Three years ago, we were eagerly awaiting book 3 of The Stormlight Archive: Oathbringer. One week ago, we were eagerly awaiting book 3.5, Dawnshard. (I hope you’ve read that, by the way!) Now suddenly, here we are, a mere five days from book 4, Rhythm of War, and the tension is real. Will you love it? Will you hate it? Will you find it a worthy entry in the Archive? Come on in for a little chat about the book, all free of spoilers, and let me share my opinions on the subject.
Some of you may be wondering why you should be even remotely interested in my opinions on such a subject, so let me briefly introduce myself. I’ve been a fan of Brandon Sanderson’s work since 2009, a beta reader for him since 2013, and a regular contributor to Cosmere discussions here on Tor.com since 2014. Oh, also, I’ve read this book all the way through twice, and have read pieces of it many more times than that. Is that adequate? Hope so, because we’re here to talk about a book, which is far more interesting than me.
What I’m about to say will assume you do not follow the “Words of Brandon” from Q&A sessions, Reddit, etc., so I’ll try to stick with the things you would know only from previous books and from well-publicized information. If you do follow all the things, you’ll notice that I’m hedging around some things you might already know (but others don’t). It’s okay.
Before we get into any analysis, let me say right up front, I love this book. No reservations, I love it. It hits all my buttons. It’s an emotional roller coaster. It has plot twists. It has characters (and character arcs) that I love, and characters that I love to hate. It has history, and mystery, and worldhoppers, and even engineering, for pity’s sake. It has answers, and it has new questions. It proves some of my fond theories right, and smashes others to pathetic little pieces. It…it just has everything I love in a book—and at 1229 pages, it has a lot of all those things.
But let’s get a little more detailed, shall we? I’ll hit a quick structural analysis, and then give you a little more sense of what to expect—but without spoilers. Check.
Structure
The structure of Rhythm of War follows the patterns (which you may or may not have noticed) established in The Way of Kings and carried through each book. The book title is also an in-world book. The titles of the five parts, put together, form a ketek. The initials of the titles are building another ketek. The back cover blurb is written by the Sleepless. And so on. Very quickly, then, here’s a brief overview of the structural forms to watch for:
Prologue
The prologue, as always, is another perspective on the night of Gavilar’s assassination. If you’ll recall, the previous prologues were from Szeth, Jasnah, and Eshonai. This time, it’s another “insider” view: someone who is intimately involved in the affairs and personalities of the Alethi court. The story goes deeper into Gavilar’s mysterious activities, but—of course—it still doesn’t tell us exactly what he thinks he’s doing. There are answers! And as a result, there are more questions. Of course.
Interludes
As you may have noticed, the Interludes between parts—in this case, four sets of three—serve a dual purpose. One purpose has always been to provide insight into aspects of the world that aren’t directly part of the main storyline. The Way of Kings’ Interludes primarily did world-building around Roshar; Words of Radiance continued with other locations, but also set up plots for the next book; Oathbringer drew closer to current events, with one interlude even coming to fruition in that same book. Rhythm of War’s Interludes, while still spread around the world like the others, are much more current-plot oriented. They not only take place at the same time, they directly interact with the main story lines. And the POV characters…let’s just say they might not be who you expected, okay?
Back to that dual purpose, though. Within the Interludes of each book, there is an ongoing novelette—a series of chapters which together tell a more personal story of one character who is involved in current events, but who gets no POV chapters outside the Interludes until Part Five. In order so far, these have centered on Szeth, Eshonai, and Venli.
Obviously I’m not going to tell you who the Interlude novelette character is in Rhythm of War. I also won’t promise that the novelette will give you much sympathy for the character, pathetic as the story may be. I will say, though, that I personally didn’t grok where it might be going until the last interlude, and the result as it played out in Part Five was a complete stunner. I’m talking mouth-hanging-open, wide-eyed, breath-catching, oh-you-didn’t-just-do-that stunner.
Well, it was for me, anyway. YMMV.
