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756 pages, Paperback

First published November 14, 2017

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4834 people want to read

About the author

Brandon Sanderson

458 books273k followers
I’m Brandon Sanderson, and I write stories of the fantastic: fantasy, science fiction, and thrillers.

Defiant, the fourth and final volume of the series that started with Skyward in 2018, comes out in November 2023, capping an already book-filled year that will see the releases of all four Secret Projects: Tress of the Emerald Sea, The Frugal Wizard’s Handbook for Surviving Medieval England, Yumi and the Nightmare Painter, and Secret Project Four (with its official title reveal coming October 2023). These four books were all initially offered to backers of the #1 Kickstarter campaign of all time.

November 2022 saw the release of The Lost Metal, the seventh volume in the Mistborn saga, and the final volume of the Mistborn Era Two featuring Wax & Wayne. The third era of Mistborn is slated to be written after the first arc of the Stormlight Archive wraps up.

In November 2020 we saw the release of Rhythm of War—the fourth massive book in the New York Times #1 bestselling Stormlight Archive series that began with The Way of Kings—and Dawnshard (book 3.5), a novella set in the same world that bridges the gaps between the main releases. This series is my love letter to the epic fantasy genre, and it’s the type of story I always dreamed epic fantasy could be. The fifth volume, Wind and Truth, is set for release in fall 2024.

Most readers have noticed that my adult fantasy novels are in a connected universe called the Cosmere. This includes The Stormlight Archive, both Mistborn series, Elantris, Warbreaker, and various novellas available on Amazon, including The Emperor’s Soul, which won a Hugo Award in 2013. In November 2016 all of the existing Cosmere short fiction was released in one volume called Arcanum Unbounded. If you’ve read all of my adult fantasy novels and want to see some behind-the-scenes information, that collection is a must-read.

I also have three YA series: The Rithmatist (currently at one book), The Reckoners (a trilogy beginning with Steelheart), and Skyward. For young readers I also have my humorous series Alcatraz vs. the Evil Librarians, which had its final book, Bastille vs. the Evil Librarians, come out in 2022. Many of my adult readers enjoy all of those books as well, and many of my YA readers enjoy my adult books, usually starting with Mistborn.

Additionally, I have a few other novellas that are more on the thriller/sci-fi side. These include the Legion series, as well as Perfect State and Snapshot. There’s a lot of material to go around!

Good starting places are Mistborn (a.k.a. The Final Empire), Skyward, Steelheart,The Emperor’s Soul, and Alcatraz vs. the Evil Librarians. If you’re already a fan of big fat fantasies, you can jump right into The Way of Kings.

I was also honored to be able to complete the final three volumes of The Wheel of Time, beginning with The Gathering Storm, using Robert Jordan’s notes.

Sample chapters from all of my books are available at brandonsanderson.com—and check out the rest of my site for chapter-by-chapter annotations, deleted scenes, and more.

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5 stars
6,326 (70%)
4 stars
2,188 (24%)
3 stars
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 735 reviews
Profile Image for Nikola.
787 reviews16.4k followers
November 28, 2024
2023: Kocham Cię książko
2024: Ugh, jest mi bardzo źle z myślą, że oceniłam ją gorzej niż te prawie dwa lata temu, ale ja po prostu nie byłam tak zaangażowana jak przy poprzednich dwóch tomach. Męczyło mnie ciągłe słuchanie o Dalinarze. Mam wrażenie, że Kal trochę stracił ikrę, Navani było mało, a Shallan… no wiadomo
Profile Image for Becca & The Books.
339 reviews9,495 followers
January 16, 2021
Can't lie, I pretty much screamed my way through the last 200 pages of this.
Profile Image for Jonathan O'Neill.
247 reviews571 followers
October 24, 2020
Oathbringer (Parts 1 and 2) – 4 ⭐

Words of Radiance (Parts 1 and 2) – 5 ⭐

The Way of Kings (Parts 1 and 2) – 4.5 ⭐


I am surrounded by Gloryspren and humming to the Rhythm of Satisfaction. A mesmerizing and wholly immersive entry in the series albeit a little indulgent at times and not without its issues. Oathbringer takes all of Sanderson’s traits (good and bad), plugs them into an amplifier and cranks it up to 11. Luckily for us, there is far more good than bad.

***CHASMFIEND-SIZED SPOILERS AHEAD***
***SERIOUSLY. FLAT OUT SPOILERVILLE UP IN HERE!***

THE GOOD

It goes without saying that the worldbuilding in Oathbringer is surely some of the best you’ll find in Fantasy. It’s Sanderson’s bread and butter and is often the reason I feel I can forgive some of the weaker aspects of his writing. Oathbringer builds on what we know about the true nature of The Heralds and the 3 shards of Roshar (Honor, Cultivation and Odium). We are introduced to the Unmade and the Fused. Through Szeth, we understand more about the order of ‘The Skybreakers’ and the Herald Nin. We learn more of Taravangian and ‘The Diagram’, of Shadesmar and the 3 interconnected realms. We learn the true identity of the Voidbringers! There’s a lot going on okay! I’m 97% sure that Sanderson wears an ice-pack on his forehead at all times to prevent his frontal cortex from exploding due to sheer overload. This and characterization are the big selling points of this series.

