Skin Deep by Brandon Sanderson
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
I love Brandon Sanderson’s imagination. Mistborn and the world of The Rithmatist are two of my favorite places to dream about being. My expectations for Legion were, therefore, unrealistic, but that’s the danger when your audience becomes acquainted with dining gourmet. A lesser meal just isn’t the same.
Why was I displeased? I think it comes down to the tone. It’s just too whimsical. There never feels like anything worth losing is at stake.
Also, one thing I loved about the Rithmatist is that the magic system was so well defined that you could even think about the ramifications of a line here or there. What would this do? Etc.
Not so with Legion. Stephen Leeds can solve any problem by just having a new personality join him, and I don’t see the cost. If it’s his madness at stake, why don’t I feel more his pain?
There is no question that Legion will be popular. There is already a deal for its TV rights. It may even get better (a 3rd book is planned), so I reserve the right to change my opinion.
This is where I’m at now though. It’s technically good writing (it’s also well researched – I can say that because I have a background in systems and I’ve discussed aspects about encoding data in cells where recombinant DNA would automatically do the backup), but I want a little more dire aspects in the tone.
I liked it, but wasn’t wild about it. I wanted to be wild about it.