Oathbringer: Book Three of the Stormlight Archive

J'ai adoré ce 3ème tome! Les personnages évoluent, la révélation du passé de Dalinar tout au long du livre tient en haleine et l'histoire globale devient de plus en plus complexe et large. On retrouve dans les fameux interludes des personnages des précédents tomes qui prennent leur place dans la grande histoire, et des nouveaux qu'on attend avec impatience de revoir. Je n'ai pas trouvé le temps long malgré les 1200 pages, et en attendant le suivant avec impatience je relirai celui-là avec grand plaisir !

Very good quality, delivered with prime the next day. Happy purchase

SUCH a bad quality and it feels used

Old copy with yellow pages and damage covers

Character: We follow Kaladin, Shallan, Dalinar, Jasnah, Adolin and the others as the have now reached Urithitu after the last battle on the Shattered Plains. This is Dalinar’s book. That’s very clear. Dalinar has always been a character I’ve looked forward to, even more than Kaladin, and he shines in this book. We get to see Dalinar’s past in a sequence of flashbacks and they are heartbreaking. We can now fully understand the dramatic changes in his personality from the Blackthorn consumed by bloodlust to the Bondsmith who swears by oaths and The Way of Kings. His story is truly sad, and his arc is that of change and confronting past tragedy. Kaladin has lesser page time in this book than the previous two, but still manages to develop a lot as a character since his past evils still threaten to pull him into the abyss. Shallan is a polarizing character in this book. For some people she has become insufferable and annoying, while for others, this was expected. Personally, I have to admit that I hated reading the Veil sequences. Her Dissociative Identity Disorder, which manifests as different people quite literally due to her Lightweaving, is understandable but it goes on for too long in the book. Perhaps Shallan is so broken that we cannot expect her to recover instantly. Either way, I liked the old witty and curious Shallan way more than Veil or Radiant. Jasnah surprisingly doesn’t appear much in the book. When she does appear, she steals the show. But I’d like to have seen more of her. The Bridge Four members get their own POVs. Teft’s past is revealed and his struggle with substance abuse is well portrayed. Brandon seems to have included his first LGBT character in this book. Glad to see that his Mormonism hasn’t tampered with his open mind. Adolin goes through a lot on this book, and for the first time, his reputation as the son of Dalinar and his duelling skill with a Shardblade are useless. He feels weak and exposed, but goes through with it. Setting: Perhaps the arena where Oathbringer shines over the previous two books is in its worldbuilding. Sanderson zooms out of the Shattered Plains to expose the immensely detailed world he has created. We visit Thaylenah, Azimir and Jah Keved. There is an entire part of the book that takes place in Shadesmar. A lot more is revealed about the Spren and Odium. Dalinar’s tryst with the Nightwatcher is also shown. Due to the politics that takes place, we also see the vivid cultures of the different kingdoms. As we follow Dalinar’s battles, we get a look at the princedoms before they were united under Gavilar to form Alethkar. A large part of the book takes place in Alethkar’s capital, Kholinar. The Parshendi are not the enemy any of us or the characters in the book expected. Plot: This book is tightly plotted. Though it may seem slow in the beginning, especially if you’re not a fan of politics and international relations (which is a large part of this book), they all have good reason. Dalinar’s inexperience in politics and his sudden position as the one who has to unite Roshar puts him in a difficult place. Odium’s Unmade are revealed. Re-Sephir, Sja-Anat and the others. Urithiru is a complicated structure but there’s something wrong with it. The first moment of action is with Shallan and the others at Urithitu. After that, the battle of Kholinar. It all ends with the battle of Thaylen Field, which is, in my experience, one of the longest and largest battle scenes I’ve read. It’s the length of an entire novel, and yet it has you hooked. It is epic in every sense of the word. And the climax to Oahbringer was probably better than the previous two books, in the sense of wonder and awe that it invokes. Which is saying a lot. It had many goosebump inducing plot twists and fights of epic proportions. There is a link to Warbreaker in this book, as we see a character who is clearly someone we know from Warbreaker. And Nightblood gets to DESTROY EVIL. Conflict: The main conflict in this book is that Dalinar has to get the other kindgoms to trust him and join in his coalition to become a united Roshar against Odium’s forces. This is especially difficult because of his reputation as a mass murderer and unparalleled commander as the Blackthorn. Naturally, when Dalinar goes with his treaty of alliance, nobody wants anything to do with him. Shallan faces her different personalities. Adolin feels like a fish out of water with no magical powers he can use. Kaladin finds that the oaths he swore to are not easy to uphold. Jasnah finds a disturbing truth in her research, something that threatens to end the Knights Radiant. Prose: There is nothing fancy about Sanderson’s prose. It’s straight and to the point. He however, invents swear words to fit his world, which seems a bit contrived. Final Thoughts: I backed the Stormlight Archive when I first read The Way of Kings back in 2012, and Sanderson has not let me down. This series is defining where epic fantasy can go. Though I might need a cartwheel to lug around the next book. Rating: 9/10: Storming brilliant!