The Knights of Crystallia
Written by Brandon Sanderson
Narrated by Ramón de Ocampo
4/5
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About this audiobook
“With comical insight into human nature and just enough substance to make it all matter, the plot offers up plenty of action, gadgetry, metafictional humor, grudgingly dispensed hints of the librarians’ endgame, and counterintuitive Smedry Talents to keep the old fans and new readers alike turning pages.”—Horn Book
Brandon Sanderson
Brandon Sanderson grew up in Lincoln, Nebraska. He lives in Utah with his wife and children and teaches creative writing at Brigham Young University. His bestsellers have sold 32 million copies worldwide and include the Mistborn saga; the Stormlight Archive novels; and other novels, including The Rithmatist, Steelheart, and Skyward. He won a Hugo Award for The Emperor's Soul, a novella set in the world of his acclaimed first novel, Elantris. Additionally, he completed Robert Jordan's The Wheel of Time®. Visit his website for behind-the-scenes information on all his books.
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Titles in the series (4)
The Knights of Crystallia Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Shattered Lens Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Dark Talent Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Bastille vs. the Evil Librarians Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5
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Reviews for The Knights of Crystallia
213 ratings12 reviews
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5I love the corny humor. :D
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Read this with my 7yo daughter. I think Sanderson is targeting pre-teens with this book, but my daughter loves it, and is excited for me to finish reading the series to her. It's written as a "autobiography of Alcatraz", which can be slightly jarring when starting each chapter. But, Sanderson is sly, and puts Easter eggs into the story which aren't immediately obvious to find. The ending wasn't as great as hoped, but it still didn't disappoint. Overall, I would recommend this to any parent who wants to read a good, clean, fun, light fantasy to their children.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Alcatraz finally arrives in the Free Kingdom of Crystallia, but there is a plot afoot by the Librarians to capture a key book. Alcatraz also discovers what it means to be a real friend and how to judge between those who just want to be around him because he is famous.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Volume 3 of Alcatraz versus the evil librarians to which I am enjoying more as the series goes on. Brandon Sanderson writes in a snarky manner which can be very annoying but can also be very funny. Alcatraz in this episode visits Nalhalla, a Free Kingdom and has to stop the evil librarians from taking over Mokia.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The third book in this series sees Alcatraz Smedry finally arrive in the Free Kingdoms where he learns he's quite a celebrity (lots of not so subtle jabs at Harry Potter here) and that there are currently evil librarians meeting with the kings and queens of the Free Kingdoms on a treaty. Alcatraz's frenemy and protector Bastille is stripped of her knighthood due to Alcatraz breaking her sword in the previous book. Alcatraz and a whacky crew - including a daft prince and a "recovering librarian" - work to uncovers suspicious goings on while the librarians are in town. Central to the plot is the Royal Archives (Not a Library), a running gag that makes me laugh as an archivist who has attended professional conferences, but maybe won't be as funny to other readers. As usual, this addition to the Alcatraz series is clever, witty, funny, and still a rather ripping adventure.Favorite Passages:"The love books. However, to them, books are a little like teenage boys. Whenever they start congregating they make trouble."
