Brandon Sanderson finally delivered Oathbringer, the highly anticipated third entry in the Stormlight Archive, and amazingly this volume is even bigger than the first two. As the books get bigger so does the scope of the story being told and that is almost hard to believe. Each of these books would be an entire series for many other authors and the truly amazing part is that Sanderson has 7 more entries planned before he is done. This book focuses on Dalinar Kholin and the events throughout his past that shaped the man he has become. Dalinar bears the nickname Blackthorn and it is time to learn why that is.

Although Dalinar is the focus of this book, all of the main characters return and many new ones are introduced. Now that the Parshendi have summoned the Everstorm, all of Roshar is under threat and Dalinar seeks to unite the various factions together in order to survive the wrath of the Parshmen. They escaped their millennia of slavery in book two and they want to take back what they believe to be rightfully theirs. Dalinar tries to lead the defense from Urithiru, but unfortunately for him, the reputation that earned him the nickname Blackthorn comes back to haunt him.

The scope of the story once again expands significantly and this is the first time in the series that I started to worry about that fact. At this point I am invested in the existing characters and although they all still play significant roles, things have gotten so big that I wish I could spend more time with Kaladin and the men of Bridge Four than learning about the next level of story being told. The first two books of the series were the best fantasy I have ever read, but I must sadly say this one felt a little bloated. The flashbacks that explain Dalinar's past are all excellent but the larger story took center stage and the characters that I wanted to spend time were reduced to cogs in a big machine. More Bridge Four and less Shadesmar please.

The audiobook continues to be read by Michael Kramer and Kate Reading and that makes listening an extremely enjoyable way to experience this amazing story. Despite the fact that this is the weakest of the three books so far it is still the work of a master and a must read. Book 4 is supposed to focus on the Parshendi and is due in 2020.