Before I even write anything, there are three important things you should know about this book.
- This is not the first book in the series, it is the third book in the series, so if you haven’t read any books in “The Stormlight Archive” abandon this review immediately because everything will be spoilers for the first two books (no spoilers as per usual for the book at hand).
- This book is the newest book in a series of 10 books so if you don’t like waiting for books to be released, maybe don’t start the series just yet. Brandon Sanderson is an absolute powerhouse of an author, and churns out books like you wouldn’t believe (I mean, just look at the progress bars on his website), but he hasn’t started book four yet so if you don’t want to find yourself in a George R. R. Martin or Patrick Rothfuss situation, consider yourself warned.
- This book is absolutely enormous and should be worth at least three if not four books on my Goodreads challenge and should be at least somewhat to blame for how far behind I am.
“Oathbringer” by Brandon Sanderson is an epic fantasy novel and the third book in “The Stormlight Archive” series. The book is set in a fictional world called Roshar and is inhabited by lots of different races. The book primarily focuses on people called the Alethi who divide their society into two major class groups based on eye colour. People with light coloured eyes are the upper class, and people with dark coloured eyes are lower class with lots of levels in between the two. Another feature of the world is the existence of spren, different coloured and shaped creatures that are drawn to and appear when people experience strong emotions. Finally, are the parshmen – a race of humanoid creatures enslaved by the Alethi and who appear to be related to the Parshendi, a race of humanoid creatures that can take different forms and who are at war with the Alethi.
As in the rest of the series, there are a number of protagonists. First is Dalinar, an Alethi highprince and warrior feared for his brutal battle tactics, whose visions about resurrecting the order of the Knights Radiant, mythical warriors who can bond with spren, have started to come to fruition. However, as Dalinar starts to lead with a new vision for Alethkar, he must come to terms with his own past and face his actions that he can’t even remember. There is Kaladin, the reluctant darkeyed warrior who after taking a legion of condemned prisoners and turning them into fighters, has himself become a Radiant. However, the burden of leading his men into this new prestigious identity, and his struggle to protect people on either side of an unavoidable war, begins to take its toll on him. Then there is Shallan, the lighteyed artist whose skills in creating illusions as a Lightweaver mean that she can create new versions of herself. As she becomes more adept in her skills, she starts to use her alternate forms to cope with anxiety and trauma and begins to lose her grip on who she really is.
Did I mention this book is enormous? Because it. is. enormous. It’s over 1,200 pages and is definitely not for the faint-hearted. This book builds on a lot of the lore and history of the world that is alluded to in the first two books and begins to uncover some of the darker histories of Alethi and the circumstances of the enslavement of the parshmen. There are a lot of spinning plates in this book. The impending war with the parshmen and the Parshendi. The Everstorm. The spren. The Knights Radiant.
It’s a lot to keep on top of, and admittedly, there are definitely some parts of the book that I’m more interested in than others. I think Kaladin and Shallan are my favourite characters and I always look forward to their chapters. I think Kaladin is a great lens through with to experience the politics and conflict of the book, and Shallan really showcases the magic element of the story and what Knights Radiant and their spren can really achieve. Sanderson also fleshes out the story notably compared to other books by focusing much more on the mental health and neurodiversity of his characters. We have a character struggling with addiction, another struggling with depression, another struggling with anxiety, and one who appears to have a form of autism spectrum disorder.
I do think that Sanderson’s characters are definitely starting to feel more filled out however, there is so much going on in this book, it does occasionally feel a bit overwhelming. I know it’s epic fantasy, but it did take me a little while to ease back into the story because there was so much going and so much lore to remember from the last two books. Having so many protagonists gives the reader a 360 degree view of the story, but it also makes it hard to keep on top of who is who and what is going on at points all over the world.
I think I felt a bit like the pacing in this book was a bit off-kilter. There’s a particular part of the book where there is an incredibly long amount of time spent in Shadesmar that doesn’t really seem to further the plot much at all or inform the reader much about additional lore. The latter half of the book focuses a lot on a battle that seems to drag on a lot and get a bit ridiculous in scale. I think that the secret to a book that is 1,200 pages long is to make it feel like it is far, far shorter, but I think at about the three quarter mark of this book I was about ready for it over.
Again, this is a huge novel and there is a lot to say about it, but I think to summarise: it’s a very long book that is mostly very good but the large cast of characters and some of the pacing choices made it get a little confusing and slow at times. Did I enjoy it? Yes. Will I read the next book in the series? Yes. Am I relieved it’s over and I have a big break until the next on is out? Definitely yes.
Tinted Edges 