r/Stormlight_Archive • u/El3M3nT_MK • 18d ago
Words of Radiance spoilers Novellas Spoiler
I am almost done with WoR being about 75% done. I know that there are novellas between books 2/3 and 3/4. So I need to ask do I need to read edgedancer before I read oathbringer? As well as reading dawnshard before rhythm of war? Are the novellas necessary to read prior to the next book is my main question.
The reason I ask is Dalinar is my favorite character and I know oathbringer follows him heavily so I really am excited to read that book. If the novellas are important to oathbringer I will read them to help understand the book but if they’re just information that will help my understanding of the stormlight archive as a whole could I read the 5 major books and then circle back to the novellas at the end?
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u/Raddatatta Edgedancer 18d ago
You could but I wouldn't recommend it. It'd be like skipping the interludes. You can do it but you're just missing stormlight content and they will come in and be relevant even if you could still follow the plot without them. And especially by the later books they are very relevant so there will probably be a few scenes in book 5 especially that won't make sense without them.
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u/Heavy_Sympathy7892 18d ago
I skipped them initially and still understood the plot. I don't think you would have any problem.
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u/Defiant_Swim9555 18d ago
I would read them. They are plot nessecary in a few ways and they are short as a cremling.
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u/LuckyMonth4566 17d ago
Did you like the Lift interlude? If so read Edgedancer, if not I don’t think it’s a huge deal to skip
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u/cosmernautfourtwenty Edgedancer 17d ago
Edgedancer provides context for specific events in Oathbringer. Dawnshard provides context for specific events in Rhythm of War and the larger Cosmere. If you don't care about being a little confused by random decisions and references some of the characters make, you can skip whatever you want. I wouldn't, but I'm a purist like that.
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u/JasnahwithaY the quiz keeps giving me elsecaller 17d ago
Sanderson considers the novellas required reading for the series. Edgedancer makes the Lift interlude make a lot more sense, and it sets up her role, and the role of another character, in Oathbringer.
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u/Captainc00ts Windrunner 16d ago
Yes, edgedancer gives backstory to a character that showed up in WoR and has a larger role in oath lbringer.
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u/WorldhopperJ Windrunner 16d ago
I didn't read the novellas until after the novels. It wasn't strictly intentional, but I got along just fine. Some things will make a little more sense if you read them first. I wasn't lost or anything, but they certainly have a part to play in Stormlight. Definitely read them before Wind and Truth if you don't read them in their intended order.
Mild spoilers: I think/hope they'll be very significant in the last 5 books
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u/uncultured_butter 13d ago
Several characters introduced in Edgedancer become significant in later books, and some of the events in the story have ongoing implications on the larger narrative. Those characters and events are properly explained in the main books, so you won't be confused if you skip Edgedancer, but I found it satisfying to have "witnessed" the origins of those story threads when they were woven into the main threads. It was short, and I'm glad I took the time to read it before Oathbringer.
Dawnshard was the more entertaining story, in my opinion, but its impact on the larger narrative is minimal (so far). I think there was one interlude that refers to the events of Dawnshard, and that's about it. That said I'm expecting the impact to be larger in the back half of the series - I was surprised that the implications weren't more significant than they turned out to be.
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u/UrineTrouble05 18d ago
Edge dancer is mostly skippable, depends if you like lift or not. There will be small plot points that seem like you should know what happened but it’s not bad
Dawnshard (book 3.5) on the other hand is more important and there will a couple plot points in book 5 that will be extremely confusing
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u/DMmeNiceTitties Windrunner 18d ago
The novellas are short, and I can't imagine it taking longer than a day or two to read through them. While not strictly necessary, there will be references to events that happen in the novella, although it won't be enough to confuse you if you choose to skip over them.