[OB] Part 4 Reactions

[rjl]

So just through part 4, quick fire thoughts:

1. A lot of lore and worldbuilding
2. It seemed a little slow in places, I know it gave the characters more depth/time to develop but at the same time felt like some things could happen faster
3. I was really hoping to see more of Adolin trying to talk to his dead spren (Adolin reviving his sword is one of my favourite theories)
4. I really really hope that somehow the coalition that's just fallen apart can be fixed or at least partly fixed in part 5.
5. I'd really like Mr T to die or at least be discredited this book
6. I hope the return of Kaladin, Shallan and Adolin will a. happen early in part V and b. fix some things somehow
7. We still haven't had the scene from the front of the book
8. When did Odium get connected to the Parshmen - was he their divinity before the ancient humans arrived? Or is his involvement more recent?

[ericth]

On 11/18/2017 at 6:47 AM, ScavellTane said:

We don't have a recurring apocalyptic invasion by 'alien' beings that is currently occurring. Also if you have proof of magic, you pretty much can believe in anything.

It sort of fits with the existing Vorin narrative of humanity being pushed out of the Tranquiline Halls to Roshar.  What I suspect happened is Braize, now called Damnation, was then called the TQ and Odium's forces took over, forcing humans to refugee to Roshar.  

[Fifth of Daybreak]

Wow, this thread is empty. Seems like I wasn't the only one who thought: "nevermind reacting to part four, I need MAOR!"

Still, I want to come back and post my favorite quotes:

Quote

I know. But you were wrong, and so I had to tell you. Hey, the voices seem quiet today. That’s nice, isn’t it?

Mentioning it brought the whispers to Szeth’s attention. Nin had not healed Szeth’s madness. He’d called it an effect of Szeth’s connection to the powers, and said that he was hearing trembles from the Spiritual Realm. Memories of the dead he’d killed.

Sanderson, Brandon. Oathbringer: Book Three of the Stormlight Archive (p. 865). Tom Doherty Associates. Kindle Edition. 

 

Nice to have confirmation of the magical origin of Szeth's screams. Long had that theory.

Quote

“You walk on stone. Why is this? Each Shin I have known calls stone holy, and refuses to set foot on it.”

“It cannot be holy. If it truly were, Master Ki, it would have burned me away long ago.” He nodded to her, then stepped into the Purelake.

Sanderson, Brandon. Oathbringer: Book Three of the Stormlight Archive (p. 875). Tom Doherty Associates. Kindle Edition. 

 

Maybe the Shin think stone is holy simply because they revere the spren of stone. This seems to imply Urithiru would have no spren. Soulcast, or something else?

Quote

Captain Ico grunted. “Foreign technology,” he said. “Dangerous. Draws the wrong spren.” He shook his head. “At Celebrant, the moneychangers have perfect gemstones that can hold the light indefinitely. Similar.”

“Perfect gemstones? Like, the Stone of Ten Dawns?”

“I don’t know of this thing. Light in a perfect stone doesn’t run out, so you can give Stormlight to the moneychangers. They use devices to transfer it from smaller gemstones to their perfect ones. Then they give you credit to spend in the city.”

Sanderson, Brandon. Oathbringer: Book Three of the Stormlight Archive (p. 927). Tom Doherty Associates. Kindle Edition. 

2

So perfect gemstones can be created. At one point I want to find every mention of the perfect Rosharan gemstones. King's Drop. Honor's Drop (also a ruby, possible the King's Drop?) Benval Diamond is another candidate.

Quote

Curates, he thought, from the Holy Enclave in Valath. Technically, Dalinar himself was a head of the Vorin religion—but in practice, the curates guided church doctrine. The staves they bore were wound with gemstones, more ornate than he’d expected. Hadn’t most of that pomp been done away with at the fall of the Hierocracy?

Sanderson, Brandon. Oathbringer: Book Three of the Stormlight Archive (p. 941). Tom Doherty Associates. Kindle Edition. 

1

The rest of the gems?

Quote

They found a place selling weapons, and Adolin tried to negotiate while Kaladin browsed. Some kitchen knives. A few hand axes. And sitting in a locked, glass-topped box, a long thin silvery chain.

“You like?” the shopkeeper asked. She was made of vines—her face formed as if from green string—and wore a havah with a crystal safehand exposed.

“Only a thousand broams of Stormlight.”

“A thousand broams?” Kaladin asked. He looked down at the box, which was locked to the table and guarded by small orange spren that looked like people. “No thanks.” The pricing here really was bizarre.

