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Isles of the Emberdark

Isles of the Emberdark

By&
Epic FantasyFantasy
Pages
465
Published
2025
Language
English

Synopsis

Sixth of the Dusk is a trapper on the island of Patji, where his people bond with supernatural birds called Aviars. When invaders from the stars threaten his home, Dusk must find a way to modernize his society before it's too late. He journeys through a mystical portal into the emberdark, seeking salvation for his people. Meanwhile, Starling, a dragon in human form, and her crew are in debt and searching for a lucrative discovery. Their paths cross, and these unlikely allies may be the key to each other's survival.

Prose complexity
7/10

Vibe

AdventurousThought-ProvokingDarkInspiring
Portal FantasyQuestSurvivalFirst Contact

Genres

Epic Fantasy Fantasy High Fantasy Science Fiction Space Opera

About the author

B
Brandon Sanderson

Born in Lincoln, Nebraska in 1975, Brandon Sanderson spent his early twenties working graveyard shifts at a hotel — writing novels at the front desk between guest check-ins. By the time his debut, Elantris, was published by Tor Books in 2005, he had completed thirteen novels in the drawer. His subsequent Mistborn trilogy and the ongoing Stormlight Archive series established him as the primary architect of the Cosmere, an interconnected fictional universe in which most of his fantasy series share...

Characters

Sixth of the DuskProtagonist
StarlingProtagonist

A dragon exiled and bound into human form, captain of a debt-ridden crew aboard the starship Dynamic; her search for a hidden portal crosses paths with Dusk's.

Colonel DajerAntagonist

A Malwish officer pursuing colonial ambitions, using technology and coercion against Dusk's people.

VathiSupporting

A former company clerk caught in one of Dusk's traps years earlier, now President Vathi, balancing offworld pressure to modernize against her people's traditions.

Frost (Isles of the Emberdark)Supporting

Starling's uncle and a mentor figure representing dragonkind's wisdom.

All characters in Isles of the Emberdark

Frequently asked questions

  • Do I need to read Sixth of the Dusk before Isles of the Emberdark?

    It helps but isn't strictly required. Isles of the Emberdark expands on the novella Sixth of the Dusk and includes its events as flashback chapters within the novel, so new readers can start here, though fans of the original novella will recognize returning characters and setting.

  • Where does Isles of the Emberdark fit in the Cosmere reading order?

    It's one of the latest Cosmere books, released after Wind and Truth (Stormlight Archive Book 5) in 2025 and set in the most advanced, far-future era of the Cosmere shown so far. It's best read after you're already familiar with the wider Cosmere, since it references earlier events and characters.

  • Is Isles of the Emberdark part of a series?

    It's a standalone novel, and the fifth of Brandon Sanderson's "Secret Projects" — books written outside his announced schedule and funded through Dragonsteel Entertainment's crowdfunding campaigns. It also belongs to the wider Cosmere shared universe.

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