves many more pages - I always love these laid back characters who have to be spurred into action. Davriel would always prefer to take a nap but when pushed he can take on any thing.

This is a great novella - not anywhere near long enough of course but then even your longest books are never long enough. (you may have guessed I am a fan).

P.S. When you get a spare moment - Mistborn#7 please, please, please :)

[Deborah Obida · Rating 5 out of 5]

“‘Being good’ is simply a method used to signal that one is willing to conform to societal norms. Agreement with the crowd. Look at any history book, and you’ll discover that the threshold for acceptable conformation varies widely depending on the group.”

I love it! Brandon Sanderson did it again. I found out about this book the day it came out, through the articles google recommends for me.

Despite being 100+ pages, BS still wowed me.
Great world building as usual, amazing characters and plot.

The writing is so good, that even though its a novella of an ongoing series, reading only this without the previous book won't be a problem. Its like its own book.

Another thing I love in this book is its abundant of dialogue, most of which are witty.

“She looks like she’s been through hell. And not the nice parts, either.”
“There are nice parts of hell?” the Man asked.
“Depends on how hot you like your magma. Look at that bloodied dress, ripped and covered in dirt. Doesn’t something about her strike you as odd?”
“Dirty and bloody,” he said. “Isn’t that how peasants normally look?”
Miss Highwater glanced over her shoulder.
“I don’t keep up on local fashions,” said the Man from his seat. “I know they’re very fond of buckles. And collars. I swear, I saw a fellow the other day with a collar so high, his hat rested on it, rather than touching his head...”
“Davriel,” Miss Highwater said. “I’m being serious.”


Davriel is such a great character, he reminds ne of Tehol Beddict from the Malazan series, especially his relationship with Miss Highwater.

Tacenda is my second favourite character in this book, despite her curse, she was still brave enough to help her people. Even though what she knew about her foe is all bad.

"Perhaps we were all created for a specific purpose, but that doesn’t prevent us from finding other purposes as well.”

[Divine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Actual rating is 3.50. You can view my full review of this here! ALSO, THIS IS MY FIRST PUBLISHED BOOK REVIEW IN MY BLOG SO DOUBLE YAY!

"They were all so certain that secretly he was some kind of unnatural monster–rather than just a man, the most natural monster of them all."

I’m at that point in my life where I’d gobble up any written work of art Sanderson publishes. Apparently, I tend to gravitate more with his novellas rather than his epic fantasies. (I haven’t read the Mistborn series yet btw! So we’ll see if this would change next year hmmmm)

Children of the Nameless is Sanderson’s own tale set in Innistrad, one of the planes in the game Magic: The Gathering. And nope, you don’t need to play the game or to know any of the references in this novella to enjoy it. Like the complete Sanderson whore that I am, I automatically ignored all my current reads and prioritized this one.

However, this turned out to be my least favorite Brandon Sanderson novella, and I think this had more to do with the fact that I've read quite a lot of his books and other fantasy ones that generate familiar plot devices and sequences. THIS IS NOT TO SAY THAT THIS IS UNORIGNAL NOR IS IT PREDICTABLE. It was rather anticlimactic for me but I'm sure this could still be enjoyed by some readers, especially those that want a quick introduction to fantasy! ALSO, IT'S FREE! THIS IS BRANDON SANDERSON'S CHRISTMAS GIFT TO ALL OF US. To know more about where to download it just go here
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12/19/2018
It's Brandon Sanderson's birthday today!!!!!! HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO OUR ALL-TIME FAVORITE LLAMA HAHAHHA. Which is why I finally decided to read this free Christmas gift he gave to us; albeit it was rather anticlimactic and probably one of my least favorite novella of his, I still fairly enjoyed this one. Full RTC this evening!
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12/13/2018
HI. HELLO. LOOK AT THAT COVER! AND A NEW SANDERSON NOVELLA???? HAHAHAHHAHAHLERD. I saw this on twitter and welp I just have to add it immediately. I'm excited to read this because apparently, I love Sanderson's novellas more than his novels. (I haven't read Mistborn yet so yup HHAHAHA) AND IT'S FREE

[Eon ♒Windrunner♒ · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 Stars

Don’t you just love it when your favourite author writes surprise novellas!?!? Brandon Sanderson has gifted us with a novella set in the world of Magic: The Gathering and I was on it like white on rice.

A set of twin sisters protect their village against all sorts of things that go bump in the night, by way of their magical gifts/curses. But then the day comes when an unknown evil attacks, and the sisters’ gifts/curses fail them. The likeliest culprit seems to be the Lord of the Manor, a demon-consorting mystery of a man.

