‘Oathbringer’ by Brandon Sanderson Book Club Questions And Recommendations
Our BOOK OF THE MONTH for August is Oathbringer by Brandon Sanderson.
Here at MBC, we love our fantasy novels, and we are continuously on the lookout for new books to add to our future book club discussions.
We have loved the Stormlight Archive, and even though they’re BIG books, we enjoy getting through them together.
Join our book club today and help us vote for our 2026 books.
Oathbringer by Brandon Sanderson
In Oathbringer, the third volume of the New York Times bestselling Stormlight Archive, humanity faces a new Desolation with the return of the Voidbringers, a foe with numbers as great as their thirst for vengeance.
Dalinar Kholin's Alethi armies won a fleeting victory at a terrible cost: The enemy Parshendi summoned the violent Everstorm, which now sweeps the world with destruction, and in its passing awakens the once peaceful and subservient parshmen to the horror of their millennia-long enslavement by humans. While on a desperate flight to warn his family of the threat, Kaladin Stormblessed must come to grips with the fact that the newly kindled anger of the parshmen may be wholly justified.
Nestled in the mountains high above the storms, in the tower city of Urithiru, Shallan Davar investigates the wonders of the ancient stronghold of the Knights Radiant and unearths dark secrets lurking in its depths. And Dalinar realizes that his holy mission to unite his homeland of Alethkar was too narrow in scope. Unless all the nations of Roshar can put aside Dalinar's blood-soaked past and stand together--and unless Dalinar himself can confront that past--even the restoration of the Knights Radiant will not prevent the end of civilization.
Here are THREE epic fantasy novels we recommend after the Stormlight Archive!
The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin
This is the way the world ends. Again.
Three terrible things happen in a single day. Essun, a woman living an ordinary life in a small town, comes home to find that her husband has brutally murdered their son and kidnapped their daughter. Meanwhile, mighty Sanze -- the world-spanning empire whose innovations have been civilization's bedrock for a thousand years -- collapses as most of its citizens are murdered to serve a madman's vengeance. And worst of all, across the heart of the vast continent known as the Stillness, a great red rift has been torn into the heart of the earth, spewing ash enough to darken the sky for years. Or centuries.
Now Essun must pursue the wreckage of her family through a deadly, dying land. Without sunlight, clean water, or arable land, and with limited stockpiles of supplies, there will be war all across the Stillness: a battle royale of nations not for power or territory, but simply for the basic resources necessary to get through the long dark night. Essun does not care if the world falls apart around her. She'll break it herself, if she must, to save her daughter.
The Black Prism by Brent Weeks
Guile is the Prism, the most powerful man in the world. He is high priest and emperor, a man whose power, wit, and charm are all that preserves a tenuous peace. Yet Prisms never last, and Guile knows exactly how long he has left to live.
When Guile discovers he has a son, born in a far kingdom after the war that put him in power, he must decide how much he's willing to pay to protect a secret that could tear his world apart.
The Blade Itself by Joe Abercrombie
Logen Ninefingers, infamous barbarian, has finally run out of luck. Caught in one feud too many, he’s on the verge of becoming a dead barbarian – leaving nothing behind him but bad songs, dead friends, and a lot of happy enemies.
Nobleman Captain Jezal dan Luthar, dashing officer, and paragon of selfishness, has nothing more dangerous in mind than fleecing his friends at cards and dreaming of glory in the fencing circle. But war is brewing, and on the battlefields of the frozen North they fight by altogether bloodier rules.
Inquisitor Glokta, cripple turned torturer, would like nothing better than to see Jezal come home in a box. But then Glokta hates everyone: cutting treason out of the Union one confession at a time leaves little room for friendship. His latest trail of corpses may lead him right to the rotten heart of government, if he can stay alive long enough to follow it.
Enter the wizard, Bayaz. A bald old man with a terrible temper and a pathetic assistant, he could be the First of the Magi, he could be a spectacular fraud, but whatever he is, he's about to make the lives of Logen, Jezal, and Glokta a whole lot more difficult.
Murderous conspiracies rise to the surface, old scores are ready to be settled, and the line between hero and villain is sharp enough to draw blood.
Maude’s Book Club Questions for Oathbringer by Brandon Sanderson
*In the voice and stream of consciousness of Maude Garrett*
The acceptance of Szeth - there’s no dialogue between them or them understanding he’s been inducted by a Herald… He just says “I’m here to fight’ and that’s enough?
What did we think of Szeth’s training montages? What do we think of his sword?
He swears to Dalinar - not a Herald or a Law, but Dalinar. Explain why?
Taravangian even confesses that he controlled Szeth to kill a lot of people
I would have liked to have seen Shallan’s wedding - her past (brothers) completely forgotten about until they show up
How did Skar and Drehy etc escape the Parshmen?? Even if they flew, the fused were there and they had to tow several with them
Jasnah’s reaction (or lack thereof) over Ehlokar;s death
The moments we DO have with her - ABSOLUTE BONKERY. Her fighting?? She kicks ass! Using Soul-casting in combat brings a whole new level to all of this
Rerarin seeing her kill him, but she saves him?? QUALITY PERSON. This unlocks her Fourth Ideals for a Surgebinder
Of course she's named queen!! HELLOOOO!
Rock with the bow!!! KILLER move quite literally
Taravangian only protecting his people and siding with Odium aka Desolation. “The test of Champions” is the loophole
Moash killing the Herald!?!?!? AND WHAT DOES HE EVEN GET??
Daddy Dalinar - just WOW. How he faced down Odium and didn’t give in to the Thrill, the grief, the burden - he accepted his actions completely. Ripping off his fingernails!
Odium screaming “no, we killed you. WE KILLED YOU!!” Who is WE, how died?? ALMIGHTY REBORN??
Dalinar’s new powers - he was able to grab the fabrics of reality and merge COGNITIVE, PHYSICAL & SPIRITUAL
Stormfather is shocked by this power - it hasn’t been done before
When Venli asks Dalinar who he is, he answers: “I am Unity”. How did you take this? Unifying people? Realms? Radiants?
Renarin bonding with a corrupted spren - how and when tf did that happen?? What’s his role in the Diagram?? “Never trust those who say they can see the future”
LIFT ENTERS THE BATTLE - AND ITS AWESOMENESS
What did you think about the Shadesmar side-quest?
Syl has a bounty on her head - what’s that about?
What was it like meeting Adolin’s dead spren?
Taln & Ash - what did we learn about these Heralds? “How long has it been?” 4 millennia. “What a WONDERFUL thing”
How did it feel to learn the revelation that HUMANS are the Void Bringers??
It was no wonder that, once they learned they were slaughtering a people who only wanted to preserve their world and their freedom, the Knights Radiant all said, “Umm, nope,” and gave up their blades.
Of course, they killed a ton of spren in the process, which is very not cool. But think on how distraught and horrified they must have been at learning the truth: that they themselves were the abomination they thought they’d been battling.
Shallan completely splits into three
Venli is now a Knights Radiant!
Have you read any of the books listed above? If you have, let us know which one is your favourite! If you have any recommendations drop them in the comments below.
If you want a fun space to discuss your favourite novels, come join our Discord and become a Patreon member for other great book club perks.
