The Frugal Wizard’s Handbook for Surviving Medieval England by Brandon Sanderson – Review

Published: April, 2023

Publisher: Dragonsteel Entertainment

Series: N/A

Genre: Science Fiction, Fantasy

Pages: 372 (Kindle)

My Rating: 3.5 Stars

Synopsis:
#1 New York Times bestselling author Brandon Sanderson meshes Jason Bourne and epic fantasy in this captivating adventure that throws an amnesiac wizard into time travel shenanigans—where his only hope of survival lies in recovering his missing memories.

A man awakes in a clearing in what appears to be medieval England with no memory of who he is, where he came from, or why he is there. Chased by a group from his own time, his sole hope for survival lies in regaining his missing memories, making allies among the locals, and perhaps even trusting in their superstitious boasts. His only help from the “real world” should have been a guidebook entitled The Frugal Wizard’s Handbook for Surviving Medieval England, except his copy exploded during transit. The few fragments he managed to save provide clues to his situation, but can he figure them out in time to survive?

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Like many other Sanderson fans, I was downloading the much anticipated Secret Project #2 first thing in the morning on April 1. The title alone is enough to intrigue and I genuinely had no idea what to expect. Despite this lack of expectations… I was still unprepared for what I read.

You might have been expecting a fantasy novel but The Frugal Wizard’s Handbook for Surviving Medieval England is actually much more akin to science fiction. Our main character wakes up in a field with no memory of who or where he is, only that there are pages raining down upon him and it’s a guide to medieval England. Or rather, a parallel England with many similarities to the one in our own world but nearly as many differences as it happens in this case. Our main character slowly uncovers his identity and the reason for his presence in this place. He starts out thinking he’s a good guy, nay a hero, but as he recovers more of his memories he begins to think that he might not have actually been the hero at all. This version of England is also not exactly what you might expect. It’s not grand stone castles and jousting knights, but rather simple holdings who suffer losses from raiders on a regular basis and might actually have a bit of magic.

In all honesty, I didn’t love this book especially at first. The beginning was rough and I sort of rolled my eyes at the abundance of Sanderson humor. I don’t mind it in a bit here and there, but a whole character who is supposed to be funny is a different story. I’m also not particularly keen on memory loss as a major plot point. That being said, this book wasn’t a total dud – I actually got really into it towards the latter half! There’s quite a bit of action and our character finally knows who he is and is trying to overcome his flaws, which is something I do enjoy. The secondary characters were really helped carry the story along – Sefawynn and Ealston were extremely likable and John, our amnesiac MC wouldn’t have survived without them. The ending was also well executed and satisfying, so overall, I enjoyed this but it’s not anywhere near making my list of Sanderson favorites.