I’m not one to read Fantasy primarily for commentary on real-world themes. Quite the opposite actually, I’m here for the fantastical. Escapism is the goal. I’d be quite happy to leave the heavier topics to my non-fictional reads. That said, if a book does contain said commentary or at the least representation of certain themes, I’m here for it. In Stormlight, Brandon’s handling of themes is very tasteful. Deliberate but unforced. If you care to know, themes covered include drug addiction (Teft’s reliance on Moss), alcoholism (Dalinar’s past and a present-day relapse), depression (The black dog is always at Kal’s heels) and dissociative identity disorder (Shallan using the personas Veil and Brightness as alternatives in order to avoid confronting her tragic past). In fact, one of the major themes is the strength in accepting your past (failures, shortcomings and all) and rather than wilting and succumbing to that version of yourself, taking the “next step” and pushing forward. On a broader level, Sanderson questions the morality of war through Dalinar and Gavilar’s vicious domination of Alethkar as well as the revelation that humans were not infact the original inhabitants of Roshar, bringing in to question whether they really have the right to begrudge the Parshmen fighting for the reclamation of lands that thousands of years ago, belonged to them. This also mirrors the effects of colonisation in our world. Our ancestors stole aboriginal lands. We undoubtedly owe a debt but would you be willing to give up everything you own to pay the debts of your ancestors? I’ve hideously simplified that but for the purpose of this review you get the point.

The section of the novel in which the gang fly to Kholinar to reclaim their homeland and seek out Elhokar’s wife and son is, by far, the peak in my opinion. Sanderson really nails the oppressive, sinister tone within the city’s walls. Taking into account the ‘Cult of Moments’ and the influence of the Unmade, it gives off similar vibes as ‘King’s Landing’ when the High Sparrow and the Faith Militants were gaining traction. This section also contains a couple of really moving moments between Shallan and Wit (Hoid). I’d really like to see more of the serious side of Wit, they were some of my favourite scenes in the book.

“Failure is the mark of a life well lived. In turn, the only way to live without failure is to be of no use to anyone.” - Wit

Dalinar’s flashbacks are probably my favourite in the series so far. He was an absolute monster, there’s no doubt about it. The reputation as the ‘Blackthorn’ is well-earned. I had little sympathy for him until we learned of the unmade and the influence that ‘the thrill’ had on him throughout his life. That said, I loved how he wholly accepts the blame for the atrocities that he has committed in a pivotal moment in the novel. Given the way things ended with Evi (aka shshshsh) and the fact that Dalinar always had eyes for Navani even when he was with Evi, I actually find the current relationship between Dalinar and Navani a bit distasteful and frankly pretty insulting to the memory of Evi! A few paragraphs from Evi’s perspective would’ve been amazing too. She’s such a beautiful soul with a tragic story and I feel she was only really implemented as a tool for Dalinar’s development.

”I’ll break you Tanalan. Your sorry, weeping city will be held up before all who would defy my brother… I will be forced to leave only widows and corpses to populate the rift.” - Dalinar

THE BAD

The big negative, which I already mentioned in my ‘Words of Radiance’ review is a major lack of lasting consequences. Our main cast is essentially invincible and, to be honest, it’s really starting to hurt the experience a bit. Examples in this book include Hobber’s legs (healed with Stormlight), Adolin stabbed by Fused (healed with Stormlight), Rock after he’s attacked by the thief for the Honorblade (Yep, Stormlight), Szeth when Nightblood begins to consume him (Lift… uses Stormlight), Lift when the entire lower half of her body is crushed by a Thunderclast (*sigh* Stormlight)… Give.me.a.break! Even secondary characters, more often than not, are safe from death. If there are no consequences, there is no tension. If there is no tension, scenes like the final battle in this book become just a pure display of power, which hasn’t been enough for me since I was 11 years old watching Dragonball Z in my PJs! Please, ‘Rhythm of War’, do better! Also, when do we stop getting out of impossible situations just by speaking the next ideal! Dalinar’s latest skill is completely OP!

The pre-chapter Excerpts from Dalinar’s ‘Oathbringer’ text in the early chapters of the novel were terrible! How do you say so little, in so many words?!

The Chill attitude about Szeth (THE ASSASSIN IN WHITE!!) turning up to join the ranks in the final battle. He killed Gavilar, crippled Hobber, soul-severed Kaladin’s arm and attempted to assassinate Dalinar…. And now he’s Dalinar’s bodyguard!! What the hell is going on here?! Nearly everyone present should have wanted the man dead!

