10) Elantris - by Brandon Sanderson
The Shaod strikes at night, taking random people and turning them into demigods, or it did until ten years ago when all the gods lost their power and became the equivalent of immortal lepers. Now, the prince of the land wakes up to find himself dead and imprisoned to the once mythical city of Elantris, now a prison for all those struck by the Tranformation. With a style that takes three different characters and binds their stories together, this is a fantastic read, leaving you eager to see if the Elantrians can really take back their lives.
11) Warbreaker - by Brandon Sanderson
Breathing in Colors gives you magic to do impossible things, but that means little when the God King needs a bride from a neighboring country threatening to go to war with them and nothing is what it seems, including a sword who can talk. A funny, fast-moving, engaging plot with a love story, secrets buried in the city of Hallandra, and armies of the Undead shambling around, not to mention a god who doesn't believe in his own religion.
12) The Way Of Kings - by Brandon Sanderson
The first in what promises to be an epic series, this introduces a world of chasms and storms, where grass retracts into the ground under the onslaught of rains and little fairy-like creatures exist for everything--sickness, glory, happiness, depression, kings, springing up whenever those things come into existence. But a war supposedly ended centuries before is now rising up again to meddle in the lives of a doctor-turned-slave, a shy lady-turned-spy, a warrior lord-turned-religious-leader, and a servant-turned-into-assassin. I'm really looking forward to seeing where this series goes from here. This book was amazing, with flashbacks from the doctor's life, visions granted the warrior, lessions taught to the spy/scholar, and mysteries aplenty concerning the Honorless assassin. Not to mention, those fairy-like spren are just cool!
13) Mistborn - by Brandon Sanderson
A thousand years ago, the Lord Ruler took the power he was foretold to end and became a tyrant that keeps the peasants beaten and the nobility controlled. But when the Survivor of the Mists comes up with a plan to gather his crew of criminals and rob the Lord Ruler's treasury, not to mention apprentice a young street girl who just might be the best Mistborn ever born and kill the Lord Ruler...well, things certainly get interesting. If you ever wondered what would have happened if Frodo had actually managed to keep the Ring and take its power for himself, this is definitely the book for you!
14) Well Of Ascension - by Brandon Sanderson
Vin, trained by the Survivor, and Elend, set up as King in the Lord Ruler's place, have to find a way to protect the world they've liberated, which is no simple task when the mists are striking down innocents, every ambitious lord around is trying to snatch a piece of the kingdom, and an insane Mistborn is trying to lure Vin away. Just when you think you've won the day, something has to happen, and boy, do tons of things happen in this book. Who would have thought things would be WORSE if you took down the Dark Lord?
15) Hero Of Ages - by Brandon Sanderson
Vin and Elend now faces hordes of the terrifying koloss armies and a very deadly Inquisitor, augmented by Ruin's power, The shapechanging kandra are staging a coup, the Terris people are refugees, the volcanoes are erupting, and Sazed is having a crisis of faith. Not to worry, though--Kelsier is back...or is he? This entire book builds to an amazingly large crescendo that solves mysteries and answers the questions building since the beginning, but still takes the time to have wonderfully intimate, quiet moments between Vin and Elend.
16) The Alloy Of Law - by Brandon Sanderson
Three centuries after the world was saved, the people are approaching the age of industry, and lawmen and criminals face off in the Roughs, using their Misting powers to propel bullets around turns and set up bubbles that stop or speed up time. The Vanishers are robbing the trains of their valuable metals and only a retired lawman, now heir to his noble house, has a chance of stopping their immortal leader. It's amazing seeing how different the world is, yet recognizing it just the same. The western-style seems a little odd, but it really works, and it's fun to see their Allomantic magic being used right along with pistols and shotguns.
17) Infinity Blade: The Awakening - by Brandon Sanderson
The hero has killed the evil lord, but now what's he supposed to do? His people won't take him back, the palace has interfaces that are talking to him, and the sword he took from the God King isn't as immobile as he'd like. A quest seems like the thing to do. I've never played the video game this is based off, but it can stand on it's own and is an incredibly interesting story that blends sci-fi gadgets with an amusingly in-the-dark fantasy people.
18) Alcatraz vs. the Evil Librarians - by Brandon Sanderson
A young orphan gets a package from his parents on his thirteenth birthday--a bag of sand, and now suddenly the librarians, intent on dominating the world, are after him and his grandpa, who's always late for everything, is his only hope. I don't think I've ever laughed as hard as I did reading this book. I had to read it to my Dad, and now he's read them all himself too.
19) Alcatraz vs. the Scrivener's Bones - by Brandon Sanderson
Alcatraz is trying to learn to control his Talent for breaking things, but it's not easy when he's got to invade the Library of Alexrandia and try to avoid making his bodyguard, a girl his own age called Bastille who's really a Crystallian Knight, angry enough to hit, which is all too easy to do. Trust me, if you've ever felt clumsy or late or...well, anything to put you out of place, these books will make you think about how best to utilize your wonderful Smedry Talent.
20) Alcatraz vs. the Knights Of Crystallia - by Brandon Sanderson
Alcatraz is a hero and a lost son restored to the Free Lands, but She Whose Name Cannot Be Spoken (because no one can pronounce it) has arrived to take the city...and hand out really tasty cookies. Again, incredibly funny, particularly the narrator's over-the-top intros to each chapter.
21) Alcatraz vs. the Shattered Lens - by Brandon Sanderson
Okay, so things aren't looking up for Alcatraz, or any of the Smedrys, whose Talents--like arriving late, getting lost, waking up ugly, and breaking things--aren't able to help them face the invading hordes of different factions of Librarians. Humor usually lessens with each successive book, but this one never lets up and continues to make me laugh, as well as confuse me with the chapter numbering being completely off the wall!
I've been reading Brandon Sanderson since his first book came out in 2005, and I have to say there's a reason he's the fastest-growing star in fantasy circles. He has amazingly complex magic systems that stay true to themselves, characters that are each very individual and unique, peoples and details that make every world a very real place, and plots that always leave you guessing, seeing the hints, and still being astoundingly surprised when the end comes around, which is always too soon! He takes standard fantasy cliches and turns them upside down so that you still get the comfort of reading fantasy but are kept in suspense and interested all the way through to the last page. I'd recommend his books to anyone and read anything he wrote. Very good to get to sit down and reread through all these favorites!
