Islas de la Ascuaoscura

The Cosmere

by Brandon Sanderson

Brandon Sanderson, el gran autor de fantasía del siglo XXI, anticipa el futuro más lejano jamás descrito en el Cosmere. Bienvenidos a la quinta novela secreta.



Sexto del Ocaso es un trampero tradicional en la mortífera isla de Patji. Pero una fatídica noche, empuja a su pueblo a una carrera por modernizarse antes de que los invasores de las estrellas los conquisten. Teme que su pueblo se pierda a sí mismo en el intento, y por eso parte en busca de su salvación más allá de la Ascuaoscura.


En otro lugar del Ascuaoscura hay una joven dragona encadenada en forma Starling. Ella y su variopinta tripulación de exiliados están a punto de perder su libertad. Estos dos improbables aliados podrían ser la solución a la crisis del otro. En su búsqueda de la independencia, Ocaso y Starling se enfrentan a peligrosas negociaciones, políticas envenenadas y el eco destructivo de un dios muerto.

Genres: Fantasy, Fiction, Audiobook, Science Fiction, Epic Fantasy, High Fantasy, Dragons

601 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 1, 2025

About the author

I’m Brandon Sanderson, and I write stories of the fantastic: fantasy, science fiction, and thrillers.

The release of Wind and Truth in December 2024—the fifth and final book in the first arc of the #1 New York Times bestselling Stormlight Archive series—marks a significant milestone for me. This series is my love letter to the epic fantasy genre, and it’s the type of story I always dreamed epic fantasy could be. Now is a great time to get into the Stormlight Archive since the first arc, which begins with Way of Kings, is complete.

During our crowdfunding campaign for the leatherbound edition of Words of Radiance, I announced a fifth Secret Project called Isles of the Emberdark, which came out in the summer of 2025. Coming December 2025 is Tailored Realities, my non-Cosmere short story collection featuring the new novella Moment Zero.

Defiant, the fourth and final volume of the series that started with Skyward in 2018, came out in November 2023, capping an already book-filled year that saw the releases of all four Secret Projects: Tress of the Emerald Sea, The Frugal Wizard’s Handbook for Surviving Medieval England, Yumi and the Nightmare Painter, and The Sunlit Man. These four books were all initially offered to backers of the #1 Kickstarter campaign of all time.

November 2022 saw the release of The Lost Metal, the seventh volume in the Mistborn saga, and the final volume of the Mistborn Era Two featuring Wax & Wayne. Now that the first arc of the Stormlight Archive is wrapped up, I’ve started writing the third era of Mistborn in 2025.

Most readers have noticed that my adult fantasy novels are in a connected universe called the Cosmere. This includes The Stormlight Archive, both Mistborn series, Elantris, Warbreaker, four of the five Secret Projects, and various novellas, including The Emperor’s Soul, which won a Hugo Award in 2013. In November 2016 all of the existing Cosmere short fiction was released in one volume called Arcanum Unbounded. If you’ve read all of my adult fantasy novels and want to see some behind-the-scenes information, that collection is a must-read.

I also have three YA series: The Rithmatist (currently at one book), The Reckoners (a trilogy beginning with Steelheart), and Skyward. For young readers I also have my humorous series Alcatraz vs. the Evil Librarians, which had its final book, Bastille vs. the Evil Librarians, released in 2022. Many of my adult readers enjoy all of those books as well, and many of my YA readers enjoy my adult books, usually starting with Mistborn.

Additionally, I have a few other novellas that are more on the thriller/sci-fi side. These include the three stories in Legion: The Many Lives of Stephen Leeds, as well as Perfect State and Snapshot. These two novellas are also featured in 2025’s Tailored Realities. There’s a lot of material to go around!

Good starting places are Mistborn (a.k.a. The Final Empire), Skyward, Steelheart, The Emperor’s Soul, Tress of the Emerald Sea, and Alcatraz vs. the Evil Librarians. If you’re already a fan of big fat fantasies, you can jump right into The Way of Kings.

I was also honored to be able to complete the final three volumes of The Wheel of Time, beginning with The Gathering Storm, using Robert Jordan’s notes.

Sample chapters from all of my books are available at brandonsanderson.com—and check out the rest of my site for chapter-by-chapter annotations, deleted scenes, and more.

Reviews

[Clace]

This is coming out in three days?? and I didnt even know that 🤚 CRIMINAL.

I honestly cannot wait to visit first of the sun!! I just know it's going to be amazing<33
___
ANOTHER SECRET PROJECT?!? HIGH COSMERE CONNECTIVITY?!?!

Brandon Sanderson the man that you are!

To all the other authors out there LEARN SOMETHING!!

[Anna [Bran. San. Stan] · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of those rare books I stay up for until 2 am. It was just that captivating and immersive.

This novel expands upon the original novella Sixth of the Dusk using the text of that novella via flashback chapters in part 1 of the book. This means you needn’t have read the novella beforehand. I have always loved Sixth of the Dusk so I was super excited to dive into this Secret Project.

