This text was originally posted to Reddit shortly after the book’s release in 2020, and contains full book spoilers for Rhythm of War and all preceding volumes of The Stormlight Archive.

The good:

The whole central plot thread of Urithiru being occupied was fantastic and great fun throughout. Kaladin as a character benefited enormously from being put in circumstances that forced him to rely on different powers, different tactics and different members of his squad. During the preview chapters, I’d been worried he would grow stale with the same battles and sadness combo that took him through the first three books, but my fears were quickly put to rest. A pettier review might point out how arbitrary it was for the imperfect Radiant suppression to knock out exactly the things Kaladin had to learn to do without to be interesting, but the results were good enough that I didn’t care at all.

Navani was an unexpected standout after not having a huge role in previous books. I loved the scientific elements being applied to the magic systems and the process of discovering new uses for the fundamental concepts. A really novel approach to magic I would absolutely go for more of in the future.

Another surprise favourite was Raboniel, a fascinating antagonist/rival to Navani. I wasn’t expecting to see this kind of layered humanity in the Fused – at least not this soon. She’ll definitely go down as one of the series’ more memorable supporting characters.

The scenes on the Emuli offensive were thinner than I thought they’d be, but every single one was absolutely carried by Jasnah. Everything she’s doing as queen is fantastic and I could watch her do it forever.

Kaladin finally figuring out the fourth ideal. Sweet catharsis after such a long wait.

I really liked how the Cosmere crossovers were handled in this one. The characters are being introduced to the idea of other populated worlds as this stuff comes to the forefront, which seems like it should make it accessible for non-Cosmere aware readers (though I’ve read everything else, so I can’t really talk). The unique uses and interactions of offworld objects like the Seon and the Taldian sand were a lot of fun.

The Stormfather and Eshonai’s moment together. Really did not see that coming, but it was lovely.

And of course, the final set of twists ending in Taravangian’s ascension. Of all the ways for things to play out I hadn’t for a second considered that as an option. Setting a ten day time limit on the next book is another bold move, and I cannot wait to see how it all plays out.

Oh, and that epilogue! While there are a few different possible readings of it, just being able to even float the possibility that Hoid has been caught off-guard by the latest developments speaks to how immense they are.

The inconclusive

A few lingering questions I may have missed the answers to: How did the Parshendi get Navani’s authentication codes? How exactly did Raboniel listen in on Navani and the Sibling’s chats? Where did Zahel go when the tower was invaded? Just little nitpicks that could probably have been resolved with one throwaway line.

I wanted to see more fallout from Shallan’s revelation about her past. How does this change her relationship with Pattern? Will she try to reconcile with Testament’s deadeye now that she knows both that it exists and such a thing is possible? I’m sure we’ll get this kind of thing in the next book, I definitely felt left hanging by it. Shallan’s flashback was two whole books ago now and we still don’t know her full history! How much longer can this go on for? I’m reserving judgement on this until it’s a complete story/character arc, if it ever is.

The bits that didn’t work

In some Stormlight books, the flashback sequence is the backbone of the novel’s themeing and central character arc, past and present harmonising to deepen our understanding of the story. Rhythm of War is not one of those books. Venli and Eshonai’s flashbacks weren’t awful to read, but they definitely didn’t feel in sync with the rest of the novel. They retreaded so many moments we already knew about with not quite enough information to justify breaking away from the more interesting things happening in the present.

The pivotal moment of Adolin’s storyline felt like it was missing an ingredient. I’m at a loss to say what exactly, but I think his and Maya’s relationship needed like one more scene of development to make the ending feel earned. Perhaps part of it was how predictable it was as an outcome the moment they started talking about the trial being witness-driven. We needed some more pressure on the scene, some reason to wonder if it wouldn’t go that way. The reveal of Kelek is treated like an shocking, stakes-raising development (and for Shallan at least, it was) but it didn’t do much for Adolin’s story.

On the topic of the Shadesmar expedition, a lot of time is spent eliminating members of Shallan’s team from the spy hunt, even though it’s painfully obvious to the reader it’s not going to be one of them. Especially because Brando likes to use this kind of subversive-answer whodunnit as an inciting plot thread and has done so a few times in Stormlight already.

Playing with my feelings over Lift so much! Teasing that she might go on the Shadesmar expedition, then cutting that idea off before it starts. Okay, she’s staying with the group in the tower. Oh, she was probably knocked out with the rest of the Radiants. Hell yeah, she’s still awake! Lift Die Hard. Oh no, she’s been caught already and is going to jail. Just me read about her, Brando!

I would also say that this was one of the weaker Sanderlanches of the series. Where previous finales have combined a big, unexpected explosion of plot with long-anticipated character development breakthroughs, RoW separates the two parts. The climactic battle is all the character stuff I’d been waiting to happen (and it’s all good stuff) but never really caught me off-guard as a result. And then the plot twists come in what would be the wind-down after the fighting is done. I’m sure there was a reason for the structural change, like the plot developments needing room to breathe to set up the next book properly, and it was by no means a dealbreaker for the book’s ending, but it definitely didn’t feel like it reached as high or hit as hard as previous entries.

The conclusion

I had a great time with Rhythm of War, even if it definitely wasn’t the best of the Stormlight Archive. The lacking flashback sequence was a big factor in it not feeling as complete and in sync with itself as Way of Kings or Oathbringer. Still, the good outweighs the bad by a significant margin, and its set a strong foundation for the fifth book. The ten day timer is probably going to force some pacing/structural changes, the status quo is altered massively, but in a way the main characters aren’t aware of or able to plan around, and a Kaladin and Szeth tag team mission sound absolutely fantastic. My hype for book 5 is now enormous, and that alone is enough to consider Rhythm of War a success.