Hardcover, 290 pages
English language
Published Feb. 15, 2022 by Tor Books.
From Brandon Sanderson―author of the #1 New York Times bestselling Stormlight Archive and its fourth massive installment, Rhythm of War ―comes a new hefty novella, Dawnshard . Taking place between Oathbringer and Rhythm of War , this tale (like Edgedancer before it) gives often-overshadowed characters their own chance to shine.
When a ghost ship is discovered, its crew presumed dead after trying to reach the storm-shrouded island Akinah, Navani Kholin must send an expedition to make sure the island hasn't fallen into enemy hands. Knights Radiant who fly too near find their Stormlight suddenly drained, so the voyage must be by sea.
Shipowner Rysn Ftori lost the use of her legs but gained the companionship of Chiri-Chiri, a Stormlight-ingesting winged larkin, a species once thought extinct. Now Rysn's pet is ill, and any hope for Chiri-Chiri’s recovery can be found only at the ancestral home of the Akinah. With the …
From Brandon Sanderson―author of the #1 New York Times bestselling Stormlight Archive and its fourth massive installment, Rhythm of War ―comes a new hefty novella, Dawnshard . Taking place between Oathbringer and Rhythm of War , this tale (like Edgedancer before it) gives often-overshadowed characters their own chance to shine.
When a ghost ship is discovered, its crew presumed dead after trying to reach the storm-shrouded island Akinah, Navani Kholin must send an expedition to make sure the island hasn't fallen into enemy hands. Knights Radiant who fly too near find their Stormlight suddenly drained, so the voyage must be by sea.
Shipowner Rysn Ftori lost the use of her legs but gained the companionship of Chiri-Chiri, a Stormlight-ingesting winged larkin, a species once thought extinct. Now Rysn's pet is ill, and any hope for Chiri-Chiri’s recovery can be found only at the ancestral home of the Akinah. With the help of Lopen, the formerly one-armed Windrunner, Rysn must accept Navani's quest and sail into the perilous storm from which no one has returned alive. If the crew cannot uncover the secrets of the hidden island city before the wrath of its ancient guardians falls upon them, the fate of Roshar and the entire Cosmere hangs in the balance.
Other Tor books by Brandon Sanderson
The Cosmere
The Stormlight Archive The Way of Kings Words of Radiance Edgedancer (Novella) Oathbringer Rhythm of War
The Mistborn trilogy The Final Empire The Well of Ascension The Hero of Ages
The Wax and Wayne series The Alloy of Law Shadows of Self The Bands of Mourning
Collection Arcanum Unbounded The Many Lives of Stephen Leeds
Other Cosmere novels Elantris Warbreaker
The Alcatraz vs. the Evil Librarians series Alcatraz vs. the Evil Librarians The Scrivener's Bones The Knights of Crystallia The Shattered Lens The Dark Talent Bastille vs. the Evil Librarians
The Rithmatist series The Rithmatist
Other books by Brandon Sanderson
The Reckoners Steelheart Firefight Calamity
The Skyward series Skyward Starsight Cytonic
Graphic Novels White Sand Dark One
I've been re-reading The Stormlight Archive to prepare for the upcoming novel and had missed this one. It's quite fun and very intriguing on what it reveals, both for Roshar and the Cosmere.
For a longer review, check out my blog: strakul.blogspot.com/2024/10/book-review-dawnshard-by-brandon.html
Is it heresy to say that this is probably my favorite installment in the Stormlight series so far? There is so much to be said about the expansive, detailed world and captivating stories that Sanderson is known for, but Dawnshard really is a testament to his skill as a writer in creating equally captivating, brief stories that hyper focus on a small cast of characters.
In Dawnshard, we are following Rysn, a recently "graduated" full fledged merchant who studied under a master merchant for many years. After an accident, Rysn lost the use of her legs, but eager to dive into her new trade, and with a gifted ship and crew, she is eager to take up an assignment from the queen of the Alethi herself who asks her to take a ship to an isolated, mythical island to excavate for treasure. This is fortuitous for Rysn, as her faithful …
Is it heresy to say that this is probably my favorite installment in the Stormlight series so far? There is so much to be said about the expansive, detailed world and captivating stories that Sanderson is known for, but Dawnshard really is a testament to his skill as a writer in creating equally captivating, brief stories that hyper focus on a small cast of characters.
