For a set of books referred to as the “Secret Projects,” they’ve been at the forefront of most discussions I’ve seen in the Sanderfan community.

Started during the COVID-19 pandemic, Brandon Sanderson used his quarantime well and created a series of projects that set the internet ablaze. Raising over $44 Million, of a $1,000,000 goal, the Secret Projects Kickstarted set records.

For an author whose work has been released with some regularity, a quartet of releases in such a short span is still rather unprecedented. Today, our focus is on the first of the three Cosmere-related works. Tress of the Emerald Sea.

The title of this article may seem confusing, because it is intended to be, but also highly accurate. Unlike most stories in the Cosmere, told by an omniscient narrator, this is the first in a recently established series called Hoid’s Travails.

Each of these tales takes place in a different part of the Cosmere, told to the reader by Hoid in his traditionally witty storytelling style. This particular story sees Hoid, cursed by a “Sorceress” who may be familiar to wide readers of the Cosmere. His affliction makes him unable to do much of anything but buffoonery— socks with sandals shudder. He tells us this story in retrospect, piecing together details from the accounts of his companions.

Our protagonist is actually a young woman named Glorf— yes, you read that correctly— Glorf. I promise, I didn’t fall asleep on the keyboard… this time. She prefers to go by her nickname, which is the titular Tress. Her story is one inspired by the likes of The Princess Bride, though Tress has the good sense to do something about her situation.

The situation in-question is that of a missing beau. Her friend and potential paramour, Charlie, is the son of the local Duke, but he tries to act as if he doesn’t hold such a station. Tress, being clever, is quite well aware of this and lets him believe that his ruse is effective.

Their budding romance is broken when the Duke swiftly takes his family on a tour for the sake of marrying his son to a wealthy woman. Charlie, being vehemently against this idea, sets forth a plan to prove his undying affection for our heroine. At each stop, he would send Tress a cup to feed her passion for drinking vessels.

For a time, she would receive a cup, every month or so, until they stopped. For nearly a year, Tress was distraught, thinking her Charlie had met his demise, or worse, fallen for another woman. This was her immediate thought upon learning that the Duke and his family had returned, son and daughter-in-law in tow.

She was further alarmed when it became apparent that the man who returned was not in fact her beloved Charlie. In his stead was a newly appointed heir, chosen by the Duke.

The Duke, it seemed, had discovered the plan Charlie was executing, and seeing no further option, sent him to The Sorceress. This was tantamount to a death sentence. The Sorceress lives in the Midnight Sea, an ocean made of deep black aether spores. It should be noted that all of the oceans on this planet, Lumar, consist of not water, but spores.

The spores fall from a set of moons that encircle the planet, each bringing its own color. Tress’s home is an island on the Emerald Sea, where she is forbidden from leaving due to strict maritime control from the King. This makes Tress’s plan to rescue Charlie from the Sorceress all the more difficult.

If it wasn’t clear before, this entire tale is an inversion of tropes from the canon of Fairy Tales. You get talking animals, precocious characters, and maybe even a Dragon. The playful storytelling of Hoid pairs perfectly with the comforting format of a childhood fairy tale.

Now, of course, I don’t really want to spoil this story; it is far too entertaining to ruin its twists. It tells a quick-paced story that respects the readers’ intelligence, whether they’ve read the Cosmere or not.

This is a key “selling point” of the novel— its ability to function as a first experience with the Cosmere, or another entry in one’s own reading order. To this point, Sanderson has chosen it as one of 3 books provided in the initially Tiktok Exclusive Sanderson Starter Set.

The story is lighthearted, with a clear and positive message for those who are young, young-at-heart, or enjoy a good fairy tale now and then. So, set sail and take a trip that’s sure to please, with Tress of the Emerald Seas.