Oathbringer by Brandon Sanderson

The Stormlight Archive, Book 3

Synopsis: 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 with numbers 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, Shallan 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 was 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.

Review: I always have a little trouble with fantasy and I can count on the fingers of my hands the novels that I adored. Yet for me, Brandon Sanderson is one of the gods of fantasy. Yes, he always manages to carry me away with his stories. I am always really impressed by the size of these novels, they are just huge! Almost 1300 pages for this one. But the book in itself is just beautiful whether it’s for the pretty illustrations at the beginning and the end of the novel or those added during the chapters.

It was not possible for me to read the entire novel at once, oh no, the story is very dense and between all the characters and all events, I set 100 pages per day. I think it was enough for me to successfully follow the story.

We find our characters in a new quest, be it Dalinar and his memories, but also his decisions about the nearing threats, Shallan and Adolin and their secrets, and the decisions of their lives and many other characters than the we always enjoy finding. Brandon Sanderson once again presents an intense and complex novel, featuring all his characters by facing a large number of events. I loved learning more about them and finding Dalinar’s past, while understanding how difficult it was for him. Fortunately for him Navini is also there for him in all circumstances. It’s true that these are my favorite characters with Shallan, this young woman who must manage the different facets she presents and Adolin that everyone compares to his father, which puts on him a very strong pressure.

Yes, it was a very good novel and I understand why the French releases are divided into two volumes. It was a very nice discovery and even if I’m always chilly with this genre, I always spend a great time with his novels!