Snapshot

Very, very entertaining! I normally feel like short read tend not to fully emerse you in the story. Snapshot on the other hand had me on the edge of my seat from the beginning and didn't let up until the very end! Very good read!

I have read practically everything that Brandon Sanderson has published. Huge fan and always want to read more.

I'll do my best for no plot spoilers. Onto the critiquing: The characters are very reminiscent of Wax and Wayne from his other work. Even the quirks are vaguely familiar. I know the quirks are for comic relief and used as a writing device; however, it's becoming repetitive and the characters feel interchangeable between stories.

Another hang up was the short length (under two hours to finish) and lots of unanswered questions about the history/ politics/ philosophy of the Snapshot. The Snapshot premise is underdeveloped and has a Minority Report-esque vibe to it. These issues could be solved by writing more books in this "world" and I would welcome it.

Another critique is that in one of the crimes the protagonists set to solve/investigate, the motivations for that crime is not fully realized. Detective stories usually have a satisfying reveal as to why and how the crime was committed. This story failed to yield an "aha moment" for the crime the protagonists mainly focused on. Seems like a major oversight in writing this novella. It was anticlimactic to leave it nonsensical. When you read the book (and I hope you get a chance) you will understand what I am saying without giving away anything in this review.

I am being overly critical as Sanderson is my favorite author so I have high expectations. That being said, it was a good read and follows the authors usual formula. His afterward was interesting as well as you can see how he anticipates people will read and respond to this story.

I am sad that I read it so quickly as I will have a long wait until the next Sanderson book which I think is in November. Keep writing Brandon Sanderson.

If you are a Brandon Sanderson fan, you will probably love this. If not, you should read it so you can begin to love his work!

The story is a detective story with a supernatural twist. So detective story fans have something to appreciate too.

There are elements for deeper contemplation as well. If we lived the same day again, would we do it differently? If we made a bad decision, would that decision change if we changed?

As always, a great read and some food for thought.

Thanks Brandon for continuing to brighten my life with your talent!

Not sure what to say here, the writing was good, the macguffin was novel and there were some expected and some surprising twists near the end but I ever really felt invested in the characters. There was a big turnaround for the main character at one point but it felt like a *shrug* oh really? moment to me.

Sanderson is a magician. He shows you one thing and you think you are so smart and have it all figured out because it is definitely Cornel Mustard in the conservatory with the Candlestick but then BAM POW he does that writing magic that he does and it is amazing and you should have seen it all along but it was Doby in the Quiddich Pitch with a love potion, who knew.

I thought I knew what was happening and what the reveal would be but again I missed it and was totally wrong. This reminds me of an episode out of the Twilight Zone or Tales from the Crypt that leaves you a little off center and pondering the reveal at the end.

The premise is interesting. A few cops work in a recreation of a day. Everything is recreated the people, their interactions with others, the vehicles, everything down to the coffee and burritos. Crime scenes are monitored and witnessed to help cops in the Real World find the evidence needed to convict criminals. This is a day in the life of two of those cops and what they find out is amazing.

The end threw me for a loop and I again bow down to the masterful imagination and writing brilliance that is Brandon Sanderson.

Audio Note: This was a quick listen and like all of Sanderson's books the Audio was fantastic.

I feel like it was well written but the idea felt too familiar like rewatching Inception with a slightly different yet still cliche twist. Yes I know the author explained this in the postscript. That doesn't fix the issues with the story as standalone.

I liked the main character and the internal conflicts as depicted. Worth reading but only gets an average rating from me.

I freely admit that cop/detective books aren't my thing, thus only a 4 star. I just don't think I can appreciate it for what it is. That being said, the characters were interesting and the plot had some good twists. The "snapshot" concept was intriguing and the implications about what we consider reality was interesting.

More reviews at ReadingOverTheShoulder.com

Jesus.

Have you ever read Dune? To me, the appeal of Dune comes from the fact that even though it is in many ways not a well-written story it has interesting ideas that make it worth reading. Snapshot starts out as a story that I enjoyed in the same way.

