Sixth of the Dusk
| Sixth of the Dusk> | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| |||||
| |||||
| Setting | First of the Sun, Cosmere | ||||
| Released | June 30, 2014 | ||||
| Publisher | Dragonsteel Entertainment | ||||
| ISBN | 978-1-938570-07-0 | ||||
| Word Count | 17,794 | ||||
Sixth of the Dusk is a cosmere novella by Brandon Sanderson set on the planet First of the Sun.[1] The novella was created as part of the Writing Excuses podcast, where Brandon, Dan Wells, Howard Tayler, and Mary Robinette Kowal each brainstormed a story, and gave feedback to each other. These stories were released together as Shadows Beneath, which detailed the process of taking the drafts they each wrote, and editing them with the feedback given.[2]
An excerpt is available on Brandon's website.
The complete novella is also now included in Arcanum Unbounded.
Summary
The story follows a trapper named Sixth of the Dusk as he strives to save his island home from a catastrophic danger he has been warned about, but does not understand.
Main Characters
- Sixth of the Dusk
- A trapper working on the island of Patji. He knows much about Aviar, is very practical, and mistrusts people from the mainland. He both loves and hates Patji.
- Vathi
- A capable noblewoman with a thirst for exploration. She was educated on the mainland and travels with a band of explorers. She meets occasionally with the Ones Above. While she respects trappers, she supports technological advancements.
- Kokerlii
- An Aviar - a cognitively-gifted bird who can shield Sixth's cognitive markers so other animals that track cognitive signals cannot find him.
- Sak
- An Aviar - a cognitively-gifted bird who can warn Sixth of the Dusk of danger by showing him visions of his own corpse in locations where it might be if he makes a mistake, so that he can avoid those places. Sak is not a member of a species native to Patji or any island of the Pantheon. Sak was instead brought from the mainland to the place on Patji where Aviar go to get their talent, or cognitive ability.
- Ones Above
- A spacefaring race that have visited First of the Sun and possess advanced technology.
Setting
This book takes place in the cosmere, on a planet known as First of the Sun. Most of the story takes place on and around Patji, the largest island in an archipelago called The Pantheon. Patji is considered the father of the islands of the Pantheon, being the largest and the one that all Aviar must go to get their talent. It is treacherous, with creatures such as Meekers, which are mice that can be trained to harm others, trees that attract different animals so after they kill each other their soil is made rich from the blood of the dead, and nightmaws, which are terrifying birdlike creatures which hunt by finding somebody's cognitive signals.
Sixth of the Dusk takes place chronologically near the end of the stories set in the cosmere, sometime during the space travel sequence.[3]
Postscript
Note: the Postscript is found in Arcanum Unbounded, a collection of Cosmere stories.
The events of this story occur farthest down the timeline of any of the stories included in Arcanum Unbounded. It was brainstormed on Season 8: Episode 16 of Writing Excuses, and is set on a new planet in the cosmere,[1] First of the Sun. The setting is inspired by Brandon's fascination with Polynesian culture. A sequel is currently being written.[4]
Cover Gallery
See Also
External Links
Statistical Analysis
Sixth of the Dusk consists of 17,794 words from the PoV of Sixth of the Dusk.
| Word Count | 17,794 |
|---|---|
| PoV Characters | 1 |
| PoV Count | 1 |
Notes
- ↑ a b State of the Sanderson 2013
— Brandon's website - 2013-07-24# - ↑ Introducing [Shadows Beneath]
— Brandon's website - Jun 30, 2014# - ↑ Arcanum Unbounded Seattle signing
— Arcanum - 2016-12-01# - ↑ Stormlight Book Four Updates
— Arcanum - 2019-06-20#