From #1 New York Times bestselling author Brandon Sanderson--creator of The Stormlight Archive, the Mistborn Saga, and countless bestselling works of science fiction and fantasy--comes this captivating standalone adventure that meshes Jason Bourne, epic fantasy, and time travel. A man awakes in a clearing in what appears to be medieval England with no memory of who he is, where he came from, or why he is there. Chased by a group from his own time, his sole hope for survival lies in regaining his missing memories, ...
Read More
From #1 New York Times bestselling author Brandon Sanderson--creator of The Stormlight Archive, the Mistborn Saga, and countless bestselling works of science fiction and fantasy--comes this captivating standalone adventure that meshes Jason Bourne, epic fantasy, and time travel. A man awakes in a clearing in what appears to be medieval England with no memory of who he is, where he came from, or why he is there. Chased by a group from his own time, his sole hope for survival lies in regaining his missing memories, making allies among the locals, and perhaps even trusting in their superstitious boasts. His only help from the "real world" should have been a guidebook entitled The Frugal Wizard's Handbook for Surviving Medieval England , except his copy exploded during transit. The few fragments he managed to save provide clues to his situation, but can he figure them out in time to survive? Other Tor books by Brandon Sanderson The Cosmere The Stormlight Archive The Way of Kings Words of Radiance Edgedancer (novella) Oathbringer Dawnshard (novella) Rhythm of War The Mistborn Saga The Original Trilogy Mistborn The Well of Ascension The Hero of Ages Wax and Wayne The Alloy of Law Shadows of Self The Bands of Mourning The Lost Metal Other Cosmere novels Elantris Warbreaker Tress of the Emerald Sea Yumi and the Nightmare Painter The Sunlit Man Collection Arcanum Unbounded: The Cosmere Collection The Alcatraz vs. the Evil Librarians series Alcatraz vs. the Evil Librarians The Scrivener's Bones The Knights of Crystallia The Shattered Lens The Dark Talent Bastille vs. the Evil Librarians (with Janci Patterson) Other novels The Rithmatist Legion: The Many Lives of Stephen Leeds The Frugal Wizard's Handbook for Surviving Medieval England Other books by Brandon Sanderson The Reckoners Steelheart Firefight Calamity Skyward Skyward Starsight Cytonic Skyward Flight (with Janci Patterson) Defiant
Read Less
Choose your shipping method in Checkout. Costs may vary based on destination.
Seller's Description:
Fine. Sewn binding. Cloth over boards. With dust jacket. 384 p. Secret Projects. In Stock. 100% Money Back Guarantee. Brand New, Perfect Condition, allow 4-14 business days for standard shipping. To Alaska, Hawaii, U.S. protectorate, P.O. box, and APO/FPO addresses allow 4-28 business days for Standard shipping. No expedited shipping. All orders placed with expedited shipping will be cancelled. Over 3, 000, 000 happy customers.
Choose your shipping method in Checkout. Costs may vary based on destination.
Seller's Description:
New. Sewn binding. Cloth over boards. With dust jacket. 384 p. Secret Projects. In Stock. 100% Money Back Guarantee. Brand New, Perfect Condition, allow 4-14 business days for standard shipping. To Alaska, Hawaii, U.S. protectorate, P.O. box, and APO/FPO addresses allow 4-28 business days for Standard shipping. No expedited shipping. All orders placed with expedited shipping will be cancelled. Over 3, 000, 000 happy customers.
Choose your shipping method in Checkout. Costs may vary based on destination.
Seller's Description:
Good. A copy that has been read, but remains in clean condition. All pages are solid. the cover is intact, but may show scuffs or light creases, as well as a possible rolled corner. The spine may show signs of wear. Pages may include limited notes and highlighting, The former owner may have written their name inside the front or back cover. COVER WILL VARY.
Choose your shipping method in Checkout. Costs may vary based on destination.
Seller's Description:
Condition: GOOD-Used with some wear from use. May include stickers on cover, missing or wear to dustcover, inside cover, spine, slight curled corners, stains, and wear to the fore edge. All orders ship via UPS Mail Innovations-can take up to 14 business days from first scan to be delivered. The dust jacket shows little wear. The pages show little markings, dings and wear.
Choose your shipping method in Checkout. Costs may vary based on destination.
Seller's Description:
May have some shelf-wear due to normal use. Your purchase funds free job training and education in the greater Seattle area. Thank you for supporting Goodwill's nonprofit mission!
'This is the odd man out of the group of secret projects I wrote in 2020 and 2021. It's not in the Cosmere, it's in first person, and it's more science fiction than fantasy.'
It's always fun to see an established author want to take a bit of a departure from the books they are inherently known for, and it seems like the (extremely long) title 'The Frugal Wizard's Handbook for Surviving Medieval England', had been in Brandon Sanderson's head for a long time before he got around to putting pen to paper.
This book seems to have split reviewers by the looks of it, with the humour and characters not really landing with some readers. I personally really enjoyed it, it's refreshing and quite light and I think would be a nice introduction to Sanderson to those who might not have the time to invest in a new series.
This is very much a standalone novel, and it has its own inherent style with brilliant illustrations from Steve Argyll. I must admit to being very grateful that I was given a physical ARC from Gollancz, as I usually read on my Kindle only and I'm not sure it would have had the same impact. It did however, mean I had to try and remember how to read an actual book and search out for a bookmark - as I travel so much for work, I haven't picked up a physical book in years! If you are able to, I'd highly recommend getting the hardcover as it is beautiful, with illustrated chapter headings, as well as full graphic pages of the Handbook itself.
Most of the world building is done through these snippets of Handbook pages, that are marketing materials for the Interdimensional Travel Company who set Wizards up with their very own dimension to conquer - think a real-life version of Age of Empires! These Handbook pages are also humorous throughout, with footnotes giving witty asides. They do feel a little repetitive in places but then that is realistic when it comes to marketing materials!
In his notes at the end Brandon Sanderson names this as a 'white-room' story, which he has never done in novel form but has always wanted to try. This is defined as the character waking up with no memory and having to discover who they are along with the reader. This was a great narrative mechanic here as you can slip in a bit of an unreliable narrator without losing trust of the main character. The man finds himself in this other dimension with no idea why he chose to come there and what he might be running away from in his world. The man is an odd character - he gives star reviews to everything he encounters, is good at being stealthy, has rudimentary knowledge of hand-to-hand combat and can draw very well. We go on the journey with him as a reader and although he elicits empathy, he can get a little annoying at times!
I don't want to give too much away about the story - it's humorous and heartfelt at times and there are some good twists. The characters are fun and interesting - the female ones in particular! It doesn't really give much of a scope for a sequel, but I'd actually love to visit the original world that has nanite and upgrade technology and where people disappear to live in their own dimensions on a whim!
Overall, The Frugal Wizard's Handbook for Surviving Medieval England is a fun story with brilliant illustrations - perfect for fans of Sanderson who don't have the time to get invested in a whole new series. Thank you to Orion Publishing Group - Gollancz for a copy of the physical ARC in exchange for an honest review on their official blog tour.