...Until about thirty percent of the way through, at which point it becomes straight up psychological horror. A very trippy tale, and it continues the trend of me liking Sanderson's shorter works more than his novels.

Note to Brandon:
This has been done by many very good writers before. Remember the DiCaprio movie that did a dream in a dream in a dream?

Would have been better if you did this little experiment for Kindle unlimited.

Will now always be leary of buying your books again. Feel like dupe/lab rat for your first weak attempt at layering stories and paying for the "privilege."

Snapshot is everything we expect and love from Brandon Sanderson, just about 85% as good—and with a Hugo-award winning novella under his belt, we can’t blame this one on length.

Blame it instead on busyness? Sanderson’s last few novels have felt rushed, perhaps because he’s fit them (and Snapshot) between working on the next volume of his opus The Stormlight Archive. For those of us deeply hooked on that one, it’s probably forgiveable. And regardless, Snapshot still hits all the high notes of Sanderson: unique setting, fun characters, and cool magic that leads to a twist-filled ending. It’s all here it’s just… sorta rushed.

The concept, at least, is awesome. A future police department, through unspecified means, is able to make an exact physical replica of a previous day, complete with autonomous people, deadly bullets, etc. Our main characters go into these Snapshots to gather evidence on crimes already committed, ‘before’ they’re committed, to convict criminals. So we spend the whole story inside a world that looks and feels—but isn’t—real, with the only two ‘real’ people in it shooting who they want, revealing the truth to others, and doing their best to track down criminals using real world clues. But in a world where most anything is possible, the duo’s darker past comes up, and ultimately comes between them as it only could inside a Snapshot…

So it’s a fun concept, and there are some twists, but it all feels unpolished. The characters are basically Wax and Wayne from the latest Mistborn series, a serious and talented lawman foiled by a goofy and carefree sidekick, only Snapshot’s lawman is haunted by a past failure. They uncover a hidden plot, and track down someone exploiting the system, but not in as quite a clever a way as we know Sanderson’s capable of—and the twist endings don’t feel quite as sudden-but-inevitable as they could, and as we know Sanderson’s capable from tighter murder-mystery plots like Shadows of Self. Read the full review of that other Sanderson works at topnewfantasy dot com...

So is it worth a read? Sure—it’s not expensive (especially given Sanderson’s stance on keeping his works DRM free), and it’s totally entertaining. Just not quite as entertaining as the author’s capable of, so it may not be the best work of his to read first (try The Emperor’s Soul), or the favorite of longtime fans (which, if you haven’t guessed by now, I am). But for everyone else, waiting impatiently for the next Stormlight book? This should tide you over—which, like Arcanum Unbounded, is likely why he put it out.

I love Brandon Sanderson’s novellas and one thing I really enjoy about them is how so many of them (probably most of them) delve into the sci-fi world. Most of his full-length novels are fantasy-based (although STEELHEART was more sci-fi with a dash of superhero and some of his fantasy concepts fit well with scientific explanations). It’s a fun change of pace and a great way to dip into a new world.

SNAPSHOT was a really fun novella! It takes place in the not-too-distant future of 2018 where “Snapshots” have been developed to help a local police branch relive a specific day in order to gain some insight or knowledge on a particular crime. A snapshot is a full recreation of that specific day and the snapshot plays out as the day had originally happened from start to finish. The premise of the story is that Davis and his partner are “IRL” people (as opposed to the recreations in the snapshot) and they go into each scenario to try to gather any information that might give their IRL cops a lead to investigate. The concept was really fun and interesting, constantly trying to wrap my mind around a snapshot and how the interaction of “in real life” people altered the course of the day that was playing back.

Of course it’s Sanderson and I knew a twist was coming but I had no idea what that twist was. I really should have guessed it but I was enjoying my listen to this audiobook so much that I just let myself get lost in the story and didn’t try to figure it out. I really enjoyed the ending and it was a rather interesting finish!

