The Rithmatist

4.7 starsThis is a fantastic AU of our own world, where instead of the United States, there are the United Isles. A lot of the history is the same, such as Euclid’s mathematical discoveries; but when Rithmatics was discovered via wild chalkings, there is a larger divergence. Rithmatics is chalked magic and something I really can’t explain beyond that. Its foundation is in Geometry though, which fascinates me, a math teacher.This is a math-friendly, educator-friendly book. I freaking love that children are being exposed to such positivity in a fantasy novel.I love that there are writing and activity prompts in the back. They allow for creativity in the classroom, and for parents & children.I did read these about 50% in and thus accidentally spoiled myself in the process. I started to keep an eye out for clues that I knew Sanderson must have put in (and he did).It’s cool that some of the Isles have the same names as places in the U.S. and Canada, such as Wisconsin, Texas, Nebrask, and Newfoundland. Others are similar, including Yellowstone, Erie, and Santa Fe. And then there are places like New France, New Britannia, and New Holland.Sanderson of course made sure there was a map of the Isles, including marks where the Rithmatic Academies are. There are eight Academies on eight different Isles, and Rithmatists are chosen by the Master among children. Only about one in a thousand children are chosen each year.McSweeney’s illustrations strew the book, sometimes with drawings on pages themselves, but more so with descriptions between chapters. The illustrations truly enhance the book and almost make the magic come to life. Not only is the reader shown different aspects of Rithmatics, but there is a progression to them that helps the reader simply understand more.I will say that calling curved images “lines” is annoying, especially because all the chalked images are 2D and are thus not subject to non-Euclidean rules. But the different Defensive, as well as offensive chalklings are full of fascinating uses of polygons and curves. There is a non-gon with only six non-curved sides.Rithmatics is a complex science that is also based on belief and feelings. I almost want to study it along with Joel.Joel is not a Rithmatist but is able to go to one of the [private] Rithmatic Academies. I like that there are local public schools for almost the rest of the school-aged population.Unfortunately, this privilege does not come because of money or social standing. Neither of his parents are even professors (though I have a feeling there are no female professors; it’s a near-scandal to have a female clerk). No, his father was a chalk maker at the school and his mother is a cleaning lady. It’s only because of his father’s death 8 years prior that Joel is even able to have free tuition.He is a very interesting teenager. He has studied the Rithmatic methods and internalized their history--even more than many of the youth Rithmatists! He is awesome at math, which is bloody amazing to read. I’m seeing this more and more, but I am still always incredibly frustrated whenever I read “yeah, math sucks.” The Rithmatist children even have to take general education courses on top of their Rithmatics ones (in a separate building), though they’re generally in advanced classes. I like that they’re held to a high standard because of their positions and expectations.My mind struggles to wrap around the mathematical progression: Geometry, Trigonometry...and THEN Algebra.Sanderson, I’m confused yet intrigued.But all of the math leaves me full of geeky giddiness.What is more, it’s also an educator-friendly book that shows competent and flexible and understanding leaders of the school from the principal down. I am SO. HAPPY. a renowned author like Sanderson has written this.Joel is not ostracized but has few friends. As such, he finds that he’ll be alone during the summer. He is fortunately able to get permission from Principal York to be a student assistant under Professor Fitch.Or really, the former professor. I really don’t like Nalizac, who challenges Fitch to a duel and therefore takes his teaching spot (and, I believe his tenure). Nalizac is an arrogant priss who thinks fighting on the front lines [of Nebrask] means that he is better than those simply teaching theories and history. I have a bad feeling about him from the start, and I know I’m meant to.The question is: Is this a true bad feeling or a red herring?I will say that despite the unknown state of the Isle Nebrask and the fighting that is going on there I’m not terribly interested in it until I’m more than a quarter through.Fitch’s assignment for Joel opens the lines of friendship between him and a not-so-proficient girl his age named Melody. It’s funny to me that Joel finds her to be very strange, when others feel the same about him and his passion for Rithmatics, despite not having the magical ability.Federal Inspector Harding is pretty awesome.I really like that Joel wasn’t embarrassed to admit to Melody that he didn’t even have the 9 cents needed to buy ice cream.There are pieces of steampunk here, though they are more subtle than other such novels I’ve read. The springrail is the most interesting technology to meThe Monarchial Church seems to be a twisted form of the Catholic church, which makes me ad. They provide the inception ceremony allowing the children to get their Rithmatic powers--the path to salvation.The ending was intense and perfect.

It might be for Young Adults but I as an old Brandon Sanderson fan loved it. A fun book that was a blast to read. I like these types of books by Sanderson even better than Stormlight.