In these flashbacks, you get to know Dusk, a trapper on the dangerously lethal Island of Paji, who knows something catastrophic is going to happen. He has two constant companions, so-called aviar, who share their magic with him: Sak shows Dusk visions of his corpse so he can avoid that fate; Kokerlii masks Dusk‘s cognitive markers so that animals who track those cannot find him. As you can imagine, aviar are highly coveted, which leads to problems now and even more so in the future.

Those problems come to a head but five years later: The planet of First of the Sun is now between a rock and a hard place – on the one hand you have the technologically superior Scadrians, who have been pressuring them for years, to gain access to the aviar and on the other hand you have Rosharans who offer different terms but also want to exploit aviars for themselves. So when Dusk sees the chance to help his people by traveling into the Emberdark, an unknown realm accessed through a portal, discovered two years previously, he takes it.

In the second book we also meet and accompany Starling, an exiled shapeshifting dragon locked in her humanoid body for twelve years, on her journey through Shadesmar. She and the starship‘s crew are in debt until they are given a map to an undiscovered perpendicularity – the portal Dusk has used to travel to the Emberdark. Now the crew has to find proof it exists and thus see all their debts to the dragon Xisis, the ship‘s owner, paid.

If you think you‘ve heard that name before, you would be right. We have seen Xisis as well as Captain Crow, the erstwhile captain of the Dynamic Storyteller‘s Incredible Conveyance (can you guess who named that ship?), in Tress of the Emerald Sea. Also, part of the ship’s crew is Nazh, a worldhopper from Threnody we already know, who has since died and become a shade.

This novel was just so much fun! Apart from all the cosmere crossover, which I was giddy over, I enjoyed seeing into the future of the cosmere – it sure was both impressive and frightening: those power-hungry Scadrians were formidable yet loathsome antagonists.

As for our characters, I still loved taciturn Dusk, quietly competent, capable, and determined. His view of the world and the ability to accept change, to realize its advantages was novel and admirable. Our dragon, Starling, was another character I loved; how she truly cared and how that led to her punishment, which includes being unable to access all her powers as well as her draconic form. The fact that this imprisonment was imposed on her by other dragons made me feel with her and yearn for the day we are shown what she can do – like sending comfort, confidence, and compassion to others and using her Investiture-related powers. The ability to influence emotions… what an unexpected, quiet gift, yet immensely powerful. Why would anyone deny her bestowing that gift upon others?

Apart from Dusk and Starling, other characters include Starling‘s crew: as stated above, shade and worldhopper Nazh; Leonore, pilot and a Malwish deserter; Ed the arcanist; Aditil the engineer with a broken aether; ZeetZi, a lawnark technician (a being with feathers instead of hair); Chrysalis, a Sleepless and a medic. Quite the diverse group which distinguished themselves in the course of the novel.

So should you read this as your first foray into the cosmere? While it is theoretically possible to follow and also possibly enjoy the story without foreknowledge, I wouldn’t recommend it. I would have been confused by all the references to other characters, cultures, planets, and magic systems. But if that’s not important to you, go for it. You have to start somewhere. Also, IotE references everything cosmere-related so I could not even tell you which books to read first.

It might be recency bias, but I think I have a new favorite Secret Project. I know I said the same after reading Yumi and then The Sunlit Man, but here we are. Now I am eagerly awaiting the audiobook to begin the first of many rereads.

Happy reading, everyone!

—————-

2024: Another secret project, coming in 2025! You can listen to Brandon reading a few sample chapters here:

https://youtu.be/e0L06Y37W70?si=_8R6k...

Or read them in Brandon‘s newsletter. I‘m so excited for this!

[EveStar91 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Here, he saw infinity. A horizon that seemed impossibly far away. That not-sea, it…just. Kept. Going. Look through binoculars, and it was the same. A flat expanse, completely uninterrupted. Upward, he saw only darkness and blue streaks. Downward, that smoky depth.
Infinity in three shades. Each more unnerving than the one before.

Brandon Sanderson crafts the secret project Isles of the Emberdark with some of the elements that I most look for in any fiction/ fantasy - character sketches with depth and introspection, people driven plot where their decisions matter, layered world-building, touching writing, and at the core, a strong premise. This novel also includes most of the previously release novella Sixth of the Dusk in its first part, and so can be read as a standalone, as well as the latest installment of the Cosmere for the fans interested in its workings.

Instead, he kept paddling. One man. Two birds. Three kinds of infinity. And an entire world that, remarkably, still needed him.

Isles of the Emberdark follows Sixth of the Dusk as he tries to find a way offering his people leverage in the rapidly changing politics with more technologically advanced worlds, explore the dangerous beguiling realm of the cognitive, and reconcile the stories of his people with the truth of world around him, all while trying to remain relevant without sacrificing everything he stands for.

