In this fourth in the "Stormlight Archive" series and sequel to the No. 1 New York Times best-selling Oathbringer, Dalinar Kholin and his Knights Radiant have been fighting against enemy invasion for a year. New technoloyg seem to be helping the enemy, and an arms race is on. With a 500,000-copy first printing and epic indeed; check out the page count.

While Dalinar manages the coalition and the battlefront, Shallan and Adolin seek allies among the honorspren. Kaladin, finally forced to acknowledge the consequences of unbroken fighting, seeks new purpose away from the frontlines. Navani continues her work with new fabrial technology. The cost to both sides in a war everyone perceives as determining their very survival is tremendous. While there is plenty of strategy and politics, leading to suitably epic battles, Sanderson plays to his strengths, and the meat of the book is in the discovery of new information, both in history and in the magic system--or natural sciences, depending on how you look at it. There's also plenty of subterfuge, from a traitorous king to a desperate bid to escape subjugation. The buildup is long and complex, with plenty of digging into how things work and the consequences of war (including the toll on mental health), culminating in an action-packed, falling-dominoes denouement. This may not be the best place to start with Sanderson's work, but it certainly delivers the dense fantasy epic long-time readers will expect. HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: Fans have been waiting for the next Stormlight Archive novel since 2017 (after Oathbringer), so get ready.