“She felt less like a mere human being, and more like a human who was merely being.”–Brandon Sanderson, Tress of the Emerald Sea
This book was recommended to me as a good introduction to Brandon Sanderson. It is a stand alone book with a lot of characters, but not too many characters. In fact to help the reader not be overwhelmed, there are several characters who are all referred to as Doug! I wasn’t sure what to expect from this book, but I enjoyed it. It is quirky, fun, and very entertaining.
Tress is a window washer who lives on an island in the middle of the Emerald Sea. This is not the island of your dreams–this island is basically a rock, one you are not allowed to leave unless you are one of the higher ups. Tress lives simply and her greatest joys are collecting cups from visiting sailors and listening to the stories her friend, Charlie, tells her. Tress’ simple life becomes very complicated when Charlie’s father sends him away to find a bride and his ship is attacked. Charlie is being held for ransom and his father seems less than inclined to save his son. If Charlie is to be saved, it is up to Tress to save him. That means somehow leaving the island, sailing on a sea infested by pirates, finding the Sorceress of the deadly Midnight Sea, and managing to not get wet because a single drop of water can mean instant death.
This book is the first of four books in Sanderson’s “Secret Projects” series. These are books he wrote for and in collaboration with his wife and his editors and publishing team knew nothing about them. Earlier in Sanderson’s career he thought about writing a book that was similar in tone to William Goldman’s book, The Princess Bride. During the pandemic, Sanderson watched “The Princess Bride” movie with his family and afterwards his wife asked him what he thought would have happened had Buttercup gone after Westley instead of waiting for him to return. That was the impetus for this book and the inspiration from Goldman is apparent–tongue in cheek humor, whimsy, outright ridiculousness, witty dialog, and endearing characters.
If you want a book with adventure, heart, humor, and a very relatable heroine, look no further than Tress of the Emerald Sea.
**There are wonderful illustrations for this book, but they are only available in the e-reader version of the book.
Content Advisory: Violence, peril, death