It is no secret that Brandon Sanderson is one of my favorite authors. And I am lucky that is he always consistently releasing new books. His newest novel is filled with short stories and after reading one of them, I can’t stop thinking about it.
Sanderson is mostly known as a fantasy and sci-fi writer. But that doesn’t mean he can’t write other genres as I have come to find out. His novel Tailored Realities includes a bunch of short stories but the one I want to talk about is Snapshot.
This short story is a science fiction detective novel and just the first few pages had me speechless. The concept for this novella is brilliant and original and one that will leave you with a million questions. But Sanderson isn’t here for explanations. Instead, he is here to tell a detective story that will leave you wanting more.
Detectives Anthony Davis and Chaz’s job is to travel to a specific day in the past using a simulated city to find eviddence to solve crimes. The day plays out exactly as it did in the past but can deviate if Anthony and Chaz cause too much of a ripple.
The duo is sent to a specific day to investigate the murder of the mayor’s son. But Anthony decides to follow a lead he saw on a conspiract theory forum. That leads them to a scene of a mass murder that wasn’t reported in the database. They both pursue this investigation and learn that it goes deeper than they even imagined and will solve it no matter where it takes them.
I have read over a dozen Sanderson novels but even then, I was surprised by this incredible short story. The plot is original and very creative but what stands out the most is that you can’t tell that Sanderson is the author. His writing style adapts to the genre and it makes you wonder how good of a mystery writer Sanderson would have been?
Snapshot is a brilliant novel and one that I will not stop talking about. After the novella, Sanderson reveals that Snapshot is the furthest work of his that is close to being adapted. I really hope that it is because it deserves to be on the big screen.
It reminded me of novels like Shutter Island and The Devotion of Suspect X by Keigo Higashino. Novels and novellas like these are why I love reading new books. Even as a big Sanderson fan, I didn’t think he was capable of something like this. Seeing him venture into new genres and thriving makes me wonder how good his other short stories will be. Until next time, happy reading!