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Rate: 5/5

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Medium: Audiobook

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Overview (No Spoilers):

 In a world where science has tapped into the ability to reach infinite dimensions, this technology has become so commonplace that a new form of real estate has been born. How would you like to own your own dimension? John West wakes up in the middle of a field, dressed in bizarre robes and having absolutely no memory of who he is and how he got there. His only clues come from a partially burned book that is scattered in the wind. As John meets the locals, he very quickly realizes that he may have made a mistake that may cost him his life. Can John piece together the fragments from his past to figure out why he is in medieval England and who he is before it is too late?

The Frugal Wizard’s Handbook for Surviving Medieval England or as I will be referring to it for the remainder of this review, the Frugal Wizard, is Sanderson venturing out of his comfort zone and trying something new. The story doesn’t feel as smooth or as detailed as quintessential Sanderson, but is still fantastic in execution with engaging worldbuilding that will leave the reader pondering what was left on the cutting board. In fact, I finished this read in a fraction of the time it typically takes me to read a Sanderson novel. Again, this did not deter from the overall entertainment, it is just a deviation from the normal. I can imagine this would have been a fun challenge for Sanderson.  I sincerely hope we will eventually revisit this stunning literary world that is overflowing with potential.

Between chapters the reader is granted partial paragraphs from the burned and scattered guide. These excerpts are written in an unexpectedly amusing tone, especially considering that it comes from material that would typically be dry and legal dense. I found myself looking forward to finding out what Sanderson would dream up next  for these sections when given a blank, seemingly infinite canvas to detail upon. Along with the humor, the handbook portions also address how ‘owning your own dimension’ could be rife with abuse. Honestly, this premise alone opens up countless potential for spin-offs or adaptations. 

The Frugal Wizard volleys back and forth between John’s frantic, ill-prepared missteps in medieval England and the sarcastic, fact-filled handbook. This dynamic makes for a highly entertaining read that was easy to fly through. Sanderson sets up this novel with the story being told from someone who has to discover the world and their own backstory at the same pace as the reader. This draws out the development for the main character, but surprisingly, the supporting characters also suffer from this one-dimensional depth. This is likely a deliberate choice due to the break neck pacing throughout this novel as John very quickly finds himself over his head. His situation is perhaps unproportionally convenient, especially as every unresolved aspect of his past aligns in a highly improbable solution. Though perhaps this is the luck of this world at play. 
Overall, The Frugal Wizard’s Handbook for Surviving Medieval England is a deliberate deviation from Sanderson’s typical writing style, but the risk yields dividends as he delivers a highly entertaining new literary world with a detective style feel that will keep the reader guessing right up until the last reveal. 

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Additional Insight (Spoilers Abound): 

• What other potentials do the medical nanites have?
• What alternate dimensions make Sanderson’s cutting block before he decided on this route?
• Jen and Ryan having an affair was a brutal reveal. 
• John has some drawing skills. He even tricks some of the locals that he steals their souls by drawing pictures of them. I couldn’t help but be reminded of Nikaro in Yumi and the Nightmare painter. 
• John slowly discovering he was not a ‘good’ guy was rather heartbreaking. He really was a good guy at heart though with his painful past stripped away. 
• Ryan Chu really was an asshole to John. Did not feel like a good friend at all.
• I did not forsee Logna being the goddess Thokk . What a great twist. 

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