Flashbacks
Another integral part of the Stormlight Archive structure is the flashback sequence. Each book gives a look into the backstory of a specific character, leading to how they got to where they are in the main timeline. Since the identities of these characters has been part of the advertising for year, I’m not considering this a spoiler. In order so far, these characters were Kaladin, Shallan, and Dalinar. In Rhythm of War, they center around Eshonai, the Parshendi Shardbearer first seen in The Way of Kings, and her sister Venli.
In a slight deviation from previous books, the flashbacks are shared by the sisters, and don’t start until Part Three. Some are strictly from one perspective or the other, while some alternate within a chapter. In both cases, they give us insight into the two characters’ personalities and motivations…and nothing is quite what I had assumed. Background information is highly illuminating, no? As a sweet bonus, we finally also learn much more of the history of the listeners. I don’t know about you, but I’ve been wanting that for a long, long time.
Epilogue
Again following the established pattern, the Epilogue involves Wit being somewhere he needs to be, at just the right time. It also involves him musing on some abstraction about creative arts, as usual. It does not, however, end with the meeting you might be expecting. And…I really can’t say any more, can I? This was a doozy. By design.
Plots Arcs and People
Okay. Now that the structure is confirmed, what else can we talk about in a non-spoilery fashion? What can you expect to see?
One way in which Rhythm of War deviates from the previous installments is the time-skip between books. Instead of moving from the events of one book straight into the next series of events, the opening of Rhythm is roughly a year after the Battle of Thaylen Field which closed out Oathbringer. After the battle, each side drew back to lick their wounds and regroup from that unexpected conclusion; then they began to advance again. Rather than slog through a year’s worth of build-up, full of all the things you expect to happen but don’t really need to watch, Sanderson jumps ahead to where new strategies are being developed, then fills you in on recent developments as they become relevant.
In many ways, Part One reads like the climax to the unwritten book of the past year—and yes, it was intended to do that. It opens with an action-heavy sequence, and the aftermath of this early avalanche sets up the coming plotlines. By the time you get to the end of Part One, you know roughly what the major plot arcs for the remainder of the book will be.
Unlike some reviews, I’m not going to tell you what they are; I don’t see any way to talk about them without spoilers. To manage expectations, though, I’ll say this much: There are three major plot arcs which logically follow from the prior events of the series, up through the end of Part One. One of those arcs continues to weave through the remaining four parts. A second arc mostly takes place in Parts Two and Four with a final scene in Part Five, while the third is seen in Parts Three and Five. If you have a Special Darling Character who happens to be involved in either the second or third arc, resign yourself to this knowledge now.
That said, I thoroughly enjoyed each arc in its own way. The first, with an unexpected combination of three lead characters and a handful of minor POVs, is honestly somewhat painful to read. Not because it’s poorly written, mind you—but because it’s so very well written. It resonates in ways I don’t think Sanderson expected when he was writing it. The lows are so very low, and it feels like every time hope peeks around the corner, despair rushes up to stomp on it, until you begin to wonder if you’ll survive the book, never mind if the characters will. The result is that when the climactic events arrive, the rewards make you cry almost as much as the painful price you paid to get there. The crazier part is the sheer number of characters who have their own mini-avalanche, all contributing to the big SanderLanche.
The second arc, while obviously not as prolonged, nonetheless had plenty of highs, lows, and surprises. Split almost equally between its two main characters, the stresses were real, if not as agonizing. For me, the culmination was…well, stunning. I laughed and cried together, both delighted and grieved that multiple expectations were fulfilled—and completely shocked by the way that happened. This arc definitely left some holes that must be filled in the next book.
The third arc…wow. I’m not quite sure what to say about it. Mostly told from a single viewpoint, the plot itself is fairly minor in context of the book—but some of the things that happen along the way blew my mind. Some were just really amazing scenes in their own right. Some were linked in powerful ways to the main storyline. And some…well, some set up implications for the following book that make me both excited and terrified.
Honestly, I spent so much time doing the dropped-jaw jig in this book. Can you tell how much I loved it?
New world-building
Just a few more things to mention. As you would expect from Sanderson, there is always new world-building. While the series started with its focus mostly on the Alethi people, it’s been expanding with every book, and Rhythm is no exception.