But he felt old. Old like a horse-drawn carriage. Old like cobblestones in a city full of cement. Old like a handwritten letter when everyone was learning to type.

Sixth of the Dusk is a remarkably well sketched character, starting out as a stoic man at the height of his survival skills in an incredibly dangerous environment, but reframing his ideology in doing everything he can to preserve his people's identity and fit in with the rapid technological advancement on their own terms. His amazing birds not only provide him with a magical advantage, but also keep him grounded, and it's lovely to see his bonds with them! His growth arc and introspection in learning to trust and work with other people to finding a crew draws the reader in,whereas his brief hunting stint inspired by Hemingway's The Old Man and the Sea is something to look out for!

Be better, he said. Soar, he challenged. Be amazing.

Starling's perspective with Firefly vibes is a breath of fresh air, especially for the people waiting to read a Cosmere dragon's story. Her crew of handpicked (mis)matches with their own cultures and histories play to their strengths in protecting each other and provides a great counterpoint to Dusk's journey. The plot is fast-paced given the scale of events happening, but the character growth and discoveries threaded in feel measured and considered.

“Most of the arcanists hate words like ‘wizard,’ as they reference people with magical knowledge. Most of them will insist nothing is ‘magic’ if you understand it.”

The world-building in this book is very Cosmere-aware and revelatory, easily going from the magic of discoveries to the science behind magic, blending aspects of traditional fantasy and science fiction. More than that, the themes of colonialism and cultural identity explored add depth to the history of the Cosmere, people interest stories to the vast machinations of power/ resource grabbing.

But when he spoke, they grew quiet. Words had their own economics, as sure as precious metals did. The ones in short supply were the ones that, secretly, everyone wanted.

The fantastic writing in this book, focused more on people, their actions and decisions more than on simply grand magic, beautifully wove the world-building, characters and plot together. As delightful as it was to read one Cosmere tidbit after another, it is the premise of the characters finding a niche for themselves without sacrificing their ideologies that stays with the reader at the end.

Recommended for all Cosmere and Brandon Sanderson fans!

🌟🌟🌟🌟1/2🌟
[3/4 for the premise and the whole book; One star for the characters and their growth; One star for the plot and themes; One star for the world-building; 3/4 star for the writing - 4 1/2 stars in total.]

Her master had warned her about this inclination to care for everyone she met. Apparently, it wasn’t an uncommon problem among the people he chose to work with. If you were going to travel the cosmere, you were going to find people with problems. If you got embroiled in their conflicts, you’d never get anything done.

[Melanie (meltotheany) · Rating 3 out of 5]

“Games beyond games. Ever it was with these Scadrians. They loved their secrets.”

this new and unexpected secret project takes place in the cosmere universe, far ahead of the events of mistborn era 1 and 2, maybe during or after the events of mistborn era 3, and way after the events of stormlight era 1, too! friends always ask me what they need to read of brandon’s before reading the secret projects, but i won’t lie, this one would be a little hard to appreciate if you aren’t caught up with everything as of 2025! but let me try to review this as much as possible without any spoilers (but with maybe a few nods at things)!

the emberdark is unexplored / unsettled areas in the plane of existence shadesmar, which is in the cognitive realm. Tthe other two realms are the material / physical realm and the spiritual realm, and all three of these realms are always on top of one another, but you can only journey to the cognitive realm if you have some type of soulcasting ability or a perpendicularity (portal). and we know a few characters who have talked about what they’ve seen in shadesmar! but basically we follow two different characters throughout this book who are experiencing this realm of a lot of unknown!

☆ dusk - an aviar trapper who can see death. aviars are birds who can grant people very unique and different abilities. hence how he can see death! but his people are about to be colonized by invaders who have waited a long while to exploit the land and the people. and how this has been happening all around the cosmere.

☆ starling - an enslaved dragon, with an exiled crew, who has found an ancient map that could change everything for herself, her crew, and her uncle who is a leader of her people.

oh, and a certain someone is trapped (but this time not as a coatrack or with any memory issues) but hoid saying his wife doesn't remember him was six stars and i was actually vibrating at a frequency untouchable by mankind

this is really a story about humanity and community and what it means to show up for your people and protect them at all costs. and about the beauty of connection, both new and old, and honoring your own culture, while learning and celebrating the traditions of other cultures. but this book very much highlights the horrors of colonization and the horrors that continue to cultivate from it through generations. for example: wars. and we really are given so many hints with what has been happening, during all this time, between roshar and scadrial. But sadly, i was left with so many more questions than any answers. i am typing this up while begging for the story of the heralds.

trigger + content warnings: a lot of insect imagery lol, talk of plague, slavery and threat of slavery, bigotry / prejudices, misgendering (in a negative light), talk of war, depression, colonization, being exiled from your people, blood

blog | instagram | youtube | wishlist | spotify | substack

♡ Tress of the Emerald Sea ★★★★★
♡ The Frugal Wizard’s Handbook for Surviving Medieval England ★★
♡ Yumi and the Nightmare Painter ★★★★★
♡ The Sunlit Man ★★★★

[liv ❁]

After watching the first chapter readings I think this one will actually kill me. This man cannot keep getting away with the most insane lore drops in a SECRET PROJECT HE JUST DECIDED TO RANDOMLY WRITE ON THE BEACH??? (I love him)

[Read By Kyle · Rating 5 out of 5]

I would not, could not, have expected going into this book that Sixth of the Dusk would end up being one of my favorite Cosmere characters. Dusk is awesome, and so are his birds.

