The rhythm of war
The rhythm of war —or Rhythm of War, by its original English title— is the fourth volume in the series The archive of storms, a set of epic fantasy novels written by American author and creative literature professor Brandon Sanderson. The work was published for the first time on November 17, 2020 by the publisher Tor Books.
A week later, The book was translated into Spanish thanks to Nova Editorial, the official Spanish imprint for Sanderson's literature.. As usual, the launch of The rhythm of war heralded a burst of excitement on the part of readers, who have been researching outside the texts to stay abreast of the story and its evolution.
Synopsis of The rhythm of war
Top and center
The rhythm of war is one of Brandon Sanderson's most cinematic books. After the events that occurred in Certified/Sworn and the battle of the Thayleña Esplanade, Dalinar Kholin has been fighting for a year in the company of his Knights Radiant in a human coalition that aims to end the emerging war. Neither side has an advantage.
At the same time, there are technological discoveries that could change the course of the contest. However, The enemy is ready for an operation that will put the protagonists at risk. On the other hand, the arms race resulting from the battle will keep the ideals of the Radiants in check, so it is possible that the secrets of the tower where their strength used to reside will be revealed.
What is the Cosmere?
The rhythm of war It takes place in the Cosmere, but to understand this world it is necessary to know what it is. In very broad terms, the Cosmere is a fictional literary universe created by Brandon Sanderson. In it, it is possible to find several planets, as well as very strict magic systems that are explained as the story progresses.
The plots of all the Cosmere books take place on a specific planet and, in each installment, the author focuses on a particular character. Still, Sanderson tends to use a set of narrators, so his titles feature a multitude of perspectives. Specific, The rhythm of war belongs to The archive of storms, a series of ten books divided into two sagas.
Roshar's world
The rhythm of war It takes place mainly within Roshar, a planet and supercontinent battered by ferocious thunderstorms. This is the second celestial body with respect to its sun, and it has three moons, which wane independently of each other. The lands of Shinovar are the most suitable for protection from storms, as they are sheltered by the high peaks of the Misted Mountains.
Flora and fauna, similar to those in the real world, have evolved to survive in this hostile environment. In addition, Some of its inhabitants, the Rosharans, are storm guardians, and they can predict the weather and rainfall schedules using very complex mathematics and studies.
The voices in The rhythm of war
Humanity and Odium's servants are in a declared war. In principle, Sanderson separates the protagonists to develop their arcs individually, while leaving the narration in the hands of each of them as the events arise. It is quite difficult to discern between all the plots that are told in this fourth book, but it is possible to talk about three of them.
The first plot addresses the adventures of Shallan and Adolin. Here Many topics of mental health, leadership and finding your own path are covered.. Shallan organizes her order of Radiants (the Lightweavers), who present themselves more as spies than warriors. This also causes Mraize to give him the mission to search for a mysterious member of the Sons of Honor in the city of Enduring Integrity.
Adolin's plot
Adolin maintains the desire to prove his true value to his father. For that reason she decides to accompany Shallan to Enduring Integrity, with the idea of convincing the honorsprens to work alongside humans and create more Radiants to fight in the war. The young prince carries a great weight on his shoulders, as he himself could be a Radiant.
As well highlight the plots of Dalinar and Jasnah, who face together in the battle of Emul against Teravangian, who finally rebels and abandons the coalition. This section of the novel is much more embarrassing, because it revolves around four characters and their respective evolutions:
About the author, Brandon Sanderson
Brandon Sanderson
Brandon Sanderson was born on December 19, 1975, in Lincoln, Nebraska, United States. He too Nicknamed “the Stephen King of fantasy,” He is best known for his high fantasy sagas pertaining to the Cosmere. Outside of this literary universe he has written other books, among which are several youth and adult series.
It is also famous for creating Sanderson's Laws of Magic, in which he explains to other authors the best techniques for developing magic systems from three simple rules. Likewise, he has been very critical of the narrative pattern of The Hero's Way, as he thinks this only produces stagnation in fantasy writing.
Other books by Brandon Sanderson
Cosmere
- Emerald Sea Braid (2023);
- Yumi and the Painter of Nightmares (2023);
- The enlightened man (2023)
Saga Elantris
- Elantris (2005);
- Elantris' Hope (2006);
- The emperor's soul (2012)
- The breath of the gods (2009)
Born of the mist
It was 1: Mistborn Trilogy
- The final empire (2006);
- The Well of Ascension (2007);
- The hero of the ages (2008)
It was 2: Wax & Wayne Tetralogy
- sterling alloy (2011);
- Shadows of identity (2015);
- Bracers of Duel (2016);
- The lost metal (2022)
The archive of storms
- King's road (2010);
- Radiant words (2015);
- blade dancer (2016);
- Certified/Sworn (2017);
- Shard of the Dawn (2020)
Others
The wheel of time
- Storm (2009);
- Midnight towers (2010);
- A memory of light (2013)
Alcatraz
- Alcatraz Versus the Evil Librarians (2007);
- Alcatraz Versus the Scrivener's Bones (2008);
- Alcatraz Versus the Knights of Crystallia (2009);
- Alcatraz Versus the shattered lens (2010);
- Alcatraz Versus the Dark Talent (2016);
- Bastille vs. the Evil Librarians (2022)
The infinite sword
- The Infinite Sword: the awakening (2011);
- The Infinity Sword: Redemption (2013)
The Reckoners
- Steelheart (2013);
- firefight (2015);
- Calamity (2016)
The rithmatist
- The Rithmatist (2013);
- The Aztlanian (no publication date yet).
swarm
- The defense of the Elysée (2018);
- swarm (2018);
- Estelar (2019);
- Cytonic (2021);
- Challenger (2023);
- The frugal magician's guide to surviving in medieval England (2023)