The Listeners, Singers, and Fused
As you should expect from a book whose flashbacks center on Eshonai and Venli, this book is going to reveal a lot more about the three cultures in which Venli is now enmeshed. She’s still got the listener background, and as I mentioned before, the flashbacks give us much more of their history—as do some of the things she learns in the present.
Through her eyes, we also see the singers, the former slaves, as they seek their own place in this world. They bear the cultures in which they served, but they’re being led by people who remember past times, when their people had cultures of their own. Now, they’re trying to find their own balance, their own path forward—but they’re also individuals, and they don’t all want the same thing. It creates some interesting conflicts.
More than that, though, we gain tremendous insights into the Fused culture, personal interactions, and history. We see more of what drives them—both as a group, and as individuals. Why are they here? What do they want? Not that we get all the satisfactory answers, mind you; there are still major gaps in the history, which probably won’t get filled until the “back five” books where we’ll get flashbacks for Talenel and Shalash. But we learn…more than we knew before. Much more.
Spren
If you enjoyed the trip through Shadesmar in Oathbringer or are fascinated by spren in general, you’ll be happy to know that we get more. MORE. Especially the sapient spren. What makes them tick? What do they love? What do they fear? And… why? I realize that not everyone enjoys the Cognitive Realm, but it is integral to Roshar, and you will definitely find things you didn’t expect.
Other Good Stuff
If you like the science of Roshar’s magic, make sure you read the Ars Arcanum. It’s got fascinating new information! Khriss and Nazh have been busy.
Finally, whatever you do, do not skip the epigraphs. You know those little bits in italics at the beginning of each chapter? Read them. Please. Read them all.
Conclusion
If you can’t tell by now, I thoroughly love this book. I want a fantasy book to make me care about the characters, about what happens to them, and about the world they inhabit. I’m a reader who can enjoy a character-driven book or a plot-driven book…but when you give me a well-crafted book with both, I love it. For me, that’s what Rhythm of War does. It engages my mind and my heart in equal measure. The answers I got made me happy. (Well, okay, some of them made me sad, but also they were good answers, so I’ll take it.) The new questions, and a few remaining old questions, make me eager for the next book before this one even has a chance to hit the shelves. Read it as soon as you can, and be sure to come back and join us for the reread, starting in January. There will be so much to discuss!
Buy the Book
Rhythm of War
Alice is a long-time fantasy fan, and resides in the Pacific Northwest with her husband, two kids, her in-laws, and a big black dog. And rain. All the rain.
Not interested in this book if Dalinar isn’t a major character.
Those reviews destroyed all my hopes/
@1 – Oh well. Better luck with other fantasy series. I, for one, can’t wait for Tuesday!
Wait, what? The blurbs are written by the Sleepless?? I should go back and read them… I usually don’t bother because I mean like I’m gonna buy the book anyways…
I am very much looking forward to this book! The preview chapters have been excellent, and I am super excited to see where things go!!
Great review Alice! Thanks for giving us a non-spoilery review that reviews what Sanderson has created. Im eagerly awaiting my chance to experience all the story next week.
@Kell, I need to introduce you to another fan named Annie.
Both of you can join together to lament that Dalinar is not getting another Oathbringer. It would be good for you both to find a friend to share your mutual disappointment.
Austin in other fantasy series I have read all main characters were treated with love and respect. Unlike what Sanderson did to Dalinar.
@6 – That statement is so laughable that I don’t even know where to begin. So I’m just going to not say anything and move on. Well, maybe one comment…how about, you know, trying READING THE BOOK FIRST! Sheesh.
All of this sounds very promising! I am very interested in listeners/singers and also prefer the narrative not to stick to the main 3 too tightly. I loved the preview chapters as well.
P.S. I had no particular expectations for who Hoid would be meeting in the epilogue. Were there any theories that I missed
@6
Oh, for goodness sakes. You literally DON’T KNOW what Sanderson has done with Dalinar because you HAVEN’T READ THE BOOK. Reading part 1 of a five part + interludes 1229 page book doesn’t count. You have no idea what’s coming.
Also, most books involve conflict, and lots of books have main characters that have horrible things happen to them and then die, so I have no idea what your statement means.
Great review, Alice.
And it’s a *fantastic* book in my opinion.
