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Author: Brandon Sanderson
Year: 2023
Genres: Fantasy, Adventure, Romance
Intro:
Some might think Tress lives a rather dull life. Her home is on a rock in the middle of a deadly emerald sea. She has never left this island, but she does not plan to either. She is perfectly content to wash windows and collect tea cups sailors bring her. She likes to take these tea cups to her friend Charlie, who tells her stories. She would have no complaint if her life were to go on this way.
Then one day, Tress and Charlie realize something. They love each other. However, they are not the only ones who realize this. You see, while Tress is just a window washer, Charlie happens to be the son of a duke. His father is not impressed with his love for Tress, so he takes him off across the Emerald Sea to find a different bride. Charlie promises Tress that he will come back and that he will not marry anyone else.
But, alas, he does not return. Instead, he is captured by the Sorceress of the even more deadly Midnight Sea. With no hope of escaping, Tress decides to cross these deadly seas to rescue her loved one.
Why are these seas so deadly anyway? Well, there is the pirates, for one. And I should also mention that these seas are not made of water. Instead, they are made out of spores that can cause instant death if you are standing too close to them when they receive even a drop of water.
Content Concerns:
This series is much cleaner than some of Sanderson’s other stuff, such as Mistborn, but it still has some content concerns. I don’t want to lead anyone into reading anything he or she does not want to, so I will try to be thurough on this part, but keep in mind, I may miss some stuff. Nevertheless, I think I have the biggest ones listed.
There is occasionally some language in this book. I noticed d—, a–, and one other word that I cannot recall, which is probably a good thing because Tress says she is not allowed to say it. Some exclamations are unique to this world. It has twelve moons, which cause the spores to fall into the seas. The people worship these moons as deities, and occasionally exclaim “Moons!” The narrator of the story sometimes says “gods!” or “shards!” I have not read too many Cosmere novels, so I am not sure what this last one is supposed to mean.
One character, named Ulaam is introduced as a zombie. He has grey skin and bloodshot eyes, which may make him seem all the more like one. However, he is not one and readers familiar with Brandon Sanderson’s Mistborn series will recognize him as a member of a shapeshifting race known as Kandra. Ulaam takes delight in eating human corpses, though he will not kill. I still found this somewhat disturbing since he has human companions. He often tries to convince others to give their body parts to him.
Being fantasy, there is of course some magic in here. When they come in contact with water, spores can do several things. Some sprout giant vines, some grow spikes, and other releases a gust of wind. If someone is not afraid of the spores, she has some control over what they do. Then there are midnight spores. These spores release black globs which can take on the shapes of various creatures. These can be controlled by people who will drink water for the spores in exchange. Sometimes, this means that the person controlling the midnight blob with actually enter its body.
The Sorceress puts curses on people who visit her using runes. She also has some other ‘magic’, but you need not worry about that, because it is heavenly implied that this ‘magic’ is technology.
A man is mentioned to be immortal. There is a justification for piracy, provided that the pirates are not killing those they rob. A man forgets to put on some clothing. No details are given and he is immediately sent away to find some. There are a couple of crude jokes about males being injured.
My Thought:
My rating for this book?
8.5/10 ⭐
I have read several Brandon Sanderson books, but this is one of my favourites. Its witty narrative was engaging, the various characters were fun, and the strange world was interesting. Tress was a relatable character for me. She feels that she must always help those who need it, but also feels it is wrong to ask others to help her. Sanderson also stole an idea I want to use in my books, having a side character narrate the tale. Too bad some content concerns take away from it, otherwise I would give this even more stars.
I also think the moral of this story is all right. It is all right to ask others for help, even if they have to go out of their way to help you. Of course, Brandon Sanderson is not a Christian, but a Mormon, but I think we can still learn from this. Galatians 6:2 tells us to carry each other’s burdens, for this is how we fulfill the law of Christ. When we ask others to help us, we give other Christians a chance to do this. How can we pray for others and help look after their needs if they are too afraid to inconvenience us with their needs?
I don’t want to say too much here, lest I spoil the story for you, but if the content concerns don’t bother you too much, I would recommend this book! I hope this review has been helpful.
Has anyone else read this book? If so, what are your thoughts? Any favourite quotes from it?
I loved Tress of the Emerald Sea! It’s one of my favorite books. I loved the plot twist at the end, with the rat. I won’t say much because spoilers. I don’t remember my favorite quote right now. I know I had one, but now I’m forgetting it. 🙁 Oh well.
