Many readers are hesitant to start unfinished series, but I am a big believer in the journey being part of the experience, especially when it comes to fandom. It is the middle book in the first five-book half of this larger saga and, from where I’m standing, the perfect time to get invested in this world.
Credit: Tor Books/Michael Whelan Enter Oathbringer…Īs I previously mentioned, Oathbringer, the third book in The Stormlight Archive series, was released this month.
We put the two together and create something new, a unicorn. It’s the unicorn idea-we’ve seen things with horns, and we’ve seen horses.
What we can do is take different things we’ve seen and combine them in new ways. We as human beings, by our very nature, can’t imagine something we’ve never seen. Now, that said, creativity is really the recombination of things you’ve seen before. Because of that, I’ve done a lot of work to individualize and distinctify a lot of the various cultures on Roshar. I consider Roshar my showpiece for worldbuilding, and as such I wanted everything about it to display some of the best of what science fiction and fantasy is capable of: new ecologies, new cultures, cultures that feel real but that at the same time are not just earth analogues. Sanderson talked to Tor about his worldbuilding aspirations in an interview following the release of The Way of Kings: Oathbringer centers around the struggle to unite Roshar’s many countries against Odium, a god-like being with plans to destroy all of human civilization. While the action of the first book is more or less confined to two kingdoms within Roshar, it expands out from there in the subsequent two novels. The first five books will make up one long story, with the second five books serving as a “sequel” of sorts to that first story, following different main characters. Sanderson plans to have a total of 10 books in the series, separated into two major story arcs. In Oathbringer (2017), we learn about Dalinar’s past. In Words of Radiance (2014), we learn about Shallan’s past. In The Way of Kings, we learn about Kaladin’s past. Most of the action in The Way of the Kings follows three main characters: warrior Kaladin, ruler Dalinar, and scholar Shallan. Each story in The Stormlight Archive gives us a set of flashbacks centered around a different character’s story. These “highstorms” sweep from east to west across the continent, leaving destruction in their wake, and, like all environments, have shaped the respective cultures, religions, and societies that make up this world. These storms are also integral to this world’s magical system, as they imbue Roshar’s gemstones with Stormlight, an energy that powers much of this world’s magic. The story starts with The Way of Kings (2010), which introduces us to Roshar, a planet where violent storms shape everything. So I’ve convinced you to dive into Sanderson’s work, but what the heck is The Stormlight Archive even about? I’m glad you asked… While it is in no way necessary to read all of Sanderson’s books in order to understand and enjoy the respective series, it is a pretty rewarding reason to check out Sanderson’s work past his fantasy opus, finding Easter eggs along the way. That’s incredibly ambitious on Sanderson’s part and endlessly fun for readers. Elantris, The Stormlight Archive, and the Mistborn trilogy are all part of the Cosmere, a huge fictional universe that is home to almost every book that Sanderson has ever written.Įach book/series on Sanderson’s resume takes place on a different planet - with its own culture, politics, and magical systems - in the same universe. From his debut novel, Elantris, back in 2005, Sanderson has been quietly building a shared fictional universe. This is also why Sanderson’s books are such a worthwhile investment of your time and interest.