Arcanum Unbounded: The Cosmere Collection Explained

Arcanum Unbounded: The Cosmere Collection
Author:Brandon Sanderson
Cover Artist:David Palumbo
Country:United States
Language:English
Series:Cosmere
Genre:Epic fantasy
Published:November 22, 2016
Publisher:Tor Books
Media Type:Print (hardcover and mass-market paperback), audiobook, e-book
Pages:672 (hardcover)
Isbn:978-0-7653-9116-2
Oclc:935985784
Dewey:813/.6
Congress:PS3619.A533 A6 2016[1]

Arcanum Unbounded: The Cosmere Collection is a collection of epic fantasy short stories and novellas written by American author Brandon Sanderson set in his Cosmere universe. It was published on November 22, 2016 by Tor Books.[2]

Contents

The nine stories in the collection are set in the worlds of Roshar, Scadrial, Sel, Threnody, First of the Sun, and Taldain, which are all a part of Sanderson's Cosmere universe.[3] [4] The collection also includes essays and illustrations for the various planetary systems in which the stories are set. All have been released individually or as part of multi-author anthologies in the past.

The collection includes the following works:

  1. The Emperor's Soul, a novella originally published in 2012
  2. The Hope of Elantris, originally published as an e-book in 2007
  3. The Eleventh Metal, originally released in 2011 as part of the Mistborn Adventure Game
  4. Allomancer Jak and the Pits of Eltania, Episodes 28 through 30, originally released on August 3, 2014 as part of the Alloy of Law extension to the Mistborn Adventure Game
  5. , a short novel originally published in 2016 as an e-book
  6. White Sand, an excerpt of the graphic novel originally published in 2016 and a previously unpublished opening section of the original prose version of the story.
  7. Shadows for Silence in the Forests of Hell, a novella originally published in 2013 in the Dangerous Women anthology
  8. Sixth of the Dusk, a novellette originally published in 2014 in the Shadows Beneath anthology
  9. Edgedancer, a Stormlight Archive novella

Reception

Publishers Weekly called the collection required reading for fans of Sanderson's work and noted that it also offers a lot to readers who are undaunted by learning a lot.[4] Kirkus Reviews wrote that many of the stories were "good...with all the quick wit, richly detailed settings, and memorable characters fans have come to expect from this prolific writer." However, they also stated that some of the stories lacked solid character building and felt "more like deleted scenes".[5]

Notes and References

  1. https://lccn.loc.gov/2016043665 "Arcanum unbounded : the Cosmere collection"
  2. News: Utah author Brandon Sanderson spins fantasy tales read by millions around the world . Benson . Lee . Deseret News. November 5, 2016. April 29, 2017.
  3. Web site: Arcanum Unbounded: The Cosmere Collection. Barnes & Noble. 3 November 2016.
  4. Web site: Fiction Book Review: Arcanum Unbounded: The Cosmere Collection. Publishers Weekly. 3 November 2016.
  5. Web site: Arcanum Unbounded: The Cosmere Collection by Brandon Sanderson. Kirkus Reviews. 7 September 2016. 23 November 2016.