Oathbringer by Brandon Sanderson Book Review: An Epic Stormlight Archive Journey

We continue our journey through The Stormlight Archive by Brandon Sanderson with the third novel in the series, Oathbringer. After the incredible events of Words of Radiance, the stakes have never been higher. The Voidbringers have returned, an unnatural storm threatens Roshar, and humanity may be facing a new Desolation.

And somehow, Brandon Sanderson makes the story even bigger.

Anyone who has made it this far into The Stormlight Archive already knows what they are signing up for. These books are massive, filled with dozens of characters, complicated histories, different kingdoms, magical abilities, political conflicts, and mysteries that sometimes take hundreds or even thousands of pages to fully unfold.

Oathbringer is no exception.

In fact, this may be one of the most ambitious books in the series so far.

At the center of the novel is Dalinar Kholin, a man attempting to unite a divided world while also being forced to confront the person he used to be. Kaladin continues wrestling with what it truly means to protect people, while Shallan increasingly struggles to separate her real identity from the personas she has created.

There is a lot happening in Oathbringer, but that is exactly what makes the novel such an unforgettable fantasy experience.

Oathbringer Summary

The Desolation has finally arrived.

Following the events of Words of Radiance, Dalinar Kholin and the Alethi have relocated to Urithiru, the legendary tower city that once served as a stronghold for the Knights Radiant.

Unfortunately, reaching Urithiru has not solved humanity’s problems.

The Everstorm now sweeps across Roshar in the opposite direction of the world’s normal highstorms, bringing destruction wherever it travels. Even more troubling is the awakening of the parshmen, who had spent generations enslaved throughout human kingdoms.

The balance of power has suddenly changed.

The ancient enemy humanity believed defeated has returned, and Odium’s influence continues to grow.

There is at least one reason for hope: the Knights Radiant are returning.

Kaladin, Shallan, Dalinar, and others possess abilities that humanity has not seen in generations. But even Radiants may not be enough to stop what is coming.

Dalinar believes humanity’s only chance is cooperation.

Instead of allowing the kingdoms of Roshar to fight individually, he attempts to convince their rulers to form an alliance against the greater threat. That is much easier said than done.

The Alethi do not exactly have a reputation for peacefully cooperating with their neighbors, and many rulers have good reasons to distrust Dalinar.

As political tensions grow, enemies threaten Urithiru from both outside and within.

With help from Shallan, Kaladin, Jasnah, Navani, and those closest to him, Dalinar attempts to accomplish something that may be more difficult than winning any battle:

He has to unite people who have spent generations fighting each other.

If he fails, humanity may not survive the coming war.

Oathbringer Puts Dalinar Kholin at the Center of the Story

One of my favorite things about The Stormlight Archive is the way Brandon Sanderson uses each novel to explore the history of one major character.

In Oathbringer, that character is Dalinar Kholin.

Readers who only know the present-day Dalinar may think of him as an honorable military leader desperately trying to unite Roshar.

But the man we meet in Dalinar’s flashbacks is very different.

We finally get to see the legendary Blackthorn in his prime.

Dalinar was once driven by violence and bloodlust. Kingdoms and highprinces feared him, and rightfully so. He was one of the main reasons his brother Gavilar was able to unify Alethkar.

That history has always hovered in the background of the previous books, but Oathbringer finally shows us what Dalinar was actually capable of.

And some of it is difficult to watch.

Sanderson does an excellent job showing how dramatically Dalinar has changed while never allowing readers to forget the consequences of his earlier actions.

Dalinar wasn’t always the man trying to save Roshar.

For much of his life, he was the type of man other people needed saving from.

That makes his storyline one of the strongest parts of the novel.

We see him struggle with his need to fight, his relationship with his family, his loyalty to Gavilar, and his difficulty finding meaning when he isn’t on a battlefield.

It adds an incredible amount of depth to a character who was already one of the most interesting people in the series.

Kaladin Faces a Different Kind of Conflict

Kaladin’s storyline is quieter in some ways, but the questions he faces are just as important.

Throughout the series, Kaladin has always had a powerful instinct to protect people.

But what happens when he cannot clearly determine who needs protecting?

The awakening of the parshmen complicates everything Kaladin thought he understood about the conflict.

They are supposedly the enemy.

But Kaladin quickly realizes that many of them are not monsters.

They were slaves.

That is something Kaladin understands better than almost anyone.

Suddenly, the war doesn’t feel as simple as humans against Voidbringers.

Kaladin can sympathize with people who have every reason to resent humanity while simultaneously knowing that forces among them are fighting for Odium.

That moral conflict becomes one of the most interesting elements of Oathbringer.

It was easier when there seemed to be a clear divide between good and evil. Once those lines become blurred, Kaladin has to figure out what his oaths actually mean.

Who deserves protection?

Can you protect everyone?

And what happens when protecting one group requires fighting another group that you also believe has been wronged?

Sanderson does not give Kaladin easy answers, and the story is stronger because of it.

Shallan Davar Is Starting to Lose Herself

Shallan’s story continues to become increasingly complicated.

She has always survived through lies, disguises, and carefully constructed versions of herself.

But in Oathbringer, those identities begin taking on lives of their own.

Shallan isn’t just pretending anymore.

