A strange title, don't you think?Shadows of Silence in the Forests of Hell, is another short story by Brandon Sanderson in the Arcanum Unbounded and boy does it pack a punch.
Based in a Cosmere world called Threnody, ghosts called shades roam freely in the Forests. The Evil has taken over the Homeland and everyone who wasn't killed by it was forced to flee to this continent where the shades rule with shadowy hands. You follow the Simple rules and you'll be fine, don't and you will wither away to skeleton and clothes.
Silence is an innkeeper who secrets away as a bounty hunter in order to pay for all the silver she uses to keep her homestead safe from all the shades as well as the money to keep the in running. When a major bounty rolls into her inn she takes the chance to take him in, not alive of course. But killing in the Forests is bad and will set the shades into a rage that will kill anyone and everyone if they smell blood. Tricky business finding them, trickier business killing them, trickiest business getting out alive.
This was a very cool story. I very much had a "This is Halloween" vibe that would be good to read during that spooky time. I'm not normally very interested in "ghost ghost stories" but this was (written so well) one that pulled me in. It could have pulled on many cliches and troupes, but went an a different route which made it very much engaging.
It also has a very strong lead female characters who will survive. A mother and a daughter who have do to what they have to do. I think Brandon did a very good job with these characters, whereas he's been lightly criticized about his female characters in the past. It's fun to see him growing as a writer and making these people, all of them, so real.
I can't wait for more books in the Threnody world and see how it reaches into the Cosmere. Very excited.
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