October 2020 Reread:
But sometimes a hypocrite is nothing more than a person who is in the process of changing.

Oathbringer remains five stars on the re-read and may be my favorite of the Stormlight series, but yet I know so little about the larger world and universe. I was prepared for the scope of the story to expand drastically with this book but I was still overwhelmed. 1200 pages is a tome but it doesn't drag. Each chapter, story and character moves the tale forward.

But merely being tradition does not make something worthy...we can't just assume that because something is old it is right.

Unfortunately I still find Shadesmar to drag. Everything is so new, different and you learn as the characters do so it's a challenging place to understand. I expect the Cognitive Realm will continue to be a setting going forward and Sanderson intentionally told us what was necessary for the moment.

On my first read I felt that every other character was becoming Radiant or a part of a Squire, but now I'm good with it. Understanding the order of Heralds, Radiants and Squires helps and realizing how one influences the other makes it feel less like a power free for all and a natural awakening and return of power.

Together they carried the bridge on one final run - reverently, as if it were the brier of a king, being taken to his tomb for his eternal rest.

I remembered a few scenes very vividly from 2017 but for the most part I forgot everything about Oathbringer. Once the 60%/Dalinar/Evi/Rift chapters happened it felt like I was reading the chapters for the first time. I somehow blocked the last 40% of the book and had no memory of what was going to happen next...and a lot happens! I could probably re-read the last half of the book again and still feel like it's new and fresh.

Those most important step a man can take. It's not the first one, is it? It's the next one. Always the next step, Dalinar.

After I binged on the Cosmere books in 2017 I thought I had all of the pieces and players in line. That only lasts as long as it takes to read theories and explanations on a fan site like 17th Shard or Coppermind. I know who Odium is, and after a few minutes of research I wonder if I've read the same book as everyone else. This is frustrating but also what makes this series so amazing. There are numerous levels a reader can enjoy the book and Sanderson has built a universe that is accessible for casual to hard core readers alike.

Some days I feel like Taravangian and not fit to read or understand the Cosmere, and other days I feel like I can tackle it all.

Rhythm of War doesn't come out for a few weeks so now I will bide my time waiting for Dawnshard to be released, and after that I will start on the tor.com early release chapters in advance of November 17, 2020. What a great few months this re-read has been!

Original 2017 review
You mostly failed. That is life. The longer you live, the more you fail. Failure is the mark of a life well lived. In turn, the only way to live without failure is to be of no use to anyone.

Oathbringer is huge, both in page count and story. There are multiple story lines weaved in to this book that characters and events from Book One or Book Two of Oathbringer feel like they are from a different book entirely.

Oathbringer doesn’t focus on one location and each location comes with new characters, scribes, attendants and names that it can be a challenge to keep everyone in order. As I reached the end of the book I would come across a name and not remember if they were from earlier in Oathbringer or from an Interlude chapter in Way of Kings or Words of Radiance.

I am no god, Dalinar Kholin. No more than your shadow on the wall is you.

I had a similar problem with Way of Kings on my first read but the re-read kept everything in order, and I’m sure that will be the case this time on re-reading Oathbringer…but it may not matter because a lot happens in this story. The story explodes in all directions and as you work through Dalinar’s flashbacks you are accelerating the story in present time and the world opened up. I feel like Way of Kings and Words of Radiance are novella’s in comparison to the scope and scale that comes with Oathbringer.

Find the balance. Accept the pain, but don’t accept that you deserved it.

Because of the scale in the book it was a little difficult to keep everything in line. The book consumed my life for two weeks but I found that I wasn’t sure if I was missing a plot detail because Sanderson withheld it intentionally, a character was unfamiliar to me, or I was not absorbing the story correctly, or it was a combination of all three.

The next part of my review will contain spoilers...

He was not a man. He was judgement.

The biggest moment in the book for me can be summed up in three words: Daliner, Rift and Evi.

Those two back to back flashback chapters (around the 60% mark) were incredibly well done. I felt the Thrill with Daliner as he laid waste to the Rift and exacted his revenge. I cheered alongside him as the Blackthorn was an unstoppable force. Then, in a matter of pages, the story flipped over and I grieved alongside Daliner too. I had to stop my reading for the day after these chapters because of the emotional rollercoaster I was put through.

The pace at which Squires or Radiants were identified was a challenge to keep together. The scope moved beyond Bridge Four and covered all of Roshar, and this was demanding for me. You attracted a spren, you said your Words and you get to be a Surgebinder. Every few chapters it was like “oh, another one”.

“Welcome to war, Evi” Dalinar said, heading toward the door. “There are no unequivocal wins. Just victories that leave fewer of your friends dead than others.”

The story had great revelations and what I thought would happen in later books (ie: battling with Odium) happened now. I have no idea how the story can continue for seven more books, but if they keep expanding scope like it did in Oathbringer it will be a lot to stay on top of.

I liked how the Thrill has been a background topic for the previous books and then became more discussed in Oathbringer only to realize that it was controlled by Odium. The reveal of the humans being the Voidbringers was an exceptionally nice twist too and brings up a lot of questions about conquering or being conquered.


If stone met a man, stone might win – but if stone met humanity, then no force could preserve it.

Rating this book is a challenge because I felt that I was lost in the plot and I don’t know if that was my fault or intentionally done. The story is an excellent addition to the Stormlight series and is evidence that this is Sanderson's opus.

Yet, struggling to keep the story straight was a challenge. Making the story less complex would not benefit the series but it is frustrating not knowing if a missed details is my fault or intentional, and with years to wait for the next instalment I may not know that answer for a book or more.

The pacing was excellent and with multiple POV there was always a surprise or excitement around the corner. With respect to Cosmere you realize how complex the universe is and how much Sanderson has yet to reveal.

I will re-read this book multiple times and that's a sign of a good book so even with what gaps I have in understanding everything this deserves five stars because of what Sanderson is crafting and building towards.