| Author | Brandon Sanderson |
|---|---|
| Illustrator | Esther Hi'ilani Candari |
| Language | English |
| Series | Cosmere |
| Genre | Fantasy |
| Published | July 1, 2025 |
| Publisher | Dragonsteel Entertainment |
| Publication place | United States |
| Media type | Hardcover, e-book, audiobook |
| Pages | 399 (Dragonsteel edition) |
| ISBN | 978-1-938570-51-3 |
Isles of the Emberdark is a 2025 fantasy novel by American author Brandon Sanderson, set in his Cosmere fictional universe. Published by Dragonsteel Entertainment on July 1, 2025, it is the fifth novel associated with Sanderson's Secret Projects publishing initiative. Illustrated by Esther Hi'ilani Candari, the novel expands upon the setting and characters introduced in Sanderson's 2014 novella Sixth of the Dusk.
The novel takes place in the Cosmere and follows two storylines involving the world of First of the Sun and a mysterious region known as the Emberdark.
Sixth of the Dusk is a traditional trapper of Aviar, supernatural birds with which the inhabitants of his world form bonds. Living on the island of Patji, Dusk becomes caught up in his people's efforts to modernize before they are conquered by the Ones Above, technologically advanced outsiders from the stars who seek to exploit the Aviar. Concerned that his people may lose their independence in the process, Dusk ventures through a mysterious portal into the Emberdark in search of a way to secure their future.
The second storyline follows Starling, a young dragon bound in human form who serves aboard the starship Dynamic. Starling and her crew of exiles face mounting debts and the threat of losing their freedom. After discovering an ancient map leading to a hidden portal between the Emberdark and the physical realm, she pursues the possibility of turning the discovery into a profitable opportunity.
The two characters' journeys bring them into contact with competing political interests and the larger conflicts developing across the Cosmere.
The novel revisits First of the Sun, the setting of Sanderson's novella Sixth of the Dusk. The earlier work introduced Dusk and the Aviar, birds whose supernatural abilities are connected to their relationships with human inhabitants of the planet.
Isles of the Emberdark expands the setting into a broader interplanetary context, exploring the conflict between the inhabitants of First of the Sun and technologically advanced outsiders. The author describes the novel as a continuation and expansion of the earlier novella within the far-future Cosmere.
Sanderson announced Isles of the Emberdark in 2024 as the fifth Secret Project. Unlike the four novels written during the COVID-19 pandemic and funded through Sanderson's 2022 Kickstarter campaign, the novel was introduced as part of the crowdfunding campaign for a leatherbound edition of Words of Radiance.
In his 2024 year-end update, Sanderson described the novel as Secret Project Five and discussed revisions and its anticipated release to participants in the Words of Radiance leatherbound crowdfunding campaign. The book was scheduled for fulfillment in 2025, with a wider release planned for 2026.
Dragonsteel began shipping copies to campaign backers on July 1, 2025. Sanderson subsequently announced that the e-book would become available for general purchase on July 10, 2025.