The man cannot be stopped! Brandon Sanderson released Isles of the Emberdark, his fifth secret project, as part of the Words of Radiance leatherbound crowdfunding campaign. It will also be in bookstores and online very soon (as of this writing), so the latest Cosmere book will be in the hands of the masses swiftly!
Note: Isles of the Emberdark contains the full novella Sixth of the Dusk with very minor tweaks. If you’re following our recommended Cosmere reading order, you can skip Sixth of the Dusk during Arcanum Unbounded and save it for when you reach this novel.
Another note: Isles of the Emerdark is set in the far future of the Cosmere. It sits at the end of our reading order, so I recommend avoiding this review if you are still just discovering the Cosmere.
Isles of the Emberdark opens on the planet Drominad, where Sixth of the Dusk feels like a relic. The Ones Above have brought incredible technological advancements to the developing world of Drominad, rendering Sixth’s skills less useful than they once were. As a Trapper—one versed in the dangers of the world and able to navigate them—he now teaches his ways to small audiences like a zookeeper sharing surface-level details about an animal twice per day. His friend Vathi now leads his people as a politician, trying to balance the deluge of forced progress from offworld with the sacred traditions of Drominad. Elsewhere in the Cosmere, Starling is aboard a ship traveling the Emberdark (Shadesmar, to the Cosmerenauts reading this) under the command of a character I will not dare spoil for you here. Starling and the crew investigate Investiture in the Emberdark for various reasons, serving a mysterious leader whose identity I, of course, shan’t spoil for you here.
I finished Wind & Truth last year, a little worried. You can read the details in my review, but suffice it to say, I felt like the scope of the Cosmere was starting to feel unruly. Could Sanderson manage the growing needs of this massive universe? Isles of the Emberdark answered with a profound “yes” by reassuring me that Sanderson knows what matters most: character.
Sanderson’s books are almost always speedy reads with breakneck pacing. There’s a reason fans coined the term “Sanderlanche” for the last hundred-ish pages of his books careening to epic conclusions. Even throughout his quickfire stories, the characters shine through and ground his most fantastical works in a relatable foundation. Whereas recent books like Wind & Truth or The Sunlit Man struggled to juggle massive stories with actual people, Isles of the Emberdark marks a return to form. Sixth of the Dusk battles with the crushing tank of progress. Starling yearns for her freedom but feels immense loyalty to her friends. These characters exist within a vast universe, but they have focused motivations and real flaws. They exist as a single dollop of paint on a great tapestry, and that tiny space within a big picture is where Sanderson does his best work.
Emberdark’s themes also thrive. We follow two characters struggling against powers above them, both literally and figuratively. Sixth contends with a technologically advanced power that seeks to rule his homeworld despite being held at bay by certain cosmic agreements. Starling is forced to operate without her grandest powers after refusing to kowtow to her people’s demands. She grapples with the possibility of freedom in the face of lifelong imprisonment for her friends. Emberdark is a book of dichotomies, a fitting status for a book that takes place mostly in Shadesmar, the inverse of the Physical Realm.
To proffer one criticism of Isles of the Emberdark, I wish it hadn’t been so self-congratulatory and hamfisted with its handling of “stories have power.” They do, of course (you’re reading a book review website, so hopefully you know this), but Sanderson drills the point so hard it risks overshadowing the surrounding text. If Sanderson were a gymnast, this would be a slight step on the landing—still a strong routine, but not flawless.
The good news for Cosmere fans? Isles of the Emberdark is just plain fun. It’s a jaunt through a long-dormant Cosmere world full of excellent characters who get some well-deserved time in the spotlight.
Rating: Isles of the Emberdark – 9.0/10
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