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Rhythm of War
1408 pages
A sprawling, emotionally heavy epic that treats magic like a hard science and mental illness as a battlefield just as vital as the physical ones.
What it feels like
Reading this installment feels like settling into a long, meticulous siege. The atmosphere is heavier and more oppressive than its predecessors, steeped in the exhaustion of a protracted war and the intimate, crushing weight of depression and PTSD. The narrative moves at a steady, deliberate pace, dedicating significant time to the scholarly mechanics of its magic system and the deep, internal struggles of its heroes. Yet, this analytical and introspective tone is precisely what makes the eventual climax so powerful. It is a book for readers who crave massive, intricate worlds where magical theory is treated with the rigor of physics, and where the most triumphant victories are the quiet, grueling moments of choosing to survive another day.
- Mood
- tense
- oppressive
- awe-inspiring
- triumphant
- Tone
- earnest
- analytical
- epic
- introspective
- Pace
- steady
- Themes
- living with trauma · scientific discovery · the burden of leadership · mental illness and recovery · the ethics of war
- The writing
- Clear, accessible, and highly functional, designed to be a transparent window into a complex world and intricate magic system.
- The arc
- Begins in a state of weary, oppressive dread and slowly builds through intense psychological struggle toward a cathartic, hard-won triumph.
- Who it's for
- Epic fantasy fans who love deep world-building, hard magic systems treated like science, and characters who battle profound mental health issues alongside literal gods.
Content notes
- depression
- PTSD
- suicidal ideation
- war violence
- grief
About the book
The eagerly awaited sequel to the Oathbringer, from epic fantasy author Brandon Sanderson
After forming a coalition of human resistance against the enemy invasion, Dalinar Kholin and his Knights Radiant have spent a year fighting a protracted, brutal war. Neither side has gained an advantage, and the threat of a betrayal by Dalinar's crafty ally Taravangian looms over every strategic move.
Now, as new technological discoveries by Navani Kholin's scholars begin to change the face of the war, the enemy prepares a bold and dangerous operation. The arms race that follows will challenge the very core of the Radiant ideals, and potentially reveal the secrets of the ancient tower that was once the heart of their strength.
At the same time that Kaladin Stormblessed must come to grips with his changing role within the Knights Radiant, his Windrunners face their own problem: As more and more deadly enemy Fused awaken to wage war, no more honorspren are willing to bond with humans to increase the number of Radiants. Adolin and Shallan must lead the coalition’s envoy to the honorspren stronghold of Lasting Integrity and either convince the spren to join the cause against the evil god Odium, or personally face the storm of failure.
Description from Open Library.
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