knolls_books
Written on Jan 2, 2025
The eagerly awaited sequel to the #1 New York Times bestselling Words of Radiance, from epic fantasy author Brandon Sanderson, at the top of his game.
In Oathbringer, the third volume of the New York Times bestselling Stormlight Archive, humanity faces a new Desolation with the return of the Voidbringers, a foe whose numbers are as great as their thirst for vengeance.
Dalinar Kholin's Alethi armies won a fleeting victory at a terrible cost: the enemy Parshendi summoned the violent Everstorm, which now sweeps the world with destruction, and in its passing awakens the once peaceful and subservient parshmen to the horror of their millennia-long enslavement by humans. While on a desperate flight to warn his family of the threat, Kaladin Stormblessed must come to grips with the fact that the newly kindled anger of the parshmen may be wholly justified.
Nestled in the mountains high above the storms, in the tower city of Urithiru, Shalladin Davar investigates the wonders of the ancient stronghold of the Knights Radiant and unearths dark secrets lurking in its depths. And Dalinar realizes that his holy mission to unite his homeland of Alethkar is too narrow in scope. Unless all the nations of Roshar can put aside Dalinar's blood-soaked past and stand together—and unless Dalinar himself can confront that past—even the restoration of the Knights Radiant will not prevent the end of civilization.
- ISBN10 076532637X
- ISBN13 9780765326379
- Publish Date 14 November 2017 (first published 1 November 2016)
- Publish Status Active
- Imprint Tor Books
- Format Hardcover
- Pages 1248
- Language English
Reviews
Metaphorosis Reviews
Written on Sep 13, 2022
Summary
A new Desolation has come, with parshmen slaves freed from their human masters and supported by much-feared Voidbringers. Dalinor, a human general now in possession of a mysterious ancient tower, tries to bring all the jealous human kingdoms together to face the threat, but both he and they must reckon with some surprising revelations.
Review
My plan to read Oathbringer was initially stalled in its tracks by a foreword strongly encouraging me to first read Edgedancer. It took me a very long time to get that, read it, and get this book back into my reading schedule. One result is that I largely lost track of what was going on, who the characters were, and countless other details. Sanderson doesn’t help by not providing any form of dramatis personae or ‘what has gone before’ – possibly because the book is already so large. It took me a while to settle in, compounded by the book’s heavy reliance on flashbacks that I wasn’t sure how to fit into what I thought I knew about the story. Had I already seen these events? (No, I had not.)
Sanderson makes a point of how many people were involved in making the book, and, at roughly the midway point, it did begin to feel very ‘constructed’ – consciously and mechanically assembled according to blueprints, rather than growing organically. To some extent, that may be inevitable with a book with so many moving parts, but it did reduce my enjoyment somewhat.
The book is complicated, with many actors, and at some point – even though I read the entire book over the course of a few days – I began to lose track of what was happening where, and to whom. I had the general gist of things well enough, but lost track of details. The extensive interior art, unfortunately, was too small to be seen/read on my standard-sized e-reader.
In some ways, the book is also just too long. We reach a climactic point in the story – a major battle – with 200-300 pages still to go, and that battle ends up taking most of that space. It’s well done, but I just don’t think we need that much – essentially a book of its own – describing just one battle, however important.When I cam up for air at the end of the book, I did have that feeling of wishing there were more – Sanderson is a good writer – but in some ways, I think the book overreached.
Sanderson’s Cosmere books are famously (if somewhat vaguely) interconnected, and in this book he starts to draw some of the threads together. Most often, it’s just ‘another world’ that’s referred to, but he does also specifically tie in (in a small way) one other major series, which is intriguing. Sanderson is usually meticulous, so we can hope it will all be logical, rather than gratuitous.
I do, happily have the next midpoint novella in the series already, so I’ll likely move on to that relatively soon. The next full installment, Rhythm of War, may have to wait. Especially if, as the title suggests, it’s packed full of long battles.
Overall, a solid installment in the series, but on the verge of becoming topheavy.
moraa
Written on Oct 24, 2020
why, you ask?
1. In a world of such magnitude and complex characters, I enjoyed the chance to understand more of them than I had in the previous books.
2. Sanderson is a master of the climax – almost 200 pages of non-stop action (and a satisfying pay off too, if my still shaking hands are anything to go by).
3. Sanderson is a master of the fight scene.
I laughed, I cried, and I bit into my tongue instead of that piece of chicken I was supposed to be having for supper, see you on November 17th folks!
I will remember those who have been forgotten.
HekArtemis
Written on Nov 28, 2019
And so Oathbringer began to really drag on me, because there was just so much Shallan and her story arc got even more annoying to me. And that love triangle type thing, what? What was that?
In addition I struggled with Dalinars flashbacks, and the way he reacted to his returning memories. I really like Dalinar, but I guess I just struggle with mental illness arcs or something. Though I do appreciate Kaladins recurring depressive episodes, what happened with Dalinar was something else.
By the half way point of the book I had started to skim read, majorly, just trying to get past the bits I didn't like. Which is sad, because I still enjoyed the story over all. The last 100-150 pages was where it all picked up a lot for me, everything came together, or apart lol. And I have to admit I was surprised by the revelation about the Voidbringers, though it also made sense.
I found Tal's tiny story interesting, what an interesting character, to be so enthusiastic and optimistic about what was done to him. I hope we see more of not-completely-broken him in later books. I also really loved the interactions between Adolin and Maya, I really hope that goes somewhere.
Despite struggling with certain aspects of this book, I am very much looking forward to the next installment. I just wish there were/will be more Kaladin and less Shallan. And more Jasnah.
chrssym
Written on Dec 13, 2018
wyvernfriend
Written on Jun 4, 2018
It's an interesting read, intresting and complex characters that aren't simple and straightforward but our heroes are mostly trying to do the best they can with the tools at hand and sometimes the tools break and sometimes those tools are humans. politics is a messy, complicated thing that breaks the best and under a war footing can make some strange bedfellows.
ross91
Written on Dec 29, 2017
Anyway, this book was insane! It's always amazing to end the year with a favorite!
I'm so overwhelmed I can't even form coherent thoughts, so here's some blabbing:
So.. hell yeah Queen Jasnah (Elhokar's death was the saddest thing of the book though)!!
Szeth with the Radiants!!
Poor little Renarin deserves more love!!
Lopen is just the best human being ever
Kal, you'll swear new oaths soon, I believe in you!
Adolin is just the guy that seems perfect and boring but he's actually flawed and interesting and needs to be preserved at all costs
Gloryspren, gloryspren everywhere!!
I missed Eshonai but Venli turned out to be interesting as well
More Lift! And more Fen! And more Azure!
Dalinar was scary. He's still one of my favorites (even though Kal is now in first place) but how he treated his wife was THE WORST. And poor baby Renarin! God, I don't think I'll ever forgive him!
And that interlude about soulcasting and Aimia was so damn interesting, I want to know what happened in Aimiaaaa!
And lastly I dunno why 'cause I LOVE Kal and I hate Shallan but I shipped them together and now my ship is dead and I'm not even mad but still, Adolin is so much better than Shallan ... god ok that's enough.
And I want to see Kal smile more often... IS THAT SO HARD???
adamfortuna
Written on Dec 18, 2017
KitsuneBae
Written on Dec 18, 2017
We now have a cover and it's one of my favorite characters. JASNAH!
Mercy
Written on Dec 12, 2017