Need a little distance but is probably my favorite of the Secret Projects. Firefly meets Survivor meets... idk, a book where ignominious assholes look down on the native peoples for having lesser technology. A Sharpe novel?

Future Cosmere seems wild. Can't wait

[Zeph rose · Rating 5 out of 5]

Insanely good

[Victor Almeida · Rating 5 out of 5]

*4.5
A Cosmere virou um Star Wars mesmo, né? Amo.

[Gyan K · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5/5 🌟🌟🌟🌟💫 stars!
I did enjoy this book quite a bit! I loved the first-contact sci fi element in the story. This felt like a sci fantasy. I loved the lore of the planet, the strength of character and grit of the main character, and absolutely devoured the varied races, their quirks, their unique abilities, personalities, interpersonal dynamics. I am excited to see how our motley crew will fare on the bigger cosmere stage and would love to see a follow up sequel about this fireflyesque crew of renegades exploring the fringes of shadesmar except they are all different races unlike firefly where everyone is human.

[Nymespren · Rating 4 out of 5]

4,5 ✨

[Drew McCaffrey · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received this book for free as part of the gamma read.

Not gonna lie, this is my favorite Sanderson book since…I don’t even know. It’s been years.

The fandom is gonna love this one.

[Reem · Rating 3 out of 5]

⚠️ S P O I L E R S ⚠️



















WHAT THE STORMS DO YOU MEAN HOID HAS AN AMNESIAC WIFE???

AND TWINS??? HIS KIDS OR WHAT???

ROSHAR AND SCADRIAL ARE WARRING???

HUIO IS AN ARCANIST???

I OFFICIALLY HATE BRANDY SANDY!!!!!!!!



reading update

starting the final cosmere book baby!!!
I began this journey back in April and I honestly cannot believe I'm here now! after months of worlds, shards, crossovers andemotional rollercoasters, THIS IS THE LAST ONE...... for now. so damn happy🌌📚

[Will Rigual · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rating: 3 Stars

Mixed feelings on this one. This book incorporates my favorite Sanderson short story and features one of (in my opinion) best protagonists in Dusk. It is also incredibly inconsistent and at points bluntly written. I hope this isn’t a trend but ever since wind and truth Sanderson’s prose gotten less subtle and incorporated what can only be described as millennial humor. The other protagonist, Starling, is both boring and mildly annoying. Sanderson repeatedly stresses how “Optimistic” Starling is throughout the text to the point where it was distracting. The villain was also cartoonishly evil, it feels like Sanderson doesn’t trust the audience to understand that he is a bad guy. The character basically looks towards the camera and says “ I am evil, I see Dusk as a primitive”. All that being said there were good aspects of the book. The original short story is still excellent (even if it does feel a bit out of place in context of the entire book.) and Dusk is still a super compelling protagonist. Overall this book was a huge disappointment for me, I hope this book and Wind and Truth don’t signal a larger shift in style from Sanderson because I am not really a fan.

[Smitty1423 · Rating 5 out of 5]

My favorite Brandon Sanderson Standalone to date. Lowkey where is part 2 Brandon? Lol I know you’re writing it.

5/5

[Booksblabbering || Cait❣️ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Considering the book circles I’m in, I’m surprised this isn’t getting more attention.

First things first, Isles of the Emberdark leans upon and requires understanding of the novella Sixth of the Dusk. However, Sanderson includes the novella as a set of flashbacks in this book as well as some extra details. This was my first time reading about Dusk (the titular character).

Next bit of housekeeping, I would not advise this to be your first Sanderson book. This leans heavily into the Cosmere and existing lore and characters.

Okay, review time!
Dusk is the last trapper of Patji, a dangerous island with thousands of ways to die. Like most people on his world, he has Avairs (magical birds) that gift him talents. However, the Ones Above are changing how things work and want to negotiate a deal (aka invade/colonise).

Then we have Starling, a young dragon cursed into human form for defying her elders, who leads a ragtag crew of exiles on a starship, deep in debt.

Progress was a wave. It first caught you in it and carried you, but the moment you slipped off the crest, you went crashing into the surf and maybe never came back up.

So, a trapper who wants to remain in the past, keep to himself, and avoid attention and conversation.
A powerful dragon who has an inclination to care for everyone she met with a crew of misfits way out of their depth.

The characters were fun and engaging to follow. The wider ramifications and knowledge of this book for the comers was immense compared to others. Sanderson manages to pack world-building with plot in a flawless manner.

