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Interview #995: Brandon Sanderson’s Blog: THE RITHMATIST Out Now, Entry #1
Brandon Sanderson
The Rithmatist is out! Buy it from the links to the right or visit your local bookstore. (In the UK/Australia, the release date is May 23rd.) My book tour starts tonight in New York and continues in Philadelphia, Denver, Omaha, New Orleans, Houston, San Jose, Albuquerque, Phoenix, Provo, and Spanish Fork. For details see my events page. (And note, as always I’m happy to sign any books you bring to a signing. Don’t feel bad showing up to a signing for The Rithmatist carrying your copy of A Memory of Light. I’ll sign it gladly. And if you want me to send you an email when I’ll be signing near you, tell me your city here .)
I’m super excited about The Rithmatist . Imagine a world where people duel using a magical, StarCraft-like system where one draws units and structures in chalk. Those come to life once you complete them, though they remain two dimensional, and you can use any drawing surface as a dueling platform. The main character, Joel, gets to go to a school specializing in this magic, though he can’t actually use it himself. (He is the son of the cleaning lady, so he gets free tuition.) Students start disappearing, and he gets mixed up in the mystery.
This book is a favorite among my beta readers. ( The Rithmatist has been around in draft form for some six years now, so many of the inner circle of my fans have read it already.) It’s a fun, quick read that (hopefully) will tide you over while I’m finishing up Stormlight 2, Words of Radiance . (About 80% done with that right now.)
While I love my Alcatraz series for younger readers, that series is very bizarre and quite different from the style of my adult books. I’ve found that many of my readers wish I had something more “Brandonesque” to hand to their younger siblings, children, nieces and nephews, etc. Well, this is the book for you. Deep worldbuilding, a complex magic system, and a sharp plot.
Hopefully you’ll all be willing to give it a look. The sample chapters are here and you can hear the beginning of the audiobook here .
Read onward on this blog post if you want to hear some of the background of The Rithmatist and how it came to be. Otherwise, check out those sample chapters , and come see me on tour!
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