Rhythm of War is the fourth book in The Stormlight Archive, a series that has been a personal favorite since my angsty teenage years. This new addition to the series released only a few weeks ago, on November 17. It took me a bit to read, but only because it’s bigger than Hollywood’s ego. Even several days after finishing it my head is still swimming. It’s a brilliantly-written book and a must-read for fans of fantasy.

Although we normally start reviews with a brief plot summary, I am not going to do that today. For folks who have read the first three books in The Stormlighy Archives, I am loath to accidentally spoil anything (even the beginning bits, which have many surprises). You already have something of an idea of what’s happening anyway, so you can just skip down below.

And for folks who are not steeped in Stormlight Archive lore, a summary of Rhythm of War would necessarily spoil books 1-3. You should definitely read those first, and we have a review of The Way of Kings (Book 1 in the series) that you should check out if you’re interested. 

The Implications…

Before I gush over the many, many virtues of this book, I do have a few qualms/gripes/crotchety-old-man complaints to air out.

First: Shallan. Shallan has been one of our favorite characters in this series. She’s normally so funny and vibrant and exciting to read about. But not in Rhythm of War. 

In the past three books, Shallan has had to confront a horrible secret about her past in order to progress as a character. This pattern has previously served as a nice way of giving her an internal struggle. I always got a sense of mystery surrounding her past, and it compelled me to read on and find out what was going on. Rhythm of War sees her with yet another awful secret to unearth.

But at this point, it’s a bit overdone. The pattern always seems to be the same: “Oh no! I can’t possibly acknowledge that dark secret from my past. I mustn’t think of it. What’s that? The plot demands I face it at the last possible moment to progress? The plot’s wish is my command!”

Rather than feeling like Shallan is making great progress by unlocking these secrets, it feels like she’s stagnating. Her character seems to reset at the beginning of every book  just so she can do the same thing all over again. Unlike the last two times Shallan refused to confront the skeletons in her closet, I didn’t get the same air of mystery and suspense. I wasn’t driven to figure out what it might be. I was just frustrated with the tedium of waiting for her to get to the point. 

What makes it worse is the fact that you barely see Shallan. Because she won’t think about her secret or confront difficult situations, she spends most of her time hiding. This means that you spend most of her chapters with Veil or Radiant. I don’t like them much. I’d rather see Shallan growing or progressing, not taking cover. Ninety percent of the text comprising her chapters are the words, “No! She mustn’t think of that.” I think it has to be the most common phrase in the book.

It’s a shame, because I really do like Shallan. I just miss the Shallan from the earlier books who took her fate into her own hands, sought ways to solve her problems, and took action. I’d have liked to have seen her return, though I’m hopeful the next book will treat her better.

Second: Odium. I’ve never really loved Sanderson’s need to have gods as the villains because it makes the villain too distant to care about. You can’t really relate to a being like that, so it’s hard to have a real, invested connection with Odium. I much prefer to focus on the other villains in the book, even if they are technically just Odium’s minions. They have personalities, relatable hopes and dreams, and they feel more concrete. Odium is too ethereal and untouchable for me.

More than that, though, Odium represents an expansion of the series I’m not sure I’m on board with. Sanderson’s books are all part of the same, overarching Cosmere. For the first three books in TheStormlight Archives, I would say that it doesn’t matter much if you didn’t know this. But if you haven’t read Sanderson’s Arcanum Unbounded (or at least a brief-ish summary of its contents, which can be found here), you might not understand everything that happens in Rhythm of War. You won’t be lost by any means, but some things will go over your head a little.

To be clear, I do not object to expanding the world Sanderson has created here. It was fascinating to learn more about how Roshar works, how the Singers connected to the planet, how the oathpact and the various returns worked, and all that jazz. It is just exhausting and daunting to keep up with the whole Cosmere, and I worry that I won’t actually be able to keep up because I haven’t read everything Sanderson has ever written. I’m concerned that an Avenger’s-style team-up is coming, and I won’t be prepared because I’m not caught up on Sanderson’s Cinematic Universe. 

I’d personally just prefer the worlds to remain separate. But, that’s just me, and you’re welcome to read and enjoy these books however you like.

But Storms It’s A Good Book

That said, Rhythm of War is still a stellar book. I actually started listening at increasing speeds––not because I was getting sick of the book but because I couldn’t get it into my head fast enough. Sanderson has mastered the art of suspense and creating tension in his books. Obviously I won’t spoil anything here. But gee whiz did I have a rollercoaster of a good time reading this book.

