GoldenDevil

I just finished rereading Emperor's Soul this weekend and I think it is among Brandon's finest works. In a short story, Brandon is able to deeply develop three or four different characters (Shai, Gaotona, Ashravan, and Frava). He weaves in this interesting magic system, and explains it well in the context of the story. He does a lot of philosophizing on the nature of art and artistry. And all throughout it's a story with some real stakes and tensions as well. It doesn't hit the same emotional notes for me that Stormlight or Mistborn do, but in terms of just sheer quality it might be his finest work for how much it is able to pack into such a small package.