Isles of the Emberdark by Brandon Sanderson

Blurb:

From #1 New York Times bestselling author Brandon Sanderson comes a legendary standalone novel that navigates the seas and the stars of a far-future Cosmere. Illustrated by Esther Hi’ilani Candari.

All his life, Sixth of the Dusk has been a traditional trapper of Aviar—the supernatural birds his people bond with—on the deadly island of Patji. Then one fateful night he propels his people into a race to modernize before they can be conquered by the Ones Above, invaders from the stars who want to exploit the Aviar.

But it’s a race they’re losing, and Dusk fears his people will lose themselves in the effort. When a chance comes to sail into the expanse of the emberdark beyond a mystical portal, Dusk sets off to find his people’s salvation with only a canoe, his birds, and all the grit and canniness of a Patji trapper.

Elsewhere in the emberdark is a young dragon chained in human form: Starling of the starship Dynamic. She and her ragtag crew of exiles are deep in debt and on the brink of losing their freedom. So when she finds an ancient map to a hidden portal between the emberdark and the physical realm, she seizes the chance at a lucrative discovery.

These unlikely allies might just be the solution to each other’s crisis. In their search for independence, Dusk and Starling face perilous bargains, poisonous politics, and the destructive echo of a dead god.

Sanderson expands his thrilling novella “Sixth of the Dusk” into a mythic novel of legends, lore, and warring galactic superpowers.

Review:

When Sanderson was making his announcement for the Words of Radiance leatherbound, almost everyone—including me—expected him to drop another ‘Secret Project’. And in the very last moments… he did. 

As time passed, he revealed the title and the first couple of chapters, explaining how the book is developed from his earlier novella, Sixth of the Dusk. Was Sixth of the Dusk mandatory reading for Isles of the Emberdark? Not at all. Sanderson decided to integrate the novella into the book in the form of flashbacks, as he explains in the introduction as well. That way, readers could enjoy Isles of the Emberdark without depending on Sixth of the Dusk. On the other hand, those who did read the novella had the option of skipping the flashbacks. Although, I’d recommend reading through, because they did add to the overall experience of the first part of Emberdark.

Anyway, getting to the review. Sanderson has released 4 Secret Projects earlier. And with the exception of The Frugal Wizard’s Handbook To Surviving Medieval England, every entry has been well received. So, does Isles of the Emberdark live up to the hype and expectations set by his Secret Projects?

Read And Find Out! Spoilers Ahead! 

What I liked: 

I genuinely think that when Sanderson doesn’t have the onus of a larger story looming over him, he’s able to create more immersive experiences. Case and point: Tress of the Emerald Sea and Yumi and the Nightmare Painter. Yes, they’re both part of his larger Cosmere sequence, but their relative disconnect with the universe make them stand alone, and therefore be self-sustaining. Such is (almost) also the case with Isles of the Emberdark.

If you haven’t read Sixth of the Dusk, you’re in for a real treat. Drominad—the planet on which Dusk and his people live—is yet another unique setting in the expansive Cosmere. Dusk himself is a trapper, who traps and breeds Aviar for a living. Well, he used to at least, before the ‘Ones Above’ visited the planet and slowly began leaking advanced technology to them. Isles of the Emberdark is set during a pivotal moment of technological advancement, and that makes it one of Sanderson’s most thought-provoking settings so far. While Sixth of the Dusk did touch upon that idea, Isles of the Emberdark really develops it, offering us the Cosmere version of anti-colonialism.

Dusk is the taciturn old school man whose way of life is beginning to grow obsolete due to technological developments. But, these very technological developments have also rendered his peers and colleagues too dependent on the new ways. When the need arises for Dusk to set off on a discovery voyage through Shadesmar, it’s his traditional trapping ways that aid him in this entirely alien setting. 

