Tress of The Emerald Sea - By Brandon Sanderson

Overview of Tress of The Emerald Sea - By Brandon Sanderson

Tress of the Emerald Sea is a 2023 book and is the first published novel of Brandon Sanderson’s secret projects, these were a series of books that he wrote isolated from his writing responsibilities and for his own enjoyment. This novel is a part of Brandon Sanderson’s overarching interconnected book series- The Cosmere. This novel is set on the planet of Lumar. The goal of Tress of the Emerald Sea was to capture the essence of a fairytale, as well instil humour throughout. This novel is written from a third-person perspective and the narrator is a man known as Hoid who also stars in the novel- but deprived from his usual acerbic personality. The story follows a young girl Glorf, who goes by the name Tress, that lives on an isolated island surrounded by a sea of spores. The spores at times go through a process known as fluidisation- which allows the traversal of the spores via ship. In this world, the spores are treated with fear and reverence as any contact a spore has with a human can be deadly, due to the spores reacting with the moisture on the skin. Tress is a lowborn window cleaner that develops an ostensible platonic relationship with the duke of the island’s son, Charlie. Tress is met with disapproval from Charlie’s father, and to combat any blossoming relationship the duke sends Charlie out to arrange a marriage. A year goes by without Charlie’s return, only for Tress to find out that the duke in a rageful state sent Charlie out to the eldritch Midnight Seas that is presided over by the mysterious Sorceress. After two months of mental lassitude, Tress decides to set out to save Charlie from the vagaries the Sorceress is known for. She secrets a way on to a smuggler ship to reach the Midnight Seas. Throughout her journey she takes up many roles through two different ships, the main role being a Sprouter- who work with the variety of spores that appear on Lumar. Their main tools are a shield of iron that attracts spores, and a steel one that repels them. If you’ve read other Sanderson’s novels, you’ll notice a constant of his magic systems, a push for every pull. The Sprouters use these tools to usually fill holes on the ships. They also use a splintbox that contains roseite spores, these spores grow exponentially when filled with water- these can be used to fill larger holes in hulls. She also takes on the role of a pirate when she boards the ship captained by Crow, who herself is infested with spores- this makes her both invincible and terminal. Through her time as a pirate is when we meet the rest of the eclectic cast of characters. There is the surgeon Dr. Ulaam, who will be noticeable to those who have read previous Cosmere novels. The carpenter of the ship – Ann, The helmswoman Salaay. Also, there is Hoid. A character that cameos in most of Sanderson’s novels, who has been cursed by the Sorceress. Prior to becoming a member of Captain Crow’s crew, she meets a talking rat called Huck on the smuggler’s ship – who she saves by crossing the sea to Crow’s ship during a period of stasis. There is more to the story, but to avoid spoilers for the wider Cosmere, it concludes as all fairytales do – with a happy ending. Tress defeats the Sorceress with help from Hoid after his curse is lifted. She saves Charlie, and the two of them return to their own island.


Cover of Tress of The Emerald Sea - By Brandon Sanderson


                                                                                



Review of Tress of The Emerald Sea

Positives

· I feel like this novel had a much more distinctive prose than Sanderson’s other works, with a more whimsical tone throughout. Sanderson has been critiqued for his prose in the past, but I found this entry to be strong.

· As with all of Sanderson’s novels, a strong magic system is in place that is governed by rules, it was interesting to see what he done with the variety of magic systems on display, and the potential future implications on the Cosmere.

· Considering this is Sanderson’s 25th novel written in the Cosmere, it does a good job to stand on its own and have a self-contained story. Making it a decent entry point for the Cosmere.

Negatives

· Despite it being a strong standalone, there is a lot of Cosmere references throughout that will go missing on those that haven’t read it all.

· There is a lot of different mechanics to take in that govern the Cosmere, so that can be slightly overwhelming.


Overall

Overall the book is another well thought-out and crafted novel from distinguished author, Brandon Sanderson. The book a standalone storyline, created for Sanderson's on enjoyment, rather than responsibility. It is more light-hearted than his other works, but still has a degree of serious writing. The book is a must-read for any fan of Sanderson and his ever-growing catalogue of stories.



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