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Oathbringer: Book Three of the Stormlight Archive
The #1 New York Times bestselling sequel to 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…
- Release Date
- 2017
- Length
- 1531 pages
- Publisher
- Tor Books
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Our Review
About the book
The third book of The Stormlight Archive centers on Dalinar Kholin as he tries to unite Roshar’s fractious nations against a returning enemy. Flashback chapters reveal his violent past, while Kaladin and Shallan confront the consequences of their new powers.
Our review
Sanderson’s biggest book turns its gaze on a warlord’s conscience, and the results are often stunning.
Oathbringer is the Dalinar book, and that is its great strength. The flashbacks into his years as a brutal conqueror are some of the darkest material Sanderson has written, and they recast a character we thought we understood. The question running underneath, whether a person can be redeemed without forgetting what they did, gives the novel real moral weight beyond its armies and spren.
The middle section, though, sags. Diplomacy scenes repeat, a long detour with Kaladin feels like setup for later books, and Shallan’s identity struggles can drag. When the climax arrives, however, it is enormous and cathartic, with one moment that many fans rank as the best in the series. Readers who loved the first two books will forgive the bulk; newcomers should start at the beginning.
What we loved
- Dalinar’s flashback chapters and their unflinching honesty
- A climax with a payoff years in the making
- Deeper exploration of Roshar’s other cultures
Keep in mind
- The middle stretch is padded and repetitive
- Shallan’s fractured-identity storyline will frustrate some readers
Read it if you like
Readers who finished Words of Radiance, or who like character-driven epics such as Robin Hobb’s Farseer books.
The verdict
Overlong in the middle but powerful at its core, Oathbringer is the series’ most morally serious entry so far.
