Series: Brandon Sanderson Secret Projects ("Tress of the Emerald Sea")

[Melanie, the neutral party]

I can't be the only one reading these kickstarter books...

So here is a thread for the Brandon Sanderson Secret Project books.
Please mark spoilers and label the book/chapter they come from so we know when it's safe to click!

Happy reading!

[Melanie, the neutral party]

Book 1 {Tress of the Emerald Sea} was in my email inbox this morning :)

[Aga]

I’m finishing Rhythm of War at the moment. I was planning to read The Lost Metal later but I think I will go with Tress of the Emerald Sea first.

[Melanie, the neutral party]

It is labeled as a stand alone but set in Cosmere, so you should be fine skipping to it.

[Olga]

I’m definitely going to read secret projects, but have no idea when they will be available in my particular backwater part of the world (((

[Melanie, the neutral party]

My kindle says January 10? Sanderson did say they would be available for people who didn't join the kickstarter soon after each release.

[Chisom]

Do you need to be caught up on the other series to read these?

[Aga]

It’s stand-alone. But it’s Cosmere, so probably we’ll have some new puzzle pieces 🧩

[Anna]

What do we want to call this series on the series BR list? It's not a general Cosmere thread?

[Melanie, the neutral party]

The Sanderson Secret Projects ...

[Anna]

OK, I'll add it under that!

edit: done

[E.D.]

I'm in the UK. From what I've read on the internet the release date is the 4th April.

[Histrio]

Yay! I was hoping there might be a thread for these! The e-books and audiobooks will be available to non-backers on the 10th or 11th of the month the book is released. The print books will be available to preorder from Dragonsteel at the same time and will be shipped whenever all of the backers orders have been filled. Tor and Gollancz are also publishing the books on a three month delay if you don't want to pay for the premium editions. If anyone cares, https://www.brandonsanderson.com/stat... has all the little details.

[Melanie, the neutral party]

TotES
Part I chapters 1-5
-I'm quite fond of this narrative style- (view spoiler)[narrator talks directly to reader (hide spoiler)]
-The characters are interesting thus far, but no big reveals.
-I almost missed the pictures because I am listening to the audio, but I needed to go back and reread to better visualize (view spoiler)[the ocean made of spores (hide spoiler)] and now will scan the text for the visuals too.

Part II chapters 6-12
-(view spoiler)[What a fun, crafty way to get off the island (hide spoiler)]
-I know that the trope of (view spoiler)[talking animal sidekicks (hide spoiler)] is overdone, but I'm liking Huck all the same.
-Unimportant but the vine in the chapter headings ... (view spoiler)[is GROWING as the chapters progress. Cute touch. (hide spoiler)]
-Prediction: I think (based on some of the narrator comments) that (view spoiler)[the narrator will become part of the story eventually? (hide spoiler)] That also would be quite fun.

[Olga]

Melanie wrote: "My kindle says January 10? Sanderson did say they would be available for people who didn't join the kickstarter soon after each release."

Yes! I was under impression that non-backers would wait longer.
Pre-ordered it on Kindle! Can I wake up tomorrow and it’s January 10th? Pretty please!

[Aga]

I’ll start on the 10th then.

[Gabi]

Aw! Nice that there is a thread!

I'm listening to it. I love it that Michael Kramer again is the narrator. He belongs to the Cosmere like one of the characters.
The narration style is so adorable. (view spoiler)[That Hoid is the narrator and everything is told in his sassy voice is a perfect choice. Hoid is my favourite character in probably all of fiction, so I'm beyond excited to hear his voice for a whole novel. (hide spoiler)]

[Joseph]

Amazon has the book arriving on Kindle on January 10th, and on hardcover on April 4th.

[Charlton]

Melanie wrote: "Book 1 {Tress of the Emerald Sea} was in my email inbox this morning :)"

Thank you for letting me know about these books, my TBR is growing.:)

[Allison, Fairy Mod-mother]

I'm 2 pages into Tress and I am delighted

[Sabrina (Sabrina's Spellbooks)]

I got my Kindle version this morning and I'm so excited. But I kinda want to wait a little longer till my physical copy gets here. I might finish Skyward 1st. What do you guys think?

[Gabi]

General observation through chapter 34: Sanderson is a master storyteller with an abundance of imagination.

[Allison, Fairy Mod-mother]

Sabrina it sounds like many can't start until the 10 or 11 so you've got time! and this is asynchronous, so do whatever is best for you! :)

[Allison, Fairy Mod-mother]

About 25% in. Still enjoying it. Question though

(view spoiler)[ Aren't the Iriali from Roshar? Roshar doesn't have 12 moons and seas of pollen does it? Surely they would have said?? (hide spoiler)]

[Histrio]

@Allison I'm on the app so I'm not sure if these spoiler tags will work. :-/ If not, warning: spoilers ahead. (view spoiler)[The Iriali are seen on Roshar but they come from some other planet. I don't think we've seen their home planet yet. (hide spoiler)]

[Allison, Fairy Mod-mother]

ahhh thank you!

[Olga]

Got my Kindle Tress today and already through the first chapter!
I love the way it's written, can't stop myself from highlighting some delicious sentences )))

[Raucous]

Olga wrote: "... I love the way it's written, can't stop myself from highlighting some delicious sentences )))"

Yes! This is the first time in I can't remember how long that I wish that the creaky ePub reader that I use for fiction supported highlighting. The writing overall feels very straightforward (in a delightful way), and then it delivers another amazing line. So much fun.

[Aga]

Chapters 1-19:

What a delight!

I suspected it was (view spoiler)[Hoid telling the story because he has very distinctive style. I still remember that dog and the dragon story from Rythm of War. (hide spoiler)] But I gasped out loud on the tram when (view spoiler)[he has revealed himself. (hide spoiler)]

I’ll never have enough of talking rats!

