The Emperor’s Soul by Brandon Sanderson is a short fantasy novella that I recently devoured. The story follows a thief who is given 100 days to forge a soul for the Emperor, who has been left brain dead. As the thief struggles with the enormous task and plans an escape, we encounter themes such as faith, politics and greed.

One of my favourite quotes from The Emperor’s Soul occurs halfway through the story, where the thief reflects on the impossibility of forging a soul. The quote is this:

“No person was one single emotion; no person had only one desire. They had many, and usually those desires conflicted with one another like two rosebushes fighting for the same patch of ground.”

I don’t know what it is about roses, but this imagery made my heart flutter for a second. I’ve previously written about the contradictory nature of humans, but this image adds a layer of beauty to the inconsistencies we see in ourselves and others. That while contradictions can be terribly frustrating, perhaps it is good to accept the conflict for what it is: a consequence of our splendid and beautiful complexity.

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Check out The Emperor’s Soul on: Amazon, free online pdf, Goodreads