Ah, the Cosmere. No living author has so successfully created a multiverse as Brandon Sanderson, or come up with such wildly varying worlds to fill it with. 
 And with such a wealth of worlds, Sanderson has plenty of room to tell all sorts of stories. One good example of this is "Sixth of the Dusk," set on a world where birds are able to bestow magical gifts on the humans who accompany them, and a terrible technological threat is looming over a simple archipelago. Like most of Sanderson's short stories, it's a robustly-written, swift-moving story with some unexpected twists and wildly creative ideas. 
 The dangerous jungle island of Patji is home to the Aviar, a special breed of birds who have magical powers. Six of the Dusk (that's his name) makes a living breeding and selling these birds to the mainlanders; while Patji is treacherous even to those familiar with it, he survives with the help of his two Aviar companions Kokerlii and Sak. Sak's gift is particularly useful -- she can see and communicate the potential deaths that Dusk might encounter. 
 Then Dusk accidentally traps a mainland woman named Vathi. After they retreat to his safecamp, she reveals that change is coming -- a company from the technologically-superior mainland is sending a vast expedition to the island, to determine why the Aviar can only be produced on Patji. Obviously Dusk isn't pleased by the idea of his way of life being completely wrecked by greedy mainlanders, and the visions of corpses everywhere is only making him more apprehensive. But what can one trapper do to turn back the tide? 
 Brandon Sanderson's fictional worlds are always very complicated and imaginative, so anything smaller than a doorstopper tends to leave you desperately craving a fuller exploration of whatever world the story takes place in. "Sixth of the Dusk" is no exception -- it takes place in a world moving towards technological and scientific breakthroughs (think the 19th century), overseen by a race of godlike aliens. Also, some very interesting wildlife -- telepathic rodents, nightmaws, shadows in the ocean, and a race of wizard parrots. 
 In some ways, the story is about the clash between nature and technology, between modernity and tradition -- and to Sanderson's credit, he doesn't really take a side. Sure, the company is "treacherous" and grasping, but the wild, nature-driven Patji is just as vicious. This is also reflected in the characters -- both Dusk and Vathi are determined and clever, but in different ways that reflect their different backgrounds. She's more technologically savvy and sometimes condescending, and he's more adept at survival and wise in the cruel ways of nature (to the point where he wants to shoot all the nightmaws). 
 Despite the complexity of the world and issues, Sanderson writes the story in a fairly simple style; his prose is strong and swift, and he slowly peels away some genuinely surprising revelations about the company's technology and the nature of the Aviar. The biggest problem is perhaps the ending, which feels... unfinished. Sure, that may be realistic, but it leaves you wishing that there was a sequel, or perhaps a full-length fleshing-out of the tale. 
 "Sixth of the Dawn" is a solid self-contained story... that leaves you wishing that Brandon Sanderson would expand this story into a full-blown novel, or return to the world of First of the Sun. A strong, balanced side tale of the Cosmere.