Title: The Rithmatist
Author: Brandon Sanderson
Illustrations By: Ben McSweeney
Genre: Science Fiction, Steampunk
Publishing Date: May 14, 2013
Publishing House: Tor Teen
Pages: 370
Synopsis
From #1 New York Times bestselling author Brandon Sanderson: his debut novel for the young adult audience
More than anything, Joel wants to be a Rithmatist. Chosen by the Master in a mysterious inception ceremony, Rithmatists have the power to infuse life into two-dimensional figures known as Chalklings. Rithmatists are humanity’s only defense against the Wild Chalklings—merciless creatures that leave mangled corpses in their wake. Having nearly overrun the territory of Nebrask, the Wild Chalklings now threaten all of the American Isles.
As the son of a lowly chalkmaker at Armedius Academy, Joel can only watch as Rithmatist students study the magical art that he would do anything to practice. Then students start disappearing—kidnapped from their rooms at night, leaving trails of blood. Assigned to help the professor who is investigating the crimes, Joel and his friend Melody find themselves on the trail of an unexpected discovery—one that will change Rithmatics—and their world—forever.
Bestselling author Brandon Sanderson brings his unique brand of epic storytelling to the teen audience with an engrossing tale of danger and suspense—the first of a series. With his trademark skills in world-building, Sanderson has created a magic system that is so inventive and detailed that readers who appreciate games of strategy and tactics just may want to bring Rithmatics to life in our world. (Source)
Review
I’m familiar with Brandon Sanderson’s work in the adult Science Fiction realm so I was a little intrigued to see how he did on the YA front. I’m not big into YA Science Fiction. I read the Harry Potter series and cringed my way through the first Twilight book, but that’s about it. I’ve been reading adult fiction for as long as I can remember. It feels a bit more real to me if that makes any sense.
Sanderson does not disappoint. He created a new world that is based slightly off of our own. It appears that the whole world is set up on islands. Instead of states like Florida, there’s an island called Floridia. But they’re set up in the shape of the United States. It also looks like he’s tweaked history. The JoSen which appear to be Asia, has taken over quite a bit of the world from what I can gather.
This particular world is very steampunk-esque with a lot of explanation needed. There are no planes from what I can tell, they move from place to place by trains with rails that stretch across the water. Their magic system is incredibly complex. They have people called Rithmatists or Dusters. These people have the ability to animate their lines of chalk to defend themselves against other humans as well as wild chalklings. They can protect themselves by drawing circles and defensive lines around themselves or others. For some reason this ability is only activated in certain people and isn’t necessarily hereditary.
I find this concept fascinating because the chalklings do not become 3D creatures and instead move about on a surface. Yet, they can tear a human to bits through clawing, scratching, and biting. There is also a line that creates an invisible barrier between a person and others that can be broken down by other chalk people digging at it.
The book centers around Joel. He is a student at Armedius Academy with no Rithmatic abilities, but is completely fascinated by them. They engulf his whole life just as it did his father’s, a lowly chalkmaster. By a stroke of luck, he gets placed with one of the best Rithmastist teachers as a research assistant. This leads to Joel attempting to help solve the disappearances of his fellow classmates as well as finding his first true friend in the overly dramatic, Melody.
When I first started reading this novel, I thought Joel was a bit of an annoying brat. As the story went on, he grew on me as he grew as a person. I liked how Professor Fitch became a mentor to him and being friends with Melody made him think twice about his words.
The plot had a bit of a twist towards the end that I didn’t expect and Sanderson left it open for more books to follow. The overall plot went at a steady pace and I didn’t feel like I was reading a YA novel. The history of this world is deep and complex. I love how imaginative Sanderson is. I mean when you can make chalk drawings scary, then you know that this person is an exceptionally good author. This was the main point that pulled me into the story. I would definitely consider picking up the next book. I’m intrigued by how Joel will handle the new twists in his life.
Memorable Quotes: “The most dangerous kind of man is not the one who spent his youth shoving others around. That kind of man gets lazy, and is often too content with his life to be truly dangerous. The man who spent his youth being shoved around, however … When that man gets a little power and authority, he often uses it to become a tyrant on par with the worst warlords in history.”
― Brandon Sanderson
Rating: 8.5/10
Later Loves,
