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Sixth of the Dusk

(The Cosmere)

Brandon Sanderson (Goodreads Author)

4.24 · Rating details · 11,500 ratings · 638 reviews

A fascinating new novella in Brandon Sanderson's Cosmere, the universe shared by his Mistborn series and the #1 New York Times bestselling Stormlight Archive.

Sixth of the Dusk, set in a never-before-seen world, showcases a society on the brink of technological change. On the deadly island of Patji, where birds grant people magical talents and predators can sense the ...more

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Kindle Edition, 59 pages

Published October 16th 2014 by Dragonsteel Entertainment, LLC

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· 11,500 ratings · 638 reviews

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Dec 22, 2016 Tadiana ✩Night Owl☽ rated it really liked it

Sixth of the Dusk is one of the Sanderson novellas collected in Arcanum Unbounded: The Cosmere Collection, and one of my favorite stories in that collection.

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"Sixth of the Dusk" is the name of the main character, who goes by “Dusk.” He's an old-fashioned trapper on his world, where his Polynesian type of culture conflicts with the more advanced society on the mainland. Dusk travels on land and sea with his two Aviar, which are birds endowed with different magical talents that help to protect Dusk from the numerous deadly dangers on the islands and in the waters that surround them. Trappers are loners who cling to their traditions, but when Dusk runs into a lone woman on the island of Patji where Dusk traps, the magic of one of his birds makes it clear to him that he needs to work with Vathi to save their world from a grave danger.

This story has several thoughtful layers of intriguing conflicts ― between the humans and the natural dangers of their world, between Dusk and the more civilized people from the mainland, and (view spoiler) -- and maybe more.

Once again, Sanderson’s trademark creativity with magical systems adds hugely to this story. I particularly liked the unique powers of his bird Sak, which gives Dusk highly realistic visions of his own dead body to warn him of dangers that will kill him if he doesn’t take care. And the island where he spends most of his time trapping has such tremendously dangerous animals and plants (seriously, it's a crazy place) that he's constantly seeing his corpse lying on the ground as he makes his way around the island. (view spoiler) o.O

Sanderson focused on the immediate dangers to Dusk for most of the story, but it was the more distant, intangible danger that I found most intriguing. I'd love to read more about what happens in this world after this story ends. ...more

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Nov 13, 2016 Petrik rated it liked it

3.5/5 Stars

Mini review (I read this in Arcanum Unbounded: The Cosmere Collection)

Inspired by Sanderson’s interest in Polynesian culture, Sixth of the Dusk is another unique and different than Sanderson's usual novella that took place on a tropical island called Patji. It’s really different in a sense that the magic systems can be found not on an object but on magical birds called Aviar and the main character, Dusk, is also very different to Sanderson’s usual character, he doesn’t talk much and ...more

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Jun 24, 2019 Fares rated it it was amazing

Did we expect anything other than 5 stars really?
I'm running out of Sanderson books to read, send help!!
Also, this one and Shadows for Silence in the Forests of Hell, have amazing characters and world building, I want more books in these worlds!!
Give!
Me!
More!
Books!

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Feb 12, 2017 Bradley rated it liked it

Shelves: 2017-shelf, worldbuilding-sf, fantasy

I think this might have been one of my rare Sanderson misses. Maybe I just wasn't quite in the mood for something of his that I knew would be short. I like his normally long-spanning epic series. That's no problem. But his short fiction? Even if it has some really cool world-building elements?

Well, the magic birds that give abilities and especially the one that allows Dusk to see his dead bodies everywhere was pretty damn cool. But I couldn't really get into all the 'trapper' this and 'trapper' ...more

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Oct 24, 2014 TS Chan rated it really liked it

Shelves: brandon-sanderson

Dec 2016: Re-read via Arcanum Unbounded: The Cosmere Collection

Seriously. I can't laud Brandon Sanderson enough for the ingenuity of his Cosmere stories.
So now I know that this story took place in a solar system called the Drominad system. And the knowledge I managed to glean from Khriss' essay made the re-read a very different experience. So much cool information which invited so many questions, and a new symbiotic form of Cosmere Investiture! The geek in me was just reeling from burning ...more

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Nov 14, 2017 Choko rated it liked it

Shelves: brandon-sanderson, fantasy

*** 3.44 ***

The eight story, "“Sixth of Dusk” (First of the Sun), reads like many a sci-fi stories I have read growing up. We are on a World far behind in technology than ours and an Island not unlike those in Polynesia. A boy named Dusk is a trapper, but in a sense a caregiver and guardian to the very specific Avion creatures who can mentally communicate with humans and are the primary source of finances for the people living on the islands. A big company decides to take over the birds by ...more

