- The Sunlit Man by Brandon Sanderson.
- Read: November 12th, 2023 – November 20th, 2023.
- Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (4/5)
If I’m not mistaken Brandon said this was a book written for his fans, and you can tell. It introduces LOTS of new concepts and ideas which will become relevant to the whole Cosmere. As such, it’s probably best enjoyed by someone that has read most of the other Cosmere books.
Highlights
Her dyed black hair might have been seen by some as vanity, but Nomad recognized it as a token of self-possession. She knew how she liked to look. And she didn’t care that others knew it was artificial. In expressing herself, the artificial became more authentic than the original. — p. 69
“Even in science,” Contemplation said, “faith plays a role. Each experiment done, each step on the path of knowledge, is achieved by striking out into the darkness. You can’t know what you will find, or that you will find anything at all. It is faith that drives us—faith in answers that must exist.” — p. 69
“Thank you for the lecture, young man,” Confidence said dryly. “Perhaps, with age, you will come to realize that a balance is needed. Tyranny is awful, but not all authority is to be rejected. It is common for the young to have trouble with this concept of moderation.” — p. 88
“Knowing you aren’t strange,” he explained in Alethi, “is helpful. Knowing others felt like you did. Sometimes it’s the only thing that is helpful.” — p. 109
“Why do you care…about me?” she asked, frowning. He stopped by the door. “Human beings have a natural sense of decency, Elegy. Yours might have been burned away. I know a little of what that’s like, but it’s not how we’re meant to be.” — p. 211
“They’ve always lived on the edge of destruction,” Nomad replied. “I suppose they learned to find happiness in the moments between disasters.” — p. 232
He’d learned from wise battle commanders that in times of tension, someone making any decision was often better than standing around. But there was a caveat to that lesson. Pithy though it sounded, the leaders who said it were the ones who had lived long enough to pass it on. They were the ones, in the heated moments, who didn’t just make decisions. They made the right decisions. — p. 241