Chaos Posted January 1, 2023 Report Share Posted January 1, 2023 Put your full book reactions to Tress of the Emerald Sea (which is Secret Project 1) here. Note in this forum, talk about stuff in Tress only, not greater cosmere connections. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Necessary Eagle Posted January 1, 2023 Report Share Posted January 1, 2023 I love it! 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Unknown Ajah Posted January 1, 2023 Report Share Posted January 1, 2023 Just finished part one, blazed through it and am loving the storybook nature. Probably going to start on part two in a second. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Oltux72 Posted January 1, 2023 Report Share Posted January 1, 2023 This book really increases my dislike for Hoid to new heights. There is something distasteful about the same man making jokes about officers losing men and then abusing a crew and getting some of them killed for your own personal power. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kaladong Stormguy Posted January 2, 2023 Report Share Posted January 2, 2023 I just finished it. I enjoyed it a good bit. I'm still mulling it over as I kinda marathoned it, but I'd give it like a 7 (relative to other books in the Cosmere). Spoiler No big moments of emotional catharsis and not much of a Sanderlanche either imo, but it got some chuckles out of me and I like Tress. I actually like all of the officers and Huck of course, but they didn't have a lot of depth to them. I'd say Fort is my favorite cause I got a soft spot for hulking dudes that are big softies. But I really liked all of them. There just wasn't enough time to develop to the standard of other Cosmere characters. The Huck/Charlie reveal was kinda expected, so I wish they would have had more screentime to make me more invested in their connection. It was great at the beginning, but once Charlie came back as Huck it felt like Brandon was careful to not give him to many scenes with Tress, as to preserve the surprise. But as the secret was pretty easy to see, it felt kinda underwhelming. The aethers were cool as was the first onscreen dragon. And I didn't expect the sorceress to be what she was (trying to avoid spoilers for other books per this thread's rules). As for as cosmere connections and realmatics goes, it definitely delivered. I just felt a little disappointed in the narrative and characters. Still a solid book though. I'm hoping the other secret projects are better, but I'll be content enough if they're all like this. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+robardin Posted January 2, 2023 Report Share Posted January 2, 2023 I saw the Huck reveal coming, though not its specifics. It was never explained how Huck the Talking Rat ended up on the same ship that Tress tried to escape on, though I guess it’s easy enough to imagine that he was trying all this time to get back to Tress on the island (even in rat form, to be close to her) and this happened to be one of the ships going there at all in that timeframe. I did not, however, see the endgame with the dragon coming. That was a nice touch. I’m curious what The Sorceress wanted with her “ransoms” of “royal blood”. Evidently this wasn’t the first time she’d captured someone and asked for that. I guess she’d only take the ransom if it was an upgrade from whoever she’d decided/bothered to capture and curse, instead of just having killed. I guess we have no idea how many people she’s cursed in this way on Lumar. She seems to be on the planet for entertainment purposes. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
habatab Posted January 2, 2023 Report Share Posted January 2, 2023 I really enjoyed this one! As I have seen a few other people mention, it was delightful to read a relatively (cosmere-ically) low risk book. I also really enjoyed the aethers being looked at more fully. The onscreen dragon had me on the edge of my seat! I was initially really worried with the concept of sorcery being added, that it would feel very un-Brandon as a type of magic in the cosmere, but by the end of the book I was enthralled with how it was handeled and presented. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FireandAshes Posted January 3, 2023 Report Share Posted January 3, 2023 11 hours ago, robardin said: I’m curious what The Sorceress wanted with her “ransoms” of “royal blood”. Evidently this wasn’t the first time she’d captured someone and asked for that. I guess she’d only take the ransom if it was an upgrade from whoever she’d decided/bothered to capture and curse, instead of just having killed. I guess we have no idea how many people she’s cursed in this way on Lumar. She seems to be on the planet for entertainment purposes. yeah, the legends with the sorceress were weird. i just sort of chalked it up as a. rumors the dukes father was perpetuating to make sending his son to death, b. a (relatively) more primitive culture extrapolating on the title the Sorceress and making up things to go along with that, and c. the sorceress herself trying to perpetuate rumors to make herself more mystical. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StormingTexan Posted January 4, 2023 Report Share Posted January 4, 2023 This was a fun light read which is honestly nice to mix in every once in a while. It felt at times a little distracting as Hoid narrating it mainly the little nuggets he would throw out there for the fans but not a huge deal. Was awesome to see and get a good description of the Dragon. The sorceress reveal was pretty awesome too. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AquaRegia Posted January 4, 2023 Report Share Posted January 4, 2023 I enjoyed the book. I'm worried, though, about how much of Brandon's writing has taken on a "Young Adult" tone. I'm glad that such works exist, and I celebrate the variety he's obviously aiming for... but I crave the fully realized characters and emotional depths of Mistborn Era 1 and the Stormlight Archives. He's SO GOOD at it! Both recent novels - Tress and The Lost Metal - seemed disappointingly adolescent to me. I hope we get more grown-up fare in at least some of the remaining Secret Projects. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RaeTheRaven Posted January 5, 2023 Report Share Posted January 5, 2023 I really enjoyed it. I liked the relative lightheartedness and found myself chuckling on a few occasions. I found it... very odd to have so much information about Hoid and the cosmere casually tossed about. Even though it wasn't necessarily new information, it's just weird to have so much of it in a relatively short book, when it usually comes in small doses. I guess that's the benefit of having a narrator who knows so much without needing the other characters to know as well. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
teknopathetic Posted January 6, 2023 Report Share Posted January 6, 2023 (edited) I liked it but I really think Michael Kramer was the wrong audiobook reader for this piece. I’ve finished maybe 200 audiobooks and in Tress the voices were … a lot. Edited January 6, 2023 by teknopathetic 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
teknopathetic Posted January 6, 2023 Report Share Posted January 6, 2023 (edited) On 1/2/2023 at 0:50 PM, habatab said: I really enjoyed this one! As I have seen a few other people mention, it was delightful to read a relatively (cosmere-ically) low risk book. I also really enjoyed the aethers being looked at more fully. The onscreen dragon had me on the edge of my seat! I was initially really worried with the concept of sorcery being added, that it would feel very un-Brandon as a type of magic in the cosmere, but by the end of the book I was enthralled with how it was handeled and presented. I was thinking that the sorceress might be the Nightwatcher since she deals with curses and the closest thing to “sorcery” we know. And then I ended up being super disappointed that the sorceress was an Elantrian. I wanted to learn more about Lumar, and getting some throw away Elantrian was meh IMO. I wish we had gotten something more relevant to the world itself and not just a nod to another book. Plus, I listened to it with my non-cosmere partner over a road trip, and he was very confused why none of the origins were explained for all the worldhopping characters. Edited January 16, 2023 by teknopathetic 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Captain Coffee Posted January 6, 2023 Report Share Posted January 6, 2023 I loved it. I loved Hoid's voice, and the thrown in random Cosmere stuff. I thought that it really worked for both the completely uninitiated and for people who are really Invested in the Cosmere. To a new reader, the magic was silly fun, but I kept being like, "Oh, yeah. That totally would work." I loved that Tress perceived herself as normal. I loved that Hoid called out her calmness and thoughtfulness as the things that made her a unique heroine. The Dragon negotiation was amazing. Also, even though I read it digitally, the way they used the green, red, and black ink was so cool. The book is absolutely beautiful. I will have to get a physical copy. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dierdra Posted January 10, 2023 Report Share Posted January 10, 2023 I truly loved this book. Tress shows the development that people go through when life changes them. We get to see her making these decisions that are really really HARD irl. I'm glad to see it specifically called out that she planned things and waited for more information rather than being rash and brash (which is also fine, but is portrayed way more often). It was a bit distracting at first piecing out Hoid's narrative wall breaking commentary from the story narrative, but I eventually got used to it. The process of the spores and the aether is very interesting and I think the bond between the verdant and midnight spores and Tress could have been explored a bit more in relation to the zephyr, rose, and crimson spores. I mean, when she first figured it out with verdant, did she not wonder if there was a bond with all the other types? 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
