Brandon SandersonFantasy · Fiction·b. 1975
Dawnshard
Dawnshard
- Pages
- 171
- Published
- 2020
- Language
- English
Synopsis
Set between Rhythm of War and Wind and Truth, Dawnshard follows Rysn Ftori — a Thaylen merchant apprentice who has used a wheelchair since a climbing accident — as she leads an expedition to the forbidden island of Akinah.
The island holds secrets left behind by the ancient Sleepless, and what Rysn discovers there has implications that ripple through the final two Stormlight Archive books. Dawnshard was originally funded through a Kickstarter in 2020 as part of the Words of Radiance leatherbound campaign, with proceeds benefiting the charity Worldbuilders.
It is notable for featuring one of Sanderson's most carefully rendered disabled protagonists.
How it reads
Prose complexity 4/10
Content warnings (2)
ViolenceTrauma
- The story itself was pretty meh, but I found the new revelations of the Cosmere lore interesting. Rysn's character arc was definitely the highlight for me, and I appreciated seeing her grow throughout the novella
- Lopen is one of my favorites from the series. I???ve enjoyed seeing the arc Rysn has taken as well. I don???t quite understand the implications of this and what happened but that???s a me issue - not a lack of explanation issue. This also has some of the funniest scenes in any Cosmere book.
- Lopen, Rysn and Chiri Chiri (in that order)❤️🫶 3.5, rounding it up to 4. P.S : Wish it was a little more hardcore though. Novellas continue to feel like isolated side quests instead of being a gateway to something more important.