Something that I always appreciate in Sanderson’s books are his plots. He has truly taken the old adage that you don’t hang a gun on the wall in the first act without using it in the third to heart. Everything he does is deliberate. So, you had best pay attention to everything. Yet, even knowing that, so many of the twists are surprising. 

It’s not as though they come out of nowhere. You always have ample warning of what might be coming because he lays the groundwork long in advance. He just does it so subtly that you could easily miss connecting all of the dots. I, for one, almost always got to the twisty moments and went “Holy trash! That makes so much more sense than what I was guessing! How did I miss that?” I am proud that I guessed one or two of the twists (and some dedicated fans might start to see patterns emerging from other books that make predictions a tad easier), but most of them took me completely by surprise.

One of the things I think makes the difference here is that Sanderson is not afraid to do hard things in his book. He isn’t afraid to kill favorites, and he won’t spare the characters from hard things just because they’re the heroes. This creates significant tension because you really have no idea whether someone will actually make it out of their situation alive. It’s exhilarating…and absolutely exhausting.

Rhythm of War also shines for many of its subtler themes and virtues.  I choked up on several occasions and felt unique connections with many of the characters, even those with whom I already had a sort of bond from previous books. Sanderson’s treatment of Kaladin’s PTSD (and mental illness in general) is particularly noteworthy. He writes about mental illness with compassion and a delicate frankness.  Having seen how mental illness affects people firsthand, it’s refreshing to see it treated in such a genuine manner. 

Several other themes emerge in the chapters about Venli––both those detailing her past and her present. Her chapters tell an emotional tale of mistakes, forgiveness, and redemption. At first, I thought we wouldn’t see any flashbacks, but fret not. They do come, and they reveal so much about the Singers, the path that brought the world to where it is now, and Venli and Eshonai’s backstory. These chapters are absolutely beautiful, and I’m glad Rhythm of War took this approach.

I also applaud the expanded cast of point-of-view characters in Rhythm of War. (Though, I might need a separate notebook of my own just to remember who everyone is.) Beyond just the Singers’ perspectives, Navani takes the spotlight for some time; some members of bridge four who had previously had minimal roles now take on larger ones; Syl has several emotional scenes; and Taravangian (AKA “That Dirty Scoundrel”) is more present than ever.

Although I had two larger gripes with the book, I will say that I thoroughly enjoyed it. It’s a testament to just how great it was that I could constantly be thinking “Hmmm…I don’t know about that one” while at the same time saying to Michela, “What? 3 AM? Poppycock. I’ll be to bed soon, just let me finish this next bit.” Sanderson walks a fine line with The Stormlight Archive. With Rhythm of War, he’s produced another must-read for fantasy lovers.

Who to Read With

Like The Way of Kings, we recommend this as a book to enjoy with your adult family members, or even your older teenagers. Despite being named The Rhythm of War, I think there is actually less bloodshed in this book than The Way of Kings. Nevertheless, there is quite a bit of violence in the book. 

There are probably fewer real-world curse words in this book, as well, which is welcome. I did notice a couple of crass jokes while listening. That’s a shame because they feel so out of place that they really stick out. While I think they could have been done without, they are there nonetheless.

Beyond that, the gravitas of the book requires a bit more maturity to handle. I’m not even sure I had the proper emotional regulation skills to handle this book. It’s long, dense, and intense. The themes would go way over younger children’s heads and do require someone with a bit more experience to really grapple with them.

Listen Together

I listened to the audiobook of Rhythm of War, and it’s an excellent way to enjoy the book. It’s 57 hours long. Thankfully, Audible split it into 5 sections “to make the download faster.” I think they just realized that a single file could not handle such raw power and split it up to save our devices from going mad. Whatever the reason, it was helpful for progression. Never once did I see the ominous “you have forty hours left” that signaled the despair of never reaching the end of a Brandon Sanderson book. Instead, they came in normal-sized, 11ish hour chunks that I could handle much more easily.

Michael Kramer and Kate Reading do a stellar job in this book, as they do in all their recordings. I do recommend getting it from Audible (especially if you’re new to Audible  because you can get sign up and get two free books, meaning you can snag the book for free) because, if you use one of your credits, it’ll be significantly cheaper than other places.

If you still need a copy of Rhythm of War, or you know someone who might like it for Christmas, you can grab a hard copy on Amazon or Bookshop. We recommend using Bookshop, as it will help support local bookstores who could really use the help during the pandemic to keep their doors open.

Did you read Rhythm of War? Do you have other recommendations we should take a look at? Tell us your thoughts in the comments below, or connect with us on social media!