Oathbringer

By: Brandon Sanderson

Narrated by: Kate Reading, Michael Kramer

Length: 55 hrs and 5 mins

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)   

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.

Ruined the series

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

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.

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!

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.

Another great big book by Sanderson

I love Brendon Sanderson's books and this is no exception. you really feel like you get your money's worth with this book. There is a lot of content and all of it interesting. Looking forward to his best book. I feel this is the best one of the series so far.

Such a long book.

Compared to the first two, this book seemed to drag for a while when they’re all just chilling in Urithiru. When they go to Kholinar it’s like “finally they’re doing something” and even that part drags while they’re there not to mention the infuriating death of a growing character. The end battle is exciting though. Shallan’s lone escapades get wearisome.... she’s much more interesting when interacting with the other main characters like Adolin and Kaladin.

Hmmmm

I loved the first books and this one as well, but I felt it grew tiresome in the last third. The final few chapters reminded me of a Star Wars character wrap up with a teaser for the next episode. Great series overall. Narration was excellent. My favorite character is Wit. I would love a novella of his life.

Tiresome

As a big fan of Sanderson, it pains me to say that this title was tough to get through. The first book in this series, The Way of Kings, was something I couldn't stop listening to. This book took me over a year to get through.

The characters stalled, the story/battles where necessarily complicated, Shadesmar was a complete dud when the curtain was pulled back. The suffering never stopped for the main cast, yet you never believed that any of them would an untimely end (because Sanderson). The result was necessary torture for both the characters and the listeners. The characteristic crispness in Sanderson's storytelling and world-building was nowhere to be found in this title. Shame.


I hope the 4th installment will rediscover the charm of this series.

Scratching My Head

Difficult to rate. First, the narration team was the best. I've enjoyed this pair of narrators before and I will seek them out again. Each character was voiced crisply and with unique individuality. Kudos! The story was confusing to me. I'm not clear on why things happened and to be honest what happened, in some cases. At times I enjoyed the story. However, far too often I was left scratching my head. I cannot go into detail without spoilers so I won't try. However, it took me many hours to complete this story.