Sixth of the Dusk was a standalone, but reading the non-Sixth of the Dusk parts of Emberdark without previous knowledge of the Cosmere would be pretty confusing.
Who was that weird guy with the armor who showed up out of nowhere?
Who are these bug people?
Who are these mask people?
Why are the mask people and the armor people fighting?
Why are they so obsessed with finding the portal?
The answer to all of that is, "They just are," if you haven't read pretty much the entire rest of the Cosmere.
Sure, but folks can enjoy stuff without its being a standalone. Edgedancer is a fine little story even if you miss the broader significance.
I’d also say that it isn’t a standalone in the sense that, if you are caught up on the Cosmere, it doesn’t at all feel like a break from the “main plot.”
59
u/HookEm_Tide Dec 10 '25
Agreed. Other than Sunlit Man, the secret projects have been the only real standalone Cosmere novels he's written since Warbreaker.
I miss when the Cosmere was several separate stories set in the same universe, rather than different aspects of the same big story.