Tress of the Emerald Sea
Tress of the Emerald Sea is an epic fantasy novel written by American author Brandon Sanderson. It was part of the Cosmere fictional universe and the first book of Sanderson's "Secret Project" Kickstarter campaign. It was exclusively released on January 1, 2023, by Dragonsteel Entertainment to Kickstarter backers, released online as an ebook, epub, and pdf on 10 January 2023, and officially published on April 4, 2023, by Tor Books.
![]() Tor Books edition cover | |
Author | Brandon Sanderson |
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Cover artist | Howard Lyon (Dragonsteel) Carlos Guimerà (Tor) |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Series | Cosmere |
Genre | Fantasy novel |
Published | January 1, 2023 (Dragonsteel; availible to Kickstarters) 10 January 2023 (Dragonsteel; availible to all) April 4, 2023 (Tor) |
Publisher | Dragonsteel Entertainment Tor Books |
Media type | Print (hardcover and paperback), audiobook, e-book |
Pages | 384 pp |
ISBN | 978-1-25-089965-1 |
Premise
Tress is a girl living on an island in an emerald-green ocean. She is always curious about the outside world, and enjoys listening to stories told by her friend Charlie. However, Charlie's father takes him on a voyage to find a bride and the ship is caught in danger. Tress thus stows away on a ship and sails across the deadly Midnight Sea full of pirates to look for the Sorceress.
Publication
In spring 2022, Brandon Sanderson announced a Kickstarter campaign of "Secret Projects" to publish four secret and brand-new novels written during the COVID-19 pandemic. The campaign reached its goal within a day, and accumulated a total of $41.7 million.[1][2] Tress of the Emerald Sea is the first of the Secret Projects and is part of Sanderson's fictional Cosmere universe.[1] The novel is inspired by William Goldman’s 1973 novel The Princess Bride and is narrated by Hoid, a recurring character who had appeared in multiple Cosmere series novels and whom Sanderson always wanted to have a book centered on.[3][4]
Kickstarter campaign backers received premium editions of the novel published by Dragonsteel Entertainment on January 1, 2023 and a standard hardback edition published by Tor Books was officially released on April 4, 2023.[1][5]
Reception
Kirkus Reviews called the novel "a fantasy adventure with a sometimes-biting wit", and praising it for the engrossing worldbuilding, appealing characters and sense of humor.[6]
Lyndsey Luther of Tor.com called the novel "fascinating and completely unlike anything I’ve seen in any other fantasy novel". She described the novel as "a fairy-tale Cosmere adventure filled with fun characters" and said "Sanderson’s gift for creating unique settings really shines".[7]
Abdallah Mbajja of The Observer also described the novel as "an emotional rollercoaster filled with quirky characters, engaging story arcs, and an epic adventure", which "fantasy readers rarely see".[8]
David Wiley of Open Letters Review praised the novel for its "punchy pacing, witty humor, vibrant characters, and fascinating magic systems", yet he criticized the narrative and too many Cosmere-related subtleties added to the plot.[9]
References
- "Brandon Sanderson's Tress of the Emerald Sea Will Release in Bookstores on April 4th". Tor.com. February 1, 2023. Archived from the original on February 3, 2023. Retrieved April 22, 2023.
- McGill, William (April 1, 2023). "Top 10 Science Fiction Novels coming out in 2023". International Business Times. Archived from the original on January 12, 2023. Retrieved April 22, 2023.
- Roman, Daniel (March 26, 2023). "8 stories from Brandon Sanderson's Cosmere we need adapted onscreen". FanSided. winteriscoming.net. Archived from the original on March 30, 2023. Retrieved April 22, 2023.
- Armstrong, Vanessa (April 1, 2022). "Here's What Brandon Sanderson's Four Kickstarter Books Are About". Tor.com. Archived from the original on January 12, 2023. Retrieved April 22, 2023.
- Morgan, Adam (March 29, 2023). "Welcome to Brandon Sanderson's Fantasy Empire". Esquire. Archived from the original on April 20, 2023. Retrieved April 22, 2023.
- "TRESS OF THE EMERALD SEA". Kirkus Reviews. April 12, 2023. Archived from the original on April 19, 2023. Retrieved April 22, 2023.
- Luther, Lyndsey (April 4, 2023). "Pirates and Worldhoppers Ahoy! Brandon Sanderson's Tress of the Emerald Sea". Tor.com. Archived from the original on April 17, 2023. Retrieved April 22, 2023.
- Mbajja, Abdallah (January 13, 2023). "Brandon Sanderson outdoes himself again". The Observer. Archived from the original on January 13, 2023. Retrieved April 22, 2023.
- Wiley, David (March 4, 2023). "Tress of the Emerald Sea by Brandon Sanderson". Open Letters Review. Archived from the original on April 22, 2023. Retrieved April 22, 2023.