It’s official! With the first draft of Brandon Sanderson’s Stormlight Archive Book 4 now completed, the epic fantasy author has announced that the definitive title for the volume will be Rhythm of War.
Readers who hang about on the various forums where the epic world(s) of Roshar and the Cosmere are discussed have known “Rhythm of War” as a placeholder title up until now. So what prompted its official adoption?
Author Brandon Sanderson explains:
The time has come! Though I’ve had an instinct for many months that the title of Book Four would be Rhythm of War, I had to make certain it fit into the last chapters of the book as I wrote them.
Indeed it does, and I feel comfortable announcing this at long last as the official title of the book. Like previous titles in this series (The Way of Kings, Words of Radiance, and Oathbringer) this one is taken from the title of an in-world volume of text. To tell you more would, of course, be a spoiler. Let’s just say that this is the first of one of these in-world books that has involved the writings of someone who is not human.
I’m hard at work on revisions, and am excited for the end of the year—when I can finally share Rhythm of War with you all!
Debuting in 2010 with The Way of Kings, the Stormlight Archive has been the central epic upon which Brandon Sanderson’s larger literary universe currently revolves. Known formally as the Cosmere, this universe includes the Mistborn book series, Elantris, Warbreaker, White Sand, and a multitude of short tales and ephemera. Like the Marvel Cinematic Universe, certain peoples and aspects from one book series can unexpectedly appear in other series, even when other book series take place in entirely different solar systems.
The conclusion to Oathbringer, the third volume in the Stormlight Archive series, brought massive upheaval to Roshar, and series readers are understandably eager to see what comes next.
There’s a title now. Is there a cover?
Not yet! Artist Michael Whelan is hard at work on the cover to Rhythm of War, but in the meantime…
…a Herald approaches!
Stormlight Archive mapmaker and artist Isaac Stewart explains:
It’s been a dream of ours here at Dragonsteel to get to work with Donato on a piece of epic fantasy art depicting a scene or character from one of Brandon’s books. We were admirers of Donato’s work even before he created the illustration for “Firstborn” on Tor.com, and wow, did he create something beautiful there. So when Brandon came to me with the idea of paintings of all ten Heralds from the Stormlight Archive, the first person that came to both of our minds was Donato.
And again, Donato has knocked this one out of the park. His rendition of Taln (Talenelat’Elin) is gorgeous. It strikes the right balance between realism and symbolism, and gives us a heroic, yet tormented, version of this beloved Herald. We love what Donato has done!
We have several paintings of the Heralds in the works, so this one is likely to appear on the end pages of this book or the next, depending on which Heralds we feel look good together and best represent the themes of the books.
More about Rhythm of War:
“It has been almost twenty years since I first outlined The Stormlight Archive,” Sanderson spoke back in December. “Back then, I didn’t think anyone would be interested in this crazy epic I’d devised–and it’s been so thrilling to see enthusiasm for it grow to such heights over the years. Book four finally gets to one of the foundational scenes I conceived from the beginning. In fact, it might be the very first big scene I imagined, and my favorite in the entire series. A part of me can’t believe people are finally going to be able to read it. Less than one year now! Life before death, Radiants.”
Rhythm of War, Book 4 of The Stormlight Archive, is available for pre-order now from your preferred retailer.
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Rhythm of War
It’s happening!!! =) I’m excited. Good title, glad he didn’t need to change it.
Need to start my re-read soon in preparation.
@1:
I’m trying to figure out the best time to start my 130+ hours of audiobooks as well. Hey @TorMods? Any word on if we’re going to do what we did for Oathbringer, and release Book 1 in installments starting three months before release or anything? I’ll want to finish my reread before then.
wow…put a wig on him and Carl Lumbly was born to play Taln..
Cool. Bilbo Baggins is author of the in world book of Rhythm of War.
Oh wait, Brandon meant a non-human in the Cosmere. My guess would be the author is a Listener. Left field guess is the author is a Dysian Aimian.
The picture of Taln is well done. However, I do not believe it fits the character. Taln is the only one of the Hearlds who was a commoner. The armor is too ornate for a commoner. Just my two cents.
Thanks for reading my musings.
AndrewHB
aka the musespren
Eh. Don’t much like the title, but I guess the title is the least important part of the book. That Taln is pretty amazing, though.
@5, those are supposed to be in-universe paintings, aren’t they? Makes sense that they’d depict him as this super awesome warrior prince instead of a commoner, especially since that origin of his doesn’t seem to be widely known.
I am thrilled to hear that Michael Whelan is creating the cover art. Too few books these days have great artwork on the dust jacket.
Can anyone “translate” those markings on the stone steps in the picture? I’m very interested to know what they mean….
@8
“Caution: Step Up”
I’m sure that the Azish have an OSHA equivalent.
First impression: I love that picture of Taln! I hope it makes it on the endpages of Rhythm of War.
@5 – I also have a feeling that the in-world book may come from Dysian Aimians; I think if the author(s) were Singers/Listeners then Brandon wouldn’t need to provide such a cryptic hint. But I guess we’ll see.
Looking forward to November!
@5: Maybe it’s spren-armor, like Radiants get when they swear the Fourth Ideal?
So, along with the pictures from Oathbringer, we now have portraits of 5 of the 12 Heralds:
Jezrien – Windrunners – Protecting/Leading
Shallash – Lightweavers – Creative/Honest
Ishi – Bondsmiths – Pious/Guiding
Vedeledev – Edgedancers – Loving/Healing
Taln – Stonewards – Dependable/Resourceful
The first four are associated with the Orders of the Knights Radiant that we’ve seen the most of so far, while Taln has bern the Herald most important to the story so far (Shallash and Jezrien have also appeared). We haven’t seen any Stonewards, and their associated abilities (Stong Axial Interconnection and Weak Axial Interconnection) are the most obscure and mysterious ones; we’ve seen most of the others.