All the humor, those little interjections, talking rat, fairytale style reminds me a little bit of Terry Prattchet’s books.

Who is Ulaam??? I suspect he is not from this world.

[Aga]

Allison wrote: "About 25% in. Still enjoying it. Question though

[spoilers removed]"

It is suggested that all the nation somehow travelled from Tress’s world to Roshar. But how and why are interesting questions.

There’s a fragment in chapter 2:

“It’s old Iriali,” he said. “They vanished, you know. The entire people: poof. There one day, gone the next, their island left uninhabited. Now, that was three hundred years ago, so no one alive has ever met one of them, but they supposedly had golden hair. Like yours, the color of sunlight.”

[Gabi]

Yes, there is a bit Pratchett in his whimsical narration-style and a bit of Tchaikovsky as well. I feel that Sanderson is getting better style-wise.
I thoroughly enjoyed this fairy tale turned upside down novel.

[Aga]

Chapter 19:
(view spoiler)[Is Huck acting suspiciously like Hoid or is it just a storytelling style? (hide spoiler)]

[Melanie, the neutral party]

Both.?
I listened to the audio and had them confused for a little while and had to re-listen to part II

[Leonie]

I am 75% through and loving it! I wondered if the style would mean it might be the first Sanderson book I wouldn't enjoy, but no, the style just adds to the whole thing!

I have suspicions about Huck, but I've never thought he's Hoid. I think he's (view spoiler)[he's Charlie. (hide spoiler)] I may be wrong, but there are many things pointing in that direction unless it's misdirection!

[Aga]

Leonie wrote: "I am 75% through and loving it! I wondered if the style would mean it might be the first Sanderson book I wouldn't enjoy, but no, the style just adds to the whole thing!

I have suspicions about Hu..."

(view spoiler)[ This is my second theory about Huck. But I’m quite sure, whoever he is, the Sorceress and her magic is involved. (hide spoiler)]

[E.D.]

Started this yesterday. Interested to see where it's going.

[Leonie]

And I have now finished it! Loved it!

[Gabi]

Leonie wrote: "And I have now finished it! Loved it!"

Now that you have finished, Leonie, may I ask which clues you had for your assumption about Huck? Could you tell me in spoiler tags? Cause I'm one of those readers who go with the flow when immersed in a story and don't realise anything ^^'.

[Gabi]

Leonie wrote: "And I have now finished it! Loved it!"

Now that you have finished, Leonie, may I ask which clues you had for your assumption about Huck? Could you tell me in spoiler tags? Cause I'm one of those readers who go with the flow when immersed in a story and don't realise anything ^^'.

[Melanie, the neutral party]

Aga wrote: "Leonie wrote: "I am 75% through and loving it! I wondered if the style would mean it might be the first Sanderson book I wouldn't enjoy, but no, the style just adds to the whole thing!

I have susp..."

You should place this prediction behind spoiler tags to be respectful to readers not this far in the book yet.

[Aga]

Chapters 20-24:

New theory or rather expanded version of the theory number two:

(view spoiler)[After reading what Hoid has revealed about his curse and what Huck has told Tress about his family and where he is from, I think it was like this:
Hoid wants something from the Sorceress so he has stuck to Charlie when the boy was sent to her. I’m afraid he could planted the idea in duke’s mind. You know how he is. Hoid will have what he wants and the boy will get some adventure time and hopefully they both will live.
They both are cursed by the Sorceress and can’t talk about their curses. Hoid has lost his "important senses" and Charlie became a talking rat.

I wonder if it’s like "the old magic" from Roshar? Is there a blessing as the reward for braking the curse? Is it what Hoid is hoping to achieve on this planet?

I’m sure there was a character who was cursed and every attempt to talk about the curse ended up with talking nonsense. Was it Cosmere? Ahhh I can’t put my finger on it. It’s so frustrating. (hide spoiler)]

[Aga]

Melanie wrote: "Aga wrote: "Leonie wrote: "I am 75% through and loving it! I wondered if the style would mean it might be the first Sanderson book I wouldn't enjoy, but no, the style just adds to the whole thing!
..."

True. Edited. Thanks for pointing it out.

[Melanie, the neutral party]

No worries. Thanks.

[Aga]

I start to think I’m right if it may be a spoiler ;)

[Melanie, the neutral party]

...

[Allison, Fairy Mod-mother]

it's certainly more than surface level thoughts, and an interesting guess!

[Leonie]

Gabi wrote: "Leonie wrote: "And I have now finished it! Loved it!"

Now that you have finished, Leonie, may I ask which clues you had for your assumption about Huck? Could you tell me in spoiler tags? Cause I'm..."

Leonie's Huck Theories
(view spoiler)[ 1. Huck decides to stick to Tress no matter what
2. They have a number of conversations regarding his past
3. His ...'cough' name Huck/Chuck
4. He knows what the King's people look like
5. He got dragged off to see the world from the place his family had lived for generations
6. He knows about Masks (highborn family)
7. Talks just like Charlie (all the time without ceasing and about all kinds of things)
8. References having lived on a tiny place with a family just like Charlie's
9. Knew the specifics of Charlie's kidnapping
10. Goes to extreme's to protect Tress to his own detriment
(hide spoiler)]

[Aga]

Chapters 25-33:

(view spoiler)[I like how the vines around the chapter numbers grow bigger.

Is there a real King’s Mask among the crew? If I had to guess I would say it has to be Ann. Being a legendary bad shooter could be a good disguise. (hide spoiler)]

[Aga]

Chapter 42:

(view spoiler)[*Gasp* So Ulaam is a kandra! (hide spoiler)]

[Charlie]

Aga wrote: "Chapter 19:
[spoilers removed]"

I'm getting those vibes too!