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Yeah, I know this is book 3 and I haven't read books 1 or 2, but I saw it in the library and picked it up because of the author. I've read other things he's written and enjoyed them. This one is different, and it gets points for that. It gets a point for the Terry Pratchett reference, too. It's an absurd fantasy. Nothing wrong with that. The first person narrator speaks directly to the reader, often commenting on what he's writing and why. Between the two of these, there is no way you can take the story seriously, which I rather liked. (I tend not to like fantasy that tries to pretend that it's plausible.) I don't think I enjoyed this book enough to read the others in the series, but I appreciate how clever it is.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5In the third book in the Alcatraz series, Alcatraz finally gets to visit his home country of Nalhalla. Of course, life is tumultuous from the start with the Evil Librarians trying to forge a peace treaty with the Free Kingdoms, Alcatraz trying to figure out what his relationship should be with his newly-found father, and Bastille having to face trial with the Knights of Crystallia for the loss of her sword (way back in the first book).As in all the Alcatraz books, humour abounds throughout this novel. Sanderson continues to write characters full of quirks, snark, and increasingly bizarre Talents. He also develops the relationship between the characters and Alcatraz and Bastille continue to bond. Of course the over-arching mystery of just what Alcatraz's mother and the Evil Librarians are plotting continues to deepen and while a few clues are dropped in this book, the big bad plan continues to remain a mystery. Of course, Sanderson continues to include many meta moments in the book which are thoroughly entertaining. And as always, there are wonderful quips about librarians. My favourite in this novel was the following:Now, you may have gotten the impression that there are absolutely no uses for Librarians. I'm sorry if I implied that. Librarians are very useful. For instance, they are useful if you are fishing for sharks and need some bait. They're also useful for throwing out windows to test the effects of concrete impact on horn-rimmed glasses. If you have enough Librarians, you can build bridges out of them. (Just like witches.)An amusing continuation of the series.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5A quick fast-paced read. More wit and adventure as Alcatraz tries to stop the evil librarians. More plot twists are added, gearing up for the final volumes.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Brandon Sanderson has hit another one out of the park. Alcatraz Smedry is back and is finally getting his first view of his homeland in the Free Kingdoms. They get back just in time to find out that the Kings are negotiating a truce with the Librarians. The truce would end the war but give Mokia over to the Librarians. Didn't sound like a good deal to me, since paying off the bully only makes them go away for a short while and teaches them to come back later and demand more.Anyway, Alcatraz for the first time is completely immersed into a bath of adoration and hero worship. Since this is the first time anything like this has ever happened to him, he lets it go to his head and starts to believe his own press. Bastille during this whole time has been dealing with the possible expulsion from the Knights of Crystallia for losing and breaking her sword. Grandpa Smedry snaps Alcatraz out of his daze, so he can try to help Bastille and prevent the 'peace' treaty from being signed. All rather dramatic, with just in time rescues and stuff. Excellent read.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5All right! A much better follow-up to the Alcatraz series than the second book was. Chock full of evil bibliophiles, dragons, swordplay, hokey theme music, romance, and fart jokes. And a complete cliff-hanger of an ending! I'm biting my nails until the next volume is published.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Summary: After growing up in the Librarian-controlled Hushlands, Alcatraz Smedry is finally returning to the Free Kingdoms. After all of the danger he has faced, one might think he'd be ready for anything, but he's never had to deal with people treating him like celebrity, thanks both to his Smedry heritage and his time in the Hushlands. He also, for the first time, has to deal with his parents: his newly-rescued father is strange and distant, and his mother, a Librarian, is skulking around the city, and Alcatraz is sure she's up to no good. To top things off, his friend Bastille has been stripped of her armor and her powers, and the Librarians have sent an envoy to the king, ostensibly negotiating a peace treaty... although Alcatraz will have to find out what their real motivations are before it's too late.Review: I'm sad to say it, but I didn't quite enjoy this installment as much as I'd enjoyed the first two books in the series. It was still extremely clever, very fast-paced, and incredibly imaginative. However, I just didn't connect to Alcatraz as a narrator as much as I had before, although I can't quite point to a reason why. Maybe he was a little bit less snarkily sarcastic than usual, or maybe the shine has worn off the hyper-aware meta-narration he provides. Maybe it's because I haven't recently re-read the first two books (a lapse for which Alcatraz berated me at several points throughout the book), so maybe I was missing some plot or character through-lines that would have made this third book resonate more strongly. Maybe I was just not in exactly the right mood to appreciate it fully.None of this is meant to say that this is a bad book. It's not, at all. It was absolutely an enjoyable read, with a bunch of giggle-inducing lines and scenes and gags liberally sprinkled throughout. (I particularly loved the tips to thirteen-year-old boys about thirteen-year-old girls.) There are also some interesting developments regarding What's Really Going On that make me excited to see where Sanderson takes the series next. It's just that it felt like the plot was a *little* less interesting than previous, a *slightly* smaller percentage of the jokes connected, and a *smidge* of the sparkle that made the first two books such a riot had worn off. 3.5 out of 5 stars.Recommendation: Not as gangbusters as the first two books, but still a solidly entertaining read. Don't start here, but the series as a whole is highly recommended to young fantasy fans, mid-grade reluctant readers, and Hushlanders of all ages who need something light and humorous after being overly oppressed by the Librarian regime.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Another humorous story following Alcatraz's fight against the evil librarians from the hushlands. Purely fun stuff that will entertain you with decent adventure and a little mirth. I believe Mr. Sanderson really enjoys playing with his readers on this 5 part adventure. Can't wait for the final volumes to come out.