Snapshot is... strange. There’s no better word to describe it. It’s a complex and twisted novella. The characters are flawed, the world-building is a bit confusing but super interesting, and the main concept of Snapshot and its execution are really cool.

Brandon Sanderson sure knows how to surprise readers. I had no idea what I was getting into when I started this. His writing is engaging and the narrative is intriguing, and the fast pace makes this for a pretty quick read. The only thing is that it leaves you not knowing what to do with yourself after it’s done.

I’m honestly having a hard time reviewing this. There is not much I can say without giving away the plot completely. Just know that this happens in a distant future, and we follow Davis and his partner as they walk through a Snapshot, trying to help solve a crime. A Snapshot is kind of like a virtual copy of a certain moment in real life, encompassing all of the people and places that exist there.

The world-building in itself is a little complicated. At the beginning it’s very difficult to understand what’s going on, but you slowly get used to the terminology Sanderson uses. I was surprised at the complexity of it, with this being just 129 pages long. There’s a lot of depth to it and definitely enriches the story.

The plot is filled with twists and turns. I actually had to take a moment after I finished reading it because the twist at the end is just… mindblowing. It totally catches you by surprise, but looking back you can see all the tiny bits that lead up to it. The execution is amazing, and Sanderson deserves all the praise for pulling something like this off.

In the end, Snapshot is the perfect novella for anyone who likes doubting their own reality and place in the world. It has a lot of action and a satisfying ending packed into just a few pages. Recommended to Sci-Fi fans, especially anyone who likes virtual realities and the questions they bring.

4.5

Reader thoughts:
I'm pretty sure there are aliens in this book.

I thought the book was predictable at first, but then it wasn't. There were more twists than I expected. I thought there would be one or two, but there were about four or five that completely changed the way the reader was supposed to read the book.

Writer thoughts:
My biggest issue with this story was that I couldn't turn off my internal writer. I kept noticing plot devices and details that really should have blended seamlessly into the story. I would think, "Ah, that line of dialogue was to establish character" or "That thought explains the backstory" instead of being caught up in the moment. I'm not sure if this is my fault or Sanderson's. Considering Sanderson is a genius, and I am not (not usually, ha), then it's probably just me.

SNAPSHOT is a near-future science fiction novella set in a world where an entire city can be recreated virtually so that detectives can investigate crimes (kind of like the movie Source Code.) We follow Anthony Davis and his partner Chaz as they investigate a murder and stumble onto a larger crime than the one they were originally assigned.

I’m usually a big fan of Brandon Sanderson’s work, but I didn’t think SNAPSHOT was that good. It certainly wasn’t bad, but it didn’t pull me in like most of his other work. I was intrigued by the premise, but I wasn’t quite able to connect with the characters, and since the story depends entirely on the relationship between Davis and Chaz, I wasn’t invested in the outcome. The book seemed to be going for a gritty tone, and I don’t think that is the author’s forte – I usually associate his worldbuilding with a lot of detail, but this book seemed very shallow somehow.

I think SNAPSHOT would work better as a movie (not something I say very often), and it’s actually been optioned by MGM, so I’m hoping something comes out of that.

It's possible my rating of Brandon Sanderson's "Snapshot" is too low. I prefer novels (the longer, the better) and this is a novella. I don't particularly care for crime/police drama, and that's really what this is (it could be considered Science Fiction because of the setting, or it could be considered Fantasy because of the mechanism for the setting -- but, at its core, it's a crime drama). But, even I found the story really well done: really good universe, writing, characters, and plot. So, I'm rating it at a Very Good 4 stars out of 5. But, if you like shorter works and the genre, then this is probably a 5 star book. In either case, give it a try.

This was a quick, interesting read that had a lot of great thriller cop movie elements. The way the mysteries were woven together was clever. I'm not as high on this as I would be a Cosmere novel or even the Reckoners (which I admit I like way more than others I've talked to), but it's a bit unfair to compare those stories. (But I read them all, so I'm allowed.) For me, this was the perfect little audiobook to get me through a pretty long drive, and I'd recommend it for others about to take a similarly-lengthed trip.

