Rhythm of War

Book Four of the Stormlight Archive

By: Brandon Sanderson

Narrated by: Kate Reading, Michael Kramer

Length: 57 hrs and 26 mins

Publisher's summary

"Powerhouse narrating duo Michael Kramer and Kate Reading bring their outstanding skills to this stunning continuation of the Stormlight Archive series... This audiobook is truly a masterpiece of story and performance." (AudioFile Magazine, Earphones Award winner)

An instant number-one New York Times best seller and a USA Today and Indie best seller!

The Stormlight Archive saga continues in Rhythm of War, the eagerly awaited sequel to Brandon Sanderson's number-one New York Times best-selling Oathbringer, from an epic fantasy writer at the top of his game.

After forming a coalition of human resistance against the enemy invasion, Dalinar Kholin and his Knights Radiant have spent a year fighting a protracted, brutal war. Neither side has gained an advantage, and the threat of a betrayal by Dalinar’s crafty ally Taravangian looms over every strategic move.

Now, as new technological discoveries by Navani Kholin’s scholars begin to change the face of the war, the enemy prepares a bold and dangerous operation. The arms race that follows will challenge the very core of the Radiant ideals, and potentially reveal the secrets of the ancient tower that was once the heart of their strength.

At the same time that Kaladin Stormblessed must come to grips with his changing role within the Knights Radiant, his Windrunners face their own problem: As more and more deadly enemy Fused awaken to wage war, no more honorspren are willing to bond with humans to increase the number of Radiants. Adolin and Shallan must lead the coalition’s envoy to the honorspren stronghold of Lasting Integrity and either convince the spren to join the cause against the evil god Odium, or personally face the storm of failure.

A Macmillan Audio production from Tor Books

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

©2020 Brandon Sanderson (P)2020 Macmillan Audio

Critic reviews

2020, Barnes and Noble Best New Books of the Year, Long-listed

missing Accompanying PDF images

100% best narration!
Phenomenal story.
The Accompanying PDF is missing (book #3) had one. Fix for 5 stars

Brandon is fantastic, where’s the pdf though?

Another great entry in the cosmere, Michael Kramer and Kate Reading are the best in the business. Where’s the pdf though audible?

Broken up in weird sections

My version of this audiobook is broken up into five parts that don’t coincide with the five parts in the book. None of the other Stormlight Archive books are like this they are one contiguous book. Wish they would go back to the original format.

What Happened to Kate Reading's Voice!?

Disclaimer... I'm only half way through this book. However, after just having listened to the first 3 books in the two weeks leading up to the release of Rhythm of War, I can tell you with absolute certainty that there is something wrong with Kate Reading's voice! First of all, half the time she's talking she sounds like a 5-pack a day smoker whose got that gravelly mucus sound in their throat... its very annoying. Next, she keeps changing the accent she uses for various characters. In one chapter they sound one way and in the next they have a completely different accent. Finally, she has completely changed the way some of our established characters sound... Pattern in particular. He sounds absolutely nothing like he did in the other 3 books. I truly hope Kate is healthy, because she certainly doesn't sound so in the book thus far.

Also, as some other reviewers have mentioned, there is no accompanying PDF, which is a HUGE disappointment!!

Once I'm finished with the book I will add my review of the book itself. Thus far it has not impressed me... but Kate's voice issues are distracting and annoying so maybe with less of her performance and more of Kramer's, the annoyance will dissipate.

Recording issues

I'm not sure if this is normal for new releases, but there are a LOT of recording issues in this one. Usually when Michael Kramer is reading, although I don't think it's his fault.
I don't know how to describe it other than to say it sounds like when someone is speaking on a video call and accidentally switches from the headset on their mic to the headset built into their laptop. It's INCREDIBLY distracting from the content.
There are also several instances of resonance that I would imagine are caused by being too close to the mic.
I highly suspect that whoever was setting up the recording studio for Kramer messed something up somehow.

so emotional and well written

I loved this book. such a great story with hope flickering the whole time. one of the best in the series

Bring on the hate.

Alright then I'm going to try to keep this one short. So cliff notes if you enjoy epic fantasy, have read the rest of the series or are a fan of Brandon Sanderson, yes this book is a buy, not a must buy but yes a good buy. For the few people that might be confused about what in the same hill is going on with a few characters and all this talk of invoking, and such, I would recommend reading another book call "Warbreak" and possibly "Atlantris" both by Sanderson, not only because both books are just better than this one but the long awaited bleed over in the cosmo-sphere is beginning to happen.
The good, its a Sanderson book, so that gets everything that goes with it. Strong wold building, character development that typically feels natural, no real world politics, well thought out plot, so on and so forth. There is a reason why Sanderson is one of the authors other authors are held up to in comparison.
The bad: time for some hate to flung my way. This is easily the worst Sanderson book I've read. Following how the book was written and the rush of writing it, the man wrote more than one hundred thousand words in a day, something most people take a month or two to do. This rush shows, the pacing is quiet frankly terrible, there were many parts that felt tedious or lack luster. I'm not saying that any scene was unneeded but some could have been trimmed down or spiced up to make them more interesting. I wish i could use examples but i don't want to spoil things, suffice there was a training scene, a mental illness scene, a few others, I get the feeling Mr Sanderson was enjoying the scene and figuring out how the magic worked or would in the world or how mental illness would fit in but well these scenes seemed flat and self indulgent. As good an author as Sanderson has proven to be he seems to have slammed up against the wall that most authors never climb, the wall of having too many characters. This book emphases this badly. Navonee, sorry for the misspell, is the only character with a deeper arc. The others are well shallow and predictable, add to this the conclusion of each character's arc this book were obvious and some were ludicrous. I'm sorry but you're telling me a warrior culture never bothered to teach people that everyone dies, it's how you live and to do what you can when you can, to protect those within your reach; something most warrior cultures in the real world have figured out for millennia wasn't in Roshar? That's just one example of obvious character routes that made this book a bit of a slog to get through, there were no real twists to keep things interesting.
In the end if you are thinking of picking up the Storm light Chronicles, I'd pass as this entry and the prior were disappointing, not bad per say just not fantastic either. Hopefully with the next entry into the series i can reverse this but well. This my opinion.

worth every minute spent listening to it

it's hard to keep surprising an audience when you're writing the fourth sequel in a series but Brandon Sanderson did not disappoint. the only thing better than the depth of the world that he's created is the depth and struggles of his characters. it was truly a touching book

Awesome!!!

Amazing characters with a great story set in a crazy detailed universe. I can’t put it down.

He’s done it again!

All I can say is he’s done it again he’s left me wanting more. What a masterpiece.