There are two types of people in this world. Those who can extrapolate from incomplete data
How about this one for a favourite quote?
“And then, Tress took the singular step that separated her from people in most stories. The act, it might be said, that defined her as a hero. She did something so incredible, I can barely express its majesty.
‘I should consider this more,’ Tress thought to herself, ‘and not jump to conclusions.”Have you read any other Brandon Sanderson Secret Projects? Are any of the others worth checking out? I’m a little hesitant about Yumi and the Nightmare Painter, but I have been thinking of giving The Furgal Wizards Handbook to Surviving Medival England.
Tress is a wonderful book. It was the first of Sanderson’s more whimsical writings I’ve read (then I found Alcatraz…). It’s fun, light hearted, and very unique. Please let me know when you read Yumi and the Nightmare Painter!
Of course, Brandon Sanderson is not a Christian, but a Mormon
Why deny our relationship with Christ😥
He is perfect in Justice, yet He is perfect in Mercy, even when we fail Him. For this, He is good.
Oh, that’s a good quote. My favorite is, (and I might be paraphrasing here, I don’t remember the exact words), “Her name was Glorf. Don’t judge, it was a family name.”
I haven’t read Yumi yet, but I have read Frugal Wizard, and it was amazing. I highly recommend it.
There are two types of people in this world. Those who can extrapolate from incomplete data
“That man is a few eggs short of a dozen – and he doesn’t realize the other ten he collected are actually rocks.”
“Anyone can blow their face off by accident—I mean, who hasn’t—but if you do it twice in a row, you look really silly.”
“The locals worshipped those twelve moons as gods, which we can all agree is far more ridiculous than whatever it is you worship.”
“It didn’t taste quite so offensive as last time—but perhaps that was because so many of her taste buds had committed ritual suicide following the apocalyptic breakfast.”
There are two types of people in this world. Those who can extrapolate from incomplete data
Please let me know when you read Yumi and the Nightmare Painter!
Sorry, right now I have no plans to read Yumi and the Nightmare Painter. After seeing some of the artwork in the book, it seems there may be some scenes I would not be comfortable reading. I also found out that the plot involves Yumi and Panter switching bodies, which is not something I am interested in reading about. I know Sanderson, being a Mormon, is cleaner than some other authors out there, but I don’t trust everything he writes. Some parts of the Mistborn trilogy make me feel very uncomfortable already. I might read it if I find out from someone that my suspicions are wrong and it is fairly clean.
On the other hand, I did start listening to The Frugal Wizard book today, so I can let you know how that one is once I am done. So far it is… interesting… but I am enjoying it. Have you already read this one?
Those are funny quotes. I liked Hoid narrating, he was witty and funny. He reminded me of Alcatraz narrating in his series (though I still prefer Alcatraz. Rutabaga). I don’t know too much else about Hoid. The only other Cosmere books I have read are the original Mistborn Trilogy.
Hoid did sound similar to Alcatraz. I’m not sure who I prefer. I don’t know a lot about Hoid either. I’ve read The Stormlight Archive, which was amazing, but not Mistborn. The friends who recommended Stormlight said I’m too young for it. I do plan to read it eventually.
There are two types of people in this world. Those who can extrapolate from incomplete data
Sorry, right now I have no plans to read Yumi and the Nightmare Painter. After seeing some of the artwork in the book, it seems there may be some scenes I would not be comfortable reading. I also found out that the plot involves Yumi and Panter switching bodies, which is not something I am interested in reading about. I know Sanderson, being a Mormon, is cleaner than some other authors out there, but I don’t trust everything he writes. Some parts of the Mistborn trilogy make me feel very uncomfortable already. I might read it if I find out from someone that my suspicions are wrong and it is fairly clean.
That’s fair. Sanderson while devoted to His faith, isn’t afraid to engage in weird and creepy concepts. The body swap had me skeptical as well, but it actually played out better than I thought it would, but I completely understand the objection. Mistborn is probably the darkest of his writing, and Warbreaker is easily the most risque, so steer clear of that one.
The key here is what is your personal standards that you think is appropriate and in line with the Gospel. Sanderson has different standards, but they are strict standards that he’s faithful to.
On the other hand, I did start listening to The Frugal Wizard book today, so I can let you know how that one is once I am done. So far it is… interesting… but I am enjoying it. Have you already read this one?