It is a fun, quick read and does not require any knowledge of Magic: The Gathering. Sanderson fills this story with all the good stuff and does not skimp on characters , worldbuilding, humour or magic, regardless of the size constraint of the novella format. Despite everything it had going for it though, this has turned out to be my least favourite Sanderson story. I think my expectations were just a bit high, and had I tempered them or had I not known this was written by Brandon then I would have liked it much more. After all – my all time favourite novella is Brandon’s The Emperor’s Soul.

A solid novella though.

You can get the ebup or pdf for free here:
https://magic.wizards.com/en/story

[Logan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun, intriguing quick read with a central mystery centered around the magic. I enjoyed the two main characters different perspectives and the humor that kept it light.

[Josh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gothic horror infused fantasy, accessible to both readers familiar with the characters and planes (Avacyn and Innistrad feature respectively) of Magic the Gathering and those new to the table-top gaming lore.

Introducing new characters (those not previously featured in Magic the Gather lore in card/other formats), Tacenda and Davriel gives author Brandon Sanderson an established but new playground to explore and expand upon and he does it in a captivating and entertaining way.

Using the shorter length prose of a novella ensures each chapter progresses the story, be it character development, backstory, or pure action (of which there is plenty).

My rating: 5/5 stars. This was the first time I'd read anything by Brandon Sanderson and it certainty won't be the last.

[Rita · Rating 4 out of 5]

You know, I'm pretty sure that if Brandon Sanderson decided to write a story based on a cooking recipe it would still be epic and the characters compelling, because I have no evidence that he can do anything but that ¯\_(ツ)_/¯


I know nothing of Magic, but I enjoyed this story! The characters were so compelling and intriguing (and veryyyy humorous!), the story, although really short, kept me always interested and intrigued aaaaand the magic system had also a very Brandon Sanderson touch in my opinion (again, knowing nothing of Magic).

[Sibel Gandy · Rating 4 out of 5]

3,5 / 5
MTG den bihaber olduğum için sürekli bir şeyleri kaçırıyormuşum gibi hissettim kitabı okurken 🤔 O yüzden de tam konsatre olamadım kitaba.

[Ezgi Tülü · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Hellfire,” he muttered. “Someone’s been imitating me.”
“A difficult task,” Miss Highwater said. “Think of the sheer number of naps they’d have to take.”
Davriel eyed her.
“Admit it, Dav,” she said. “It would require a true master of imitation to impersonate you. Most people would accidentally do something relevant or useful, and that would destroy the entire illusion.”

“You have to help them,” she said. “You are their lord.”
Davriel shrugged.
“If you don’t,” Tacenda said. “I will...I...”
“I’m amused to hear this threat.”
“I will see that you never get to take another nap.”
“You’ll find that I...” He trailed off. “What?”

“You lied to me, Merlinde,” Davriel said softly. “You have kept terrible secrets from me.”
“I...”
He held up the tea. “I found an entire tin of Verlasen dustwillow in your cupboard,” he said. “I expect you to explain yourself posthaste.”
She frowned.

[Neeta · Rating 3 out of 5]

A light, entertaining, and quick read. From what I've gathered on GR, I believe this novella is part of a series of books by different authors, set in the same world, based on a card game. However, I feel that this works well as a standalone read also. There are references to events that occur in some other books, but not too much is spoiled to prevent me from considering reading more in this series.

What you're in for: chatty demons, pitchfork wielding villagers, magical singing, and strange curses. If you've enjoyed Sanderson's previous novellas such as Sixth of the Dusk and Shadows of Silence, this has a slightly similar feel to it and might be up your alley.

3.5 stars

[Χριστίνα Ψύλλα · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Perhaps we were all created for a specific purpose, but that doesn’t prevent us from finding other purposes as well.”

Δεν έχω διαβάσει πολλά βιβλία του Σάντερσον, αλλά ήταν αρκετά για να γίνει ένας απο τους αγαπημένους μου.
Η συγκεκριμένη νουβέλα ήταν μια μικρή απόλαυση για εμένα και περισσότερο μικρή ιστορία για τα δεδομένα του συγγραφέα -παρά νουβέλα.

Λάτρεψα τους δαίμονες και τον μαγικό κόσμο, συμπάθησα τους χαρακτήρες και χάθηκα στις σελίδες και στη σκοτεινή ατμόσφαιρα τους για μια ακόμη φορά. Πραγματικά η γραφή του Σάντερσον είναι σαν ξόρκι που σε αιχμαλωτίζει και δεν σε αφήνει να φύγεις μέχρι να ολοκληρωθεί το βιβλίο.

Αν ψάχνετε κάτι γρήγορο και μικρό για να σας δώσει μια γεύση του φανταστικού είδους, δοκιμάστε το!

[Anton · Rating 2 out of 5]

Was thrilled to discover it, enjoyed Sanderson prose but ultimately ended up disappointed 😞

‘Armored Saint’ is the closest comparison, based on the mood and style. But plotting (in both cases) I did not find to my liking :/

[Para (wanderer) · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book is available for free here.