Sanderson, Brandon. Oathbringer: Book Three of the Stormlight Archive (pp. 952-953). Tom Doherty Associates. Kindle Edition. 

6

Anyone know what the chain might be?

Quote

“Yes. Voidspren sailing warships and demanding tribute from any who approach. Oh! She says she would rather trade with honorspren than take another trip to the perpendicularity. I think this is an insult. Ha ha ha. Mmm…”

Sanderson, Brandon. Oathbringer: Book Three of the Stormlight Archive (p. 953). Tom Doherty Associates. Kindle Edition. 

“Voidspren have arrived mysteriously just west of the Nexus of Imagination. Near Marat or Tukar on your side. Hmm … and they have sailed up and seized the perpendicularity. She says, ahem, ‘You need but spit into a crowd, and you’ll find one, these days.’ Ha ha ha. I do not think she actually has spit.”

Sanderson, Brandon. Oathbringer: Book Three of the Stormlight Archive (p. 954). Tom Doherty Associates. Kindle Edition. 

1

Pattern is the best spren.

Quote

“That’s me!” she shouted back. “You’d better catch me before I scamper away! Wow! I’m feeling capricious today. I might just vanish again, off to where nobody can find me!”

Sanderson, Brandon. Oathbringer: Book Three of the Stormlight Archive (p. 960). Tom Doherty Associates. Kindle Edition. 

Syl is pretty good too. She just sometimes exhibits behaviour that makes me very wary, reminds me of people in my life I cut out because of the ways they tried to manipulate me. I wasn't a fan of her trying to break up Adolin and Shallan. 

Quote

 

“You know, I’ve never really felt like this before? It’s not just Kaladin, it’s all of this. And what’s happening to us.” He shook his head. “We certainly are an odd bunch.” “Yes. Seven people. Odd.”

Sanderson, Brandon. Oathbringer: Book Three of the Stormlight Archive (p. 1018). Tom Doherty Associates. Kindle Edition. 

 

Pattern!

Quote

“As far as scholars can tell,” Rysn said, “the King’s Drop never loses its Stormlight. A stone this large should have run out after a month. It’s something about the crystal lattice, the lack of flaws and imperfections.”

“They say it’s a chunk off the Stone of Ten Dawns.”

“Another story?” Rysn said. “You are a romantic.”

Sanderson, Brandon. Oathbringer: Book Three of the Stormlight Archive (p. 1065). Tom Doherty Associates. Kindle Edition. 

3

So were all the perfect gemstones just chunks of the Stone of Ten Dawns?

[thebestoralist]

Recreance Reveal!

SO not only were humans the first voidbringers and invaders who stomped down the native Parshendi, but Honor would let all the Radiants in on that and convince them it was ok... Until Odium Splintered him, at which point he just told them all they were gonna destroy the world with the Dawnshards just like they did the Tranquiline Halls/their last world. And Odium was just like "yup, pretty much."

Was the Tranquiline Halls Yolen?  Were the Dawnshards the weapon that Shattered Aldonalsium?

And as soon as Dalinar started thinking "you know, I've done a good job," it was pretty obvious it was all about to come crashing down. It was almost comical, if it hadn't been so heartbreaking. 

The Odium v Dalinar Vision Royale was badass too. 

But all in all, it was the introduction to the world of the Spren in Shadesmar that really pulled me in.  Cultures, economies, and more Cosmere references than I knew what to do with. I need to reread the Celebrant chapters just to sort them all out. It was fun running around with full sized Syl and Pattern, too.

Edited November 21, 2017 by thebestoralist

[teknopathetic]

16 hours ago, thebestoralist said:

Was the Tranquiline Halls Yolen?  

We know that Yolen is not the tranquil one halls. Likely many of the humans came from Ashyn- that’s a world in the same solar system as Roshar that was destroyed in a disaster and now the survivors live in floating cities in the sky (think like Venus). 

Other nationalities in the book claim to come from other worlds as a different wave of refugees. Roshar has a long history of refugee intake. 

 

 

[treblkickd]

On 11/19/2017 at 5:44 PM, Fifth of Daybreak said:

Anyone know what the chain might be?

This! I want to know what's going on with that chain. Probably more of a fun easter egg than anything else, but that was super tantalizing.

[ZenBossanova]

Yolen was my first thought for the world they destroyed, but I agree that it must be Braize or Ashyn. Probably Ashyn. We knew it had significance because Brandon would answer few questions about it. 

I remember a reading from The Silence Divine, which happens in the floating cities above Ashyn. The planet was a lava covered hell scape. 

