Unsouled
Unsouled is the first volume of Will Wight's twelve-book Cradle series, a self-published progression fantasy that became one of the bestselling indie series of the 2010s. The Sacred Valley is a small, isolated society of clans whose members spend their lives advancing through ranked stages of magical cultivation, drawing on the elemental energy called madra. Wei Shi Lindon was born Unsouled, the lowest possible classification, and his clan has decided that his role is to fetch tea for his cousins for the rest of his short life. Lindon refuses. When he discovers that an ancient and terrible event will soon destroy his entire valley, he uses that knowledge, and the help of a mysterious traveler from far beyond the valley walls, to begin a journey out of the only world he has ever known. Wight writes lean, fast-moving chapters built around clearly described power systems and shounen-style escalation.
Themes & atmosphere
What you might want to know about Unsouled
The questions readers send us most often, answered without spoilers.
Lindon was born without a sacred core in the small mountain Sacred Valley, marked Unsouled and barred from the Sacred Arts that every Wei clan child trains in.
Yes. It is a side novel in the Unwind Dystology by Neal Shusterman, set in the same world as Unwind, UnWholly, and UnDivided.
Yes. Unsouled assumes you have read at least Unwind and UnWholly, and major plot threads continue from those books.
Unsouled was written by Will Wight, published in 2017 by Hidden Gnome Publishing.
Unsouled is 292 pages in standard print editions, though page counts vary slightly between hardcover, paperback, and large-print formats.
At an average reading pace of about 250 words per minute, Unsouled takes most readers 4 to 6 hours to finish.
Unsouled is a standalone novel by Will Wight, not part of a series.
Unsouled is available in hardcover, paperback, ebook, and audiobook formats from Amazon, Bookshop.org, ThriftBooks, and most major bookstores.