I would never have read this if not for the r/Fantasy Bingo challenge. And for once, I'm glad. Media Tie-In was the Bingo square I dreaded the most - I don't really do any media that has tie-ins and I had doubts there was anything out there I'd like. So free and short and by an author I read before...what did I have to lose?

I went in with no expectations. And despite my complete lack of MtG knowledge, I ended up enjoying it immensely - plus, it's straight up one of Sanderson's best.

Tacenda and her twin have been cursed since birth - one is blind during the day, the other during the night. One day, Tacenda's protective songs fail, and her whole village is killed. Thinking the Lord of the Manor, a planeswalker who consorts with demons is responsible, she heads off to kill him. Of course, things turn out quite differently.

It's set in a backwater village of Verlasen in the gothic-inspired plane of Innistrad. I have never played MtG so I don't know the backstory, but the story offered enough context I didn't feel like I was missing anything. So no need to worry. It did have some German words used as names (geists, Verlasen), which is a big pet peeve of mine, but luckily it was minimal enough to ignore.

Characters are one of the most fun aspects. Davriel Cane may be a dark lord, but at his core, he's just selfish and extremely lazy, a great lover of naps and dustwillow tea - I loved how Tacenda was able to effectively threaten him with "think of the inconvenience!" It's amazing. Then there's his host of demons that he tricked into contracts they can't fulfil who provide most of the comic relief. Tacenda is the usual more traditionally heroic contrast, honourable and empathetic.

The writing style and the humour, two of my main complaints with The Way of Kings are also a lot better than I usually expect from Sanderson. It's somewhat more stylistic and less windowpane, without being any less easy to read - it's no Valente or Samatar, but this is Sanderson at the top of his game.

Does this novella provide anything genre-bending and new? No. But it also didn't feel like it was supposed to in the first place, and for what it is, it's excellent. All in all, if you're in need of something short and fun, go for it - what are you waiting for?

Enjoyment: 4.5/5
Execution: 4/5

Recommended to: anyone looking for a short, fun read, Sanderson fans
Not recommended to: those expecting something groundbreaking

More reviews on my blog, To Other Worlds.

[Tintenwelten · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tacenda wurde gezeichnet. Dies ist Fluch und Segen zugleich: Tagsüber erblindet sie, erhält nachts allerdings ihr Augenlicht zurück. Zudem bietet ihr Gesang Schutz vor den bösen Kreaturen der Umgebung - bis er es eines Tages eben nicht mehr tut. Dabei verliert sie alles und schwört Rache. Sie verdächtigt den Lord, schließlich erzählt man sich, er stehe mit Dämonen im Bunde. Obwohl Davriel zwar nicht von dieser Welt zu sein scheint, sind für das Verbrechen an ihrem Dorf dennoch dunklere Mächte verantwortlich.

Herausragend war für mich in diesem Buch das Zusammenspiel und Miteinander der Charaktere sowie der Sarkasmus und schwarze Humor. Es war unerwartet witzig und hat mich sehr gut unterhalten. Besonders zu erwähnen ist hier Davriel, der einfach ein Original ist. Er will eigentlich nur seine Ruhe und wenn möglich keine Scherereien haben. Eine gute Tasse Tee und seine ausgeprägten Nickerchen sind ihm heilig und wenn er dabei gestört wird, kann er leicht ungehalten werden. Im Prinzip ist er überheblich, egoistisch, stur und teilweise schon fast kindisch. Dementsprechend wahrscheinlich niemand, den man mögen würde. Ich fand ihn aber von der ersten Sekunde an toll. Die Geschichte wird sowohl aus seiner, als auch aus Tacendas Sicht erzählt. Neben ihm verblasst das junge Mädchen schon fast ein wenig, aber dennoch habe ich sie in mein Herz geschlossen. Auch die anderen Charaktere wie Fräulein Hochwasser, Knirschgnar und Brerig sind einfach genial und sehr liebenswert gezeichnet.

Der Schreibstil ist locker, leicht und schnell zu lesen. Das Lesen macht einfach Spaß, weil ständig etwas passiert, es nie langweilig wird und herrlich kurzweilig ist. Es kommt zu einigen unerwarteten Wendungen, ist von der ersten bis zur letzten Seite spannend, ab und zu auch ein wenig gruselig. Ich mag die düstere, bedrohliche Welt und damit auch die dichte Atmosphäre, die Brandon Sanderson erschaffen hat.

Wer Fantasy lesen möchte, in der Magie, Geister, Dämonen und Engel eine Rolle spielen, der sollte sich "Die Kinder des Namenlosen" nicht entgehen lassen! Es wird bestimmt nicht das letzte Buch des Autoren gewesen sein, das ich gelesen habe.

