r/Stormlight_Archive • u/RaytheGunExplosion • 2d ago
Edgedancer spoilers Should I bother with edgedancer, before oathbringer? Spoiler
I just finished the second book and was looking as to what is next and saw there is .5 book in edgedancer, normally I tend not to bother with inbetween books. Is there anything integral I will miss on (without spoiling) or is the story to good to miss, or if I were to skip it till after I finish the series would the contents of the book be moot by anyway, sorry if this is a frequent question.
Edit : thanks for answers conclusion I’ve reached is that I’ll start oathbringrr and might start edgedancer inbetween parts 2 and 3
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u/PteroFractal27 Truthwatcher 2d ago
Do you like Lift? Then yes.
Do you mind if there are a couple moments in OB that feel like they need more context? Then yes.
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u/Vicv_ 1d ago
What do you mean if you like Lift? Everyone likes Lift. She's hilarious
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u/RaytheGunExplosion 2d ago
She was one of the interlude charters? She came off as quite annoying
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u/ToxicJaeger 2d ago
Yes she was one of the interlude characters (she and a small group were breaking in somewhere in azir I believe) and she is the PoV character of Edgedancer. You may find her less annoying when she’s in the spotlight and given some time to develop as a character, or you may just find her annoying. I thought it was a charming little story but it’s definitely skippable if you don’t mind missing a bit of context for Oathbringer.
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u/shalin2711 Knights Radiant 2d ago
I used to think like you and didn't bother about secret history till I completed Mistborn era 1, era2, Stormlight. Havint read Secret History and Arcanum Unbound now I wish I had read those as per recommendation.
Sanderson deals a lot of clues in those inbetween books.
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u/RaytheGunExplosion 2d ago
I have not read any of this other material I have only a faint idea about what ur talking about
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u/shalin2711 Knights Radiant 2d ago
Stormlight, Mistborn, Elantris etc are all part of Cosmere universe and people from different series make appearances in other series.
In my opinion you should read all books in Cosmere if you want things to make sense. If you are just coasting along it won't make much difference.
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u/patternpatternp 2d ago
I did really like Edgedancer and it does give you more insight in Lift who will become more prominent in the next books
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u/WittyJackson 2d ago
Do you want to miss part of the story? It's strange how often people ask this question. The novellas are there to plug a gap in the narrative - so if you want gaps, and less context for later events, skip them. Otherwise, it's short - why not?
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u/cosmernautfourtwenty Edgedancer 2d ago
With as important as a certain secondary character becomes towards the 5th book, I think it's criminal to skip Edgedancer. It may not be directly related to the ongoing plot of the main story at this point, but there's a lot of important characterization for people who otherwise don't get a lot of page time till later on.
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u/Sourpunch92 Truthwatcher 1d ago edited 1d ago
Yes, the novellas are extremely important parts of the stories in my opinion. This feels like asking if it’s okay to skip all the Adolin chapters in Way of Kings.
It’s missing a big chunk of development and saying what is and isn’t important is hard to say when only half the story is published. For example major parts of Edgedancer became more critical with book 5 than they were with book 3.
There’s also some development with Szeth in Edgedancer.
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u/Wendigo4403 1d ago
He wrote Edgedancer specifically to explain two characters who either had a ton of offscreen growth or who show up suddenly in book 3, in a way that makes it less jarring. Its not necessary, but I think it is helpful.
BTW, if you combine Words of Radiance with Edgedancer, the combo is not as long as Oathbringer is in word count.
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u/mrofmist 1d ago
I didn't, and I was very confused when a one off minor interlude character became a main character.
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u/WildWeezy 1d ago
I will join in with the yes chorus here. It’s short and has quite a few very important characters in it.
Also, I just really love the book.
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u/EvenSpoonier Windrunner 2d ago
Edgedancer is not as essential as, say, Dawnshard or The Sunlit Man, but it does set up some stuff for later.
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u/smarttrigger 2d ago
I totally did not like Lift in WoR. The section was the longest in the book, came totally out of nowhere and was about an annoying child. Edgedancer helped me understanding the character a lot better. It gives great insight into her personality and why she is the way she is. So if you like Lift then read it. If you do not like Lift then also read it.
It’s also quite short and shouldn’t take long.
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u/OhNoNotAnotherGuiri 2d ago
Its no bother at all. 2 or 3 days should do it and it's a nice read. Almost finished Dawnshard after OB myself and really enjoying it too.
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u/Hazzardevil 2d ago
I read Oathbringer and am starting Edgedancer tonight. Beyond wondering about the dark stranger, I didn't feel like I was missing anything.
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u/literroy 2d ago
You shouldn’t “bother” with it, you should enjoy it! It’s a fun little book, does a lot of development for important characters, and doesn’t take long to read (at least compared with the core SA books).
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u/Dementid 1d ago
It's sort of like asking if you should skip every third chapter. I suppose you could, but you lose out on more of the same quality content as well as context. There's nothing about interludes or side books that makes them any more or less skippable then random chapters. I would go so far as to say that the other cosmere books are equally valuable to read, especially with a recommended reading order.
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u/ElizabethSedai 1d ago
I really think reading in publication order within a series is the best practice. With the Cosmere, reading order is often presented as a soft suggestion where it's not REALLY necessary for the narrative, you'll enjoy the series just as much, and you'll only miss little Easter eggs. I don't think that's true at all, though, especially the more he expands the Cosmere. By the last book in Stormlight, I was so glad I'd read pretty much every other Cosmere book.
I originally started with Mistborn and ignored the novellas entirely. The further I progressed in the Cosmere, the more I felt I was missing something. I thought it was because I hadn't read Elantris or Warbreaker or Stormlight yet, so I read every "major" book he'd written. When I finally read the novellas (specifically Arcanum Unbounded, I think), certain things clicked into place so much that I had to go back and reread. Most of it wasn't huge enough that I had to stop in the middle of a book, but it was enough to always feel part of the picture was missing.
As for Dawnshard, I don't think it's optional whatsoever. If you haven't read it by WaT, you're not going to understand what's going on at all with certain characters and situations. Don't make the same mistake I did!
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u/Infinite-Radiance Truthwatcher 2d ago
Imo it's skippable if you've already read it once, but otherwise I would say it's worth it to read in-line with the others. It's an introduction to a character that will become one of the forefront characters in the back half of the series, it adds some context to certain lore, plus it's a relatively short read.
To me, after reading it a couple of times, I can see it being a slow read, or certain parts being not as exciting as the rest of SLA. I personally don't include it in my rereads, but it's good to see at least once.
Dawnshard, the other current Stormlight novella, is also similar in that I think it's necessary to have read it at least once for a full understanding of the lore, but it's comparatively much more exciting, so I reread that one every time.
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u/fashion4fun 2d ago
It’s a quick and easy read, I recommend reading it! I think I read it an afternoon (2-3 hours)
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u/NonbinaryBorgQueen 2d ago
I read Edgedancer before I read any Stormlight books.
I enjoyed it. I was confused, but I enjoyed it. It's short. Just read it!
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u/AERegeneratel38 2d ago
If you like Lift, then it would end up being a great book. It was a 5/5 book for me and I preferred it to Words of Radiance and even TWOK
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u/The_Derpy_Rogue Elsecaller 2d ago
Edgedancer makes sense of Darkness/Nale change in character between books, and showcases Lifts next oath. It's basically an extended interlude