Perfect State

Perfect State is the story of Kai, the conquerer of the world. Well, at least of his world. Kai is actually living in a simulated world that is perfectly tailored to making him a hero. Which means he is fantastic at everything. Until he is told by the higher powers that he need to procreate, and is forced to go on a date. With the usual Brandon Sanderson flare, hilarity and awesome adventures ensue.

I've read nearly all of Brandon Sanderson's works, so I've become quite used to his style as an author. I have to say that Perfect State stood out from the rest, in a good way. Sanderson gets a bit edgier than in his other works, and it really worked for this story. The world-building and plot, as always, are fantastic. The setup of the story allows for all the cool things, while still making total sense, which makes my geeky little heart do a happy dance. The characters are fun, and definitely have the typical Sanderson snark that I've come to expect from the non-cosmere crowd. I suppose one could criticize how all of his characters have the same tone when they banter, but it's fun banter, so I really don't mind at all.

I really loved the ending of this story. It is the perfect blend of depressing, thought provoking, and hopeful. There are so many little details that I loved about this story, but I don't want to give away too many spoilers, so I won't list them here. I'm just going to say “I loved it” and leave it at that. The story is fairly short and reads very quickly - I read it while traveling and finished it in one sitting between other books during the trip. This is the sort of story I think everyone will enjoy. It's fun, it's quick, it's inexpensive, and it's good. Highly recommended.