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Feb 08, 2017 Jarek "the Mistborn" Dąbrowski rated it it was amazing

Shelves: brandon-sanderson-read, read-in-2017

Another one of Sandersons shorts that left me feeling...goddamn Brandon why dont you go and write a full novel on this shit its awesome. A fun read with a brand new world and magic system that leaves you with a taste for much more. Maybe one day Brandon will go back to these stories and expand on tchem. I hope. 5 stars

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Dec 21, 2016 Scott Hitchcock rated it liked it

Shelves: sanderson

Read from Arcanum Unbounded.

3.5*. Loved the island world and the concept of cultures at different levels all meeting and their motivations for exploiting each other.

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Oct 23, 2014 Gavin rated it really liked it

Shelves: fantasy

This was another fun novella from Sanderson's Cosmere universe. It had everything one might expect from a Sanderson fantasy book. Good world-building, a fascinating magic system, weird creatures, and an intriguing plot.

Sixth of the Dusk is a highly trained Tracker. His main stock in trade are magical birds which can only be found in the Archipelago. Sixth's people worship the mysterious islands as gods and view themselves as their priests. Each Tracker dedicates themselves to hunting on only This was another fun novella from Sanderson's Cosmere universe. It had everything one might expect from a Sanderson fantasy book. Good world-building, a fascinating magic system, weird creatures, and an intriguing plot.

Sixth of the Dusk is a highly trained Tracker. His main stock in trade are magical birds which can only be found in the Archipelago. Sixth's people worship the mysterious islands as gods and view themselves as their priests. Each Tracker dedicates themselves to hunting on only one island. Sixth's island is the largest of them all Patji, considered the Father among the islands worshipers.

Sixth's world is in the midst of a cultural and technological change as the more progressive society of the Homeislers are making inroads of their own into the Archipelago in search of the magical birds. The Homeislers have advanced technology such as projectile weapons and steam powered ships. One corporate company has sent a party to set up a base on the island of Patji. Both to claim the island as their own and as a base to learn more of the deadly islands mysteries.

In an interesting twist the Trappers and the Homeislers are not the only society in the mix. The primitive world of The First of the Sun has been visited by the seemingly benign space faring people known as the Ones Above. The Ones Above can interact with the people of less advanced worlds in only a limited way. Their rules forbid them from sharing their technology or trading with the locals. Still, they have a fascination with the magical birds and return often to visit this world!

I enjoyed this story, but wish it was longer. I was just getting to know the world and the characters when it came to an end! I took a while to warm to Sixth, but liked him well enough when I did. The only other character to feature much was the Homeisler Vathi and she was quite likable.

The world and the magic were both quite fascinating. The magical birds and their abilities were great and the island of Patji, with its multitude of deadly plants and creatures, was a fascinating setting.

As with any Sanderson books we got a few surprise twists and they only increased my desire to read more from this world.

Also, space travelers in the Cosmere! How cool is that?

Rating: 4 Stars. ...more

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Nov 13, 2014 Robin (Bridge Four) rated it really liked it

Shelves: fantastic-fantasy, ya

3.5 Patji Tried to Kill Me and All I Got Was This T-Shirt Stars

I’m a huge Brandon Sanderson fan, he is my absolute favorite High Fantasy Author. Even in a novella he is able to create an entirely new setting with different magic and characters. In 96 pages he can bring to life an entire story and make you care and want to know even more about these characters.

You can read Sixth of the Dusk even if you have never read anything else in the Cosmere series without any troubles. Dusk is a trapper on 3.5 Patji Tried to Kill Me and All I Got Was This T-Shirt Stars

I’m a huge Brandon Sanderson fan, he is my absolute favorite High Fantasy Author. Even in a novella he is able to create an entirely new setting with different magic and characters. In 96 pages he can bring to life an entire story and make you care and want to know even more about these characters.

You can read Sixth of the Dusk even if you have never read anything else in the Cosmere series without any troubles. Dusk is a trapper on an isle filled with magical birds. It is what he has done in solitude most of his life and he lives on Patji, one of the deadliest islands of them all. There is something trying to kill him around every corner and in almost every shadow. He knows this because one of his birds can see his deaths and can project images of it into his mind. A little disconcerting to see your corpse on the path ahead of you showing how you could die, but Dusk has become accustomed to these warnings over the years.