[Cameron Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Perfect. As a big fan of both Brandon Sanderson and MtG—and Innistrad being my favourite plane—I almost feel as if this book was written just for me.



Davriel Cane has quickly become my favourite planeswalker. The day his card is released I intend on obtaining a complete playset as fast as possible! I predict he’ll be U/B and exiles the top card of the opponents deck to play for yourself, and possibly even the ability to steal abilities from other planeswalkers. And what of Tacenda? A G/W origins style flip-planeswalker? Very excited.

Alright, enough geeking out over predictions for printed cardboard; this is a review for a book, after all. I must admit, I didn’t really enjoy the first couple of chapters. They moved by quite fast—especially for a Sanderson story—however once Tacenda reached Davriel’s manor, I quickly fell in love with the story. The characters shined brightly and that Sanderson charm spilled over Innistrad.

Tacenda is a twin to Willia, they are cursed with Blindness. Tacenda during the day, Willia at night. Along with their curse, they each have special powers. Tacenda can sing a special ward to protect the town. Willia has exceptional warrior strength.

The bloke on the cover, Davriel, doesn’t perceive himself as all that powerful. His only magical ability is to steal spells from others, and his ability to planeswalk is the only thing that allows him to remain confident through conflict. He also has claimed an ‘entity’, which resides inside his head and wills him on to ‘use it’. The full extent of this entity is unknown—Possibly linked to the origin of Eldrazi or even something greater from the Multiverse?—however, he claimed it by killing someone, and is pursued by others because of it. One could assume those after him to be Nicol Bolas, his henchmen, or other planeswalkers. Remaining hidden from these pursuers is a big part of his motivation.

This book should also receive the award for Most Charming Demons. I absolutely loved Crunchgnar and Miss Highwater. Basically, before the events of this book, there was a time where most demons—along with Avacyn—were imprisoned away in the ‘Helvault’. During the last visit to Innistrad, Lilliana Vess destroyed the Helvault, releasing the demons and Avacyn.  Another planeswalker, Nahiri from Zendikar, also was released. She was mad at Sorin (Avacyn’s creator) for not protecting her home realm. Hence, she wanted to destroy Innistrad the same way Zendikar had been. She did this by pulling Emrakul (a giant Eldritch-like entity called an Eldrazi). Avacyn went mad by its near presence, Sorin killed Avacyn, and then the whole plane got all messed up by Emrakul infecting its soil. If you aren’t a MtG fan, go look at some artwork for the ‘Eldritch Moon’ set. Bit of a tangent there, but that explains why the angels went mad.

Back to the demons, after being released, we can assume they were eager to ‘form contracts’ to consume souls. Davriel took advantage of this, promising his soul to several demons if they fulfilled contracts; contracts they would be unable to complete. This adds quite a bit of humour to the story, and I loved the way he and his demons bickered with each other.

The plot focuses on a small Kessig town, called Verlasen, and how one day everyone, bar Tacenda, dies. She sets out to exact revenge upon Davriel. Tacenda's failed assassination inconveniences Davriel. But not as much as all his peasants disappearing. Or the fact he is out of dustwillow tea. Davriel sets out to find the answers to the problems, with Tacenda tagging along. Also, Davriel is hunting for hidden reserves of tea. Surely those peasants had some stashed somewhere?

At first they assume the work of a necromancer had claimed the lives of Verlasen. Davriel knows the bog is far too powerful for a mere mortal to go up against. He wonders if it was the bog itself who claimed the souls. After all, most the townsfolk worship the bog and sacrifice their souls to it when they die. They believe it protects them from the horrors of Innistrad. And it has. Until everyone died. The Church of the Nameless Angel is his other suspect.  They had been slowly converting the people of the town. But what would that force the bog to do?

The story is full of mystery, action, and great interactions between humans and demons. Pacing is everything you’d expect from a Sanderson book. I absolutely loved it. Other than the start, if I was going to complain about anything else, it would be the length. I want more!

Ending: It turns out that it had been Willia all along. As Davriel suspected, the bog was another entity, like what was in his head. After finding the Nameless Angel (I am curious, is this the unnamed sister of Sigarda, Bruna, Gisela? Just an angel that went mad? I guess we’ll find out later!), with her throat slit in the bowls of the priory. Its lingering soul helps Tacenda humm a special tune that calms Willia and the army of geists she controls. Tacenda destroys her sister, taking the entity for herself. Davriel has the chance to claim it, however he chooses not to. This upsets the entity in his own mind. Tacenda seems far more pure and in control of the entity, her spark ignites, and she leaves the plane of Innistrad for an unknown destination.

Would love to see a sequel to this, or the continuation of these characters in the MtG Multiverse.