This seems like a good time to reiterate an earlier comment from these discussions:
Explaining why you dislike an author’s choice or some element of the text is fine if you can do so constructively and without derailing the conversation–repeatedly harping on what you do not like or the fact that you’re bored or angry is not helpful, and it does nothing to add to the discussion or other people’s perspective on the topic at hand, which is the purpose of these threads.
Not everyone’s going to like or agree with the choices an author makes, and constructive criticism is great if you’re going to engage with a given work. And if you’ve decided not to engage with this particular work, that’s also absolutely fine, but that’s not what this article or discussion thread is about, so let’s move on.
I’m looking forward to reading this so much! And then to following the rereads to catch all the stuff I miss because I read too quick!
Is there any chance of us getting the Rhythm of War sleepless blurb before release? Also thank you for the great review, which feels very informative whitout being spoilery. It made me even more exited for the book!
Thank you for the review, Alice!
I have been reading all the preview chapters as well as the articles by you and Lyndsey (thank you for these as well!) and the comments, though I have been more of a lurker than poster. I could not wait for the book before, and after reading this it seems even more impossible. Knowing who the unexpected trio is going to be, I am especially excited about the first plot arc (and also dreading it a bit after what you just said), but awaiting eagerly to read the rest as well. ALL of it, to the last bit. The expected delivery of my book is November 23 (which is great news, tbh, I remembered incorrectly that it was in December!), so extra week for me to wait. I would probably be climbing the walls if I had not started Dawnshard just yesterday.
And although reading the chapters and comments without anybody knowing what the very next chapter might bring was fun in its own way, I cannot wait to meet you all virtually in the rereads!
(edited as I had managed to leave out a storming adjective the lack of which made the rest of the sentence quite weird)
Ahhhh I can’t wait!
Also, I feel like the Sanderson fandom is almost as touchy/territorial as the Star Wars fandom when it comes to factions and strongly held opinions about where the series SHOULD have gone, etc. I say this with love.
Sounds like the novelette is about Moash.
And the big reveal is probably going to be that he was actually the one who killed Asmodean.
Enjoyed reading this review, Alice, thank you!! I’m trying to stay pretty un-spoilered, so definitely appreciated this review. My appetite has now been whetted. =D This sounds like a fun one.
@13:
The Spanish cover, at least, has a Sleepless blurb but I can’t figure out how to post a link right now
Is it possible to compare Oathbringer’s quality to RoW? Subjective, I know. Oathbringer was, in my experience, really overwrought. It marked the first time I’ve ever wanted to skim large portions of a Sanderson book. Is the prose any tighter in RoW?
Thanks for the non-spoiler review, Alice. I am eagerly awaiting this book!
Thanks for the review! It’s hard to say much without spoilers, but I appreciate your effort, and it is good to know what you say about the interludes – I dislike the main interlude character and was not looking forward to their chapters, but it’s good to know there’s at least a payoff
The blurbs are on every bookseller page for the book.
Thank you for the wonderful non-spoiler review, Alice! As always, loved every one of your weekly reviews, they provide so much insight and re-readability to each chapter. Looking forward for future ones to come after Rhythms of War is released.
Next Tuesday cannot come soon enough!
@16: The interlude character is not Moash. It’s Taravangian
@16: Thanks for that! Made me laugh out loud!!
This was a fantastic spoiler-free review Alice!
Since I do know who the Interlude character is, I will state I am VERY excited to find out where this is going. Having the main interludes being so disconnected from the main narrative, in past books, have made it an occasional chore to read, hence I am pleased to hear it isn’t the case this time around. I cannot wait to read this arc. I was expecting many characters here, the one that got pick, far surpassed my expectations. This will be good.
I am very excited over the second arc, undoubtedly the one arc I want to read the most. I have no opinion on the other two arcs, I agree the pairings for the first arc are… peculiar. I’ll have to read it to make up my mind.
On the side note, I am hoping to finish reading Dawnshard before next Tuesday. It is a great novel, much better than Edgeadncer, so far, IMHO.
Great review!
Thanks for all the work here
Haven’t started Dawnshard buthave the weekend to do so. Very much looking forward to RoW! Thanks, Alice!