In Dawnshard, we are following Rysn, a recently "graduated" full fledged merchant who studied under a master merchant for many years. After an accident, Rysn lost the use of her legs, but eager to dive into her new trade, and with a gifted ship and crew, she is eager to take up an assignment from the queen of the Alethi herself who asks her to take a ship to an isolated, mythical island to excavate for treasure. This is fortuitous for Rysn, as her faithful animal companion, Chiri-Chiri, a small winged creature who is the only one of her kind, is rumored to come from this island and seemingly needs to go back as her health is failing. The queen sends some Radiants to accompany Rysn, Lopen and Huri who are familiar faces, as well as Cord, a Horneater woman and the daughter of Rock. When embarking on this journey with her personal assistant Nikli, many things are set into motion, firstly it becomes apparent that the captain and crew of the ship she owns owe no devotion to Rysn and seemingly hold some animosity. But strange things begin to happen, as if fate is pushing them away from pursuing this mission. What follows is an explosive adventure that carries consequences that will affect the entire Cosmere.
This was such a fun adventure that had me gripped the whole time. Sanderson is known for his complex and intriguing stories and worlds, but I think Dawnshard is the result of a concerted effort for Sanderson to write a very character-centric story, an area he's been known to be a bit weak in. There was so much care put into exploring all of the main players in depth, and everyone had a very satisfying arc that made sense and will carry heavy hitting consequences back into the main series. Actually, I would argue that this installment isn't really optional as it has some huge story revelations, so be sure to pick it up if you're planning on carrying on with Stormlight. I also feel that I should mention, why I am not physically disabled myself, I did some research into different reviews of Dawnshard from people who are quadriplegic, paraplegic, and those who use mobility aids, and in general, it seems that this was a satisfactory representation of a person with a disability, so props to Sanderson for taking the care to get it right, and massive props to his sensitivity readers who are credited in the acknowledgements.
This was short so there were a few times that the story felt rushed, but that's honestly relieving when it comes to Sanderson's works. I felt that the fast pace contributed to the story. That's really all there is to say, I enjoyed this a lot. I feel that this was an improvement in some of the personal criticisms I have about Sanderson's style, so I hope that these carry forward into his future installments as well. On to Rhythm of War!
A short fun little novella and a perfect reminder of whats going on in Roshar before starting Rhythm of War.
After over a year away details were starting to get fuzzy.
3.75 stars.
Novellas do not really work for me and this one made no exception. However, I liked the characters and story very much.
It's a short story, but introduces a bunch of very important facts. The cremling guys. The Dawnshard. The Guardians. The evil group who want to get the Dawnshard. Wherever is this story going!
Truth be told, I don't expect to like Rhythm of War as much as I liked this tightly written, just plain fun, novella. Turns out when restricted to a shorter format and to exploring the corners, edges and side-characters of Roshar, I find myself entertained and compelled just as much, if not more than in the (much, much) longer novels. It helps that Rysn has always been a highlight of the main novels' interludes, and now finds herself undeniably among the best characters of the series.
According to Sanderson Dawnshard isn't required reading for Rhythm of War but that doesn't mean this book should be skipped. There is a good amount of character focus for Lopen and Rysn, plus some lofty Cosmere implications. The amount of information unloaded so quickly reminds me of Mistborn: Secret History.
The book doesn't feel as polished as a typical Sanderson story but that can be forgiven as it was written in haste as part of the Way of Kings 10th anniversary leather bound Kickstarter. A week after the final edits were made it was mailed out to backers, so kind of amazing that this could happen in as quick of a timeline as it did.
This is a fast paced book and had my scheduled allowed this would be perfect to read in a single day.
With Dawnshard off the queue I can now start on the main course: …
According to Sanderson Dawnshard isn't required reading for Rhythm of War but that doesn't mean this book should be skipped. There is a good amount of character focus for Lopen and Rysn, plus some lofty Cosmere implications. The amount of information unloaded so quickly reminds me of Mistborn: Secret History.
The book doesn't feel as polished as a typical Sanderson story but that can be forgiven as it was written in haste as part of the Way of Kings 10th anniversary leather bound Kickstarter. A week after the final edits were made it was mailed out to backers, so kind of amazing that this could happen in as quick of a timeline as it did.
This is a fast paced book and had my scheduled allowed this would be perfect to read in a single day.
With Dawnshard off the queue I can now start on the main course: the early release chapters of Rhythm of War! This (selected) Cosmere re-read started in August and am now on to the main event.