Brandon Sanderson, the author best known for his Mistborn series and for finishing Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time series, has scored another hit with his Young Adult fantasy novel, The Rithmatist. Although this novel is considered "Young Adult", it is great reading for all ages. Described as a "gearpunk" novel, The Rithmatist is set in a clever alternate-universe America in which America has been divided into sixty islands comprising the United Isles of America. The story takes place on the island of New Brittania at the prestigious Armedius Academy, where the sons and daughters of the elite are sent to be educated either in regular classes or, if they have been chosen to be one of the special few, Rithmatics. Joel, the main character of The Rithmatist, stands out as an oddity among the student population at Armedius. Joel, the son of a chalk maker and a cleaning lady on the staff at Armedius, has only gained admittance to the school because the Principal was good friends with his father. Joel, who is not chosen to be one of the elite group of Rithmatists, is obsessed with all things Rithmatics, much to the dismay of... well, pretty much everyone. When Joel arranges to be the research assistant to the brilliant but self-doubting Professor Fitch, his surpassing knowledge of Rithmatic theory makes him an invaluable aid when he finds that his job as a research assistant is to help solve the mysterious disappearance of a Rithmatics student.Before I read this book, I was already a big fan of its author, Brandon Sanderson. One of my favorite things about Sanderson is his unique, inventive magic systems. In my opinion, Sanderson's magic systems are particularly innovative in the fantasy genre because they rely on rules. While many fantasy books use magic as deus ex machina plot devices to abruptly solve what was hitherto an unsolvable problem in the plot, Sanderson's use of rule-based magics avoids many of the fantasy genre's common shortcomings. Sanderson has even formulated a theory on the use of magic in fantasy books, which he dubs "Sanderson's First Law of Magics": this law states that "an author's ability to solve conflict with magic is DIRECTLY PROPORTIONAL to how well the reader understands said magic" (for more on Sanderson's opinions on how magic should function, check out this article from his website: http://www.brandonsanderson.com/article/40/Sandersons-First-Law).Things I liked about this book:The Characters: The main characters of the book, Joel and Melody, make an awesome duo. Both teenagers are outcasts for different reasons: Joel is a shy, overly studious kid whose attempts to socialize are shunned by his much more wealthy peers as well as the snobby, aloof Rithmatics students while Melody, a Rithmatist from a wealthy family, is anything but shy. A failure at Rithmatics, Melody's personal brand of melodrama is both funny and a cause for sympathy. Even though Joel and Melody are complete opposites in both personality and circumstance, they develop a strong friendship. I also enjoyed the lesser characters such as the nervous Professor Fitch, as well as other characters that I don't want to give anything away about! All of the characters were well developed, with unique feelings and motives. Another thing I like about Joel is that it is his intellect and dedication (and sometimes, sheer stubbornness) that is emphasized as being instrumental to solving the mystery. Unlike a lot of fantasy books (I'm looking at you, Harry Potter), it isn't the kid with the innate magical powers or un-worked-for genius that saves the day in The Rithmatist.The Plot: The Rithmatist is fast-paced and coherent, and manages to both develop and resolve a complex plot in 384 pages. The book manages to be more than a simple "who-dunnit"; The Rithmatist is also a coming of age story. Sanderson manages to insinuate teaching moments about bullying and acceptance for the book's target demographic (teenagers) without it being either obvious or preachy. The plot is engaging and Sanderson deftly drops clues to both lead and mislead the reader into forming opinions about the culprit. Even at the very end of the novel, new surprises are being thrown at the reader, which left me hooked and eagerly anticipating round 2 in the sequel to The Rithmatist, which is due sometime in 2014.Additional Features: From the beginning of The Rithmatist, diagrams outlining the use of Rithmatics are provided for the reader. Many chapters begin with further diagrams that show different uses of Rithmatics that will appear in the upcoming chapter. These diagrams were absolutely essential to visualizing and understanding Rithmatics. Another added bonus feature is the illustrations interspersed throughout the book, which definitely enriched the reading experience by making some of the writing's images come to life.What I didn't like about the book: hardly anything, really. Mostly I just wish it had been longer, or that the sequel was coming out sooner (i.e. yesterday). I personally am a fast reader, insofar as that when I read, I read for hours and hours on end. Because of this, I ended up finishing the book in less than two days. For readers that have less free time on their hands, I'm sure this book will last much longer.So do I recommend The Rithmatist? Absolutely! And not just to teenagers--I think adults are every bit as capable of enjoying the suspense, character development, and creativity found in The Rithmatist as the supposed target audience. Really, the only thing that makes this book "Young Adult" fiction is the lack of profanity and adult content. As I said before, I eagerly await the next book in what is supposed to be a trilogy, especially because of the surprising ending! Go forth and read!

