I'm not sure how Sanderson packed so much into such a small package, but there it is. Two very entertaining short stories. ( )

Quick, interesting, vintage Sanderson. They're both available for free online (I think) and worth a read for fans interested in deeper non cosmere canon. ( )

It's ironic that I enjoy Brandon Sanderson's shorter works so much, since he's much more famous as a writer of epic fantasy. Regardless, these two novellas are absolute gems and are well worth a read. ( )

Two excellent stories, although not the fantasy I had originally expected.

In "Defending Elysium," we have a huge amount of worldbuilding crammed into a very small space, but done so well that it doesn't feel cramped. We get two well-developed characters and a bunch of supporting cast, a magic system cloaked in science fiction, and the hint at a greater story to come. It will probably never happen, but I'd love to see this universe again in a later story or book.

"First Born" was much more a traditional space opera, but it did something I'd never seen before--its protagonist made a weapon out of failure. A great concept, one that I didn't see coming until the very end. Lots of fun.

All this book does it prove that Brandon Sanderson is capable of some very good short fiction as well as his better known doorstopper fantasy epics. So long as he keeps writing them, I'll keep reading. ( )