Tress of the Emerald Sea cover

Tress of the Emerald Sea

Hoid's Travails • Book 1

by Brandon Sanderson, Howard Lyon

Narrated by Michael Kramer

4.50 ABR Score (302.4K ratings)
★ 4.32 Goodreads (297.2K) ★ 4.74 Audible (5.1K)
12h 27m Released 2024 Fantasy

Why Listen to This Audiobook?

If you've bounced off Sanderson's 1,200-page doorstoppers, this 12-hour fairy tale is the version of him you didn't know you needed.

  • Great if you want: a Princess Bride-style fairy tale with Cosmere depth
  • Listening experience: warm and breezy — Sanderson's coziest, most self-aware work
  • Narration: Kramer's voice suits the storybook tone like a fireplace suits winter
  • Skip if: you want Sanderson's epic scope and world-ending stakes

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About This Audiobook

When Tress's beloved friend Charlie disappears during a treacherous voyage, she abandons her quiet island existence to embark on a perilous rescue mission across alien seas. Her world features oceans of deadly spores instead of water, where a single misstep can prove fatal and mysterious sorceresses wield dangerous powers. Armed with little more than determination and her collection of stories from traveling sailors, Tress must navigate pirate-infested waters and master the strange magic of the spore seas to reach the formidable Sorceress of the Midnight Sea, who may hold the key to Charlie's fate.

Michael Kramer delivers a masterful narration that captures both the whimsical fairy-tale elements and the underlying tension of Sanderson's imaginative world-building. His warm, storytelling voice perfectly suits the book's framing device as a tale being told, while his distinct character voices bring depth to Tress's journey of self-discovery. Kramer's pacing allows listeners to fully absorb the intricate magic system and vivid descriptions of the spore seas, making the audio format ideal for experiencing this richly detailed adventure. The production quality enhances every moment of wonder and danger in this captivating standalone fantasy.