Isles of the Emberdark (Cosmere: Sixth of the Dusk #2)[August 1, 2025]

[Yanique, Thread Master]

This is a Buddy Read for Isles of the Emberdark by Brandon Sanderson starting on August 1, 2025.


Happy Reading!

[Nirkatze]

Thank you!

[Nirkatze]

I was just doing some research on this--reportedly this will have "high Cosmere connectivity" similar to his other recent publications: Wind and Truth, The Lost Metal etc, but should also be able to stand on its own as an entry point--kind of like The Sunlit Man. Also, Sixth of the Dusk is supposedly included in the book--someone on reddit theorized it might be in flashbacks? So it'll be interesting to see if that needs to be read separately or not...

My kickstarter copy ships in a week and I should have my ecopy in hand by Tues, so I'll share then!

[Timelord Iain, Tech Support]

So much for November 1st... my audiobook just unlocked on Audible...

[Diana Stormblessed]

Nirkatze wrote: "I was just doing some research on this--reportedly this will have "high Cosmere connectivity" similar to his other recent publications: Wind and Truth, [book:The Lost Metal|2394708..."

Yeah I was reading how he wrote it and then realized that you really need Sixth of Dusk to understand it, so he basically just rewrote the novella into the first third of the book. I’m ok with that cuz it’s been like 10 years since I read the novella so I could use the recap.

[Ann-Marie]

Meanwhile I bought the pre-order in the big sale and forgot like a dummy so I guess I am in! We are waiting or moving this up? Do I need to read the other book or not?

[Timelord Iain, Tech Support]

I'm open to whatever

[Diana Stormblessed]

Ann-Marie wrote: "Meanwhile I bought the pre-order in the big sale and forgot like a dummy so I guess I am in! We are waiting or moving this up? Do I need to read the other book or not?"

Supposedly you don’t need to read anything else cuz he wrote it into this one. So you’re good to go!

[Nirkatze]

I was looking through the PDF file, and it does look like it's a heavy rewrite... I think I'd like to reread Sixth, and then read Isles, and see how it is changed... it looks like the timeline jumps around and it's in interwoven chapters of "xxx years ago", brought on by present-day connections...

I'm also ok with moving this up... but I won't be able to work it in soon. I have so many BRs planned this month I had to cut down the addresses in my tracker comment so I wouldn't go over the character limit...

[Narilka]

I'm up for moving this to August.

[Timelord Iain, Tech Support]

August 8th?... or is that too soon for Nirkatze?...

[Nirkatze]

I might actually beg sooner... I'm gonna eye read, and school starts for me on the 11th... so maybe Aug 1st? By "not too soon" I meant not this week, lol.

[Narilka]

I say lets go for it then. I might be late but that shouldn't hold anyone else up :)

[Ann-Marie]

I have a Dark Tower sized hole in my schedule for the 1st so I am fine with it :)

[Nirkatze]

Yay!

[Timelord Iain, Tech Support]

Dark Tower who?

[Ann-Marie]

Timelord Iain wrote: "Dark Tower who?

"

Funny

[Timelord Iain, Tech Support]

I'm definitely happy to be free...

[Ann-Marie]

Timelord Iain wrote: "I'm definitely happy to be free..."

You are acting like it was Cycle of Galand or something and it wasn't nearly that bad lol

[Timelord Iain, Tech Support]

Ann-Marie wrote: "Timelord Iain wrote: "I'm definitely happy to be free..."

You are acting like it was Cycle of Galand or something and it wasn't nearly that bad lol"

I mean......... ;)

I know they're not the same the same... but they kinda fall into the same category of books I finish out of completionist / experiential tendencies...

Speaking of which, I bought The Shattered Path & The Cycle of Galand on sales, and have The Third Scour on my Wishlist, because I'm a masochist...

[Ann-Marie]

Timelord Iain wrote: "Speaking of which, I bought The Shattered Path & The Cycle of Galand on sales, and have The Third Scour on my Wishlist, because I'm a masochist... "

I am glad you admit it lol

[Narilka]

I requested the mods update the thread to Aug 1.

[Narilka]

I was worried I'd be late. Instead I'm starting early :D

I like the author's note. Makes me feel better that I slacked about reading Sixth of the Dust. I still want to read the original short so perhaps I'll do it in a couple months. That will be interesting.

I basically went into this completely blind because Sanderson hah Prologue (view spoiler)[I was not expecting dragons! That was very sweet, it's her birthday. Now I'm wondering how big of a time skip there will be, if any at all. (hide spoiler)]

[Narilka]

Through Ch 11 (view spoiler)[This is interesting. Apparently future Scadrians are hunting for another well of ascension of this planet's shard. And there's something special about their parrots. It too me a while to connect that Dusk was a hunter of parrots and not a food hunter exactly. Seems like everyone has their own birds here. I also thought that maybe his one bird was special but with everyone having them, seems they have other abilities? RAFO! (hide spoiler)]

I also realized that the male narrator was bugging me because he reads slow. Turned up the speed and it's a much better narration. Not sure if anyone else will encounter similar because the rest of you already use faster listening speeds than I normally do.