QuantumSpren Posted January 14, 2023 Report Share Posted January 14, 2023 Well that was absolutely wonderful! I'd been in a Sanderson reading slump for a while but that really pulled me back in. I really couldn't stop smiling all the way through this book. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Honorless Posted January 27, 2023 Report Share Posted January 27, 2023 (edited) It was a beautiful book! Quite a few amazing quotes regarding the nature of memories that'll stick with me. The setting of the story was amazing. Anyone else's heart just about stopped here? (Ch 60) Quote Never mind this quote box, oops Spoiler Charlie didn’t seem like he’d changed at all. That was good. She’d worried his captivity would have left him mentally scarred. But here he was, perky and excitable as always. He could have given lessons to puppies on how to be properly enthusiastic. Good old Charlie. Same as ever. Tress was not the same. Because, ouch. But I also kinda wanna read a version of the story where... y'know where I'm going with this Spoiler where this was it. Where people just change. And grow different and distant. What we got was more upbeat, but just as wonderful I realised at the same time as Tress who the rat was It was really great! Brandon has come really far Edited January 27, 2023 by Honorless 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aaronklassen Posted February 10, 2023 Report Share Posted February 10, 2023 I enjoyed the book. My son was reading the Evil Librarian at the same time as I was reading Tress. As he was sharing quotes with me I could see the same humour shine through in both books. As one person said above it does have a bit of a Young Adult feel. I would have liked to know more about the sorceress and where she is from or maybe I've missed something in the Cosmere. Overall, an enjoyable read. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lacrossedeamon Posted February 12, 2023 Report Share Posted February 12, 2023 On 2/10/2023 at 11:29 AM, aaronklassen said: I enjoyed the book. My son was reading the Evil Librarian at the same time as I was reading Tress. As he was sharing quotes with me I could see the same humour shine through in both books. As one person said above it does have a bit of a Young Adult feel. I would have liked to know more about the sorceress and where she is from or maybe I've missed something in the Cosmere. Overall, an enjoyable read. She appears first in Spoiler Secret History but not a major role (or at least an Elantrian with the exact same name assumed to be the same). 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xaladin Posted May 6, 2023 Report Share Posted May 6, 2023 I wonder what the mysterious thirteenth type of spores are. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Argenti Posted May 6, 2023 Report Share Posted May 6, 2023 8 hours ago, Xaladin said: I wonder what the mysterious thirteenth type of spores are. The bone spore? That is probably white sand from taldian 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tatumvay Posted May 23, 2023 Report Share Posted May 23, 2023 My reaction: boy, this was a fun one! I had a huge grin on my face - the book, when it arrived, is just gorgeous! I'm so proud to have it as an addition to the bookshelf. Most notably, Tress will go down as the book that finally convinced me to finish the rest of the Cosmere that hasn't been on my reading list, which are the books from Mistborn Era 2, Elantris, Arcanum Unbound, and White Sand. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
olivemyheart Posted June 5, 2023 Report Share Posted June 5, 2023 I'm late to the party because the evil god University demanded that I sacrifice all things that bring me joy in order to meet its demands, but I finally finished Tress last night. I was shocked when it was revealed that Huck was Charlie, but I wonder if I would have seen it coming if I hadn't put the book down for six months right after the part where Tress walks across the spores Overall the story was fun and engaging, although I have to agree with the people who think the narrative style was a bit grating. I liked Tress as a character a lot. Crow was a fun villain, Ulaam is great, and Fort is great. I enjoyed how Sanderson leaned into generic fantasy tropes in a fun way, making it congruous with existing Cosmere lore while still being enjoyable for people who haven't read his other books. As always, I'm impressed by his incredible foresight and ability to tie all his works together. I didn't think it was a masterpiece or anything, but a good read overall 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hoidcycling Posted July 1, 2023 Report Share Posted July 1, 2023 I have read all the Cosmere books and my GF had read non... she said it brought her back to fantasy. She hasn't read fantasy since HP. Spoiler Spoiler Spoiler 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spren of Kindness Posted July 22, 2023 Report Share Posted July 22, 2023 Even later, but I finally got to read this, and while I'm glad I didn't spend money I couldn't afford to lose, I almost wish I had bought the book, because this was absolutely delightful! I really got the fairy-tale feeling, and it was just down-right cozy. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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