@24 FYI your spoiler blackout thing didn’t work. That’s okay.
However, now that I know who the novelette character is, I will be hoping the character gets (his/her) comeuppance the whole time I’m reading it.
@29 – The spoiler blackout has been fixed! (For the future, if you want to hide a spoiler, make sure to use the same color for both background and text.)
@30: Thank you, and I’m sorry! I didn’t know how to do spoiler blackouts, and now I do
Quick question, are we going to fo a Dawnshard re-read before we tackle the RoW re-read? I don’t remember what the plan is exactly. Thanks!
My grandfather used to invite us over to watch basketball games, and at half time it was tradition for everyone to get a Pepsi. I would often have mine finished off before the 2nd half started, while my grandfather would make his last until almost the end of the game. He would tell us we needed to “savor your drink.”
I guess I haven’t learned my lesson. Shocked to see so many saying they haven’t finished Dawnshard yet. I got it and read it all on the day it came out, Tuesday. Some day I might learn to “savor my drink.”
I doubt I will read RoW in one day, since it’s a bit bigger. (Just a wee bit.) I wish it was here already, though. Would be much better to get it on a Friday to start the weekend! Now, do I wait to get my hard copy or buy the ebook so I can start right away. Decisions, decisions.
I appreciate the challenge of writing a non-spoiler review and have enjoyed the read-along discussions of the preview chapters. However, it would have been helpful to get a review of the book by someone a little more removed from the writing of it. I’m not at all surprised Alice loved the book, though I’m glad to hear she did.
As someone more ambivalent than others about the stormlight archive, I was hoping for a review that told me whether or not I would enjoy this. This read to me more like a non-spoiler preview for excited fans than a review.
@32 Gepeto: Yes, they’re starting the Dawnshard reread on Dec 3, and the ROW reread is after that. It’s mentioned at the start of the ROW Chapter 19 discussion thread
@33. Cochino. Different people, different reading pace. I simply do not have enough free time to read much faster and I think it is better this way. Reading slower makes it last longer ;-) So kudos to your grand-pa.
Gepeto @32 – Ask and you shall receive! Though we’re going to try to get through the whole thing in a month, so we’ll see how that goes… :/ (katherine @35 is correct, we’re doing it in December.)
Shmeezus @34 – There are lots of other reviews out there. Some of them are… less non-spoiilery than mine, if that matters to you. Seriously, though, the only way you’re going to get a good idea from a review as to whether or not you will like it, is to read/watch a review from someone who you already know has the same tastes you have. Otherwise, you’re just getting some random stranger’s opinion – and what is that going to tell you? Go read the Amazon reviews, if that’s all you want.
Alternatively, you can wait and read the spoiler review next Thursday, decide whether the book goes all the places you wanted it to go, and then read it knowing what will happen. Not my preferred approach, but I don’t know how else you would determine “whether you’re going to like it.”
Thanks Alice and Katherine! I can’t wait to discuss Dawnshard. I have lots of things to say about it.
@34 Shmeezus. I have listened to two of those independent reviews before I choose not to listen to future ones until I read the book for myself. The first I listened to wasn’t exactly non-spoiler-y. Others would argue it was, but it still gave away some details I wished I hadn’t glimpsed. I know there are people, out there, who’d think some of what is said is very spoiler-y, so I would not advise anyone to listen to those reviews.
Still, you can listen to them if you are inclined to, but I don’t think it gives a good enough portrayal of the book. I sure couldn’t tell if I would enjoy it or not based on them. So I agree with Alice, wait for the real spoiler-y review. Or dig into the book and see if you like it. I have a 25% rule. If by 25% of a book, I don’t like, it does nothing for me, and reading is a chore, I allow myself to drop the book. Yeah. It happens. I have similar rules for series, if by 25% of released books, I am half and a half on it, I allow myself to stop reading it. It happened twice this year: I have dropped a book and a series. Hence you could start reading the book and if by 25% of the additional material, you are bored and it isn’t going to places you enjoy, feel free to drop it. No hard feelings. Some books I hated are universally loved by many readers, so all tastes are different. Reversely, some books I loved are hated.
