Title: Dawnshard (The Stormlight Archive, #3.5)
Author: Brandon Sanderson
Published by: Tor Books
Published in: February 2022
Pages: 304
So what was she? Useless? No, she thought, determined never to sink into that self-pity again. I am far from useless.
-- Chapter 16
I love every Bridge Four original crew with all my heart (EXCEPT FOR ONE BASTARD WHO MUST NOT BE NAMED) equally, yet Lopen has a special place with his dry jokes, abundant confidence, and nonchalant attitudes. Naturally, upon finding out The Lopen is one of two main POVs in Dawnshard, I was beyond ecstatic.
Our main POV is Rysn, though. Remember her? She is one of the Interlude characters, a Thaylen woman who was learning trade from her babsk (a Thaylen term for teacher/master), Vstim. In Words of Radiance, she had an accident from which her legs were shattered and she would never walk again. We met her briefly in Oathbringer climax, along with Chiri-Chiri, a larkin that had become her pet since her misfortune. What made Chiri-Chiri unique was her ability to ingest both Stormlight and Voidlight.
In Dawnshard, Rysn traveled to Urithiru to meet Navani who had a special mission for her. A ghost ship had been found near the island Akinah, its crews presumed dead. However, what grabbed their attention was how every Windrunned sent to inspect the ship had their power drained so suddenly. Hence, Navani tasked Rysn to investigate the ghost ship, along with a couple of chosen Knights Radiant, i.e. The Lopen and Huio, ardent Rushu, and Cord, Rock's daughter. The reason Rysn agreed to this mission was not because she suddenly supported the Alethi, but because Chiri-Chiri was sick and any hope of recovery could only be found in the ancestral home of the larkin -- Akinah.
So off they went, along with Rysn's shipcrew of Wandersail. The journey wasn't off to a good start, as bad omens started appearing here and there. Considering how superstitious sailors were, it was up to Rysn and her years long training under Vstim to lift up their mood and to turn these bad omens into good ones. Was the mission really doomed, though? Or rather, was someone manipulating them?
EGGLYSIS
This is why Lopen is a scene stealer and any moment with him is always gold.
'...I suggested we send Windrunners who could swim, just in case. That means you and Huio.' 'Pick me!' 'I literally just did.' 'I know. That was for old time's sake.'
-- Chapter 3
Also his confidence is inspiring.
'...They did not know that I am accustomed to such incredible sights, for I experience something even more impressive each morning after I awake.' 'Is that so?' 'When I look in the mirror.' 'And you wonder why you're still single.' 'Oh, I don't wonder,' he said. 'I'm fully aware that so much of me is difficult for any one woman to handle. My majesty confuses them. It's the only explanation for why they often run away.'
-- Chapter 15
After Lift, I honestly didn't find other Interlude characters to be as interesting. Rysn was moderate to say the least. But her inner turmoil here, especially after being paraplegic, makes for a great character study and is the perfect balance for Lopen's randomness. There was one scene where Ardent Rushu managed to create a fabrial that would help Rysn in moving independently, and the initial conversation is a great study of consent. I love how Brando managed to insert important bits like that in his story.
Now let's talk about that ending. I honestly did not expect that it will have something to do with Adonalsium and the creation of Cosmere. Brando starts to expand the focus of his stories, not only separately on each planet, but we are getting the big picture of the main conflict of the universe. The thing with Cosmere is that the canon-stuff isn't only limited on what is written textually on the published books, but there is something that we in the fandom refer to as WoB (Word of Brandon). Stuff that he answers and/or confirms during interviews and Q&A sessions sometimes aren't even written in the books, yet it's canon. So it's quite tricky for those who aim to be ultrafan, like me. The Coppermind website is a great source for those of youhs interested.
Overall, Dawnshard is...
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