This has been out a
little while but I only recently got my hands on it (literally,
unlike the first two entries which I read as e-books).
Like its predecessors,
this book is enormous, a little over 1,200 pages, and is just part 3
of a planned 10 or so in the series. (I know some are wary of taking
on unfinished mega-series, but Brandon Sanderson does write pretty
quickly).
The story resumes
shortly after the events of Words of Radiance, and, though it may be
obvious, I have to warn of spoilers from this point forth (major for
previous entries, any spoilers for Oathbringer will be kept to the
minimal possible level, focusing on premise).
The
Everstorm, a new phenomenon heading in the opposite direction to the
expected highstorm, batters the world, wrecking ships, destroying
buildings, and catching most people off-guard. Just as the kingdoms
are struggling to recover, some of them are in for a military
confrontation.
The
forces of Odium are gathering, but things are more complicated than
they first seem. It’s nice to see ‘the enemy’ portrayed in a
somewhat sympathetic light, rather than purely as fodder. Likewise,
we learn some more background, to plot-twisting effect, of the old
Knights Radiant and the Heralds, which alters things quite
significantly.
Dalinar’s
storyline (the central plot) is the attempt to create a grand
coalition to fight back against the forces of Odium, a task made
quite tricky when his nation (Alethkar) is renowned for its
conquering tendencies, and he’s best known as a talented general.
There’s a good portrayal of the varying national outlooks
(bureaucratic Azish types, the moneyed naval Thaylen people etc)
which both makes the world feel more real, and slots in nicely with
the challenge Dalinar and those around him face when it comes to
forging an alliance.
Shallan’s
story arc is intriguing, and I liked the way her splitting
personality was portrayed. I can’t go into much more detail than
that without spoilers, but it suited the story and herself.
Adolin
has plenty of action, but less character development than other major
protagonists. Kaladin is miles away from the others at the book’s
opening, trying to find his family.
Besides
the big names we have occasional smaller POVs, sometimes as
interludes, and these work nicely as little breaks in the enormo-book
as well as fleshing out the world even more.
An interesting
difference, for me, was having an actual physical copy. It made the
artwork better, particularly the map early on, which I referred back
to several times during the story. Otherwise, it’s just nice to
have a tangible book, although it does take up infinitely more space
than an e-book, so swings and roundabouts.
Overall, I enjoyed the
book a lot. I like the author’s world-building style and lore, and
there’s a number of significant plot twists. Pace later on is
faster, perhaps a little could’ve been cut from the first half, but
maybe I’m just nitpicking. I have no idea when the fourth entry in
the Stormlight Archive will be out, but I’m looking forward to
reading it.
Thaddeus
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