The coloured illustrations were absolutely gorgeous and definitely added to Sanderson’s descriptions.

I did find that the humour fell flat in this book. I know many complained of this in Wind and Truth, so I am curious/nervous about future Sanderson books.

The commentary was quite on the nose in terms of colonisers and technology and progress, but Dusk is a clever character and is able to see through the ‘big words’ and ‘promises’. Yet, he also recognises the need for forward change.

This isn’t a favourite Sanderson, but I am surprised more people aren’t more excited about it as I thoroughly enjoyed.

Bookstagram
Tiktok

[Bibliotecario De Arbelon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Islas de la Ascuaoscura es el colofón que Sanderson da a los Proyecto Secretos (al menos de momento) y se sumerge de lleno en la era espacial del Cosmere, por lo que es altamente recomendable (prácticamente obligatorio) haberse leído las anteriores novelas del Cosmere publicadas hasta la fecha para acabar de entender todo el contexto de la novela.

Sanderson rescata la historia ya publicada de Sexto del Ocaso en Arcanum Ilimtado y la amplia para explorar más sobre este planeta donde existen aviares que otrogan dones y el primer contacto de sus habitantes con seres provinientes de otros planeta del Cosmere. Ocaso emprenderá un viaje más allá de lo que nunca imaginó para no perder la esencia de su pueblo. Y hasta aquí puedo contar sin entrar en detalles mayores del Cosmere y de la novela.

En mi opinión, este ha sido el Proyecto Secreto que más me ha gustado. He disfrutado mucho de la historia de Ocaso (fue mi favorita del Arcanum) y de la contraposición entre preservar la cultura y la esencia de una sociedad contra el avance tecnológico que Sanderson va planteando a lo largo de la novela mientras nos va dando pinceladas de todo lo que se cuece entre bambalinas del futuro de su universo.

Islas de la Ascuaoscura es la carta de presentación del futuro del Cosmere y una novela de aventuras que de bien seguro gustará a todos los fans del autor.

[Monica]

I really tried, but I just couldn’t get into this 😬

[FM Wylde · Rating 5 out of 5]

DIOSSSS QUE VIAJAZO POR EL COSMERE ESPACIAL ME PUESTO CACHONDO
No leer si no te has leido prácticamente todo el cosmere, lo disfrutarás un millón de veces más.
En especial haber leido todo mistborn, todo archivo (con ESQUIRLA DEL AMANECER) y Trenza del mar esmeralda.
tambien suma haber leido todo el arcanum
vaya, que te hayas leido todo el cosmere
es qje las referencias son troncales, no guiños. y es una LO CUUUUU RAAAAAA

[Laura Díaz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Me ha gustado, sí, pero más me gustó Trenza o Yumi. Sin duda la premisa de este libro es fabulosa, y las conexiones con todo el cosmere son absolutamente increíbles, pero me faltó un poco la pausa, la recreación. Es todo tan complejo que el disfrute que sentí con trenza o yumi lo superan. Nada malo, solo a modo de dato.

[Robin (Bridge Four) · Rating 5 out of 5]

This review was originally posted on Books of My Heart

I am a huge Brandon Sanderson fan.  He was almost my gateway drug into reading epic 1000 page books and wanting more at the end of them.  So anytime he writes something in a universe I almost wish I could be a part of, I devour it in no time and then need to go back and reread it right away.  Isles of the Emberdark was no exception to that experience for me.  This is set after the event of Wind and Truth.  I'm not sure how many years but long enough that a few interesting easter eggs could be dropped that made me scratch my head and wonder, how the heck did that happen.

For Isles of the Emberdark, we have two distinct stories and character PoVs.  There is Dusk, a trapper who has been left behind by progress on a planet the Scadrians are trying to find a way to worm their hooks into.  Then there is Starling, a Dragon (YES, A DRAGON) on her own journey on a derelict ship with a hodge podge crew (can anyone say shades of Firefly) trying to figure out her life stuck in human form.  Both storylines are extremely interesting and engaging for very different reasons.

Sanderson has expanded on the story in Sixth of Dusk and turned it into a full novel.  I read Sixth of Dusk years ago and thought it was okay, but wasn't blown away by it.  It was probably one of my least favorite novella's by Sanderson.  While Sixth of Dusk sets the backstory to this, don't worry, you do not have to read it as most of the novella is incorporated into the novel and in a way I found it more relevant and interesting.

Patji is the Island Dusk chose for trapping and where he found the birds that can form a bond with people and give them a special talent.  Patji, is Dusk's god and he is a hard one with an Island that has more things that try to kill you than anywhere else on the planet. The Scadrian's want the birds that are trapped on the planet and maybe more but there are rules they have to follow and so have bided their time working out how to make the planet a vassal to them and a game piece in their war.

