Tress of the Emerald Sea by Brandon Sanderson

Orion

9781399613392

384pp

Fans of The Princess Bride will love Tress of the Emerald Sea! Our February bookclub pick, this swashbuckling adventure tells the story of Tress as she goes to save the love of her life. Having never read Brandon Sanderson before, I couldn’t tell you if all his books are so hilarious, but this one definitely is. With some real laugh-out-loud moments, I thoroughly enjoyed every second of Tress of the Emerald Sea and am desperate to pick up more of Sanderson’s books.

Meet Tress (not her real name), who lives on a rock in the middle of the Verdant (spore) sea. When the love of her life is held for ransom by the sorceress, Tress decides to leave the comfort of her own home and sail the high seas to get to him. Cue adventure, mishaps, and mystery. Told through the eyes of Hoid, we get to discover, alongside Tress, the mysteries of the spores, do mental battle with Captain Crow, meet a dragon and a talking rat, and collect some cups (you’ll get it when you read the book).

I was hesitant about this book; fantasy novels don’t tend to go down well in bookclubs as a rule (unless you’re specifically reading fantasy) and so I wasn’t sure how my group would take it. Although we haven’t met to discuss it yet, I know that this will get a resounding endorsement from me. But then, I do love a fantasy book.

As fantasy goes, this is a pretty gentle introduction. It’s no Lord of the Rings. But it is fast-paced and fun, and with enough world-building to get you engrossed. I think it would have helped to read other novels in the Cosmere universe as there were a few moments I felt that Sanderson was expecting you to know something that wasn’t explained in this book. But you never felt like you were left in the dark; this book is full of smooth descriptions and funny asides that leave you feeling part of the gang.

I’d describe this as a nice entry point for anyone trying to get into fantasy (and maybe the Cosmere universe). I’ll definitely have to search out more Sanderson books.