[Diana Stormblessed]

Narilka wrote: "Through Ch 11 [spoilers removed]

I also realized that the male narrator was bugging me because he reads slow. Turned up the speed and it's a much better narration. Not sure if anyone else will enc..."

Wait there's an audiobook? There wasn't one sent with the backerkit. Ugh. This is going to be a slow read for me cuz I'll be eye reading it.

[Timelord Iain, Tech Support]

We pushed up the BR because the audio released on Audible much sooner than expected... I assume audio was a different tier than ebook only... Maybe you have an unread email if it released later than the ebook?

[Nirkatze]

I got my audiobook... but I can't find the links etc when I log in to my backerkit... it was definitely in an email...

[Nirkatze]

My hardcover came in the mail yesterday and while it is super cool and exciting I didn't realize that they would be unsigned. I'm kinda bummed now.

[Timelord Iain, Tech Support]

Male narrator... Reads slow...

Sounds like Michael "Molasses" Kramer, who does all the wheel of time and cosmete male voices...

[Timelord Iain, Tech Support]

I think you generally have to pay more to get it signed...

[Nirkatze]

Actually, it's illegal to charge more for signed books.

But special editions on kickstarters... those should be signed.

[Timelord Iain, Tech Support]

Probably gets around it by including other knickknacks?

[Narilka]

@Diana - I received my audio book from my backer kit. I have no idea if it was a tier thing since paying so long ago.

@Nirkatze - There was an email link to click on that gave me a promo code use at Audible for my book.

[Narilka]

Nirkatze wrote: "Actually, it's illegal to charge more for signed books.

But special editions on kickstarters... those should be signed."

Maybe in regular stores. Pretty sure the signed books on Kickstarter were a separate tier.

[Narilka]

Timelord Iain wrote: "Male narrator... Reads slow...

Sounds like Michael "Molasses" Kramer, who does all the wheel of time and cosmete male voices..."

I'm glad it's not just me! Though I've yet to listen to any books read by Kramer it's good to note I'd likely need to increase his speed too. Hopefully my brain remembers in the future :)

[Narilka]

Through Ch 17 (view spoiler)[This is interesting. We're witnessing the almost immediate effects of societal progress since it's only been 5 years between stories. I have to wonder if the planet would've progressed as fast if it wasn't for their unwanted visitors.

Now I'm not sure if it's a well of ascension since it is working differently and yet... it probably is acting like a teleport portal because it's another planet?? I'm sure godly shard essence could manage that. Now that I think about it, I'm sure the sky is the limit with these things and it's really bound by the thoughts of whoever enters the well as to the result.

I'm also annoyed at a severe lack of dragons given the teaser in the prologue. (hide spoiler)]

[Diana Stormblessed]

Nirkatze wrote: "My hardcover came in the mail yesterday and while it is super cool and exciting I didn't realize that they would be unsigned. I'm kinda bummed now."

I have the hard back and the ebook but the link for the ebook doesn't have an audio option. I triple checked. Sad.

[Diana Stormblessed]

Narilka wrote: "@Diana - I received my audio book from my backer kit. I have no idea if it was a tier thing since paying so long ago.

@Nirkatze - There was an email link to click on that gave me a promo code use..."

I'm annoyed. I'll check again but I don't think there's an audio option on mine. All the other books had audio options.

Editing comment: I rechecked and only have the Dragonsteel Prime audiobook. It does mention something about the Isles of the Emberdark audio where applicable, so it might be a tier think. I didn't get the highest tier. I didn't realize this would be a difference.

[Timelord Iain, Tech Support]

I paid for audio only, I think it also came with ebook (on the Secret Projects... I didn't do this kickstarter)...

[Narilka]

Half way through Ch 25. This one is definitely for Cosmere fans. (view spoiler)[Apparently I've let myself forget a lot of the Cosmere interconnected stuff and am feeling a bit overwhelmed with all the details. It makes me wish I was reading this with my eyes because it's much easier to look things up when I'm reading print vs audio. I think there's new stuff in with the old though it's not really being explained yet. I have a feeling Iain and Nirkatze will pick up on what's going on a lot faster than I did :)

I also think I missed something at the end of book 1 as Dusk's back story seemed unfinished and it was all supposed to be included in that section. I may be picking up the novella sooner than I thought.

Dusk is floating through Shadesmar. I'd say it is indeed possible that his people originally traveled to their current home planet from elsewhere since we know for sure Shadesmar is well traveled.