Dusk has one chance to save his planet.  He must take a journey through the Emberdark and see if there are others out there that can help his people.  He will take his two birds and all the skills Patji has taught him, in hopes of finding a way to navigate through the Emberdark and find some allies.  There are tales of his people sailing though these unknown non-waters of shadesmare and he is his peoples best hope.

Starling is still a young dragon in her eighties.  After a few small debacles, it seems she is being pushed and must remain in her human form for a time.  Well if she can't fly herself, she can still crew a ship that flies.  After saving a family from certain death, they are given a map to an undiscovered gateway of a sorts between realms.  If she can bring proof of that to Xisis, the owner of the ship, she will pay off the indenture owed to Xisis and be free.  Her strength as a captain will be tested and she will learn some important lessons along the way.  But since Hoid was her master, we all know there will be a great story to come of it.

I enjoyed the storytelling and exploration of some of the different aspects in the cosmere while reading this.  The idea of what shard/god may be protecting Dusk's planet was extremely interesting to those of us that are fluent in cosmere lore.  I liked getting glimpses of a few of the characters from Tress of the Emerald Sea in Xisis and Captain Crow.  Plus who doesn't like to see what Hoid is up to anytime.  Dusk became a favorite character of mine and I appreciated learning more about the aviary and their gifts

This is a standalone, although I think there is room for more stories that have some of the characters from Starling's ship.  I don't know that it is a good place to start in the Cosmere universe as there is a lot of worldbuilding and characters that might not make a lot of sense if you haven't poked around in the cosmere at least a little bit.  But for those of us that like to roam around in this crazy universe I think it had something for all of us.

Narration:
Performance: ★★★★★
Character Separation: ★★★★★
Diction: ★★★★
Pacing/Flow: ★★★★★
Sound Effects: None

Kaleo Griffith has the perfect voice for this book.  I actually thought it was the same person that narrated Nevernight by Jay Kristoff, which is one of my favorite audiobooks ever, but I was wrong.  His voice was great for Dusk and the discovery style journey he was taking.  I loved the narration for Dusk PoV as it just fit.  Jennifer Jill Araya also has an extensive catalog of narrations and was a seasoned pro in this.  I had listened to other epic tales narrated by her and enjoy her storytelling.  It is easy to get lost in the narration and character of this book with these narrators at the helm.

Listen to a clip:  HERE

[Genevieve Grace · Rating 4 out of 5]

WE ARE SO BACK BAYBEEEEE

After having a mostly "meh" reaction to the other four secret projects, and feeling as horrifically mixed as I have ever felt about a book toward Wind and Truth, I have to admit I was worried. It had begun to occur to me that perhaps I don't even like Sanderson anymore. Perhaps I never did? Are all my glorious memories of reading Mistborn for the first time false, distorted out of their true shape by nostalgia?

Well, this existential crisis has been put on hold for the foreseeable future.

Isles of the Emberdark is a follow-up to the Sixth of the Dusk novella. The novella itself is inserted into this book as flashbacks, which was helpful, honestly, as it has been years since I read it.

Dusk and his people are still grappling with the predatory encroachment of the Scadrians on their younger civilization. They are in a precarious position, with precious few opportunities left to defend themselves from a much more powerful force. As a hail Mary last ditch effort, Dusk (with his magic parrots) sets off into the emberdark on a solitary journey to look for something that might help them stave off the colonization of their people.

We also get to meet Starling, a young dragon, and her spaceship crew of misfits. There's a lot going on here, and it all comes together in interesting and unexpected ways.

I really enjoyed both Dusk and Starling's separate perspectives, and constantly just wanted to keep flipping pages. This is a VERY Cosmere-y Cosmere book. Perhaps the most Cosmere-y book yet. I learned a ton of lore, and there were so many things we've seen tiny hints of that finally got pulled together here. This is certainly the most up close and personal we've been with dragons yet, Tress notwithstanding.

The end was very "the power of friendship, the power of stories." Classic, really. Honestly, I VERY much enjoyed this, and I'm extremely excited to have had as much fun as I did. Can't wait to have the book itself in my hands!

[L'encre de la magie · Rating 5 out of 5]

4,75 ⭐
Coup de cœur ! 💖 J'ai absolument tout aimé, des personnages à l'intrigue en passant par tous les Easter Egg du Cosmere.
Bien que ce récit soit centré sur le système planétaire de Drominad, Sanderson nous livre pas mal d'informations sur d'autres systèmes, leurs avancées et devenir. Bref lu en un peu plus de 24h - je l'ai totalement bouffé !

NB : J'adore les Aviars ces oiseaux que l'on retrouve également dans Six of the Dusk (novella du Cosmere)

[Javir11 · Rating 4 out of 5]

8/10

Hablamos de que esta historia está basada en una novela corta escrita por Sanderson hace varios años y que en su día me gustó bastante, por lo que mi predisposición a leerla era buena.