Every man and his dog becoming a storming radiant. I understand that before the Recreance there were thousands of Radiants but I thought the road to becoming one was much more harrowing than what we are seeing! Perhaps it’s just a little jarring seeing as we followed Kal through 1000+ pages of trials and tribulations before he managed to get his powers and a lot of the secondary characters stories have been happening “off-screen” but it doesn’t feel right. I mean, bloody Lopen is a Knight Radiant! God help me if Shallan’s thugs become Radiants, I don’t know if I could take it.
That’s all folks! Happy reading!

“The king’s sister… She says that the power has to get into your soul somehow. So I’ve been trying to cry a lot, and moan about my life being so terrible, but I think the Stormfather knows I’m lying.” - Lopen
Profile Image for Sue Miz .
665 reviews872 followers
August 16, 2025
Spoillleeeers🏁🏁🏁🏁🏁🏁🏁
my rating is based on how much I enjoyed this part....which was next to zero
I am only giving it 2 stars cause I don't think the level of imagination that went into this book deserves a one star, though I tend towards it

For me, this was Season 8 of Game of Thrones
Remember the hype we had all seasons for the Night King, only to be shattered by the tomboy Arya?
Remember the Grand character arc we all had for Daenerys, only to be so disappointed?'
Remember how we were waiting patiently for the Epic retribution Cerci deserved, only for her to die in the arms of her lover?

Yeah, Oathbringer was my season 8 GoT.
Everyone was hyping up that Grand Big Reveal...Talking about the SANDERLANCHE
But I was "That's it! Well Duh!"....how no one saw that one beats me.

My issue with Oathbringer ...aside from it being DAMN TOO LONG for no other reason than the author's supposedly thinking "Bigger is Better" and for a male author "size does matter"... are two things actually:

1- Sanderson broke his 2nd and 3rd laws of magic.
Sanderson’s Second Law goes like this: Limitations > Powers
It did not apply here. Being a Radiant, you are practically immune to death. You can heal yourself and others instantly. You can fly. You can jump realms. You can defy physics. So, where are the limitations?

The third law is as follows: Expand what you already have before you add something new.
But did Sanderson do that? He kept adding and adding new magic, new systems, new infos, new powers, new reveals...and the old ones just....kept fading into the background

2- The theme of "Change and personal growth" was pushed so hard it was nauseating to me, especially when reading Dalinar - a character beloved by almost all of Sanderson's fans- was, to me, an obvious villain, or at least a deeply morally compromised figure. I never truly saw his atonement for his past or changes in a meaningful way. He did not redeem himself. He simply had a "Oh my god, what have I done" moment, lamented himself internally, then screamed "you cannot have my pain" to Odium, and I am supposed to clap for him!!!!!

Let's examine the evidence shall we

1. Dalinar’s Past as the Blackthorn: A Willing Monster
Dalinar’s youth (that was stretched to his mid thirties) was defined by unchecked brutality. He was not just a warrior but a genocidal warlord who relished violence. He burned a whole kingdom with women, children, sick, elderly and innocent men because their king refused to bend the knee to his dictator brother and show gratitude for Dalinar sparing his life when he was 6 after MURDERING his father in cold blood.
Dalinar enjoyed violence. He admits to Gavilar that he doesn’t fight for ideals, rather he fights because he likes killing!!!!. This is not someone forced into war; this is a man who embraces atrocity.

But Sue, he is a reformed man! he is trying to be good!
in the words of Scrooge "Bah humbug"!

A true redemption arc requires genuine remorse and reparations, but Dalinar’s "change" is largely due to the supernatural influence of the Nightwatcher erasing his memories, not a moral awakening.

His "reform" begins only after his memories of Evi’s death are taken. This isn’t growth, it’s magical suppression of guilt. When his memories return, he nearly breaks, suggesting his "honor" was a facade built on avoidance.

Even as a "better" man, Dalinar demands absolute loyalty, suppresses dissent , and pushes for a militarized Alethkar under his rule. His "unity" is conquest by another name.

He is a hypocrite. He judges others, like Amaram, harshly while excusing his own past. In Oathbringer, he expects forgiveness for the Rift but refuses to acknowledge that his victims (like the survivors of his massacres) might never forgive him.
But Sue, "sometimes a hypocrite is a man in the process of changing"...again ..."Bah Humbag"!

Even in his "redeemed" state, Dalinar’s decisions lead to suffering. In WoK, his early visions of "unite them" led him arrogantly to think that it is about the high princes!!! how noble of him!!!
He diminishes the work of ardents in talk of war even when faced with the reality that knowledge in this case is mightier than the sword!

in The Battle of Thaylen Field, he risks the world by trusting Odium’s champion (Taravangian) and nearly dooms humanity. His arrogance, believing he alone can unite the world, mirrors his past warmongering.

