Written by Brandon Sanderson, published in 2020. Summary and review.
Rhythm of War by Brandon Sanderson is the fourth book in the epic fantasy series known as the Stormlight Archive. This installment continues the sprawling (and sprawling is an understatement) tale of the world of Roshar (and to some degree other planets within the Cosmere), where powerful knights called Radiants bond with magical spren to fight against dark forces threatening the land.
Rhythm of War is beyond intricate in it’s world-building, character development, and develop of the magic system. Every character you meet has a purpose. Even those you don’t think twice on. This story follows multiple viewpoints and storylines, as all previous books have done, with the emphasis on Rhythm of War on Venli. Sanderson continues to weave together narratives of several (too many to count quite frankly) characters.
With the main focus on Venli, though several other characters do get their fair share of screen time, we dive further into the world of the Parshendi – aka the Fused, aka Singers, aka Listeners, aka Stormform, aka Warform, aka Mateform, aka Dullform, aka Nimbleform, aka Scholarform… you get it. Mainly called the Fused though – those with ancient spirits/spren that posses Parshendi creating immortal beings. Kind of like zombies… well maybe more like video game characters who just respawn after dying.
Sanderson continues his immersive and detail-oriented writing, exploring the complex emotions and motivations of his characters. This is cool and worth calling out again… everyone has a motivation for their actions. Right, wrong or indifferent. Every character has a reason (or reasons) to do what they do. And furthermore Sanderson continues to add more and more backstory to each character augmenting those motives and rationales.
Without providing a play by play, we have:
The Fused attacking Urithiru and the heroes of our story. Seemingly relentless, they do have some honor in their fight, though ultimately are tasked by Odium to destroy the Radiants.
Kaladin’s journey as he grapples with his mental health struggles (kind of lame), coming to terms with his past, and finding new purpose. Though, spoiler, he does have quite the moment at towards the end of the story. Kind of like how it takes 45 episodes for Goku to become awesome when fighting Frieza. I digress…
Shallan’s exploration of her multiple personas, her evolving relationships, and her attempts to solve the mystery of a powerful artifact known as the “Dawnshard.” We kind of lose Shallan through most of this story and for a moment becomes 4 separate personalities. We get her back though… excited to see her in the 5th installment.
Dalinar’s efforts to unite the nations of Roshar against the Fused threat, while also wrestling with his own guilt and memories of his past. Dalinar continues to be more and more important in this story, but to what extent I’m not sure. Bondsmiths seem to have super powers, but they aren’t necessarily explained in great detail. We just know they are super strong. TBD I suppose.
I’v heard and read various accounts online (in part to help understand the story and aspects I seem to have missed or forgotten) and it seems that while most praise Rhythm of War for its expansive storytelling and continued world-building, some readers (myself included) feel that the complexity of the narrative and the large cast of characters can be overwhelming at times. This is the major issue I have with this particular book. It keeps getting larger, deeper, and more complex. Major kudos to Sanderson for his ability to create such a world, but as one who isn’t (yet) totally immersed in the fantasy, it can be hard to understand things at times. It feels as though at times certain assumptions are made that you should pick up on right away… and you can’t because this story/world isn’t your creation.
TLDR: Rhythm of War is a sprawling and ambitious addition to the Stormlight Archive series, with continued and meticulous world-building, character development, and exploration of moral struggles for our characters battles with right and wrong, and the consequences of their actions. While I absolutely love the first two books of The Stormlight Archive, I’ve started to drift here with Rhythm of War. Again, too complex (maybe I’m dumb) and too vast to fully grasp everything that is happening in a meaningful way. On the fence with recommending this one. 2.5/5 Stars.