Dicho esto, he disfrutado bastante de la lectura y de conocer más sobre el mundo de Sexto del Ocaso y por primera vez, la interconexión con el Cosmere que Sanderson no está intentando meter en todas sus novelas, en muchos casos para mi gusto de manera forzada, me ha parecido que fluía de forma natural y no se me ha hecho pesada ni me ha sacado de la narración.

La narrativa es buena, la ambientación también y en global es una historia muy disfrutable, con buenos personajes secundarios y una trama sorprendente, ya que no sabes por donde van a ir los tiros hasta casi mitad de la novela.

Ojalá Sanderson siga este camino y no el de los tochos infumables en los que no pasa nada y en los que sus personajes son siempre un copia y pega de otras novelas.

[Cristóbal Angulo Rivero · Rating 3 out of 5]

Siento que es un 7 como libro en general pero un 5.5 para ser de Brandon Sanderson.
Ha sido una decepción, se ha sentido un poco de metadona. He aquí mi principal problema: es café para los muy cafeteros. Se siente, a trozos, interludio. Lo que más me gusta del autor es su capacidad para imaginar mundos, sistemas. Y entiendo que entrelazarlos todos le da valor añadido pero... es un coñazo. Llevo el cosmere al día y debería de entender las cosas pero... que no tengo ganas de un tratado de política interplanetaria en mitad de un libro. La era espacial es aburrida. No me interesa la OTAN en la realidad, me va a interesar de planetas inventaos.
Pero al César lo que es del César, me encanta la manera que tiene de tratar temas sin tratarlos. A veces, como en Viento y verdad es un puto coñazo, otras, como el tema de la IA en Yumi y el pintor de pesadillas es una obra maestra (mi novela secreta favorita btw) y aquí creo que su aproximacion al colonialismo, el avance tecnológico y la identidad es genuinamente bueno. Pero me lo enturbia con referencias cruzadas farragosas, con saberte pequeño desde el principio. Es imposible meterte en esta trama tanto como en los anteriores si 1. ya conozco conceptos como Shadesmar, la Investidura y 2. Sé que hay entidades superiores, dioses o civilizaciones, que hacen que lo que pase aquí sea irrelevante. Se ha sentido a ratos una peli de Marvl de estas de "tienes que verla para entender tal" (nunca vi una), un secuestro. Tiene su identidad como producto aislado, pero... poca.
Aun así, lo que es la historia en sí, la de Sexto del Ocaso y Primero del Sol, me ha gustado mucho. Es solo que relativizarlo todo, poner todo sobre el lienzo exasperantemente grande que es el Cosmere, le quita la gracia a muchas cosas. Por no hablar de que si la tercera era de Scadrial va, como coincide la línea del tiempo en este libro, sobre era espacial, y ciencia ficción más que fantasía, te la vas a leer tú porque yo no la pienso tocar ni que venga Hoid a ofrecerme MDMA.

[Henrique · Rating 5 out of 5]

Isles of The Emberdark
5⭐+❤️


Isles of the Emberdark is another of author Brandon Sanderson's secret projects set in his connected Cosmere universe. What a sensational book, my friends! Here we are introduced to the Guardians of the Cosmere Galaxy. In this book, we follow a well-known Cosmere character, Dusk. For those unfamiliar, he's the character introduced in the short story Sixth of the Dusk, which may be a book in the Arcanaum Unbounded book, which collects several short stories and novellas from the Cosmere. If you haven't read this story yet, don't worry, because Brandon had the brilliant idea of putting the story here in this book in flashback format, so you can read it without fear. At the beginning of the book, we follow Dusk, who must leave his planet in search of a way to save it from enemies who want to conquer his planet and enslave all his people. I didn't go into details about the enemies because it's a spoiler, so I'll just say that. After the second part of the book, in addition to Dusk, we are introduced to other groups of characters, and one of them is Starling, who has shown herself to be a captivating character from the beginning. She is the crew that forms the Guardians of the Galaxy. I really liked all of this core group and all of their interactions. I enjoyed every moment and I really hope to see much more of them in other future Cosmere books. We also had a small but no less important participation from our Dear Hoid, who appears very quickly in this book due to being in trouble. Once again, I'm just going to say this, lol. Of course, Brandon was going to simply drop a bomb at a certain point in this book, and I was like, "IT'S NOT POSSIBLE THAT HE WROTE THIS AS IF IT WAS NOTHING AND WENT AWAY." I REALLY NEED INFORMATION ABOUT THIS ISSUE. I'M STILL IN A FREAKOUT LOL. All said, it's another excellent book in the Cosmere, and for those who haven't read all the books up to date, I don't recommend reading this one because it may contain spoilers for other books. This book is for those who have already read almost everything or everything in this universe and will pick up on the little references, so be warned for those who haven't read much yet. Isles of The Emberdark was one of the surprise bottles of this year, and I hope to see much more of this sensational group that I already love so much.

[Alba Turunen · Rating 5 out of 5]

En realidad 4'5 Estrellitas, pero las 5 van por ese final épico tan del estilo de Sanderson que me ha encantado.