[Jefi Sevilay · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sanıyorum en fazla sene 1995-1996 iken en yakın arkadaşım bu Magic kartlarından biriktirirdi. İlginç bir şekilde benim hiçbir dönemde ilgimi çekmedi. Daha çok fotoğraflara bakarak aklımdan hikayeler uydurdum.

İsimsiz'in Çocukları'nın da bir Magic kitabı olduğunu öğrendiğimde şaşırdım. Meğersem 75 tane Magic kitabı varmış. Bu da 72. kitap. Ve enteresan bir şekilde hiçbir kitabın puanı 4'ün üstünde değil. Brandon Sanderson'ın yazdığı dahil olmak üzere.

Ben hazır 160 sayfalık kısa bir kitapken daha fazla Lejyon, Alcatraz tarzı hafif ve keyifli birşey bekledim. Yazımı her Sanderson kitabı gibi gayet iyiydi ancak bana biraz ağır geldi. Yine de özellikle Magic'e ve bu kitapta da geçen karakterlere aşinaysanız daha çok keyif alacaksınız. Benim gibi ilk kez öğrendiyseniz hikaye olarak mutlaka okunmalı diyemem.

Herkese keyifli okumalar!

[RG · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought I'd download this as it was a free Sanderson novel. It had a weird gothic fantasy style to it. Wasnt his best work in my opinion. I've never played magic or been exposed to characters or the world building. So the world never seemed to be an issue for me. I think the plot just didnt seem to spike an interest for me
I have a feeling it was due to the small length. Sanderson seems to write better when he has a larger scope.

[Serap]

Güzeldi ama kısa hikaye sevmeyen biri olarak beni memnun etmedi tabiki o yüzden puanlama yapmayacağım.... Eh işte diyebilirim ama kısa hikayeleri seviyorsanız benden çok beğenirsiniz diye düşünüyorum.

[Serpil Çelebi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brandon yazdığında seyir kısa da olsa okuduğuma değiyor hep.

Magic: The Gathering oyun kartlarından Davriel Cane isimli karaktere yazılmış bu kitap. 160 sayfa ama dolu dolu bir macera. Anlamadığınız bir yer kalmıyor. Size olaya ortasından dalmışsınız gibi hissettirmiyor. Ah dedim keşke daha uzun olsaymış. Bu konuyla yazarın kaleminden ne sayfalar akarmış!

Eğlenceliydi de bu arada. Alcatraz serisine benzer bir mizah serpilmiş, tadında, dozunda, baymadan güldürüyor.

Genelde aynı tepkilerle karşılaşıyorum Brandon kitapları için. 'Bu kitap çok kalın, okunur mu ya? Üstelik karınca duası gibi!"
Fakat ben gibi okurlar da diyoruz ki "Kitap 1000 sayfa mı? Keşke 2000 yazsaymış!"

İşte öyle sevilesi adam, öyle sevilesi kalem.

[Georgia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Δείτε επίσης και στο Chill and read

Δεν θυμάμαι αν σας το έχω ήδη πει, αλλά ο Brandon Sanderson είναι ένας εξαιρετικά ταλαντούχος συγγραφέας. Όσοι διαβάζετε βιβλία του φανταστικού, ή παίζετε τα αντίστοιχα παιχνίδια, τότε σίγουρα τον έχει πάρει το μάτι σας κάπου ή έχετε ένα δυο ράφια με βιβλία του στη βιβλιοθήκη σας. Είναι από τους συγγραφείς που καταφέρνουν να μεταφέρουν τον αναγνώστη στον κόσμο που δημιουργούν ή έχουν δημιουργήσει στο παρελθόν χωρίς καν να κουραστούν. «Τα Παιδιά της Άγνωστης Αγγέλου» είναι το 72ο (!) βιβλίο στη σειρά «Magic: The Gathering». Ναι, όσοι παίζετε παιχνίδια, μαντέψατε σωστά, είναι ο κόσμος του γνωστού παιχνιδιού! Εγώ πάλι δεν παίζω παιχνίδια ηλεκτρονικά ή με κάρτες όπως είναι οι δύο μορφές του παιχνιδιού, όμως το συγκεκριμένο το γνώριζα μιας και το έπαιζαν αρκετοί συμφοιτητές μου. Τότε δεν ήξερα, τώρα όμως έμαθα!