[Truthweaver]

On 24/11/2017 at 9:14 PM, treblkickd said:

This! I want to know what's going on with that chain. Probably more of a fun easter egg than anything else, but that was super tantalizing.

In WoR didn't Adolin lose his mother's chain before one of his fights? That's the only chain I remember...

[MistbornAlpaca]

Although I really enjoyed seeing Shadesmar, they were in there for far too long for me, and I wanted them out long before they actually got to the Oathgate, so that was a huge downside to this part. Other than that, it was a little slow and was probably my least favorite part of this book. But still, a solid chunk.

[Thedudeabides]

Some random thoughts:

I felt this book didnt have much of a character development for Kaladin and Syl or their relationship (maybe i just wanted a lot more than most people).  Also I would like to see more on Rock and his past in the future.

Moash was an interesting read in a good way.

Brandon sure did want people to understand the cosmere.

Also the Kaladin/Shallan-Veil/Adolin trio feels a lot like Kelsier/Vin/Elend just on a slower story arch.  I'm just waiting for Kaladin to reach the 5th ideal and become a demi-god/heraldish, sacrafice his life and die to become something to what Kelsier is.  Then have more of the super-powered woman // noble birthed male story repeat itself in SA.

However, I did really enjoy the book (read it in 4-5 days).  Maybe I just need to re-read it to soak it all in.

[Devout Pathian]

On 12/1/2017 at 1:02 AM, Thedudeabides said:

Also the Kaladin/Shallan-Veil/Adolin trio feels a lot like Kelsier/Vin/Elend just on a slower story arch.  I'm just waiting for Kaladin to reach the 5th ideal and become a demi-god/heraldish, sacrafice his life and die to become something to what Kelsier is.  Then have more of the super-powered woman // noble birthed male story repeat itself in SA.

I get what you’re saying, but Vin and Kelsier weren’t romantic at all.  It was a father and daughter relationship.  Kaladin might very well sacrifice himself, because it fits his character so well.  Either way I feel the love triangle is going to end when either Adolin or Kaladin dies, which I don’t want either of them.  I like them both, but I do ship Shallan with Adolin, which she finally opened up to him about her mulitipul personalities.  Hopefully she won’t go back to hiding from him.

Oh and Elend and Vin are absolutely my favorite couple I’ve come across in fiction, so I wouldn’t mind another one of them.

[ElvisSpren]

On 11/18/2017 at 3:45 PM, rjl said:

So just through part 4, quick fire thoughts:

1. A lot of lore and worldbuilding
2. It seemed a little slow in places, I know it gave the characters more depth/time to develop but at the same time felt like some things could happen faster
3. I was really hoping to see more of Adolin trying to talk to his dead spren (Adolin reviving his sword is one of my favourite theories)
4. I really really hope that somehow the coalition that's just fallen apart can be fixed or at least partly fixed in part 5.
5. I'd really like Mr T to die or at least be discredited this book
6. I hope the return of Kaladin, Shallan and Adolin will a. happen early in part V and b. fix some things somehow
7. We still haven't had the scene from the front of the book
8. When did Odium get connected to the Parshmen - was he their divinity before the ancient humans arrived? Or is his involvement more recent?

Totally agree with point 3. The whole time they were traveling thru shadesmar I kept waiting for Adolin to approach his swords spren and try to connect and ask for forgiveness. I mean he always spoke to his sword before battle and duels now that he has an opportunity to speak to her in her real if dead form he just ignores her?

[Delightful]

Haven't quite finished the part, just popping in to say my husband and I are having waaaay too much fun chanting "Cultivations Perpendicularity Cultivations Perpendicularity" 

[luckat]

I had to take a long break from Oathbringer toward the beginning of this part, which is why it took me as long as it did to finish it. But I did finish it, and I thought I'd try to post here before moving on to part 5. 

This part was slow, despite being the shortest so far in this book. I'm not sure how much of that is because I took so long to read it and how much of it is the pacing in the part itself. While it was cool to see Shadesmar, I feel like more time was spent there traveling than needed to be. I think I would rather have been introduced to Shadesmar in an interlude or in a novella like Edgedancer. With characters in so many different places, it felt like we were jumping around a lot, especially when chapters ended on cliffhangers that made me want to know what would happen next with those characters but were followed by a viewpoint change to elsewhere. The chapters with Szeth felt more like what's been in interludes in the past than what's usually in the main parts of the books. And during the Dalinar flashbacks I kind of wanted to just get ahead to where he goes to the Nightwatcher. Overall, this part felt like setup for the final part. There were definitely great moments, but it just didn't draw me in that much.