Oathbringer (Part Three) by Brandon Sanderson
1233 pages
Published by Tor, 2017
Genre: Fantasy
Oathbringer is the third book in the Stormlight Archive. It’s a book we’ve been looking forward to for a long time and we’re excited to finally have our hands on it. Due to its length (and its epicness), we’ll be breaking up our review into four parts. Warning: spoilers ahead for Part Three!
This is the third discussion of four. You can find our other discussions here:
Part One
Part Two
Final Discussion
Indiana: There’s no shortage of things to talk about with this book and one thing we’ve both been neglecting to talk about with these posts is the Interludes. We finally get a look inside the (terrifying) mind of Taravangian in the Interludes in between Part Two and Part Three. His narrations are rare and pack a punch.
Pete: Taravangian is terrifying, and I still don’t fully understand what The Diagram is. I’ve also started picturing Taravangian as Colin Mochrie of Whose Line is it Anyway, and I can’t “unsee” that.
He is still hanging around by the end of part three, I’m just waiting for his inevitable betrayal or manipulation or whatever it is he has planned.
Indiana: Same! He’s the poster child for that “wolf in sheep’s clothing” adage. Anyway, it finally feels like the Sanderson avalanche got started. Shallan is figuring out who she is and how to deal with the pain of her past, while trying to save Kholinar from the Unmade. Then we’ve got Kaladin finding another tribe (as he seems to do in every city) and trying to save Kholinar.
Pete: Part three felt like a mini-novel, especially with the detailed map of Kholinar and with how much the city was used as a set piece. I think Sanderson did a good job of drawing parallels between the Wall Guard and Kaladin’s band of parshmen from part one, and the way everything came together at the siege of the palace was perfect and tragic.
Indiana: Right, and it feels like Sanderson has set up everything so that Part Four will be fast paced and exciting; especially with the death of Elhokar and the internal battle that is still raging inside Kaladin. In some ways, we’ve waited awhile for the avalanche to begin but now that it’s taken off I like where he’s going with it.
Pete: It’s definitely begun—and apparently it’s taken us to Shadesmar! I can’t wait to see how the crew deals with that. Elhokar’s death was tragic. It really seemed like he was set up to become a Radiant, and he nearly did, but Moash fulfilled the promise he made in Words of Radiance. What do you think of Azure’s character?
Indiana: I like her and I think our theory about her ties to Warbreaker have some solid ground to stand on. Hopefully we’ll find out more about her in the next part!
Pete: I really don’t have any clue what will happen from here, but I can’t wait to find out!
On to Part Four, where the Sanderlanche continues!
Lit Lens 