She is one of the breakout characters of this novel, partly due to her self-reflection of the part she played in causing this conflict. Sometimes when you’re so invested in fiction and its characters, you don’t want to see those who have been the catalyst for others’ conflict and pain find forgiveness or a better way. Speaking of flashbacks, Venli was a character previously I did not care for, and I wasn’t looking forward to a redemption arc for her, even if I was slightly intrigued by her final moments in Oathbringer. Instead, I found myself continuing to read late into the night, to that point when you look up and see the sun is rising outside and weigh whether it was worth it. As a result, Rhythm of War‘s pacing doesn’t feel halted by the flashbacks or the interludes, sections I never disliked but that did feel like natural points to take a break. Rhythm of War’s interludes have payoffs that come sooner rather than later. Interludes before have included foreshadowing of critical future events and glimpses into a much broader narrative in Brandon Sanderson’s Cosmere, the shared fictional universe in which many of Sanderson’s books take place. Likewise, the interludes in Rhythm of War directly impact the main plot more than previous books. By then, we’re already in the thick of it, and they transitioned to in a way that flows better with the present story. Rhythm of War‘s flashbacks depict Venli and her sister Eshonai, and do not begin until part three of the book, much further than any book previously.

Sanderson has improved the way he writes flashbacks as well as how he structures the narrative around them. It has been standard since The Way of Kings to include flashbacks to significant events for the main characters.

Though Rhythm of War is longer than the first two and near-equal length to Oathbringer, it reads much quicker due to the author’s excellent pacing and changes to the book’s regular format.

This is the fourth book in this series, and if you’ve come this far, another thousand-page book isn’t going to break you.

You can fill your plate up with detailed worldbuilding, an intricate magic system, complex characters, grandiose set pieces, and killer action sequences, and Sanderson has the luxury of being able to put that all into these thousand-page novels. Yes, these books are long, but they’re like Thanksgiving dinner: you have to pace yourself, and if you do, you get everything you want. One year has passed on Roshar since the end of Oathbringer, and a lot has changed in the war between Odium’s forces, the combined might of the returned Fused, and the now-free Singers against Dalinar’s Coalition and the Knights Radiant. It has been a long three years, but the next installment of Brandon Sanderson’s Stormlight Archives is finally here with Rhythm of War.

Rhythm of war sanderson