Patji might be a deadly land full of monsters but it is also a remarkable place and one of the few Islands where Aviar live. They are special birds that can great an ability to their owners. It is Dusk’s job to protect these birds.

“This,” he said with a harsh whisper, holding it up before her, “is the symbol of your ignorance. On the Pantheon Islands, nothing is easy, nothing is simple. That plume was placed by another trapper to catch someone who does not deserve to be here, someone who thought to find an easy prize. You cannot be that person. Never move without asking yourself, is this too easy?”

Vathi has come with a group of people intent on finding out why the birds come only from a small stretch of Islands in hopes of discovering a way to make more Aviar. When she is sepereated from her crew on a ship she makes her way across the lsland searching for a trapper to help her make it to the rest of her people.

“This is nice. Very roomy for a shack on a mountainside in the middle of a deadly jungle on an isolated island surrounded by monsters.”

Dusk knows that Vathi and her people bring change with them and might even be the destruction of his lifestyle and everything he holds dear. He must decide whether to help her or if it is better to just let Patji kill her.

This is not one of my favorite Brandon Sanderson novella’s but I do like that he was able to show the circularity of how the choices we are willing to make might affect us later on. When we decide to force our will on others who is to say someone stronger won’t come along and do the same thing to us.

I am forever encouraging my friends to read anything Brandon Sanderson. If you like High Fantasy I think he puts some of the best stories together. But, if you want to sample some of his work to decide if you like his story telling style before committing to 1000+ pages for one of his series the I highly recommend reading The Emperor’s Soul or this novella.
...more

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Mar 23, 2017 Lady Luna. ✨ rated it liked it

Shelves: written-by-the-hand-of-god, okay-shelf

3.5/5

This book was amazing. I don't feel the need to write a long detailed review on it. It definitely had some issues, it was to short, the plot wasn't Sandersons best and I found myself thinking it didn't make much sense, however it's still a good read for all mega fans of BS.

Definitely not an important book in regards to the cosmere.

Recommended to all fans of Sanderson. You do not need to read his other books before this one, unless you buy Arcanum Unbounded then I suggest reading Mistborn ...more

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Mar 06, 2017 Holden Johnson rated it really liked it

Shelves: short-fiction

Why oh why did this have to end. And on such a cliffhanger too. I absolutely loved this world and unique magic system. The small blurb at the end said that there likely won't be any more stories in this world which really upsets me =( I Loved it.

Full novel please?

I guess I can't have everything I want.

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Nov 06, 2014 Mike rated it really liked it

Shelves: reviewed, novella, fantasy

When I saw the the amazon ad link for this book on io9 I felt it was like a little slice of Christmas come early. I am a self admitted Sanderson addict and had no idea this was even on the horizon (OK, so I am poorly informed addict, but one nonetheless).

Simply put this is an awesome novella and has all the hallmarks Sanderson's other amazing works:

-Kickass female character: The protaganist of this story is a pretty badass Trapper name Sixth of Dusk (for a pretty profound reason you learn ...more

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Nov 12, 2014 Desinka rated it liked it

This has been one of the less satisfying of Sanderson novellas. I loved the world and one of the two featured characters, Vathi,but was not all that impressed with Dusk or the story. Knowing what Sanderson is capable of, I found this lacking in comparison to his usual fascinating, fast paced and action packed whirlwind of a story.

Still worth the read and a well deserved 3.5 stars.

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Dec 14, 2015 Vagner Stefanello rated it really liked it

I want more of this, Sanderson.

Cosmere is amazing!

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Aug 08, 2016 Mark Medina rated it it was amazing

Short, not sweet, but very good. Kind of like a mad Tarzan crossed with Pokemon. Enjoyed it.

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Dec 18, 2018 mina rated it really liked it

Shelves: enjoyed-reading-them, short-stories, read-2018

I loved this one. Bravo for the idea, the writing was also good. It was a great read my only problem now is that I want to know what happens after. The story is set in nature with predators that read minds and magical birds, what more can you wish for?

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Feb 19, 2018 OhWell rated it really liked it

Shelves: fantasy-world, magic, brandon-sanderson

This is a blend of sci-fi and fantasy, leaning towards sci-fi. I have read attempts to mix the two genres before, and they were more or less failures. Brandon Sanderson made the combination work though. No surprise there:)

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Sep 24, 2018 Renee Godding rated it it was amazing

Shelves: amazing-books

5/5 Stars

Sandersons usual epicness, but compressed to bite sized format.

