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Oathbringer  By  cover art

Oathbringer

By: Brandon Sanderson
Narrated by: Kate Reading,Michael Kramer
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Publisher's summary

The eagerly awaited sequel to the New York Times best-selling Words of Radiance, from epic fantasy author Brandon Sanderson at the top of his game.

In Oathbringer, the third volume of the New York Times best-selling Stormlight Archive, humanity faces a new Desolation with the return of the Voidbringers, a foe with numbers as great as their thirst for vengeance.

Dalinar Kholin's Alethi armies won a fleeting victory at a terrible cost. The enemy Parshendi summoned the violent Everstorm, which now sweeps the world with destruction and in its passing awakens the once peaceful and subservient parshmen to the horror of their millennia-long enslavement by humans. While on a desperate flight to warn his family of the threat, Kaladin Stormblessed must come to grips with the fact that the newly kindled anger of the parshmen may be wholly justified.

Nestled in the mountains high above the storms, in the tower city of Urithiru, Shallan Davar investigates the wonders of the ancient stronghold of the Knights Radiant and unearths dark secrets lurking in its depths. And Dalinar realizes that his holy mission to unite his homeland of Alethkar was too narrow in scope. Unless all the nations of Roshar can put aside Dalinar's blood-soaked past and stand together - and unless Dalinar himself can confront that past - even the restoration of the Knights Radiant will not prevent the end of civilization.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material will be available in your Library section along with the audio.

©2017 Dragonsteel Entertainment, LLC (P)2017 Macmillan Audio

Critic reviews

"Character development is at the heart of the book, and it is here that Kramer and Reading shine, with remarkably consistent and multifaceted characters that fuel the action of the story.... Adept pacing highlights both the intensity of hand-to-hand combat and quieter moments of sorrow and grief, fully realizing the intricate world that Sanderson has created." (AudioFile Magazine)

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What listeners say about Oathbringer

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

A mixed bag of brilliance, marred by missteps

Brandon Sanderson is one of the greatest story tellers writing today; and this series is his magnum opus. Book 3 is not the strongest of the series. But it still soars in many places, despite some missteps throughout.
Parts of this book left me cheering out loud! Parts of this book are truly awe inspiring.

Other parts had me shaking my head, as long established characters suddenly behaved in ways that contradicted everything the author has told us about them in the past.
For such an immense book, it surprised me how many times an obvious shortcut was taken in order to setup the next scene.

There was one long scene involving a female lead that had no purpose other than comic relief. This bungling, slapstick detour was so jarring, it was hard to return to the rhythm of the story. Worst of all, it felt amateurish, and just wasn't funny.

Almost every competent character had a moment of incompetence so glaring that it became obvious this was a deliberate gimmick. Possibly a recommendation from an editor, but taken too far?

But still, with all of that said, this is still a mostly brilliant story. The action scenes top any blockbuster movie put out this year.
It was filled with many pay-offs from the previous books, some of them setup so expertly that they still surprised me, despite the clues revealed before.

Like all of his books, this was also a vehicle for the author's social, political, and moral view of the world. Presented nicely as part of the story with not-too-much outright preaching.

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The stuff after . . .

What disappointed you about Oathbringer?

Book 2 could have been made into a good ending. The majority of Book 3 felt like everything that happens after the credits roll. We know more small battles, politics, reunions and rebuilding will happen after the day is saved but i don't need to read a book about it. I was never given a reason to care about anything in this book.

Has Oathbringer turned you off from other books in this genre?

No but maybe other Brandon Sanderson books.

What character would you cut from Oathbringer?

Shallan didn't grow as a character and it felt like none of her filler mini quests added anything to the plot. Way back in the first book its establish that Shallan has issues so why is it still being shoved down my throat 120 hours later? Shallan started off strong but eventually her story just lost direction and purpose. The only problem with cutting Shallan would be getting rid of Kate Readings great narration.

Any additional comments?

I have grown to hate flashbacks.
Several side stories seemed to be dropped.
Loved the first two books.

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74 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Perfection in literature.