Έχοντας πλέον διαβάσει αρκετά βιβλία του, έχω μάθει να τον εκτιμάω και να περιμένω πως θα μαγευτώ με τη γραφή του. Ακόμα λοιπόν και με μια νουβέλα όπως είναι «Τα Παιδιά της Άγνωστης Αγγέλου» ο Sanderson κατάφερε να με μεταφέρει στον κόσμο του «Magic» και στο Ίνιστραντ. Εκεί, σε ένα από τα Ακροχώρια ζει η Τάκεντα, ένα κορίτσι που είναι ευλογημένο και παράλληλα καταραμένο. Έχει την ευλογία να διώχνει τα κακόβουλα πλάσματα με το τραγούδι της, έχει όμως την κατάρα να παραμένει τυφλή στη διάρκεια της μέρας και να βλέπει και πάλι με το που βραδιάζει. Αντίστοιχα, η δίδυμη αδερφή της είναι πολύ καλή πολεμίστρια που βλέπει τη μέρα αλλά τυφλώνεται τη νύχτα.

Κάθε βράδυ η Τάκεντα τραγουδάει για να πραστατεύσει όχι μόνο την οικογένειά της αλλά και το χωριό ολόκληρο. Ένα βράδυ όμως το Αποτροπαϊκό Άσμα της δεν έχει αποτέλεσμα και η δεκαπεντάχρονη Τάκεντα δεν μπορεί να καταλάβει το γιατί.

Οι φήμες θέλουν τον άρχοντα της περιοχής να συναναστρέφεται με δαίμονες, οπότε και οι υποψίες για το κακό πέφτουν πάνω του. Εκείνος έχει δύο μόλις χρόνια που πήρε την εξουσία από τον προηγούμενο άρχοντα και κανείς δεν τον εμπιστεύεται. Εκείνον λοιπόν θα βάλει στο στόχαστρο η Τακέντα για το θάνατο της οικογένειάς της αλλά και των συγχωριανών της. Σύντομα όμως θα βρεθεί μπροστά σε μια πιο σκοτεινή αλήθεια. Ένα μυστήριο που θέλει και δε θέλει να λύσει.

Εξαιρετικοί χαρακτήρες, στα πλαίσια πάντα του συγγραφέα και στο στυλ που αγαπά να μας χαρίζει. Ο Ντάβιελ δεν είναι κανένας Άγιος, δεν είναι καν ηθικός, όμως είναι ένας χαρακτήρας που αγαπάς αμέσως! Η σχέση του με τους δαίμονες, την ηθική, τι είναι σωστό και τι λάθος, καθώς και μέχρι που θα φτάσει γι�� να πετύχει το σκοπό του είναι από τις όχι τόσο ξεκάθαρες, όμως από αυτές που ο αναγνώστης θα κατανοήσει. Δεν περιμένει κανείς πως ένας άνθρωπος σαν κι αυτόν θα βοηθούσε ένα μικρό κορίτσι, αλλά έχει κι αυτός τους λόγους του.

Μου άρεσε η δύναμη και ο χαρακτήρας της Τάκεντα, η Δεσποινίς Χαϊγουότερ αλλά και οι υπόλοιποι δαίμονες, όπως και ο γέρος κυνηγός Ρομ. Το Έλος που καραδοκούσε αλλά και η Άγνωστη Άγγελος και η περίεργη θρησκεία της. Μπήκα στον κόσμο του «Magic: The Gathering», έκανα το ταξίδι μου και επέστρεψα στο δικό μας μέσα σε λίγες ώρες. Από τα λίγα βιβλία του συγγραφέα που είναι μικρά σε έκταση και άρα μπορούν να διαβαστούν πολύ πολύ γρήγορα! Και φυσικά το συνιστώ κι αυτό, έστω και σαν ένα διάλειμμα από ότι διαβάζετε!

[Книжни Криле · Rating 4 out of 5]

„Magic: The Gathering” – проклети малки карти за игра, които често струват теглото си в злато. Мястото, където се срещат маниите по ролевите игри и събирането на т.нар. trading cards. Когато навлязоха в България вече бях преминал момента, в който бях склонен на наливам космически суми в колекционерство, да не говорим пък, че бях развил алергия към настолни игри, които първо ме карат да изкарам висше образование по правилата им, за да започна най-накрая да играя... и искат също така и поне няколко души компания за качествено преживяване. Не. „Magic: The Gathering” не е за мен, макар, че артът на картичките е често изумителен и си умирам да си плакна окото с тях. Всъщност, то си е кощунство да се отпечатват такива яки илюстрации в такъв малък формат, и с удоволствие бих събирал „Magic: The Gathering” арт книги и енциклопедии просто, за да се кефя на рисунките, но това е тема на друг разговор... Да си дойдем на думата – от „Artline Studios” пуснаха роман, който събира едно от големите световни светила на фентъзи литературата, Брандън Сандерсън, с едно от родните/световни светила на фентъзи илюстрацията, Светлин Велинов (редовен художник за „Wizards of the Coast” и „Magic: The Gathering”). Як автор, яка корица, яко издателство... А дали и романът е як? Четем „Деца на безименните”. Прочетете ревюто на „Книжни Криле”: https://knijnikrile.wordpress.com/202...