He uses Kaladin and the former bridgemen as tools, never fully addressing the systemic oppression they endured under his family’s rule (The Way of Kings).

He forces his rigid Alethi codes onto others (e.g., the Azish) under the guise of "unity," ignoring their autonomy, and thus dismisses other cultures. A redeemed man would prioritize healing over control. Dalinar still imposes his will on others, just with less overt bloodshed.

But what truly aggravated me was the fact that "He Never Truly Faces Justice". Dalinar’s arc lacks true accountability. There were no Consequences for the atrocities he committed. Unlike Moash (who is vilified for similar actions), Dalinar faces no lasting punishment. The narrative frames him as a tragic hero rather than a war criminal.

Oathbringer, instead of being a confession leading to justice, it became a propaganda tool to cement his authority. He spins his atrocities into a lesson about his pain, not his victims reminding me of White Man's tears.
Not only that, He was rewarded over and over again. The fact that the Stormfather, a force of Honor, accepts him undermines the idea that Dalinar’s past was truly evil. The system rewards him despite his crimes.
His sons are radiants, his daughter-in-law is a powerful radiant, his cousin is a radiant, possibly more, and his guard is a radiant.
he is given shardblades left and right! why?????

True redemption requires restitution, not just self-forgiveness. Dalinar gets power, not penance.

Now here is my BIG PROBLEM.
Sanderson said many times that his books reflect real life.
What Sanderson is preaching is "no matter what horrible act you commit, especially towards others, you are forgiven if you truly regret those actions!!!!!!!" what utter bullshit!!!!!!!!!

Let us say that Hitler or Netanyahu or let's take it down a notch, Jeffrey Dahmer, would be allowed a new life, a peaceful life, simply because they acknowledged what they did was wrong and they regretted it??????????? no retribution? no consequences???

Some would say that he was under THRILL influence. I would have accepted that if Thrill was controlled by Odium, but No! Thrill is an independent entity that..just...exists. how much it influences you, depends on You. Thrill thrived in Dalinar vecause he wanted it.

As a fictional character in a book, I think Dalinar is a masterpiece. He is a lovable villain; however, looking at Dalinar as a person, he is horrible. seeing people defending him is horrible.

I hope he faces a horrible sacrificial death in upcoming books cause he deserves nothing but.

==========================


my thoughts while reading

67%: here is my final thought about Dalinar before completing the book and "the BIG reveal" everyone keeps telling me to wait for

the only 2 ways I feel his redemption could happen are if:
1- he was being controlled body and mind by an evil entity. and in this case I am very curious to see how would he break off this control. but also, this would render him an "uninteresting" individual

2- he willingly did all those horrible things and in this case the only redemption i see is he dying a gruesome death sacrificing himself for others



Drehy: "Hey, Renarin is learning how to read! that is Feminine!!"
Kaladin: "Drehy, you are literally fucking a man"
🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣


"You are not what I expected, Blackthorn,” Noura said.
“And what did you expect?”
“An animal,” she said frankly. “A half-man creature of war and blood.”

and waking up one day and saying "well, i should stop being an animal and for that all my sins should be forgotten." will never make me like you Dalinar
hope you die


What??????? he murdered his own WIFE!!!!!! And he is supposed to be redeemed??????? what the fuck!!!!
and there are people who like Dalinar!!!!!!!!!
I mean as character his arc is brilliant. he is a villain. a hypocrite. an animal. an egotistical bloodthirsty Genocidal maniac.
how can anyone be redeemed from THAT!!!???????????????


Dalinar nodded slowly. “They must bleed,” he whispered. “I want them to suffer for this. Men, women, children. They must know the punishment for broken oaths. Immediately.”

“An envoy is leaving the city. Flying the flag of truce.”
“Shoot them dead,” Dalinar said calmly.
“Sir?” “Arrows, woman,” Dalinar said. “Kill anyone who comes out of the city, and leave their bodies to rot.”

“Because,” Dalinar said. “There has to be someone in this kingdom capable of doing what needs to be done, and it can’t be the man sitting on the throne. Continue to hold the scribes back; it will be better if my brother can reasonably disavow what we’re about to do.”



ladies and gentelmen, Dalinar Netanyahu
Profile Image for Dannii Elle.
2,310 reviews1,821 followers
July 6, 2021
This is the second part of the third book in The Stormlight Archive series.

The human race has been geographically scattered, struggling to survive let alone advance, and involved in continual skirmishes with many enemies for some time, but now a new foe has appeared that puts their continued existence in immediate danger. How can the humans unite and what strength will they find to overcome this mighty enemy, who seeks to permanently eradicate or enslave them?

