Introduction
I typically read about two fantasy books a month. I finished Tress of the Emerald Sea in one day. It is a short novel by Sanderson standards, but the whimsical plot, dynamic characters and up to par worldbuilding is what really accelerated my completion of this excellent book.
Plot Summary
In the postscript Brandon Sanderson describes the inspiration for this book arriving while watching the Princess Bride with his family. When circumstances force two childhood lovers apart the girl waits and hopes while the man takes action to win his true love. Sanderson bases his story on answering the hypothetical question that occurs to many modern viewers, “What if the girl had agency to rescue her man.” Instead of a grandpa narrating the story to his nephew Brandon Sanderson uses the voice of Hoid, an exceptionally clever narrator who frequently breaks the fourth wall. The majority of the action takes place on a pirate ship with a diverse cast of side characters and villains that all manage to shine and develop in their short time with the reader.
World building and Setting
Brandon Sanderson has solidified a reputation for his unique fantasy worlds where worldbuilding plays a critical component in the plot, mystery and immersion of his work. On Tress’ planet he utilizes the concept of a sea of spores that interact with water to create magical and dangerous effects. This magic system pairs perfectly with Tress whose superpower’s are limited to determination, ingenuity and avoiding the status quo. Tress of the Emerald Sea slowly builds on the readers understanding of spores at a perfect pace; readers are never inundated with detail, but provided with enough detail to predict how spores can be used to solve problems.
Character Development
As the narrator, Hoid, explains Tress is a unique character due to her consistent kindness, ability to consider new perspectives and reliance on her friends. From beginning to end I rooted for Tress as she uses talents that any of us can develop to win friends and overcome daunting obstacles. One of my favorite moments occurs when Tress, a window washer in her hometown, immediately starts scrubbing the deck to earn the acceptance of a cruel pirate captain. Every officer of the crew is a named character while the rest of the crew Hoid refers to as Dougs. I thought that the term Doug would be a throwaway joke but it consistently appeared throughout the story winning a laugh or smile at every mention. The ship’s captain, first-mate, helmsman, quartermaster, assistant cannonmaster and surgeon are all sufficiently developed side characters. Each one has sufficient depth to remain distinguishable and entertaining throughout the book. Tress of the Emerald Sea is at its best when all the characters interact together and grow from a divided group of pirates to a cohesive family unit. Overall, despite Tress being a standalone novel with less words to develop characters, the main and side characters retain the depth you would expect from a Brandon Sanderson story.
Writing Style and Language
Brandon Sanderson is often criticized as not having beautiful prose like Ursula K. Le Guin or Patrick Rothfuss: these criticisms came before Tress of the Emerald Sea. Although many readers appreciate Sanderson’s utilitarian writing style; I appreciated the venture into more artful storytelling. A stand out passage for me occurred just before the climax of the book when a well written extended metaphor compared adapting to our situation “Like water in a strangely shaped jug.” The passage resonated with me so strongly that I took the time to commit it in it entirety to paper in my notebook. The fairytale-like story is one of Sanderson’s funniest works thanks to Hoid’s sharp-witted narration combined with a curse he is under that gives Hoid a proclivity for the absurd. While I do not believe style to be a weakness in any of Sanderson’s books, it is certainly a strength in Tress of the Emerald Sea.
Conclusion – 9.5/10
I strongly recommend Tress of the Emerald Sea to previous fans of Brandon Sanderson, and to first time readers who are more intimidated by his longer, darker series. This particular book had a similar feel to Naomi Novick’s standalone books Uprooted and Spinning Silver. This book is easily a 9.5/10 for me.
