Warbreaker is both Sanderson's best novel to date and his most frustrating. Why is it his best? Well, in my opinion, its magic system is even more interesting than that of the Mistborn trilogy - for those with vivid imaginations, it is one of the most visually impressive magic systems in fantasy to date. With the right creative team, it would make a visually stunning film. Beyond the magic system, there are times when Sanderson breaks through some of his limitations as an author (more below) and one actually becomes a reader, rather than an omni-present observer dragged along. This is especially true during some dialogues and descriptive sections (particularly during the use of magic). Romance is better handled in Warbreaker than ever before (how he won the Romantic Time's award for Elantris is beyond me - it was awful), with most relationships developing rather naturally (and even some surprises!). Finally, some of Sanderson's faults are less on display than they were in the Mistborn trilogy (and especially in Elantris), which I will get to next. Even though I see marked improvement in Warbreaker, Sanderson is far from, in my mind, being capable of finishing the Wheel of Time. One of his flaws though will have no effect on WOT, which is of his populating of the world. It is frustrating to find Sanderson still populating his world with stock characters from the main (Vivenna and Siri, Denth and Vasher, the God King) on down. These are fantasy tropes at their worst. In this regard Warbreaker is a regression from Mistborn, which at least had a few somewhat novel (or, rather, robust) characters. Warbreaker also suffers from the downright aweful exposition, where (and here is the omni-present observer comment) the reader is forced to read the characters thought process, which is not in itself bad at all, but when those thoughts are the most blunt, plot-advancing, hole-filing, trivialities it completely ruins the mood. What perhaps makes this more forgiveable in Warbreaker is that it happens less and it is not coupled as often with some of the worst philosophical musings I've found in the genre. The difference between an R. Scott Bakker and Sanderson is so vast that Sanderson would be better off culling these musings (or, better, integrating them into the flow) than to leave them in their present form. Unfortunately religion rears its ugly (written) head again, and it is here I fear most for the WOT, which, while the debate rages across virtual Randland, it is safe to say that religion is very subtly integrated, if present at all. Contrast this with Sanderson, who uses inter-character discourse to bludgeon the reader with the 'religion might have its faults, but is still awesome' stick. There are times I had to stop reading because the religious overtones got so overwhelming (and it’s not even good religious debate, but stuff right out of World Religions 101) (watch out for Lightsong) that it choked out the text. The pacing of Warbreaker was still plodding, and could easily have been trimmed 100 pages, but brevity was not a strong theme in the WOT, so this should not be too much of a problem. Sanderson still suffers from the occasional plot dump, particularly in filling the details of his complex magic system (this was true of Mistborn and Elantris too) and in world building. This was something that Robert Jordan (James Rigney, Jr.) was a master at (avoiding), but should be somewhat ameliorated by the fact that there is little world/magic building to be done left in WOT. Finally, this is not in any way 'adult' fantasy, but rather young adult fantasy (if even that). Sanderson writes a tight 'rated G (or F)' ship and while this book slips into PG a little more than in the past, it is of the age level of Half-Blood Prince or Deathly Hallows (which is not a quality judgment per say). So who should read this book (or the Mistborn trilogy) - those nervous about his completion of WOT will probably want to get very familiar with Sanderson's style/faults so as to be prepared for November; young adults looking for a post-Potter fix; anyone who enjoyed Mistborn or Elantris; anyone interested in potential fantasy breakout authors (he is not quite there yet); and anyone who enjoys novel magic systems. Who should not read the book - adult fantasy fans who enjoy their grit; fans of 'philosophical' fantasy (or those with any higher level philosophical background); atheists, agnostics or anyone who hates overt religiousness; and those who read fantasy 'literature' for its literary qualities. As a final note, I want to applaud Sanderson for releasing this book under a Creative Commons license. If you aren't sure you'll like the book, just head over to his website and download it (if you can stand to read on a screen). But, of course, please purchase the book if you enjoyed it to support the author.