It goes without saying at this point, but all of the stars need to be awarded for Sanderson's ingenuity! Many previous mysteries that were uncovered or facts that were learned became understood here and I was once again left speechless at the foresight and clever plotting that went into crafting this series' over-arcing story-line.

Much of the first portion of this book was very slow in pace as the focus remained on political scheming and behind-the-scenes plotting, before a battle-heavy and action-orientated focus was allowed to dominate. I highly appreciated seeing the puzzle pieces come together and understanding for the world history, the magic system, and the differing individuals who resided in it, was granted at the end.
Profile Image for Mizuki.
3,331 reviews1,378 followers
December 10, 2021
The story deals with an interesting question: what if you actually are the bad guys who had stolen someone else's homeland and done other people many wrongs, not the victims who are only trying to defend your homeland?

With Brandon Sanderson, 'too much world building' is very much a thing, but this time I do like how the story is processing, how one of the main characters overcome his past terrible mistakes, and I very much want to know what will happen next in this complicated fictional world facing its doomday, although I don't entirely like Sanderson's ship with a certain couple so far. XD
Profile Image for Laura.
130 reviews22 followers
October 21, 2020
Way of Kings - 4 stars
Words of Radiance - 5 stars
Oathbringer - 3 stars

It probably seems kind of harsh to rate this "only" three stars, since this series is so amazing, but some things bothered me and the pace felt painfully slow at times (in comparison to the other books, where the pace was slow, but it always felt great coming to the conclusion, and so much happened).

I'll try to get get into the points that bothered me, without big spoilers, although there will probably be SPOILERS FOR WORDS OF RADIANCE AND WAY OF KINGS.

NOTE: If you want to go into this book completely blind you shouldn't read the review. I don't mention what happens to any of the characters or go into specific events, but I go a little bit into depth to what bothered me.

The thing that bothered me the most was, as already mentioned, the pace. It was slow and some chapters (f.e. the parshendi chapters or Moash's) felt repetitive at times.

The next thing is that I have a feeling that the stakes aren't high enough, it almost feels like Sanderson is afraid to kill characters fans love, for example in Words of Radiance, there's is this big battle or Szeth tries to kill Dalinar and only some bridge men that I never heard of (or only a few times) and unlikeable characters die..I mean they face these terrible, powerful forces and sometimes I never fear for the characters I truly love, at least the ones who are radiants because they feel kind of..immortal? Unstoppable? I don't know, this just bothers me.

Speaking of Radiants, I feel like everyone is a radiant now. It was such a big deal when Kaladin became a radiant, it seemed like it was a really special thing and now it just..isn't. It's not a big deal anymore. It took Kaladin and Shallan a very long time to form real connections with their spren and now it just happens all so fast. I get it, a lot of the connections where made off page, but still it doesn't feel quite right. I already disliked that Dalinar became a radiant in the previous book, because I want some normal, mortal people in the main cast (talking about the original main cast consisting of Kaladin, Shallan and Dalinar). I feel like every person could just become a radiant at any time. In my opinion it would be more exciting if Kaladin and Shallan had to search the other radiants, had to make an effort to convince the other radiants to join them etc...but that's just my opinion.

Still there were some amazing things in this book - Dalinar's back story and guilt, the mission in Kholinar, Jasnah's powers, the Warbreaker references, the world building - now I just hope that Rhythm of War will blow my mind like WoK and WoR did.
Profile Image for Skye.
368 reviews19 followers
September 1, 2024
Re-read July 2024:
This series really is everything. No notes.
-----

Re-read November 2020:
I was kinda worried that I would burn out on the series by re-reading them all in the last few months, after only catching up earlier this year... but the second read was even better than the first one.

(If anything happens to Adolin in RoW I will riot)

-----
First read February 2020:

Every single page of this book is the best page of this book.
Profile Image for Danrowl.
133 reviews6 followers
April 25, 2021
Niepojęte jak można wymyślić coś tak wielkiego.

Ten cykl to idealna lektura dla kogoś kto lubi bawić się w odkrywcę. Niesamowita konstrukcja świata, jego historii, systemu magicznego, wierzeń, nauki, spisków, wydarzeń oraz wspaniałych postaci. A wszystko to, jak na rasową fantastykę przystało, stworzone na swój oryginalny sposób. Fauna, flora, rasy ludzi, ich kultury, systemy polityczne, jedzenie a nawet odzież. WSZYSTKO. Złożoność i ogrom nowych elementów szokuje, mniej wnikliwego czytelnika pewnie potrafi przytłoczyć. Dlatego nie jest to łatwy cykl. Skupienie przy tej lekturze musi towarzyszyć nieustannie, dobrze prowadzić też własne notatki na temat poznanych tajemnic z historii Rosharu (planety), postaci, ich związków czy grup do których przynależą. Uzupełnianie sieci powiązań sprawia nie lada frajdę. Zwłaszcza jeśli jakiś element układanki wskakuje na swoje miejsce po przeczytaniu blisko trzech tysięcy stron 😅 Ale czy nie jest tak, że im bardziej coś wymagające, tym sprawia, że czujemy większą satysfakcję...? ☺️

Tylko... jak przetrwać do następnej części tego burzowego(!!) cyklu? 😭
Profile Image for Literary Han.
814 reviews25 followers
April 29, 2020
Finally finished this GIGANTIC book!

