Let the countdown begin! Last week, fantasy author Brandon Sanderson gave us an update of where he stood on Rhythm of War. The fourth Stormlight Archive book only had 140,000 words left to edit, which is roughly 30% of the novel. In addition to that update, Sanderson promised to give us a daily update this week on his progress in the book. So, like many fans, we have been eagerly awaiting his update, and the man did not disappoint us. 

“Daily Stormlight 4 update,” Sanderson tweeted. “500 pages/100k words left to do in the final revision. After that, and the ketek, the book will officially be done!”

Daily Stormlight 4 update. 500 pages/100k words left to do in the final revision. After that, and the ketek, the book will officially be done!

— Brandon Sanderson (@BrandSanderson) July 6, 2020

For those wondering what he means by “ketek,” these are special poems that make up the endnote of each novel. If the past is any indication, in addition to the actual “ketek,” there will be an accompanying piece of art that makes up the parchment it’s written on. Considering how quick Sanderson is, you wouldn’t expect this to take very long since they’re usually a sentence in length. However, poems have a tendency to take a little longer than standard prose. So, for all we know, this could take Sanderson a full day to execute. Regardless, things look great for this Rhythm of War update.

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So, there you have it, readers. Over the course of a few days (with Saturday being a holiday), Sanderson edited 40,000 words. That means, when all said and done, Rhythm of War could very well be done this week by Friday. 

Perhaps even more impressive is just how quickly the publisher will be turning this mammoth tome around. From what we know, the book will likely at least exceed 450,000 words, which will make it break 1,200 pages in hardcover form. And, for all we know, if Sanderson ends up cutting less than the standard 10% of each draft, it could be longer than Oathbringer, which is around 455,000 words. 

Most books take around a year from finished draft until publication. This book, however, will be hitting November 17, 2020. That puts it just over four months out. Add in the fact that Rhythm of War is roughly two to three times the size of your average high fantasy novel, and you have one impressive feat. I’m sure it helps that Brandon Sanderson’s team seems to handle a lot of work that would normally be handled by a publisher, but it’s still quite impressive.

Stay tuned this week for more Stormlight Archive 4: Rhythm of War daily updates.

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SOURCE: Brandon Sanderson