To start: An open question to Brandon Sanderson:
Dear mr Sanderson, can we please have a full length novel version of this? Please…?
If that would be too much of an inconvenience, a multiple part series would be fine as well. Full epic maybe…?
Regardless of the format, I need more of this please.

I don’t have much intelligent thought to share on this book. Despite the fact that he is one of my favorite authors, I had ...more

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Jul 18, 2015 Becky rated it liked it

Shelves: ebook_kindle, shortstories-collections, 2015, fantasy, reviewed

I started this novella wayyyyyyy back when it was first available, but for some reason it didn't grab me. Canoeing over dangerous waters to an even dangerouser (totally a word) island sounds cool, but it just didn't hold my attention.

Now though, I think this was needed to maybe work me out of the funk I was settling into. I picked it back up where I left off (thanks Kindle!) and this time it clicked. I was curious about the island and the creatures and who would willingly come to try to exploit ...more

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Jan 18, 2017 Whitspren rated it it was amazing

Shelves: fantasy, short-stories

What an interesting world! I love the symbiotic relationships between the humans and birds.

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Apr 24, 2018 Miriam rated it really liked it

Shelves: fantasy, read-in-2018

I LOVED the world and the idea of Aviars <3

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Feb 03, 2019 Patricija - ReadOff rated it really liked it

4.5
The only issue I had with this is the fact that it was way too short.
I had some Havaii vibe
I decided to start Brandon Sanderson from the least known and shortest works up to the most recent and popular because I did not want to disappoint myself If I didn't like his works. This has not been the case. I loved Brandon Sanderson since the first book I read, Warbreaker.
What is it with Brandon Sandersons writing that makes his works so delicious? Is it the simplistic style with complicated topics? ...more

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Dec 26, 2014 C.W. rated it it was amazing

4.5, I think. The fact that Brandon Sanderson can write a world like this in under 100 pages is just amazing. I really hope there's a sequel to this - the only thing I really have to say is that the writing itself suffers a bit when condensed into something so short. It was a really fun, quick read though. Also, who the hell are the Ones Above? If they're in the Cosmere...what does that mean? This could be taken in so many different directions. I can't wait to see where it goes.

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Nov 02, 2014 Lindsey Rey rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 2014, fantasy, novella

[4.5 Stars]
AND WHAT DOES THIS MEAN FOR THE COSMERE????

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Sep 21, 2017 Quintin Zimmermann rated it really liked it

A beautifully realised story about man's closeness to nature and the impending encroachment of technology.

The taciturn protagonist, Dusk guides us through the wonders and dangers of the island as we soon realise that there is much more going on than meets the eye.

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Nov 09, 2014 Helen rated it it was amazing

Ooooh, a wee novel by lovely Mr Sanderson? Don't mind if I do. Dusk hunts on an island that is doing its best to kill him. He meets someone who has to be more than they seem, encounters more dangers. Bravely steps up. And it finishes!
Did I enjoy it, hell yeah. Do I want more? Sure thing.
I do love the way Mr Sanderson trickles out these tiny masterpieces while I await the next doorstepper.

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Jan 22, 2017 Silvers rated it really liked it

Shelves: read-in-2017, dad, borrowed-from-library, published-2000-to-2015, rainbow, novellas-and-extras

I know I've said it before but how can one author come up with so many unique stories and ideas?
My greatest complaint was that the ending felt like the story just cut off with a confusing cliff hanger.
Still enjoyed it, so four well deserved stars!

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Feb 21, 2015 Mili rated it it was amazing

In a breath a world is built up and the character Dusk is introduced~ loved it =)

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Apr 25, 2018 Mizuki rated it it was ok

Shelves: it-is-not-the-book-it-is-me

I heard a lot of people gave good remarks to this short story, and I'd admit the world building is remarkable, rich with imaginative details (as with many other Mr. Sanderson's fictional worlds) but the characters and the story just don't look outstanding and gripping enough to me. I also admit I wasn't really in the mood when I read this story. So, 2 stars only.

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About Brandon Sanderson

Brandon Sanderson

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Brandon’s major books for the second half of 2016 are The Dark Talent, the final volume in Alcatraz Smedry’s autobiographical account of his battle against the Evil Librarians who secretly rule our world, and Arcanum Unbounded, the collection of short fiction in the Cosmere universe that includes the Mistborn series and the Stormlight
Archive, among others. This collection features The Emperor’s ...more