I must say that whilst this book is excellent it wasn’t quite at par with the previous two novels. The plot felt flat and the characters sometimes felt monotonous. However, the world building is at a masterful level.

Admittedly the book felt more of a slog to get through and I felt like I was wading through a swamp at times. It felt that no matter how much I was reading, I was not making any headway in terms of plot.

This is still a fantastic book but, perhaps, because of The Way Of Kings and Words Of Radiance this was a little bit of a let down(?) Having said that, compared to other fantasy novels this is a far step ahead! The theologies and philosophies in this book were incredible and gave much to think on, especially on religion, gender roles and societal norms.

I would still massively recommend this series to fantasy lovers as it is most definitely a gem!

I am looking forward to the fourth book, Rhythm Of War, to be released later this year.

Hannah xoxo
Profile Image for Mishaal.
44 reviews20 followers
June 26, 2021
This book took me the longest time to finish, the start was really promising and I couldn’t put it down but in the middle the story just got really dull, I had to force myself to continue ahead as I’d go days without reading! However towards the end the story started picking up pace again and I found myself hooked once again!
Part 5 of the book was the best one! It redeemed the book and I couldn’t seem to catch a breath since so much was going on!
I can’t wait to start the next book but I do think I need a short break from this series!
Profile Image for Alex_Neige.
364 reviews16 followers
January 21, 2021
4/5~

" 'There are two kinds of important men, Shallan. There are those who, when the boulder of time rolls toward them, stand up in front of it and hold out their hands. All their lives, they're been told how great they are. They assume the world itself will bend to their whims as their nurse did when fetching them a fresh cup of milk.
'Those men end up squished.
'Other men stand to the side when the boulder of time passes, but are quick to say, "See what I did! I made the boulder roll there. Don't make me do it again!'
'These men end up getting everyone else squished.'
'Is there not a third type of person?'
'There is, but they are of so rare. These know they can't stop the boulder. So they walk beside it, study it, and bide their time. Then they shove it - ever so slightly - create a deviation in its path.
'These are the men.... well, these are the men who actually change the world. And they terrify me. For me never see as far as they think they do.' "


Can we, as a society petition the council for the dictionary to make Moash an official swear word because my gosh the rage I feel is unreal when it comes to that dick. Also, the second part of this book was so much better than the first part. So much happened that I hope will lead to some exciting discoveries in The Rythm of War. I'm glad Shallan is dealing with her issues and learning to start coupling with negative emotions, but for the love of the Stormfather can my boy Kaladin be happy for longer than a second. PLEASE.
Profile Image for Lexie.
894 reviews104 followers
October 29, 2022
Ciężko mi coś napisać, bo to była tak intensywna i rozległa podróż, że mam wrażenie, że przeczytałam kilka książek.

Sanderson ma rozmach i czytając tę część, pojawiło się we mnie pragnienie ponownego przeczytania 1 i 2 tomu. Tutaj dostajemy bardzo dużo odpowiedzi na temat budowy świata i systemu magicznego i aż chce się wrócić do początku i lepiej zrozumieć podawane tam informacje.

Akcji nie brakuje, ale zdecydowanie jest to seria skupiająca się na bohaterach. Ich zmagania z przeszłością, z własnymi wyborami, rzeczami, które zrobili i nie zrobili. Czasami potrafi to być bardzo wzruszające lub przejmujące - kilka razy oczy mi się zaszkliły. Każdy z głównych bohaterów przechodził przez coś innego i też inaczej się z tym wszystkim zmaga. Ta seria zdecydowanie niesie wiele inspirujących, życiowych przesłań. Takie Słowa i czytelnik mógłby wypowiedzieć i żyć nimi.

Jestem podekscytowana czytaniem dalej tej serii, ale muszę chwilę odpocząć, bo za dużo emocji!

Teraz ta część będzie walczyć z pierwszą o bycie ulubioną w serii, ale nie wiem kto jest zwycięzcą.