I really loved the way Isles depicted Shadesmar; it was nothing like what we’ve seen in the Stormlight Archive. Shadesmar—or the Emberdark region of the unsea—somehow felt a lot more alien and arcane than the heavily populated portions of Roshar. The way the lore of the Eelakin ties with Dusk’s experience within Shadesmar (right till the very end) is typical Sanderson, and one of the many reasons I enjoyed this book. The problem posed seemed impossible in the beginning, but the resolution was as satisfying, as it was fitting and inspiring. 

The secondary cast of characters didn’t appeal to me all that much, but the horde of Cosmere lore that we get in this book was beautiful to read. From the dragons, to the Shattering of Adonalsium, to even a deeper glimpse into Space Age Cosmere politics through Dejer and the Malwish Scadrians, Isles of the Emberdark certainly isn’t the best place to enter the Cosmere, but for longtime fans of this universe, it’s a delight. 

I particularly enjoyed Chrysalis—ironic because I didn’t enjoy the rapport and personalities of the rest of the crew of the Dynamic, who in turn are always suspicious of Chrysalis. This is probably the most info we’ve received and time we’ve spent with the Sleepless, which only has me all the more hyped to see this strange species featured in future Cosmere stories. Where earlier instalments have teased these creatures, Emberdark really humanized the Dysian Aimians. Plus, there were teases of their place within the larger scope of the Cosmere, both politically as well as militarily, so that’s definitely something to keep an eye out for. 

SPOILERS! 

Time to talk about the ending. It was everything I wanted, expected, and—thankfully—not expected. Dusk’s growth as a person who accepts the forever moving tides of progress without wholly rejecting his traditional trapping ways was a beautifully balanced resolution. His entire sequence with the Dakwara in the finale was unexpected awesome. 

While I did feel a tad underwhelmed with the way Starling arc progressed (not to mention that I didn’t really like Starling), the ending made me grow a soft corner for her. Plus, seeing Dusk join her crew has me itching for more adventures of this group. Not only does Starling come into her own as a leader—as is Hoid’s plan—even Dusk manages to no longer be redundant. To have this trapper now exploring the Cosmere is, in my opinion, the best ending you could hope for Dusk. 

What I didn’t like: 

I might get some hate for saying this, but I didn’t like Starling. It’s not that I don’t find dragons cool or don’t appreciate a strong female character; I just didn’t connect with Starling the same way I did Tress, or Vin, or Sarene, or even Shallan. Starling, or Illistandrista, felt like a template character whose variation we’ve seen multiple times within the Cosmere itself. Yes, her exile and dragon heritage were intriguing, but her personality itself made her POV chapters a tad boring for me. 

In addition to that, this Space Age Cosmere setting further made Starling’s chapters tedious. There was a little too much Cosmere jargon to keep track of, and it didn’t feel organically integrated into the narrative. Maybe because I was so immersed in the pre-Space Age setting of Patji that the POV shift to Starling and the Dynamic (spaceship) felt jarring. I genuinely appreciated the Sunlit Man, despite my criticisms. I even loved how Emberdark dealt with Scadrians & Rosharans bullying Drominad into submission. But, I wasn’t able to appreciate those same aspects when seen through Starling’s POV. My opinion might change if I read this book again after Mistborn Era 4 and the second arc of the Stormlight Archive. But for now, it didn’t work for me.

Another thing, which can be seen as an extension to my previous complaints, is the relative lack of Patji. I really loved everything about Part 1 of the book. But then, we almost didn’t see Patji at all. That along with Vathi’s relative absence made me feel like something was missing from the book. 

And lastly, the Sander-lanche in the end wasn’t as epic as I expected. Although, after everything we’ve read from the guy, expectations are unreasonably high. The end was satisfying nonetheless. 

In Conclusion:

Isles of the Emberdark is a unique experience set during a pivotal moment of technological advancement. Emberdark is a deeper look into the Space Age of the Cosmere, and a captivating one at that.

TL;DR: 

What I liked: Dusk, the Aviar, Shadesmar, setting, themes, ending, much of everything

What I didn’t like: Starling, Cosmere jargon in the Space Age sections, a tad underwhelmed by the Sander-lanche