Oathbringer: Book Three of the Stormlight Archive (The Stormlight Archive, 3)

I continue to love this series and have consumed roughly 4000 pages of it in about a month. It’s well-written, full of action, laden with character development, and overflowing with interesting ideas about magic and mythology. For any sheltered fans of the fantasy genre who have not heard of this series or this author, I give it the hugest possible recommendation. I’m just sorry that I finished book #3 in the series a few months before book #4 is set to be released.

The third book in the Stormlight Archive series finds the main characters all facing crises: of conscience, of memory, of their personal relationships, and, most importantly, of what they want their lives to become. Kaladin, increasing in his power as a Windrunner (one of the orders of Knights Radiant, reborn after thousands of years), faces one of his periodic bouts of self-doubt, the darkness nearly consuming him into giving up. Dalinar, King of Urithiru (the rediscovered City of Knights Radiant) and uncle to the King of Alethkar, tries to understand his role in the Radiants as a Bondsmith, facing the fracturing of the alliance of nations he formed in the last book. Shallan, betrothed to Dalinar’s son, Adolin, and a Lightweaver Radiant in her own right with the abilities to project illusions and become other people, faces difficulties in deciding which of her alter egos is really her. The supporting cast (Kaladin’s Bridge Four teammates, now Windrunners themselves; Dalinar’s former sister-in-law (and now wife), Navani; Navani’s daughter, Jasnah, seemingly returned from the dead; the Assassin in White, Szeth, somehow still alive and serving as a Skybreaker Radiant trainee; and a host of others from previous books) all face similar crises of faith. Meanwhile, the army of once-Parshendi (many of whom have been transformed into Fused, a sort of counterpart on their side to the Radiants) marches towards a confrontation with the allied forces of man, just when that alliance is crumbling and many of the alliance’s strongest supporters have disappeared into a parallel plane of existence. And along the way, the world discovers a shocking secret about the nature of the conflict that shakes the very foundations of everyone’s beliefs.

The plot is incredibly intricate, with dozens of interweaving storylines that all support each other in a grand whole. With so many pages in each novel (each one ranges just above or below 1300 pages), there’s ample space to have complex arcs for every character, even the minor ones, while making sure there’s plenty of plot movement and action. There’s political intrigue, soul-searching inner conflict, pledges to higher ideals, conversations with deities, loads of fighting, and a good bit of humor (thanks to Rock, Lopen, Shallan, and Lift in particular). Even the undercurrent of racism I noted in previous reviews in this series seems to be addressed as one of the main plot points (as I thought it might), and the solution to that problem will likely be central to the later books in this series. It really is one of those books that has so much going on that it’s hard to put down.

As for the mechanics, it’s incredibly tight in its editing, a few split infinitives or pronoun errors aside. Page-for-page, it’s one of the cleanest series of books I’ve read in a long time, so kudos to Sanderson and his editorial team for presenting a well-written final product.

I can’t say enough good things about this series. Go read it.

The book arrived with 56 pages in the middle chopped off and set wrong.
Unreadable and very frustrating.
I can't imagine this being shipped in this condition.

I am waiting to read book four as book three has/is combersome in many parts. Just not able to read like book one and two.

Read books 1 and 2, then this one. PLEASE

So far loving the series. I generally always love Sandersons magic concepts and story telling.

I’ve read probably 10,000 pages of Sanderson work at this point, and it never disappoints. Always good. I’d highly recommend reading edgedancer after words of radiance before oathbringer if you haven’t already!

To fully appreciate these three books, you have to read them in sequence inside of a 4 month period. Any more time and you'll find yourself forgetting key details/mysteries from book 1 that are paid off in book 3. Otherwise, this would get all 5 stars.

I enjoyed how the sorry lines picked up and are consistent with the other two books in this series. I also like the fact that you can pick up and read Oathbringer without having read the other two prior books in the series and still understand the plot. Can't wait for the next book in the series!

I enjoyed how the sorry lines picked up and are consistent with the other two books in this series. I also like the fact that you can pick up and read Oathbringer without having read the other two prior books in the series and still understand the plot. Can't wait for the next book in the series!

Arrived in time frame as stated. Condition was good as stated.