Oathbringer

Did You Know?

• A 6-part GraphicAudio version of Oathbringer was released from April to September 2018.
• The audiobook version was published by Macmillan Audio on the same day as the hardcover.
• Reviewer Frannie Jackson described the endpaper art as gorgeous.

Development

The third book in the series went through several working titles before settling on Oathbringer, which centers on Dalinar Kholin. It was first called Stones Unhallowed with Szeth-son-son-Vallano as the main character, then Skybreaker. Before the book came out, Sanderson shared chapters and interludes on his blog, at conventions, and in a collection. He also gave regular progress reports on Reddit.

Tor announced on December 9, 2016, that the first draft was finished at 461,223 words. The third of five planned drafts was completed on March 15, 2017, and reached 514,000 words. The final draft was done on June 15, 2017, trimmed to 450,000 words. On June 27, 2017, Tor explained the beta reading process, where readers give instant feedback and check for consistency.

Because the book was so long, Tor had to use a different printer and bindery than the one used for Words of Radiance. Realizing the main book was taking longer than expected, Sanderson wrote a novella called Edgedancer about Lift, which first appeared in the anthology Arcanum Unbounded: The Cosmere Collection on November 22, 2016. Michael Whelan painted the cover art, revealed by Tor on March 16, 2017. It shows Jasnah Kholin defending a city from an invasion, reaching for a Shardblade while soulcasting a hole in the wall made by a thunderclast.

Tor discussed the cover’s details in a blog post three days later. Sanderson shared the UK cover on Twitter on July 14, 2017. The hardcover edition included endpapers showing four of the ten heralds, with two each by artists Howard Lyon and Dan dos Santos. Tor announced the book tour dates and locations on August 2, 2017.

The prologue was released by Tor.com on August 22, and the first 32 chapters came out weekly from August 29 to November 7.

Plot

Six years before the story's present, Eshonai and her people, the Listeners, traveled to Kholinar for a peace treaty celebration. Gavilar took Eshonai aside and showed her a Fabrial that could imprison a Spren inside a Gemheart. He told her he wanted to bring back the gods that had abandoned her people long ago, handed her a dark Gemheart, and asked her to deliver a message to her council. Horrified, Eshonai told five other Listeners and arranged for an assassin to stop Gavilar.

The night before the killing, she ran away crying after a performance. Later, after settling at Urithiru, Dalinar Kholin used his Bondsmith powers to revisit a vision with the Stormfather. He learned that the being Odium killed, once called the Almighty, was actually named Honor. Honor had warned him about the Everstorm, which would devastate Roshar.

In the vision, Dalinar saw Odium call forth nine twisted, shadowy Spren known as the Unmade. Waking up, Dalinar resolved to unite Roshar against Odium. He confessed his grief over his first wife's death and his lost memories, then proposed to Navani. The Stormfather gave his blessing.

Meanwhile, Kaladin went back to his hometown, Hearthstone, where he met his parents and his youngest brother, and revealed he was a Radiant. Seeing the Everstorm's destruction, he investigated ruined Alethi towns and tracked freed Parshmen, surrendering to avoid a fight. Syl explained that the Everstorm had changed the Parshmen, making them smarter and stronger, and allowing them to bond with Voidspren. These Voidspren led the former slaves to Kholinar as an act of war.

In Revolar, Kaladin fled when he heard about a Highstorm, helped people take cover, but was attacked by two Fused, enhanced Parshmen. He escaped and flew back to Urithiru, guided by Syl.

Reception

Reception of the series was mostly positive. The A.V. Club reviewer Samantha Nelson described the novel as both weighed down by its ambition and less complex than its predecessors. Reviews on Tor found the novel engaging, with Martin Cahill writing that it is a triumph and that those who enjoyed the first two will enjoy Oathbringer. Publishers Weekly noted that Sanderson balances introducing new elements and resolving some threads, leaving fans eager for the next book. Frannie Jackson in Paste compared the novel to Robert Jordan's long-arc storytelling, describing it as brimming with magic and mystery to tide readers over until the fourth novel.