[Krista Hansen Welch · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this! It’s a fun fantasy novella filled with magic, demons, and mystery. Like all Sanderson books, this features great world-building, an intriguing plot, and fantastic characters. This has some of the most likable demons you’ll ever encounter. And Davriel is just the best! His humorous dialogue with Miss Highwater was easily my favorite part.

Note: I didn’t have any previous knowledge of Magic The Gathering, and still enjoyed it.

[M. Tatari · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bu kadar ince bir kitap nasıl hem bu kadar dolu hem de bu kadar eğlenceli olabilir? İnsan Sanderson'a her seferinde biraz daha hayret ediyor doğrusu...

İsimsiz'in Çocukları, Magic: The Gathering adlı ünlü kart oyunu için yazılmış kısa bir roman aslında. Ama Magic hakkında hiçbir şey bilmeniz gerekmiyor. Wizards of the Coast, Sanderson'dan kendileri için yepyeni bir karakter yazmasını istemiş ve ona sınırsız yetki vermiş. Ünlü yazar da bu kısa ama doyurucu romana imza atmış.

Kitap Yaklaşımlar adlı, karanlık ve kasvetli bir diyarda geçiyor. Buranın halkı Batak'tan geldiklerine inanan ve ölülerini yine onun sularına bırakan insanlardan oluşuyor. Köylerin etrafı her türden iblis ve canavarla dolu. Ama içlerinden biri kısmen şanslı, çünkü Tacenda ve Willia adlı iki kutsanmış koruyucuları var. Bu ikiz kız kardeşlerden Tacenda çok güçlü bir sese sahip ve şarkılarıyla canavarları köyden uzak tutabiliyor. Cesur Willia ise çok güçlü bir kılıç ustası. Ama ikisinin de bir laneti var: Tacenda gündüzleri, Willia ise geceleri bütünüyle kör oluyor. Yine de bu durum onları nöbetleşe olarak köyü korumaktan geri bırakmıyor.

Ancak günün birinde F��sıldayanlar adlı yeşil hayaletler köye musallat olur, Tacenda'nın şarkısı onları kaçırmayı başaramaz ve Willia ölür (sürpriz bozan değil, korkmayın; daha ilk sayfalarda oluyor bu olay). Koskoca köyden geriye bir tek Tacenda kalır. Genç kız bu olayın sorumlusunun o topraklara yeni taşınan ve köyün efendisi olarak bilinen gizemli adam olduğundan emindir. Böylece intikam almak için adamın konağının yolunu tutar...

Açıkçası kitabın ilk 20 sayfasını zor okudum. Ağlayıp duran Tacenda, yavaş ilerleyen kurgu, kasvetli bir atmosfer, keder, keder, keder... Derken sahneye kitabın kapağında boy gösteren Davriel Cane giriyor ve kitabın bütün gidişatı bir anda değişiveriyor.

Davriel son yıllarda okuduğum en eğlenceli karakterlerden biri. Karizmatik, zeki, soğukkanlı ve... son derece tembel. Tek istediği çay içip uyumak ve rahat bırakılmak. Etrafında olan hiçbir şey umurunda değil. Pek çok şeye muktedir olmasına rağmen şekerleme yapmaktan başka bir şeyle ilgilenmiyor. Aslında çok büyük bir yeteneği yok; tek kabiliyeti insanların zihinlerine girip onların büyülü güçlerini kısa bir süreliğine çalmak. Bir de iblislerle çok zekice anlaşmalar imzalamak... O yüzden etrafı ruhunu almak için sırada bekleyen ama bu esnada anlaşma sona erene kadar ona çeşitli şekillerde hizmet eden bir sürü ifrit ve iblislerle dolu.

Ve ne var biliyor musunuz? Bütün bu saydığım karakterlerin hepsi birbirinden renkli, sevilesi ve ilginç tiplemeler. Sanderson şu kısacık kitabın içine bu kadar detaylı, eğlenceli ve bol karakteri nasıl yerleştirmiş diye şaşırmadan edemiyorsunuz okurken.

Kitabın çevirisi de gayet iyi ve akıcı. Deniz Evliyagil ve Selcan Yıldız çok iyi bir iş çıkarmışlar. Akılçelen'in önceki eserlerinde yaşadığım sıkıntıların hiçbiri gözüme çarpmadı. Birkaç ufak yazım hatası dışında çok temiz bir çeviri olmuş. İkisinin de ellerine sağlık.

Özetle Davriel'i çok sevdim. Olayları bir onun gözünden, bir Tacenda'nın bakış açısından okumak da epey keyifliydi. Heyecanı, espri dozu, merak unsuru dozunda, eğlenceli bir kitap oldu benim için İsimsiz'in Çocukları. Sanderson sevensen herkese tavsiye ederim.

