What Timeline Do The Stormlight Archive Novellas Follow?

I like to think of the novellas as little time-slices that slot into the bigger Stormlight timeline to explain why certain characters behave the way they do when we meet them again. For example, 'Edgedancer' is a focused Lift story that happens in the gap between 'Words of Radiance' and 'Oathbringer'. It doesn’t just show cool Lift stuff; it gives context for her presence and choices around the beginning of book 3 — so reading it after book 2 feels natural.

Then there’s 'Dawnshard', which sits between 'Oathbringer' and 'Rhythm of War'. This one actually advances plot elements that become important in book 4. If you skip it, you won’t be completely lost, but you’ll miss a key event that reshapes a few characters’ trajectories and some worldbuilding about the wider Cosmere mechanics on Roshar. I’ve read both ways — strict publication order and “main-series-only” — and while the main novels work fine alone, the novellas add emotional resonance and clarify a couple of timeline tangles.

Also worth noting: 'Arcanum Unbounded' collects some of these shorter works, but not all of the Stormlight-related pieces are in the same place. If you want the smoothest internal chronology, slot 'Edgedancer' after book 2 and 'Dawnshard' after book 3 before jumping into book 4.

If I had to pin them down in one sentence: 'Edgedancer' = between 'Words of Radiance' and 'Oathbringer', and 'Dawnshard' = between 'Oathbringer' and 'Rhythm of War'. I usually read novellas right after the book they follow to keep characters’ emotional arcs coherent. In practice that means finishing book 2, then reading 'Edgedancer' before book 3; finishing book 3, then reading 'Dawnshard' before book 4.

Both novellas do more than fill time — 'Edgedancer' gives Lift a self-contained story that explains her later choices, while 'Dawnshard' contains plot developments that directly influence the start of book 4. You can treat them as optional extras, but they reward you with extra clarity and some satisfying continuity, so I tend to read them as the natural chronological bridges between the big volumes.

If you want the quick map for where the Stormlight novellas sit inside the main saga, here's how I picture it: 'Edgedancer' takes place after 'Words of Radiance' (book 2) and before 'Oathbringer' (book 3). It fills in a chunk of Lift's personal story and explains where she pops up at the start of 'Oathbringer'. 'Dawnshard' happens later — after 'Oathbringer' and before 'Rhythm of War' (book 4) — and is a direct bridge into some of the events and mood you see at the opening of book 4.

I usually tell people to treat them as bridges rather than optional snacks. 'Edgedancer' was originally published in 'Arcanum Unbounded' and gives a lot of character color and a few small plot threads that matter later. 'Dawnshard' was released as a standalone novella closer to the publication of 'Rhythm of War' and actually moves the larger plot forward in a way that makes reading it before book 4 feel satisfying rather than spoiler-y. If you read strictly in publication order you'll get all the intended reveals as Brandon staggered them, but if you read only the main novels you won’t be hopelessly lost — you’ll just miss some emotional beats and a couple of important setups.

So, my practical tip: read 'Edgedancer' between book 2 and 3 for Lift’s arc, and read 'Dawnshard' between book 3 and 4 for the best lead-in to 'Rhythm of War'. They’re short, enrich the world, and sometimes patch little timeline holes that make the big books feel tighter to me.