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I received this title from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. No external considerations went into this review - like you'd need to pay me to talk about Sanderson anyways, jeez.

I've been struggling with writing this review for well over a month now, and I think the main reason is... this is my favorite author's first graphic novel, and it took me a while to admit that I just... don't feel it's that good.

First off, the complaint I've seen from a lot of reviewers: the art is grainy and pixelated in the galley. This isn't just a quibble about it not looking nice; this makes it genuinely difficult to follow the action scenes and distinguish faces, especially among characters who are all dressed the same. I assume that the final copy will be much, much cleaner than this.

Now, the real meaty stuff - I reread this volume today and in doing so was struck by how many of the hallmarks of a Sanderson novel I could see here, just... not at their full potential. It must be very difficult to adapt such a worldbuilding-heavy writing style to a visual medium, and especially an episodic one, but with all due sympathy and respect for those who undertook this momentous task: I'm not sure it entirely paid off. The first chapter of the book is functionally a 'tutorial level' for the reader, familiarizing us with the magic system and the main character, and yet for all the important information that's delivered, it feels completely extraneous to the plot. The events of that first chapter (Kenton running the Mastrell's Path) have so far had no impact; there is perhaps one later event that might have been affected, and even there it could have turned out as it did regardless. Kenton's choices are relevant to establishing his character, but much of the chapter is taken up with worldbuilding and magic-system explaining. This isn't a surprise, coming from Sanderson; however, because this isn't a complete story, the reader finishes the volume without actually understanding things that are significantly plot-relevant.

Kenton himself is an interesting character. Mixed-race and multicultural, he's immediately shown to be too stubborn for his own good, someone who has turned to unorthodox methods to get ahead in a strictly orthodox subculture. Sanderson contrasts the sheer power of other Sand Masters with Kenton's refined skill - a sort of Ideal Gas Law sort of equation, where Kenton's technique and precision balance out his lack of raw ability. He winds up as both a scrappy underdog and a pig-headed jerk, which... makes him an interesting protagonist, I suppose. His tenacity is his most heroic trait at this point, even if it gets him into trouble more often than not.

However, the character I'm most excited about - to the surprise of virtually no one - is Khriss! So far we know very little about her, but what we do know is interesting. Honestly, Khriss in this volume is most intriguing in light of what Cosmere readers know her future to be: she will become the author of the Ars Arcanums found in other books. We're just not sure how yet For now, she and her entourage provide cultural contrast, political savvy, and a hint at future plot points to be developed later.

The one thing that I missed when it came to characters in this book was a good internal look at their perspectives. Sanderson excels at this in the multiple viewpoints of the Stormlight Archive, and it really brings the story to a new level. Here, I found myself really feeling the lack of that view; we don't really get to see how relationships develop or attitudes change. Kenton makes several rude/snarky comments towards Khriss for no apparent reason - attitudes that previously he'd only displayed towards his overbearing father. Why direct it at a woman he's barely met? We just don't know, and I struggled to remain patient with him after that. Perhaps sometime in the future we'll get prose novellas set on Taldain that will illuminate things a bit more.

I fully expect this book to be a hit among those who are already fans of the Cosmere. It does have all the traits we've come to expect from Sanderson's work (including some really neat flora/fauna worldbuilding). Personally, I'm intrigued and will keep up with it as Vol 2 and 3 are published, but I feel like it may end up being a better reading experience when all three volumes are out.