82 pages 2 hours read

Brandon Sanderson

Rhythm of War

Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 2020

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Background

Series Context: Brandon Sanderson’s Cosmere

The Cosmere is a creation of Brandon Sanderson that connects nearly all of his works. The Cosmere is the multiverse that encompasses all the worlds of his novels, including The Stormlight Archive series, the Mistborn series, Elantris, Tress of the Emerald Sea, and more. Each Cosmere world has its own magic system, manifesting in a variety of ways. While these series are mostly self-contained, they are connected by worldhoppers—characters like Hoid, who can travel between the Cosmere’s worlds and appear in multiple series. In The Stormlight Archive, Hoid appears as the character Wit, an adviser to King Dalinar who plays a much larger role than in previous novels.

Sanderson has hinted, both through the novels and through communication with his fan base, that his novels will create even more connections between the worlds of the Cosmere, building up to a conflict that is bigger and more dangerous than explored thus far.

Series Context: The Stormlight Archive and Fantasy Literature

Rhythm of War is the fourth book of what Sanderson has promised will be a five-book series. The series is called The Stormlight Archive, and it is set in the world Roshar. The world building is incredibly complex. The novels come with glossaries, indexes, and histories for easy reference and comprehension; each novel describes the magic system of the world in the “Ars Arcanum” appendix section, and readers can also reference the fan-created