And of course Hoid is the dragon's mentor or whatever. (hide spoiler)]

[Timelord Iain, Tech Support]

Feels like all the Secret Projects are, and most other regular releases too...

I mean... Lost Metal, Wind & Truth / Rhythm of War... the name of the 3rd Mistborn trilogy is a spoiler... etc

[Timelord Iain, Tech Support]

Started... I see this is actually new narrators... fancy...

Not too far in yet... chapter 8... 2hrs in on audio...

It's been forever since I read the novella/short story...

(view spoiler)[is Dusk bonded to that Yolen dragon from the prologue, in some shapeshifted bird form?...

I definitely suspect the Scadrians of using colonizer tactics, waiting for the birds to start dying, or to have engineered the situation... nice to see someone in-world thinks the same thing...

That Rosharan in armor is cool... Shard Guns now?... reminded me more of the Dead Spren Shardplate, or the fabrial-made ones that were being invented before Radiants returned... the way the gun had to have a power pack removed to dissolve away...

The Scadrians with their tech sound like a cross between fabrials and/or them Seons masquerading as fabrials in Wind & Truth... (hide spoiler)]

Lots of cool stuff to think about...

[Timelord Iain, Tech Support]

Finished book 1... I guess that was the skimmable recap and "story so far" section, before getting to the newer Isles of the Emberdark stuff?... almost 5hrs in now...

Barely scratched the surfact of book 2, but already, getting into new stuff about SF era... (view spoiler)[cobbling together technology from across the Cosmere, I was gonna say Lodestar controls sound like the Nintendo Switch, but Sanderson basically said the same thing in a vague way, when Starling referenced game consoles...

Is Nazh a Cognitive Shadow?... (hide spoiler)]

[Timelord Iain, Tech Support]

Finished book 2, started book 3, 8hrs in now, 8hrs remaining...

This is eminently readable, without knowing all the Cosmere stuff, but it's definitely stacked high with theoryfodder and Easter Eggs for fans that are clued in as much as possible...

I'm just enjoying the ride...

Now that the girl from the prologue and the guy from Sixth of Dusk and book/part 1 are alternating back and forth, this book/book is littered with feints and misdirects, waiting to see their plots converge...

[Timelord Iain, Tech Support]

Narilka wrote: "Half way through Ch 25...." It's definitely more of an allusion than straight-up rehash of Sixth of Dusk... I barely remember Sixth of Dusk, but from what I remember, it's mostly (view spoiler)[Dusk floating around, doing tracker stuff with his aviar... Those From Above arriving and wanting to trade for aviar... and the deal made to delay them... stuff mentioned/implied by Vashti and the council meetings... (hide spoiler)]

[Narilka]

Timelord Iain wrote: "Narilka wrote: "Half way through Ch 25...." It's definitely more of an allusion than straight-up rehash of Sixth of Dusk... I barely remember Sixth of Dusk, but from what I remember, it's mostly [s..."

Huh. It seems like an anticlimactic ending. Weird. Which is why I thought I missed something.

Through Ch 33 (view spoiler)[I am liking this a lot more now that we're past the big Cosmere rush of terms and alternating between POVs. It's been coming back.

I had it completely wrong lol It's a perpendicularity on Dusk's home world. The description of a pool threw me.

The ghost on the ship is from the Silence novella right? Isn't that the ghosts in the forest that Silence had to not anger or their eyes turned red and they went on a killing spree? It was my "ah ha" moment when his eyes were mentioned.

I like Dusk's resourcefulness. He is figuring out how to invest himself though he has no idea that's what he's done by eating the weird creature. And talking to his god lol It's also sweet he's starting to win over the other aviar.

Now that Starlight has the map, our two characters should meet up soon. I'm looking forward to it. (hide spoiler)]

[Timelord Iain, Tech Support]

Nazh is the mapmaker that goes around with Khrissala in earlier eras... (view spoiler)[no idea how he died and became a Cognitive Shadow / Shade... also, he's alot more friendly than the other Shades we met in the Threnody novella, I think... the Silence Forest one you mentioned... (hide spoiler)]

[Diana Stormblessed]

Just started. Read the prologue and recognized Frost. This one already starts with cosmere connections. 🙂

[Nirkatze]

I'm curious--what versions are people reading? I have both the ebook and physical, and have been comparing them... and finding some interesting discrepancies. Like the Author's Note is called Preface in the ebook, and one of the pictures is in Chapter 7 in the print copy and chapter 8 in the ebook.

[Nirkatze]

Oh, and if anyone is pure audio and wants to check out the art, Coppermind has it:

https://coppermind.net/wiki/Isles_of_...

EDIT: it has most of the major art, but it doesn't seem to have the chapter heading nature study art yet.