Tress of the Emerald Sea: A Cosmere Novel

Brandon Sanderson

Jan 2023 · Secret Projects Book 1 · Sold by Dragonsteel, LLC

About this ebook

#1 New York Times bestselling author Brandon Sanderson expands his Cosmere universe shared by The Stormlight Archive and Mistborn with a new standalone novel for everyone who loved The Princess Bride.

The only life Tress has known on her island home in an emerald-green ocean has been a simple one, with the simple pleasures of collecting cups brought by sailors from faraway lands and listening to stories told by her friend Charlie. But when his father takes him on a voyage to find a bride and disaster strikes, Tress must stow away on a ship and seek the Sorceress of the deadly Midnight Sea. Amid the spore oceans where pirates abound, can Tress leave her simple life behind and make her own place sailing a sea where a single drop of water can mean instant death?

Note from Brandon:

I started writing this in secret, as a novel just for my wife. She urged me to share it with the world—and alongside three other secret novels, with the support of readers worldwide it grew into the biggest Kickstarter campaign of all time. I’m excited to present this first book to you at last: a different type of Brandon Sanderson story, one I wrote when there were no time constraints, no expectations, and no limits on my imagination. Come be part of the magic.

Ratings and reviews

It started off very nicely and it did remind me of the charm of the princess bride and stardust. It continued in an easy and interesting manner for much of the book however although I don't want to give anything away I felt that the ending and twist were not smoothly built and there was some disconnection in terms of character personality (in the case where a personality of a promising character was effectively murdered with a weak justification provided later for that in an attempt to make it work), possibly reflecting a bit of hastiness or abruptness. The book started with a great deal of promise and it introduced some interesting characters however its ending (especially the twist) and how it reached it did not keep up with that promise in stark contrast to Elantris for example which was exceptional and not just a nice read.

As usual, Brandon delivers a captivating, unique and riveting Cosmere experience with a brand new hard magic system, again carefully remaining Cosmere-consistent and throwing in many Easter eggs for avid readers to enjoy The characters presented in Tress and the Emerald Sea are once again relatable and interesting, with motivations matching their actions, and individual personalities. The lack of deus-ex tropes is always refreshing as well; characters do not feel forced by the plot to do things; but rather their own motivations and desires

Received an email while at work that Mr. Sanderson had released a new book, purchased it on my break that morning, and read it cover to cover before I went to bed that evening. As usual Brandon Sanderson shows off his ability to write us a world that is completely unique and magical in it's own way. The story is wonderful and fresh and the illustrations in the book were a pleasant surprise and phenomenally done. 100% recommend this story to anyone that likes an action packed story of love and growth

About the author

Brandon Sanderson was born on December 19, 1975 in Lincoln, Nebraska. He received a bachelor's degree in English and a master's degree in creative writing from Brigham Young University. His first book, Elantris, was published in 2005. His other works include the Mistborn series, the Stormlight Archive series, Alcatraz Versus the Evil Librarians series, and the Reckoners series. In 2007, he was chosen by Harriet Rigney to complete A Memory of Light, book twelve in Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time series. He has continued the series with Towers of Midnight and A Memory of Light. In 2018 his title, White Sand Volume 2, made the Best Seller List.