Veil and Radiant become increasingly real parts of her personality, and the boundaries separating them begin to disappear.

The lies she tells are starting to feel like truths.

And Shallan is no longer entirely sure which version of herself is actually in control.

Her situation becomes even more complicated after Jasnah returns.

For much of the previous novel, Shallan was forced to operate independently. She became more confident, took risks, and discovered how useful her Lightweaving abilities could be.

Now her mentor is back.

That forces Shallan to reconsider her place in everything that is happening.

At the same time, her unique abilities make her extremely valuable. She can infiltrate areas that other characters cannot, disguise herself, gather information, and manipulate how people perceive her.

Some of Shallan’s chapters can feel chaotic, but that is partly the point.

Her internal life is becoming chaotic too.

The World of Roshar Keeps Expanding

Three massive books into The Stormlight Archive, you might assume that Sanderson would finally start narrowing the story.

Instead, Roshar somehow feels even larger.

New locations become important. New characters enter the story. Old mysteries become more complicated. Different cultures and kingdoms receive more attention.

And readers continue learning more about the history of the Knights Radiant.

That sense of discovery is one of the biggest reasons I enjoy this series.

Even after spending thousands of pages in this world, it still feels like there is an enormous amount left to uncover.

There are always new secrets hiding behind something we thought we understood.

Sanderson is especially good at giving readers information that answers one question while immediately creating three more.

That style of storytelling makes these novels difficult to put down despite their enormous size.

Oathbringer Is a Blessing and a Curse

These books take a long time to read.

I cannot even imagine how much time it takes Sanderson to write them.

Reading The Stormlight Archive has been both a blessing and a curse for me.

It is a blessing because this truly feels like one of the best fantasy series I have read.

It is a curse because every installment is so long that it doesn’t leave me much time to read anything else.

That is the strange experience of reading Sanderson’s massive fantasy novels.

You can spend weeks immersed in one book.

But when the story is this good, you don’t really mind.

There are moments when Oathbringer slows down, and readers who prefer fast-paced fantasy may struggle with some sections. Sanderson spends a lot of time developing characters, explaining politics, exploring Roshar’s history, and setting pieces into position.

But patience is usually rewarded.

When Sanderson finally brings everything together, few fantasy writers can match him.

The Battles Are as Epic as You Would Expect

It would not be a Stormlight Archive novel without some massive action sequences.

And Oathbringer delivers.

Sanderson has an incredible ability to spend hundreds of pages gradually positioning characters, armies, magical abilities, and political conflicts before suddenly unleashing everything at once.

The result is the famous “Sanderlanche” that fans of his books know so well.

Once the final sections of these novels begin moving, it can become nearly impossible to stop reading.

Characters who have spent hundreds of pages on separate journeys suddenly intersect.

Mysteries are revealed.

Plans collapse.

New powers emerge.

And battles happen on a scale that feels worthy of the enormous world Sanderson has created.

Oathbringer contains some of the most memorable moments in The Stormlight Archive up to this point.

Is Oathbringer Worth Reading?

It is definitely worth reading.

But realistically, anyone asking whether they should read Oathbringer should start with the first two Stormlight Archive novels.

This is not a standalone fantasy book.

You need to read The Way of Kings and Words of Radiance first. The characters, politics, magic systems, history, and major revelations all build directly on what came before.

If you enjoyed those novels, however, there is little reason to stop now.

Oathbringer gives readers more of almost everything that makes The Stormlight Archive special.

There are bigger battles, deeper character arcs, additional mysteries, new Radiants, expanding mythology, political conflict, and countless revelations about Roshar.

Most importantly, the characters continue changing.

Dalinar has to confront his past.

Kaladin has to reconsider how he sees his enemies.

Shallan has to figure out who she really is.

Those personal struggles help keep the story grounded even when Sanderson is dealing with gods, magical storms, ancient wars, and the possible destruction of civilization.

Final Thoughts on Oathbringer by Brandon Sanderson

If you enjoyed either of the previous novels in The Stormlight Archive, then you will almost certainly enjoy Oathbringer.

There is a lot happening in this book.

New characters are introduced, old characters are explored in much greater depth, and we learn significantly more about Roshar and the events that shaped it.

But Dalinar is the heart of this installment.

His journey from the feared Blackthorn to the man desperately trying to unite humanity gives the novel an emotional weight that separates it from the earlier books.

Kaladin and Shallan also continue facing increasingly difficult personal struggles, reminding us that the greatest battles in The Stormlight Archive aren’t always fought with Shardblades.

Sometimes they happen inside the characters themselves.

The battles are epic, the world-building continues to impress, and Sanderson once again proves why The Stormlight Archive has become one of the defining epic fantasy series of its generation.

Yes, these books are enormous.

Yes, they require a serious time commitment.

And yes, reading them means you probably won’t be finishing many other books for a while.

But when a fantasy series is this entertaining, that doesn’t feel like much of a complaint.

Oathbringer is another fantastic addition to The Stormlight Archive and a novel that leaves you eager to continue exploring Roshar.

For fans of Brandon Sanderson, epic fantasy, enormous fictional worlds, complicated characters, and stories where seemingly minor details can become important hundreds of pages later, Oathbringer is absolutely worth the journey.

Follow us on Instagram and Facebook!