Review: Tress of the Emerald Sea
I wonder if Kickstarter shows statistics for campaigns you’ve backed. In the case of Sanderson’s 2022 Four Secret Books, as a big fan of his work (especially Stormlight Archive) I’d like to imagine I was one of the first backers.
However, when I first read the premise for Tress of the Emerald Sea, I was not thrilled. A girl saving her boyfriend from an evil sorceress? Where was the character depth? The worldbuilding complexity? The intricate magic system that we’ve all come to expect from Sanderon’s work?
I’m so glad that I was wrong.
Well, okay, I’m partially right. I would say Tress is one of his less developed main characters. She paled in comparison to the depth of Kaladin or Shallan. But anyway, I’m mostly wrong. The spores is one of those magic systems that when you first read about you think, “wow, how innovative!” and then knowing it’s part of the Cosmere your next thought is, “WOW, it fits perfectly!” And in true Sanderson fashion, the twelve different spores get used in clever ways, both alone and in combination, to get Tress out of sticky situations. Those scenes, just like in Mistborn or Stormlight Archive, are a true joy to read.
But overall, it is the narrator, Hoid, who steals the show. A strong narrative voice is an unusual stylistic choice for Sanderson, making this look like no other book he’s written. But by doing so, every paragraph oozes with that Hoid charm we’ve come to love from the Cosmere. I laughed out loud numerous times, such as when someone’s intellect is compared to soggy bread, or when pelicans are uffers as an example of poor divine execution. It’s cute, it’s wholesome, and it just works.
Thematically, the found family trope comes through front and center. The other pirates on Tress’ ship are distinct, well defined characters with their own goals. And watching them support Tress (and her them in return) is utterly charming.
Finally, I want to shoutout the accompanied artwork by Howard Lyon. I’ll admit, at first I had not be fond of the novel including art. After all, this is not a graphic novel. Why visually show us what the scene looks like, when you can instead build it through your words? However, this stylistic choice very much fits the fairytale vibe of the book, and the art itself is delightful.