Wspaniała książka!
Profile Image for Jackson.
311 reviews93 followers
July 8, 2020
It would be almost impossible for me to talk about this book without spoiling anything, so I shall just say this; it is perfection.
Profile Image for Vee.
1,391 reviews104 followers
March 14, 2020
I have a lot of favourite books and a lot of favourite characters but I don’t think I’ve ever felt this ALL-CONSUMING level of attachment before. Once you start getting deeper and deeper into the Cosmere it starts to become part of who you are. The sheer audacity of an author attempting something like this, on this scale is mind blowing. What a time to be a fantasy reader!
Profile Image for Nikoletta (nikisjournal).
368 reviews61 followers
December 16, 2023
Wspaniałe. Perfekcyjne. Cudowne. Fabularnie napisane najlepiej, jak to tylko możliwe - plottwisty były mocne i zachwycające. Kreacja postaci na najwyższym poziomie, ciężko jest nie pokochać Kaladina, Shallan, Jasnah czy Mostu nr 4. Szkoda (again), że przedzielono ten tom na pół, ponieważ poprzednia część była trochę słabsza, a ta ponownie jest ideałem. Jedyna kwestia, co do której jest mi cholernie przykro...

SPOILER❗
Shipowałam Shallan z Kaladinem z całego serca i jest mi tak przykro. TAK CHOLERNIE PRZYKRO. serce mi się złamało. Thanks.
Profile Image for Antonio Olsanschi.
90 reviews2 followers
August 7, 2024
My favourite Stormlight book so far! It was incredible and I can’t believe I finished it, I need more! 💔
Profile Image for maté.
201 reviews79 followers
September 19, 2020
4.5 stars and it actually hurts not rating it 5.0 because the plot is incredible. It’s just a tad bit slow, I think.
_____________________________

„(…) Es ist schon seltsam, wenn jemand wie du ohne Seitenschwert herumläuft.“
„Vielleicht bin ich eher der schlagkräftige Typ.“
Adolin blieb stehen und grinste Kaladin an. „Hast du eben ‚schlagkräftiger Typ‘ gesagt?“
„Ihr wisst schon: die Feuerer, die im unbewaffneten Kampf ausgebildet werden.“
„Mit bloßen Händen?“
„Mit bloßen Händen.“
„Richtig,“ meinte Adolin. „Oder eben der ‚schlagkräftige Typ,‘ wie jedermann sie nennt.“
Kaladin sah ihm in die Augen und stellte fest, dass er grinste. „Das ist der wissenschaftliche Ausdruck.“
„Klar. Wie ‚schneidiger Knabe‘ für einen Schwertkämpfer oder ‚speeriger Kerl‘.“
„Ich habe einmal einen wirklich hackebeiligen Typen gekannt,“ sagte Kaladin. „Er war gut im psychologischen Kampf.“
„Im psychologischen Kampf?“
„Er konnte wirklich in den Kopf des Gegners eindringen.“


(Habe dieses Zitat auch schon im Review von Oathbringer erwähnt, aber im deutschen finde ich es irgendwie noch lustiger. Ich liebe schlechte Wortwitze!)
_____________________________

My copy just got delivered and holy shit, how is this even thicker than all the others?

I'm used to German translations being more lengthy than the English version and - don't get me wrong - I'm completely fine with it, but 753 pages difference to the English version is massive.

And can we also talk about how the English version of Words of Radiance and Oathbringer have a difference of 2 (!) pages and the German translations have a difference of 318 pages. Like - the fuck happened in those two pages?

tf

With a total page count of 2059 for Oathbringer I wonder if I'll ever read anything else than the Stormlight Archive this year lol (especially with Rhythm of War coming out this year).
Either way, I'm not complaining (the more the merrier - at least with this series), just interested in those numbers. I really wonder why German translations are always so much thicker.

For comparison:
The Way of Kings
German: 1669 pages in total
Part 1 (Paperback): 896 pages
Part 2 (Paperback): 773 pages
English
Mass Market Paperback: 1253 pages
Difference: 416

Words of Radiance
German: 1741 pages in total
Part 1 (Paperback): 951 pages
Part 2 (Paperback): 790 pages
English
Mass Market Paperback: 1304 pages
Difference: 437

Oathbringer
German: 2059 pages in total
Part 1 (Paperback): 939 pages
Part 2 (Hardcover): 1120 pages*
English
Mass Market Paperback: 1306 pages*
Difference: 753



*(I only included the appendix with these copies because - realistically - I'll only read it once; also there's no paperback version for Part 2 of Oathbringer in German available at the moment so I had to go with hardcover which may or may not change the page count)

Anyway

well

Have a great day lol
Profile Image for Marcel Haußmann.
768 reviews31 followers
May 22, 2019
Splitter der Macht setzt genau dort an wo Ruf der Klingen aufgehört hat.

Dalinar steht weiterhin im Focus, wir erfahren durch Flashbacks immer mehr aus seiner Vergangenheit. Endlich wird auch das große Geheimnis gelüftet was aus seiner Frau geworden ist und welche abscheulichen Dinge ihm seinen Ruf eingebracht haben.

Des Weiteren ist der Krieg gegen die Bringer der Leere im vollen Gange und wir erfahren noch mehr über das Volk der Parschendi und ihre Pläne.