I was looking for a school adventure with a bit of a difference, but to be honest, I hadn’t expected too much of this one, so was absolutely delighted when it delivered a really enthralling read with a fabulous premise. In this alternate fantastic world, Rithmatists are those who are able to attack and kill using chalk drawings. Their chalklings are able to strip the flesh from bones, cause fires and destroy. Sanderson’s straightforward, flowing prose quickly drew me into this world, where Joel is obsessed by the geometric designs that will keep the chalklings at bay.Joel is a scholarship student whose rather blinkered approach to his studies means that he is regularly in trouble with his tutors. And while he isn’t necessarily bullied or hassled (which I liked, because it made a very nice change), neither is he ever invited home during the holidays to stay at the families of the rich and powerful. Being the son of the school cleaning lady means he isn’t well connected enough.I liked his lack of self pity, as he deals with this dynamic, and his rather spiky character. The supporting cast are also well done – there is a pleasing mix of adults, so that while some are not particularly sympathetic or kind, there are a number who are all of those things. But the relationship that rolls this lovely story forward is his friendship with Melody. While Joel would give anything to be a Rithmatist, Melody hates her gift as it forces her into a life she resents and fears. Not surprisingly, this dynamic creates a lot of sparks between these two and I loved that it wasn’t a relationship that ever settles down into something easy and straightforward. She is also a strong, vibrant character with a flair for the dramatic and a tendency to draw cute unicorn chalklings.As for the story – well, that’s a doozy! I had, of course, realised the identity of the antagonist creating all the havoc and kidnapping the promising young Rithmatists, until it became apparent that I’d got it completely wrong… The pages flew by as I was gripped by the plot, desperate for Joel and the kindly professor to succeed.While the main puzzle is solved, the conclusion clearly sets this one up to be followed by another book, which so far hasn’t seen the light of day. It’s a real shame – and I’m glad I didn’t know the second book hadn’t appeared before I tucked into this one, or I might never have started it. And if I hadn’t done that, then I would have missed out on one of my most entertaining, quirkily clever reads of the year so far. Highly recommended, even if the second book isn’t available…10/10

For the past few months I have been listening to Brandon teach on storytelling from his YouTube channel which he hosts his creative writing course on. I've also been buying his books when they've come on special offer for the past 4 months but I have not read any until now.Brandon has many books and many series that I could start with but I wanted something easy, not a thousand pages, this book is a great read. It's a sort of Harry potter, The Magicians mashup.The story moves along a good pace and there are good couple of twists as you go along.When Joel has his Inception service for a second time I am glad he doesn't become a Rimithist at this point. Reading between the lines I know that Joel will become one at some point because as we are discovering there is more than one way to asend to that position position.It's a rip roaring read which moves at a good pace. The characterization is very clear as well as the settings. Very hard to describe magic which is based in writing but with the illustrations it certainly helps.I would love to see this option for a movie or TV series

I loved it! I can't believe it but this book was so good! It started awkwardly with the chalklings. I felt they're underwhelming and presenting insufficient sense of danger to make a good plot. It simply felt there's not enough weight to the book, that there's no stake. But as the plot unfolded I became invested in the characters, following them with increasing interest. Then suddenly the whole world popped out from the book. Amazing three dimensional characters and a captivating mystery. The tower moves, strange things happen around Joel the rithmatic genius. There are more ways than one to be invested as rithmatist. And finally the convincing idea that intention is crucial for magic. Young adult literature has never been so profound, so well developed. Normally as an adult you can't read kids' books and truly enjoy them. But as always Sanderson is THE exception. 'There are many good fantasy writers out there but at the very top, soaring above them all, sits a man wielding a Shardpen and devising inhumanly brilliant worlds'.

Joel goes to a school that also caters to students studying to become rithamists - a type of magical warrior that can fight against 'wild chalklings' with their own drawings and measurements (yeah, it sounds weird but it's surprisingly easy enough to get the gist of). When rithmatist students start disappearing in strange circumstances, Joel becomes part of the investigation.I surprisingly enjoyed this. I was expecting a good story cause I had heard great things about Brandon Sanderson's writing, but I wasn't expecting to be quite so sucked in. The build-up of the world was pretty good, though I thought it was a dystopia type world at first, I think it was actually more of an alternate reality to our world today. The explanations of the different types of circles and lines and defences used by the rithmatists did go a bit over my head. I just saw shapes and my math-hating brain shut off, basically.Joel was a good protagonist and I really liked his growing relationship with Melody. They never deviated from what I expected of them so their personalities really held firm. I also liked the professors Fitch and Nalizar. I couldn't help but think of Professor Slughorn from Harry Potter when it came to Fitch, that bumbling type of teacher and Nalizar's story arc reminded me a lot of how Harry treated and suspected Snape in the Philosopher's Stone.I'm really hope another book will come out soon as I really feel there's so much more to come with this story and Joel's story.

I don't like giving this book more stars than the Mistborn (Era One) series, but though I I think I enjoyed that series more over all, this book just captured me. Sure, there are elements that are derivative, but that doesn't matter. What really made this book so wonderful fort me was the banter between Joel and Melody. Much like Sanderson's other works, characters are well crafted. But the back and forth between these two just rings so true.It's sad that Sanderson has struggled to get his head back into the world the Rithmatist, following his Wheel Of Time sabbatical. I really do hope he does do it someday tough, there is just something extremely special about this book.