[Aleshanee · Rating 3 out of 5]

Das Buch hat sofort mein Interesse geweckt, da ich das Kartenspiel MAGIC früher sehr gerne und oft gespielt habe. Was mich hier erwarten wird war für mich völlig offen, aber ich konnte das ein oder andere tatsächlich auch mit den Erinnerungen an das Kartenspiel verbinden.

Vor allem den Sumpf, der eine wichtige Quelle in der Geschichte ist, aber auch die typischen Rollenspieler Klassen wie eine Bardin, eine Paladinin, Zauberer und damit verbundene magische Fähigkeiten - oder auch die kleinen, bösen dämonischen Wesen, die es zuhauf gibt und mit mehr oder weniger Intelligenz auf ihre Art zum Fürchten sind. Da hat Brandon Sanderson wirklich viele originelle Ideen untergebracht, die die Geschichte auschmücken - leider blieb sie mir dabei insgesamt etwas zu oberflächlich.

Am Anfang gab es eine kurze Einführung zu der Ausgangssituation, ohne viel näher zu erklären, wobei sich eh alles auf die Figuren und ihre Aufgabe fixiert, als um die Welt darum herum.

Manche mögen ja keine ausschweifenden, komplexen Welten mit langen Erklärungen, für die könnte das genau richtig sein - für mich war alles einfach etwas kurz geraten. Das liegt natürlich auch an der Seitenzahl, grade in dem Genre, aber es ist ja doch ein erster Band und da hab ich schon ein bisschen was zum "Weltgeschehen" erwartet, einen Anhaltspunkt, wohin es dann wohl in der Fortsetzung weiterführen wird.

Vom Stil her ist es einfach und flüssig zu lesen und wird abwechselnd aus den Perspektiven der zwei Hauptfiguren erzählt:
Tacenda, die blinde Sängerin, deren Gabe die Dämonen schwächt
und
Davriel, dem Herrn des Herrenhauses, der ebenfalls eine außergewöhnliche Fähigkeit besitzt

Für mich lebt die Geschichte vor allem von den Charakteren und den teilweise lustigen Dialogen, wobei sie jetzt nicht immer so meinen Humor treffen. Große Spannungsbögen gab es nicht; es plätscherte eher vor sich hin, auch wenn es sehr lebendig und abwechslungsreich erzählt wird.

Gefallen haben mir die zwar wenigen, aber überraschenden kleinen philosophischen Gedanken, mit denen ich hier gar nicht gerechnet habe und die mir den Bezug zu den Figuren verstärkt haben.

Insgesamt eine abenteuerliche, originelle Geschichte für eine leichte Unterhaltung.

[Shree · Rating 4 out of 5]

Neat, a little bit Complex but Precise
Just like a favorite gift, wrapped with deliberate loose ends on a Christmas morning

[Papierfliegerin · Rating 2 out of 5]

Brandon Sanderson gehört dank der "Rächer-Saga" zu meinen absoluten Lieblingsautoren. Leider aber hat er mich mit seinem neuesten Werk enttäuscht. Die Geschichte rund um Tacenda ist, in Anbetracht der geringen Länge des Buches, doch sehr vollgestopft und verliert sich auf ihrem Weg zum Ziel selbst aus den Augen. Mir fehlte schon nach kurzer Zeit der rote Faden, und ebenso die Verbindung zu den Protagonisten. Ich hätte mir mehr Struktur innerhalb des Geschehens gewünscht und dafür weniger Einflüsse. Immer mehr Richtungen spielen plötzlich eine Rolle und den Überblick zu behalten, war mir fast unmöglich. Auch das Ende, das zwar durchaus explosiv war, stellte mich am Ende aufgrund der Verwirrungen nicht wirklich zufrieden. Auf meinem Blog bin ich nochmal näher darauf eingegangen, was mich störte, was mir fehlte und wovon mir zu viel war. Mit einem Klick » hier « gelangt ihr direkt zur Rezension. Falls ihr also mehr wissen möchtet, schaut gerne vorbei. Viel Spaß.

[Fareeha · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rating: 2.5

A fairly interesting novella, in true Sanderson style it’s nicely written and well paced.

Davriel and his demons are interesting but the plot isn’t much to write home about. Probably since it’s a novella, it doesn’t have the depth, the compelling aura and those twists we usually expect from him.

Overall, it’s a fair enough, quick read.

[Ηλίας Τσιάρας · Rating 4 out of 5]

Αν το είχε γράψει οποιοσδήποτε άλλος, θα ήταν ένα μέτριο βιβλίο. Τώρα, είναι ένα μέτριο βιβλίο με άκρως απολαυστικούς πρωταγωνιστές. Αυτά. Sanderson είναι αυτός, ήθελε να ασχοληθεί με το αγαπημένο του χόμπι, το Magic. Δεν του κρατάω κακία.