Shallan , Kaladin und Adolin verschlägt es in der zwischen Zeit nach Alethkar. Vor allem Shallan hat in diesem Buch stark mit sich selbst zu kämpfen und mit den verschiedenen Persönlichkeiten die sie erschaffen hat. Shallan hat insgesamt für mich auch bisher die größte Entwicklung durchgemacht von einem jungen, naiven und recht unerfahren Mädchen hin zu einer Strahlenden die ihre volle Macht bisher aber noch gar nicht richtig begreifen kann. In diesem Buch befindet sich Shalan in der Sinneskrise und weiß nicht welche Persönlichkeit (Schleier oder Shallan) sie bevorzugt. Kaladin und Adolin begleiten sie auf der Reise und jeder zieht sie in eine andere Richtung.
Auch Kaladin und Adolin haben mit einigen Dingen zu kämpfen denn eine Reise nach Shadesmar verändert auch für die beiden alles.

Weiterhin ein Mysterium bleibt Schelm von dem man absolut nicht weiß wer er eigentlich ist und woher er seine Information bekommt. Das macht aber nur neugierig auf den Charakter und ich freu mich immer wenn dieser wieder auftaucht.

Natürlich treffen wir auch auf die liebgewonnenen Mitglieder von Brücke vier, Jasnah oder auch Navani die versuchen das Leben in Uritiruh in den Griff zu bekommen und dabei den Krieg gegen die Bringer der Leere zu gewinnen und das Geheimnis um den Orden der Strahlenden zu erkunden.

Insgesamt ist Splitter der Macht wieder actionreicher als Ruf der Klingen und bring die Geschichte auch etwas voran. Dank Brandon Sandersons besonderem Schreibstil taucht man direkt wieder in die Welt von Roschar ein und ist am Ende traurig wenn man die Welt wieder verlassen muss. Einzig und allein die Storyline in Shadesmar war für mich nicht ganz so spannend wie ich mir das erhofft hatte.

Insgesamt nicht der Stärkste Band der Reihe aber wieder eine Verbesserung zum sehr langsamen Band 5.
Die Aufmachung und die Zeichnungen von Issak Steward sind, wie in den Vorgänger Bänden, wieder fantastisch und machen das Buch zu einem ganz besonderen Lesevergnügen.

Ich freu mich darauf im November mit „Tänzerin am Abgrund“ wieder nach Roschar zurückzukehren.
Profile Image for Hala.
245 reviews
May 16, 2023
Perfect
Perfect
Perfect

The emotional baggage every single character was carrying around,
The character development in this book,
Even the love triangle that I was worried it would ruin the whole thing
All of it was handled perfectly

I loved every second of it, and I’m really happy with how things turned out, I heard a couple of “ negative “ things about this book before reading it and I was kind of afraid that I’ll be a huge disappointment and it’ll go to a “typical” direction
But honestly, oathbringer part one was kinda slow and i felt like we weren’t doing anything
But this second part PAYED off so well

I’ll miss these characters so much, and I’m preparing a long list of fantasy books that’ll keep me busy for the next 6 months; but I can see it now; the withdrawal symptoms will hit me hard.
Profile Image for Paul.
441 reviews27 followers
June 11, 2025
This is the second half of book 3 in Sanderson's Stormlight Archive. It's actually been several months since I finished part 1 because it really didn't wow me.

Well, Part 2, you weren't much better. This thing dragged for so much of it's 700+ page count, with so little plot and interactions that felt like filler. At this point I'm left wondering exactly why does each Stormlight Archive book HAVE to be over a thousand pages long. There could have been things cut from the book as a whole and not only would it not, in my opinion, have lessened the book but I think the pacing could have been vastly improved.

It obviously wasn't all bad. I enjoyed the flashbacks that finally showed why Dalinar couldn't remember his wife and Shallan's powers taking the direction they took was a very interesting one.

Since it's been so long since I read Warbreaker I'm surprised I spotted the wider Cosmere connections but I did and they made for some enjoyable, sadly brief, moments.

Sorry to end on a negative but the last 200 pages, once again too long and drawn out. Yes something finally happened but it didn't need to be as long as it was.

At this point with Stormlight I'm reading it for the Cosmere. The actual Roshar politics aren't gripping me anywhere near as much as they once were. At this point it's like Sanderson is writing huge bricks for the sake of it and because no-one will tell him not to.

2.5 / 5 (rounded up to 3 for Goodreads)
Profile Image for Nati.
332 reviews80 followers
January 25, 2025
Niezmiennie: KALADIN BURZĄ BŁOGOSŁAWIONY
Ale teraz też: SZETH SYN-SYN-VALLANO, KŁAMCA Z SHINOVARU
Profile Image for Pepperoni.
400 reviews37 followers
March 23, 2024
moja osobowość w tym roku to ta seria, zakochana jestem
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