Shai is a forger: using a mixture of magic and art, she can make an expert copy of just about anything. When she is caught in the emperor's palace (on a heist involving a priceless painting and a royal treasure), she is imprisoned and expects to be executes. Instead, the emperor's closest advisers set her a task more challenging than any she has yet faced: to forge a new copy of the emperor's soul. The emperor sustained a near-fatal injury in an assassination attempt, and while the royal healers were able to repair his body, he is now basically brain-dead. Shai has just a few months to complete this incredibly complex task -- to forge a copy of a soul, she must know everything there is to know about the person in question. Usually Forgers only replicate their own souls, and even that is a task that can take years. Shai doesn't have years -- in fact, she suspects that she doesn't have even the three months they have given her, because what is the likelihood that a forger who has copied the emperor's soul will be allowed to live after the task is completed? In addition to making the forgery, Shai must find a way to escape her prison. It's not going to be easy, but escape is her only hope of survival. And successfully forging the emperor's soul is the only thing that can prevent the country from sinking into civil war.
This novella is set in the Elantris universe, but it is not necessary to read Elantris before reading The Emperor's Soul. This little book is complete in itself, with a unique and fully realized magic system (Sanderson's specialty) and detailed, interesting characters -- plus a fast-moving plot, which is surprising since the main character is imprisoned for most of the book. Highly recommended -- in fact, I'd recommend this as a good introduction to Sanderson's writing for those who might be put off by more lengthy tomes like Mistborn or The Way of Kings.
(Reviewed from a copy borrowed through my library system.)
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