If you have read the first two books in this series, then you already know Brandon Sanderson is the greatest storyteller of our generation, and, one of the best to ever put pen to page. That is not grandiose hyperbole. It is understatement. So, now that my opinion on the author is clear, the book. The book is excellent! The pacing is great and the story progressed just the right amount for me. In my opinion, what Sanderson does the best of any writer I have ever read, is the tear-down and rebuilding of characters. I will say, that this book seems to spend more time making everything seem like it's getting worse and worse before finally we see positive change and victories for the main characters. Not really a negative for me but it does feel like there is no hope till nearly the end of the book. I am so glad Sanderson doesn't suffer from whatever George R.R Martin and Patrick Rothfuss have been afflicted with. I think we can reasonably expect the next book in 2-3 years, which is amazing considering he will also be churning out other incredible books and stories along the way.

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    1 out of 5 stars
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Ruined the series

Significant departure from what made the first books good (battles/glory) now Disneyfied with PG-13 politics/romance.

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    3 out of 5 stars
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DISAPPOINTED

I recommended the other two books to many friends and family and unfortunately I cannot recommend this one. The book was easy to put down for days and seemed just a long set up for a next book. This story focused too much on the human flaws and frailties of the main characters which is not that interesting or fun to read/listen. All victories were short lived with the next threat looming and that gets tiring after 55 hours. It might be that my expectations were too high after the first two books in the series which I had trouble putting down and wished for more. I prefer an epic tale of heroes with super skills and powers that have great adventures to a series of battles and failures. I still think Brandon Sanderson is a great writer and although I did not enjoy this book I certainly could not do what he does and create and write a story like his.

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    1 out of 5 stars
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Slow - Everybody is miserable

I couldn't get through it. It was slow , everybody is miserable, you know bad things are going to happen, and I lost all motivation to finish.

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45 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Incredible Book

some of the best character development I've ever experienced. the complexity and detail of everything in this book is so good. It also explores some cool philosophies.

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    3 out of 5 stars
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Tedious

What did you like best about Oathbringer? What did you like least?

The premise of the book was great, and the end was decent. Liked the idea of the humans not necessarily being the heroes they thought they were.The rest was just tedious. I understood the characters after the second or third flashback, or other attempts to get me to understand. Became filler after a while. I really got tired of the Dalinar flashbacks in particular. Some were good, but too many had little point.

How would you have changed the story to make it more enjoyable?

I love a good long book, but this was long without reason. Tedious is the best word I can use to describe it.

Which character – as performed by Michael Kramer and Kate Reading – was your favorite?

Kaladin is by far the best character, and Michael does his usual fantastic job. Kate Reading is such a perfect pairing in with MIchael. I really enjoy all her characters, but she really nailed Shallan in particular.

Do you think Oathbringer needs a follow-up book? Why or why not?

I'm getting a bit tired of the seemingly endless layers of magic and universes. It gets to the point that nothing is impossible or final. No boundaries are no fun. No more books required for me.

Any additional comments?

Brandon Sanderson is one of my favourite authors. I was so excited for this next book in the series, but by half way through I just wanted it to get to the point. I've listened to longer books and didn't want them to end, but not this one. Once again, tedious.

I probably would not have been so harsh on other authors, but Brandon Sanderson is one of the best there is. HIs bar is higher for me. Sorry, Mr. Sanderson.

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    2 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

disappointed

big fan of Sanderson. it seems like he struggled with this one. the jumps in location, time and plane of existence made the final wrap up weaker for me, the backstory overtook the present so much that the climax felt flat and I skipped the last 3 chapters our main character became a predictable flat extra.

I don't give bad reviews often. but audible credits are expensive if you listen as much as me, so honestly do not expect the same level as one and two.

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Fabulous book series... I can't wait for the next

The characters just keep developing into more and more.
I am very anxious to see what more comes of each of the radiants as they speak the next set of words in their oaths.
The plot continues to build and deliver new twists and surprises as it unfolds to seemingly build even more.
It has yet to get dull as most all long multiple book series tend to do at some point. Keep it up Mr. Sanderson... I'm a fan!

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