@21 katherinemw:
Tbh, I didn’t think I would be terribly thrilled with the main pov character. But I freaking loved it! It was so interesting and informative. And so, so climactic!
I finish Dawnshard! I absolutely LOVED it. I cannot wait to discuss it. You have all heard me not being too pleased with a few things, well, now you are going to hear me being very pleased with a lot of them. It goes both ways, guys.
To other readers, I recommend reading Dawnshard before reading RoW! I wished I had before I read RoW Part 1, but it wasn’t possible!
Best book review I’ve read in a very long time. I know what to expect without having a single thing spoiled! Amazing… Thank you Alice!
@38 Gepeto – I find that I don’t always agree with some of your posts, but you are absolutely correct on allowing yourself to drop a book or series if it doesn’t do anything for you.
As for reviews, it is definitely best to find a reviewer you agree with. We used to have a movie reviewer who would trash movies because he looked at it as art. If I’m spending my money, I want to enjoy it. I care about the craft, but it has to be something I enjoy.
I finished Dawnshard over the weekend, and realized that the Lopen looks and sounds like the character Luis in Ant Man (Michael Anthony Peña) in my head.
Anyone else get the same imagery?
Whoo hoo! We made it everyone! Tonight. Midnight. May the reading frenzy begin! Tomorrow all our patience will be rewarded.
@42 jason. Thanks! And it’s OK not to agree with my posts. It’s OK to agree with them. It’s OK to change your mind about them as I surely change mine often enough. Still, nothing I wrote should be taken as gospel or anything, I am just a fan, sometimes I go too far on one thing, other times I don’t, that’s all being part of being a real human being. I don’t mind anyone disagreeing with me, what I do mind however is being judged as a person because of stuff I write about a fictional book. Gotta meet someone and talk to them, for real, to do that and I have had enough people taking me for someone I never was based on my posting for a lifetime. So thanks and yeah, it is OK to drop a book if it isn’t working out for you. I am not ashamed to say I have dropped some books because they just didn’t work out for me. For instance, I can’t get into Joe Abercrombie, but a lot of readers swear by him. I couldn’t get into Malazan either. Each reader has their own taste and that’s OK too.
I can relate to having listened to inappropriate movie critics who bashed movies I would have enjoyed only to promote movies completely outside of my preferences. As a result, I remember sitting in movie theaters being bored to tears as I watched what was supposed to be a masterpiece. I have a similar experience with a local TV critic: now I know better. I know this critic enjoys a certain kind of shows, so I know what to take off his critics and what to leave out. It’s a bit harder when you don’t know the critic, a little piece of me fear what they say is true.
@44 Gepeto
Mostly just reading here and first time posting. I am pretty selective with the books I decide to read. So mostly I am aware of what I will like, 2 series I absolutely could not get into though were Abercrombie books and Malazan, so I feel you on those…
That said, I did find you mentioning your dislike of the early Kaladin chapters somewhat…grating, I guess, but thats probably because I love that character a lot, so perhaps that was a defense mechanism kicking in?
However, you were very clear about why you didnt like those chapters and that was understandable, people like what people like afterall. You also were more positive about a few later Kaladin chapters, so you werent just being negative about a character just to be negative which sometimes people also tend to be. However its also easy as a fan to be overly positive which is fine (I find it hard to see flaws in things I like aswell) but its nice to hear from someone that can be critical.
All in all as a fellow fan, I liked reading your responses to the chapters that were released, keep doing it please :) curious to hear your thoughts on Dawnshard aswell, LOVED IT myself!
Also Alice, thanks for the nice spoilerfree review…although now I want to read it even more, book should arrive thursday though, so I should be able to survive the wait..
Hey TOR,
Can y’all publish that PDF that has been included with the audiobooks in the past so that us Audible users can see the artwork and sketches? I was rather counting on getting, you know, the whole book.
@45 Draigh198
That’s interesting. I remember being offended by something similar myself. Then when I went back to reread TWOK before Oathbringer came out, I found myself really having to grind through those early Kaladin chapters! I love Kaladin, and who he becomes, and his character arc, but boy does his early “woe is me” act get old for me on reread!