I'll start off by saying that I'm a huge Sanderson fan, and I've loved just about everything I've ever read by the guy. This story was a bit of a disappointment to me. Sanderson seems to pride himself on his twists, but there wasn't much about this story that surprised me. In fact, after reading the premise of the story, my first guess about where the story was going turned out to be right, which I'm sure was the case with many readers. I really didn't care for either of the characters, they were both pretty unlikable. Sanderson is also a master at turning a seemingly bleak situation around into an uplifting ending at the last moment, but the ending of this story was quite bleak and depressing.

The only thing I was intrigued by was the backstory/origins of the whole Snapshot world that the story takes place in, but that was only hinted at. Maybe he plans more stories in this world that will flesh it out a little more.

Basically, this story isn't terrible, but it's not my cup of tea.

I have been meaning to try a story by this author for quite some time, but hadn't gotten around to it until now. My loss! The creative worldbuilding, the description of characters and setting, the tight plot with that wow-worthy end twist made for a fantastic first-time encounter. This was a cross between sci-fi and mystery with a good old-fashioned detective noir feel.

This shorter story introduces a futuristic situation when technology now allows police to recreate a day and setting from the near-past and send officers into the simulation to find out what happened on a certain day or time to gather facts that will lead to finding evidence in the real world to present in court. Two of the 'snapshot' officers, Davis and Chaz, are sent in by court order to find evidence against a murderer, but they stumble across hints of something bigger going down.

Davis and Chaz know they are considered screw ups by the rest of the force and have been given assignments in the Snapshot sym because it's considered lesser police work. Both want to prove themselves so they set out to solve the darker case they stumbled upon.

So, I'm not going to say a lot about this one other than I was intrigued by the futuristic idea of simulating past scenes to gather evidence for crimes and the intense case the pair of Snapshot detectives stumble across. I enjoyed both characters and they were a fun team of opposites. But that ending, wow. I actually saw it coming to a certain extent, but not in its entirety. Left me sitting there gaping with surprise and I love when a story pulls a 'gotcha!' like that.

I experienced Snapshot in its audio version. This was my first encounter with William DeMeritt as narrator. He had a great deep gravelly voice that matched the tough guy detectives and the story. His Chaz accent was perfect with it's noir flavor.

All in all, quick yet engrossing sci-fi mystery that I can highly recommend.

I rec'd this book free.

A short, enjoyable read if somewhat predictable. Didn't work as well for me as apparently did for others. Sanderson possesses a gifted imagination but his writing is formulaic, once you learn the pattern it's easy to track. If you're along for the ride it still works, this time it was just ok. Feels like I've read this so many times before, even if his take on it is interesting because his take is not what the story is about. But if you're looking for another sci-fi detective story with a so-called twist at the end, could do much worse than this one.

I am always amazed at how Sanderson can build an entire world/system in a short story and make it work. This was fantastic. I listened to the audible version and the whole performance was great. Sanderson's world-building is phenomenal.

I love the multi layered story and very interesting thought process that it inspires. Sanderson does a great job of making us care about the people who inhabit the world and builds the plot organically. The end result is gripping.

This work combines gritty detective novel and reality blurring technology in an immensely satisfying way. While I will say it was a very short book, I feel that it actually helps the story stay focused. A very unique idea, the only unfortunate thing about this is that the idea can’t realistically be expanded on

I enjoy science fiction and fantasy, and I think this book appealed to me more for that reason than because it's a cop story. Even so, I loved it, and it was a well-paced, high quality piece of writing.

Interesting concept. Novella. Not very long. The price is too steep for such a short story.
I wish he would finish his other series before starting something new. Still waiting for the third installment in his words of radiance series. Yet there is time for a couple of novellas. I hate short stories. Seems like short stories are the only thing sanderson writes these days.
This one was interesting but in the end just fell flat! He's an amazing writer, but I think he lost his way somewhere.