When the familiar and seemingly safe turns lethal, therein danger lies. Amid a forest where the shades of the dead linger all around, every homesteader knows to follow the Simple Rules: “Don’t kindle flame, don’t shed the blood of another, don’t run at night. These things draw shades.” Silence Montane has broken all three rules on more than one occasion. And to protect her family from a murderous gang with high bounties on their heads, Silence will break every rule again, at the risk of becoming a shade herself.
A surprisingly dark story from Brandon Sanderson I wasn’t sure what I would think of Shadows For Silence In The Forests Of Hell when I started reading it, I had heard a little too much about how short it was compared to the rest of Brandon’s stories. While I don’t think it was long enough to justify it being called a novella, the fact that it’s so slow is a testament to Brandon’s skill as a writer. He has taken a very short story and filled it with an impressive amount of character and detail without having the…
The Brilliant Mind of Sanderson Never Fails to Intrigue I’m a long time Sanderson fan. Originally published in – George R.R. Martin, I had not previously read this novella. The setting for this story takes place in the Forests of Hell, within the universe of Cosmere. The inhabitants who dwell alongside these Forests must continually be on guard against the dangerous shadow beings that reside there.Â
Silent Applause There were several fun stories in the Dangerous Women Anthology (where this story originally appeared), but this was my favorite. It managed to instantly grab me and suck me into the world, make me interested in the characters, and finish satisfyingly all within 89 short pages (well, fewer for the version I read, but I didn’t count :). Like most good stories, it had a nice twist to it that unfolded cleanly as the story progressed.Â