"Islas de la Ascuaoscura" es el quinto libro de los proyectos secretos de Brandon Sanderson, y nos lleva a uno de sus mundos menos explorados, a Primero del Sol. Este mundo lo conocimos gracias a un relato corto del "Arcanum ilimitado". Siendo sincera, apenas recuerdo el relato porque hace muchos años que lo leí, pero la primera parte de este libro te hace un resúmen del mismo.

Esta es la historia de Sexto del Ocaso, un trampero de Primero del Sol, que ha visto como su mundo, en apenas unos años, ha evolucionado hacia un territorio más moderno y tecnológico. Desde que llegaron los Venidos de Arriba y les trajeron el progreso. Pero ¿quiénes son los Venidos de Arriba? Según ellos unos alienígenas, y como veremos durante la lectura, serán malwish de Scadrial, en un período temporal del Cosmere muy avanzado.

Pero en seguida, descubren que los Venidos de Arriba no son todo lo buenos que parecen, si no que son invasores en busca de la Investidura de Drominad, o Primero del Sol; y es el poder sobre los aviares, o las aves que existen en ése mundo, capaces de vincularse con humanos.

Ocaso es uno de esos humanos vinculados con aves. Con el progreso, ha visto como su mundo ha evolucionado, y su trabajo ya no tiene sentido. Pero la senadora, Vathi, tiene una misión para él. Han descubierto que Primero del Sol puede tener una perpendicularidad que los conduzca hasta Shadesmar, y quizás descubrir más sobre su mundo y cómo llegaron hasta él, de modo que Ocaso se sumergirá en Shadesmar y allí se desarrollará casi toda la historia.

Pero Shadesmar tiene muchas realidades, y en ella habrá una historia paralela, una nave que surca el inmar, llena de tripulantes que son forajidos y desestores de su propio mundo. Entre ellos estará nuestra otra protagonista, Astrífera, una dragona de Yolen, el único mundo de Sanderson donde habitan dragones. Sinceramente, la historia de Astrífera es la que más me ha intrigado, pero la que menos se conoce, y creo que Sanderson debería regalarnos un relato para saber cómo Astrífera fue castigada. Sí, los dragones de Yolen pueden personarse en forma humana, y hace muchos años que Astrífera fue castigada por los suyos, a permanecer atrapada en forma humana, sin poder convertirse y sin sus poderes, a través de unos brazaletes mágicos.

Cuando el destino de Ocaso y Astrífera los encuentre, unirán sus fuerzas para conseguir un objetivo común, una esperanza que los salve de los scadrianos y la libertad, tanto para Primero del Sol, como para la nave de Astrífera y sus variopintos tripulantes.

La historia me ha gustado mucho, pero no la que más de entre las novelas secretas, pues siendo sincera, la introducción se me hizo algo larga y la navegación por Shadesmar hasta descubrir tierra también; algo que lo amenizaba, eran las escenas de la nave de Astrífera. Sin duda, cuando mejora el libro es cuando Ocaso y Astrífera se conocen y deben unir fuerzas para ése desenlace muy épico.

No puedo decir mucho más, salvo que creo que es un libro que encantará a cualquier fan de Sanderson y que da una perspectiva más amplia o progresista del Cosmere. Admito que me ha dejado con los dientes muy largos el descubrir el avance tecnológico de Scadrial y necesito tener ya mismo el siguiente arco de los Nacidos de la Bruma.

[Austin Blair · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book continues the "modern" trend that forces him into his weakest storytelling abilities.
The wonder and awe of the Cosmere has been replaced with industrialized ideas, repetitive story outlines, and too many parallels to our own world. It feels like I'm reading a rushed YA novel that is just a prolonged version of Sanderson's footnotes... and it's quite obvious in this book.

Unfortunately, this is the trend for the Cosmere moving forward, and I no longer see the appeal.

[Chloe Frizzle · Rating 3 out of 5]

So many mediocre chapters. With the exception of the few exploring the Emberdark.

[Jackie ♡]

I need the Leather bound version of this book like I need air to breathe

[Melinda · Rating 4 out of 5]

CHARACTERS
🔲 mary-sue party
🔲 mostly 2D
🔲 great main cast, forgettable side characters
✅ well-written
🔲 complex and fascinating
🔲 hard to believe they are fictional

PLOT
🔲 you've already heard this exact story a thousand times
🔲 nothing memorable
✅ gripping
🔲 exceptional
🔲 mind=blown

WORLDBUILDING
🔲 takes place in our world
🔲 incoherent
🔲 OK
🔲 nicely detailed
✅ meticulous
🔲 even the last tree in the forest has its own story

ATMOSPHERE
🔲 nonexistent
🔲 fine
✅ immersive
🔲 you forget you are reading a book

PACING
🔲 dragging
🔲 inconsistent
🔲 picks up with time
🔲 page-turner
✅ impossible to put down

A fun entry in the Cosmere but it didn’t leave a big impression on me.