Frugal is great! More whimsy than Tress, but not as much as Alcatraz. I’d say it’s perfectly clean from what I can remember. Though you might not like the theological implications actually, and I’m not sure what you’ll think of the body modification stuff, but you just need to remember that this is all just fun hypothetical. I think you’ll really like it still, so please do tell me what you think afterwards.
(Btw, could you refer to the full name instead of Mormon? It’s a nickname we don’t really like. You can use a shortened version if you must, like simply Church of Jesus Christ. Thanks)
He is perfect in Justice, yet He is perfect in Mercy, even when we fail Him. For this, He is good.
Why deny our relationship with Christ😥
I don’t mean to start a discussion on this thread, and we can move it if it goes any further 🙃 I do believe at least from a reformed perspective – and other people probably agree with me – that the Church of the Latter-Day Saints is not what we define as Christianity.
Those in the Latter-Day Saints worship the same historical Christ, but spiritually, we have extremely different ideas of what is taught and/or valued in the Bible. I have not personally read the Book of Mormon (I intend to) but have read some things that belong to it. One of the strongest reasons it feels like a different belief system is that it deviates from the arc of biblical theology. One small example is when Smith is given the Aaronic Priesthood. The whole point of the priesthood in the Bible is to provide a temporary mediator throughout the first covenant, which was then wiped out by the coming of Christ (the eternal mediator of all). To make Smith a priest contradicts this symbol and wipes out the whole transition between the Old Testament and New Testament. And this is just one detail.
You are allowed to believe whatever you want, and I will not attack you for it 🙂 I have enjoyed our conversations; you have a unique voice and super fun perspective in creativity. I’m also not saying you are not saved, because I can’t know that! But I need to point out that the Church of the Latter-Day Saints is a different belief system.
“Everything is a mountain”
I have not read the book, but my mum listened to it on audio and enjoyed it 😆 She said it was cozy and a whole lot less complicated than Sanderson’s other works. She also tends to doze off while listening (she’s sick and has a terrible sleep schedule) but understood enough to give it a positive review, lol.
To this day she says Alcatraz Versus the Evil Librarians is her favorite Sanderson work 🤣🤣
“Everything is a mountain”
I think Alcatraz is my favorite Sanderson work too. 😂
There are two types of people in this world. Those who can extrapolate from incomplete data
Indeed we do have very different theological and cosmological prospectives. It just bugs me that that needs to be where the identity of us as Christians must be. Yes, theology is important, but what did Christ constantly denounce the Pharisees for doing? Weren’t they constantly concerning themselves about being right, and Christ was telling them how rather they should choose the right, and humble themselves before God? It just feels like there’s so much gatekeeping that is in the same spirit as those days. Mind that I bear no ill feelings to you either, but that’s my take.
Since you brought it up, my understanding of the priesthood in the particular context you’re talking about comes down to law. Moses gave a lower law (the Aaronic Priesthood), then Christ came and told us to live by a higher law, which is the law in its entirety. As Christ put it, He didn’t come to abolish the law, but to fulfill it. He wasn’t removing the Priesthood, He was completing it. It is the keys to the kingdom He gave to Peter, that Catholics believe is maintained in the line of Popes.
If you want to discuss this further, we can take it to the apologetics page.
He is perfect in Justice, yet He is perfect in Mercy, even when we fail Him. For this, He is good.
A couple of things. Firstly, I did not realize the term ‘Mormon’, is offensive, I am sorry for using it and will be more careful in the future. Secondly, I did not realize that you are a member of The Church of the Latter-Day Saints. Your question from earlier makes so much more sense now.
Now in response to your question as to why I draw a line between Christians and The Church of the Latter-Day Saints. There are some things The Church of the Latter-Day Saints gets wrong that I believe are some primary issues. As Whaley was saying, I can’t know whether or not you are a Christian and I am not saying you aren’t, as we have seen, I have already got a couple of things wrong about you. I know you even less, which makes it harder for me to tell. So why do you not tell me more about your beliefs so that I do not make another assumption? What would you say makes someone a Christian?
(Also, as you and Whaley have suggested, perhaps we should take this over to the Apologetics chat and leave this to people who want to discuss Tress of the Emerald Sea)
Alcatraz is my favourite Sanderson work as well. Despite having read through the series several times, I can still pick it up and get hooked on the first chapter. Tress is probably the most similar to Alcatraz of Sanderson’s works in style.
By the way, (@theducktator, and @thearcaneaxiom as well), what books would you recommend to a fan of Tress and Alcatraz?
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