Edgedancer

Edgedancer is an interstitial piece in Brandon Sanderson’s Stormlight Archive series. It is a tightly focused character study with enough world-building and adventurous capers to keep the pages and pixels rolling by.

Lift is a young girl who may have halted her aging process at the edge of adolescence. Magical powers that she calls her “awesomeness” allow her to become invisible and reduce her coefficient of friction. She fuels these abilities by stealing all the food she can find, especially pancakes. She likes them best when she can snatch them from under the nose of some royal personage.

Her reluctant companion in crime is Wyndle, a telepathic spren who usually manifests as a vine. He tries to be Jiminy Cricket to her Pinocchio, show more but it is a thankless role. The banter between them is what kept me reading.

Do you need to read the first two Stormlight novels before you tackle this one? Yes, but you can pick up this short one first if you don’t mind brief moments of mystification. show less

Disclaimer: While reading Edgedancer I listened to "Running in the 90s" on repeat, so i cannot guarantee that my experience will mirror that of others who choose not to do that. I do feel however, that the song fit perfectly.

Let's start this off by saying that I love Lift. I think she is a fantastic character, unlike many others. If you did not enjoy lifts childish-witty banter and her eccentricities when she was introduced in the main series, you probably won't enjoy this book. I don't feel that way, I think Lift is a very interesting character with a lot of potential going forward. Her banter is enjoyable and a welcome change from many of the more serious characters (not saying that these are bad in any way). But the main selling show more point of her character, to me, is her conviction. She is determined to chase after "Darkness", a person who terrifies her to the core of her being, in order to potentially save people she never even met. It also becomes increasingly clear that she has her own internal struggles that are starting to show in "Edgedancer". In general the book made me very excited about the second era of Stormlight Archive, where we will (most likely) get a lot more of Lift.

Like Lift is awesome, so is her spren. Wyndle is another fanatastic character that got introduced alongside her. His frustration with Lifts unpredictable character and the past he left behind in Shadesmar, his exchanges with Lift are very entertaining to read and it becomes clear during the book, how their bond makes sense despite their differences.

The general story of the novella was also interesting, especially since we are first introduced to another powerful species residing on Roshar. Furthermore, Seth also got a bit more screentime, which is always awesome and we get a bit more insight into his internal struggle and his convictions.

I would wholeheartedly recommend this book to fans of Stormlight Archive. I read it after finishing the 4 main books, but it really makes more sense to read it directly following Words of Radiance (though reading it after all 4 is just fine as well). show less

Traveling from the palace of the Azish emperor to the carved out city of Yeddaw, a young Knight Radiant stalks her would be executioner even as a danger to her world stalks the land. Brandon Sanderson’s Edgedancer is a tale from the Stormlight Archive set in-between the second and third volumes of the main series as it shows the how Lift, the titular Edgedancer, and a long surviving Herald react to the Everstorm.

Feeling confined and unsure, the adventurous theft Lift travels to the city of Yeddaw to find more Radiants before they are murdered by Darkness. The teenager displays her Edgedancer talents to draw the attention of her would be executioner while also exploring the city and trying to figure out its people. Her tactics pay off show more as Darkness learns she’s in the city and she follows him to discover what he knows only to find out that Darkness has Radiant apprentices of his own including a man in white. Eventually Lift is forced to use her connections with the Azish emperor to find out who Darkness is searching for only to discover that his apprentices had made a mistake and that the unlikeable woman Lift has had several encounters will is his target. But it is during their confrontation that Lift convinces Darkness, the Herald Nale, that the Everstorm hitting the city means a new Desolation has arrived.

Although this book comes in at roughly 270 pages, the first 58 being a reprinting of Lift’s Interlude in Words of Radiance, the small hardback volume that it appears in makes it seem longer than it is. In a postscript, Sanderson wrote that this novella was needed before both characters appear again in Oathbringer thus meaning for that anyone reading the series this short little story is something they might want to quickly read. Given it’s short length, Sanderson packs a lot into it as he wants to describe the city of Yeddaw as well as continue to develop Lift—who he is not shy in saying he enjoys writing—in both her understanding of who she is and in giving readers hints about what the “Nightwatcher” gave her instead of her request to remain 10 years old.

Edgedancer is a quick, fun read about young adventurous character looking to figure herself out and in the process helping an age-old hero begin to regain his focus on what the world of Roshar needs. Even though you’ll need to have read earlier volumes of the Stormlight Archive to understand the magical system and world it take place in. show less

I came to the (simultaneously depressing and happy) conclusion that I can't even remember 10% of what happened in "Words of Radiance". Still, Edgedancer got me so excited for the Stormlight Archive again that I'm seriously contemplating reading the 1100 page behemoth that is Words of Radiance again before book 3 comes out in november.
Sanderson did a very nice job of adding depth to Lift's character. Besides that, it was a very fun ride!

An entertaining enough story. Lift is an interesting Orphan Annie type character. She was irritating but that seemed intentional. I wouldn't read another novel of just her, but a chapter at a time in a bigger would work for her character. I've only just started on Oathbringer but I'm pretty sure this can be ignored if you're only interested in reading the main Stormlight books.

This was an enjoyable read from Brandon Sanderson. Edgedancer is not mind-blowing, but contains some satisfying character arcs together with what is some impressive world building for a novella of this length, and certainly is a change of pace from the weighty tomes of The Way of Kings and Words of Radiance.

I can definitely see why some of the plot and character development here will be important for the rest of the Stormlight Archive. After her first introduction in Words of Radiance and now her further adventures here, I'm quite interested to see the 'significant' role that Sanderson has planned for Lift later in the series, even though at this stage, I find myself more intrigued by what her experiences and abilities mean for the show more Knights Radiant and the overall plot of the Stormlight Archive as a whole, rather than being really drawn to or invested in her as a protagonist. I didn't have the same issues with her character generally like some people seem to do so, but can understand that if someone came to Edgedancer from the main series expecting a Kaladin or Dalinar tone, this book would have been a surprise.

After this meaningful little jaunt to to Azir and Tashikk, it's time to get back to the big storyline with Oathbringer. show less

This was a fun book with a super fun, awesome main character. Lift is hysterical and her character was written so well. The tone of this book is different from the rest of the series, but it fits with Lift. And poor, suffering Wyndle. I hope Lift begins to realize that she's smarter than she thinks she is. It seems she's going to be an important person in later books, so I'm curious what's next.