Dawnshard

This was an interesting instalment in the series; a ship voyage that results in a negotiated treaty and different perspectives for a lot of people. A variety of people involved in the story with different motives and plans for the future but it works well and I liked the fact that Rysn lived with her disability and also kept trying to make her life better for herself.

Well that was unexpectedly wonderful. I was all set to dive into the behemoth that is [b:Rhythm of War|49021976|Rhythm of War (The Stormlight Archive, #4)|Brandon Sanderson|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1599911216l/49021976._SY75_.jpg|23840265] and then I noticed that there's a 50k word 'short' to read before it. I loved [b:Edgedancer|34703445|Edgedancer (The Stormlight Archive, #2.5)|Brandon Sanderson|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1499706661l/34703445._SY75_.jpg|54097500], so let's give this a try!

In the end, this I do not regret at all. [b:Edgedancer|34703445|Edgedancer (The Stormlight Archive, #2.5)|Brandon show more Sanderson|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1499706661l/34703445._SY75_.jpg|54097500] is a story that could was too long to be an interlude and too different to be in the main storyline, but having read it is a story that every much needed to be told.

It's the maritime adventures of Rysn, who we met previously in said interludes. She's a trader who managed to paralyze her legs to make a deal and now has to deal with a world that just isn't set up for people like that.

It's the story of The Lopen. An eternally cheerful--and downright strange--new Knight Radiant who has a spren who he's taught to flip people off and a whole slew of one armed Herdazian jokes and now lacks the ability to use them. But of course that won't stop him.

It's a story of discovery. Determining how aluminum changes everything and how that might just be the key to the ever advancing technology of Roshar.

It's the story of the Sleepless. A completely bizarre race of hive minded, intelligent cremlings; something weirder than many things we've seen in the Cosmere (and that's saying something).

It's the story of a Dawnshard. A little bit of Cosmere lore, digging ever deeper into the history of this wild world Brandon Sanderson has gifted to us all.

All that in just over 50k words. It's quite a story and well worth the read. show less

I'm going to reread this series as I prepare for the next book. It's too big and complex to continue after these long breaks. To that end, Dawnshard was an excellent primer for the reread. It brought me back into the world and reminded me of all the excellent things that are happening.

Its own story was quite good too. The characters were clearly defined with their own struggles. Sanderson's depiction of disablility and the way it influenced action and internal struggle was wonderful. I understand he had quite a team to consult with on those aspects and it really showed. The character journey was the strongest force in the novella, overshadowing the plot developments and ending revelations. This is particularly impressive since there show more were quite a few new developments in the cosmere worldbuilding here.

If you're reading the Stormlight Archive, don't skip these novellas. They're as worthy as the main books. show less

Despite being longer than Brandon Sanderson intended (a pattern, it turns out considering how the second period of Mistborn came about), Dawnshard is still a brisk read about haunted ships and disability. Really, REALLY dig how he used language when characters switch to their native tongues instead of the "Alethi" most characters speak in the books- reminds me of how Warrior on cinemax handles in-world conversations between the Chinese characters vs. when they're talking those outside their community in English.

Onwards to book 4!

Great inter-novel story. There's more happening in this novella than in many novels. Definitely helps to have all that existing world building to rely on, but still a lot of new insight in this oh so complex world of Roshar.

I struggled to focus on this novella -- I think my brain was distracted, dredging up and searching through my memories of this series. It’s been over three years since Oathbringer and I can better remember the main characters’ personalities and personal arcs than details about minor characters or worldbuilding. And, unfortunately, it’s the last two which are relevant to this, a side story about a voyage/quest undertaken by some minor characters (most notably, Rysn and Lopen).

But Sanderson is a successful storyteller, and the end of this adventure was satisfying.

“Vstim said to always read contracts with friends an extra time,” Rysn said softly.
“That’s it?”
“I asked him, on another occasion, to explain. He said, show more ‘Rysn, being cheated is a terrible feeling. Being cheated by someone you love is worse. Discovering such a deception is like finding yourself in a deep dark ocean with nothing around you but formless shadows of things you once thought you understood and enjoyed. It is painful beyond explanation. But that is never a reason to pretend it can’t happen. So read those contracts again. Just in case.’” show less

B (Good).

A merchant ship is sent to investigate a forbidden island. Even though this book has its own adventure story quest arc, it feels very much like the middle of a larger story. Which of course it is. There's just too much mystery at the end, about what's actually going on, to feel like an ending. I am interested to see where this is going, though.

(Feb. 2024)