@12 there are only 10 Heralds. Ten is the in world symmetrical number. There is one order for each Herald and one book for each order.
I can’t wait to read Rhythm Of War!!!! I can’t wait to see the cover! Why does November have to be so far away??
@9 Well done!
@5 – What @6 said, plus what @11 said. It’s likely supposed to be shard plate which a great warrior would obviously wear in traditional Vorin views. (although I don’t think we’ve been told the Heralds had plate. In fact, I feel like it’s been implied they didn’t)
@10- While an Aimian author would be interesting and unexpected, we know this book’s flashbacks focus on Eshonai and Venli who are Parshendi and the book has a musical term in the title. So unless the author is writing a biography about the Listeners/Parshendi then it’s definitely a Parshendi writing.
I bet the reason Brandon was cryptic about it was for those who dont obsessively follow his work and already know these things (so normal people who aren’t me.)
@16 – I get that the flashback focus is on Eshonai and Venli, but Brandon has diverged from the “obvious” answer before (in-world WoK and WoR were ancient/classic books, then he had the in-world OB written by the focus character and not even released by the end of the story).
Plus, the Dysian Aimians have been “watching” and chronicling our main characters stories since the beginning, as evidenced by the writings on the back cover of WoK and WoR.
I personally don’t have a strong lean one way or the other, I just balk when pre-book-release speculation has an in-world book “definitely” being written by someone before the evidence is in (like when folks swore OB was obviously written by Jasnah when Tor was doing the early chapters release of Part 1 of OB).
And from one Brandon obsessive to another, being “normal” would be less fun!
Anyone else noticed that this makes the names of the books symmetrical? So far we have
WoK – WoR – O – RoW – ???
Given how important symmetry is to Alethi culture, I wouldn’t be surprised if the last book in the front 5 begins with the letters KoW
I cannot wait to read this! Definitely need to do a reread of Oathbringer to prepare!
If the author is a parsh, it might be a song instead of a book.
@18 I’ve fixated on Knights of Wrath, which does not sound like a book.
Like @16 said, this book was said to have a big focus on Venli/Eshonai.
My bet is that “Rhythm of War” is written by Venli. Her transformation toward a Radiant has been awesome. I don’t think it’s a stretch to predict her joining Kaladin, et al. at some point in book 4.
@21 How about King of War for #5 written about the Sunmaker from the perspective of another nation? It is Szeth’s book and Knight’s of Wrath would fit if it includes his return to Shinovar, but I don’t see how to include it as an in world volume. Szeth in his return to Shinovar could also match King of War dependent on actions taken and the consequences.
@many I thought Rythem of War could be a history recorded by a random scribe from one of the songs/stories as either Relain or Venli (or any other survivor) tell it.
@18 – Good observation! Possible future book title KoW – “Knight(s) of ….?” Wind? White? Wit? Wonder? the World? Worth? Whispers?
@18 Yeah, there’s been a lot of observations already that the titles were likely to be similar to a ketek (https://coppermind.net/wiki/Ketek).
Oh dear, I’m excited. My introduction to Brandon was “First Born” and I knew this was an author I wanted to follow. I can’t decide if I want the tease chapters again. I loved reading them and the wild speculation but it also diminished the rush of reading straight through.
So when is 5 coming? I’m pushing 70 and want to be sure I get the entire series in before I um… move on. :D
@27- 11/17/2020 per audible pre-order
@27 – sorry, thought you meant #4. Excited to know the right answer
. I say about two years to 2.5 years after RoW. Give or take a few months. 
What an amazing series and author. I do not want to wish my life away, but roll on November.
This must be so exciting for him – as somebody who just dabbles and writes for fun, I can only imagine how cool it is for this scene you’ve had in your head for decades to finally be making it ‘out there’ :)
Looks like Samuel L. Jackson and nothing like Taln’s description as unkempt.
Hallelujah! Can’t wait for this! Just finished a reread of all 3, and will do another reread before November so I’ll be all prepared for this!
Is there any possibility that with Covid still keeping me locked down here mid July we can get this early? I NEED this book ASAP to keep my sanity and November is so far away. I thought I could handle the wait but I’m starting to break like a mad Herald. Please! TOR show mercy!
did anyone catch that vivenna, vasher were brought up in Oathbringer by nightblood (or sword nimi) which was the same sword that vasher carried in warbreaker. And that Wit is hoid from mistborn. also that highmarshal Azure is actually Vivenna
Hoid has made some sort of appearance in each of his Cosmere books. Not sure on the short stories, but I wouldn’t be surprised
Spoilers, not like you’ll care if you’ve read this far.
@35, that was my first impression when reading through, but on the 2019 State of Sanderson it seemed to say that Warbreaker doesn’t occur until after the Stormlight Archive series takes place. Azure may be the one spoken about in Warbreaker that Vasher kills similarly to Denth?
SPOILERS
@35: Hoid is in every full length Cosmere novel.
@37: WARBREAKER is an prequel to the Stormlight Archive. It has been confirmed as being before WoK. It has also been confirmed Vivenna is Azure and Vasher is Zahel. ( that’s why Zahel’s idioms colored based)
How can i pre order the signed copy for international delivery (india)
So exciting, I can not wait!
@38 the thing about zahel/vasher is so true now that i think about it. i cant wait for the rhythm of to come out, ive already pre-ordered
I would love to get two off the signed copies of your book. The only place I seem to find it is on Barnes and Noble but they are all sold out online. How else my I order for my husband and daughter?