Aryanath

Yes, this! Thank you for reminding me of him!

Some thoughts that I'd like to share (also posted to Goodreads, in the form of a review): ★★★★☆ (3.5/5, rounded up to 4). The adventure continues! I enjoyed Rhythm of War (RoW), though I found it to be the weakest book of the Stormlight Archive (SA) series thus far. While it flowed more smoothly than its immediate predecessor, Oathbringer, it also lacked, for me, some of the emotional moments, excitement, twists, and character development that characterized the first three books. There was one exception, however: the plot twist concerning Taravangian. I absolutely cannot wait to see what he will do as Odium! On the whole, this book felt like a slow-motion set up for the completion of the first arc of the story, the battle of champions. Below, I’ll sketch out what I thought were the pros and cons of the book. As with the rest of the SA, RoW shines in how it portrays moral lessons, personal growth, and mental health. This is a major advantage the series has over many other fantasy series, because it not only makes one want to live in its world, but makes you want to be a better person in our world. I think this is the heart of the story, very succinctly put by Rlain who said “then start doing better...that is the path of Radiance.” in response to Venli who said “I don’t deserve any of this…I was weak” (page 1189). I love the growth experienced by Venli, Rlain (who finally got the role he deserved), and Kaladin, and although Kaladin can be too intensely depressing at times too, struggling with the inner darkness is a feeling all too many people are familiar with. It is cool he founded the study of therapy in Roshar. On the other hand, I did feel that Shallan and Dalinar were somewhat neglected in this book. Shallan’s growth felt not so much rushed as convenient and cursory, and her big reveal, killing her first spren, did not feel that heart wrenching. Furthermore, Shallan’s sidekicks seemed to vanish from the story after their initial plot point (searching for the spy) was fulfilled. Also, Shallan and Wit have been talking and plotting together this whole time, and that's all just off-screen? Moving her brothers? Quite some omissions. Jasnah’s growth was intriguing and I want a lot more of her in future books. She grew from being one of my least favorite main characters, because of her demeanor in The Way of Kings, to a complex and multilayered character in the past two books, because she showed more vulnerability and emotion, at least as much as was needed for her character to remain true to herself. I enjoyed learning about two unique aspects of her character: her propensity to over-intellectualize and sound academic about even personal feelings including family matters and friendships, and her sapiosexuality (Sanderson, on Reddit, wrote that he wrote her as a heteroromantic asexual). Thus, Jasnah joins some of the other characters—Kaladin, Dalinar, and Shallan—who are fleshed out and relatable to fans. I also want more Wit/Hoid now! Briefly coming to Renarin, he, like Jasnah, is intriguing, and needs more screen time, but I did not feel enough was given to the readers to speculate about his personality, so I’m looking forward to learning more about him when we come to his flashback book. Adolin and Navani stole the show in terms of character development, and I am glad to see the hitherto side Kholin characters get so much growth and screen time. I really love Adolin, and people like Adolin in my life, people who know how to inspire a room, bring good cheer, and help others get out of their heads. Some people do think that Adolin has not grown enough throughout the series, but I disagree. In his relations with Shallan, his father Dalinar, and with his sword, Maya, he has always tried to be better, for himself, and for others in his life. That Adolin is not as navel-gazing as others, and more optimistic, is a plus. Adolin is almost like the Samwise Gamgee of the series: by solidly supporting and encouraging the power-struck and destiny-laden heroes, he does a great service in supporting everyone else, and thus becomes a true hero himself. This was basically Navani’s book, although it was billed as Eshonai’s flashback book. I do not have much to say about her specifically, but I enjoyed her development, and appreciate her solid, firm, and practical personality, which I think is a good complement to the other members of her family. Her backstory, and how she met Gavilar and Dalinar, would be quite interesting. (Actually, we need to know a lot about Gavilar's past too.) The combination of Navani with Raboniel, them two working in tandem, was what added so much beauty and fun to the Navani arc. The relationship and tension between the two was beautiful, and I am very sad that Raboniel was killed off. She was the first singer character that I really felt that I got to know and care for, more so than even Venli or Eshonai. There were also some moments of breathtaking beauty including: Eshonai’s last scene, where she rode the winds toward eternity, certain descriptions of Shadesmar, and Godeke’s religious epiphany in Shadesmar showed that the human capacity for wonder and reverence cannot be confined to any one religion or ideology, or the failure of such. The Book of Endless Pages concept was cool. However, I do have many criticisms of the book, which led to my 3.5 rating. Firstly, the back-and-forth between Kaladin and the Pursuer was dragged out for too long, and was perhaps unnecessary for the furthering of the plot. It read like a rather simplistic hack and slash plot embedded within a larger, more important story. As such, it didn’t have a strong impact on me. This book could have been cut short 200 pages. And what was the point of Teft being unconscious the entire book? I felt that the impact of his death would have been much greater if he was somehow more active throughout the book. More Teft and Lift would have been welcome for much of the Kaladain arc. Secondly, other characters got short shifts. Based on my own impressions reading the books, as well as Brandon Sanderson’s own interviews and comments on forums such as Reddit, I sense that Sanderson feels a need to prune the story so that it doesn’t grow out of control in the mode of Wheel of Time or A Song of Ice and Fire. While this is reasonable, at times, characters are killed off or moved out of the story because of this imperative, and I find this to be a loss. It's ok to have multiple villains alive at once, like if Sadeas were kept alive. Or if we got more Rock and Sigzil, instead of them being moved to the margins or out of the story. The Mink also needed some more development. Thirdly, my biggest criticism is I believe that Sanderson finally created an overly complex magical system and world, and his exploration of it—the spren, spren mechanics, especially in relation to technology, the gemstones, the voidlight and anti-voidlight, and the many combinations and permutations of light—felt over the top and somewhat self-indulgent. I am aware that I may be in the minority of fans in feeling this, but I did appreciate Sanderson’s magical systems in Mistborn and Warbreaker, and initially in this series. Sanderson’s background in chemistry, and love of video game mechanics is quite evident. To some, such as myself, it felt like reading a textbook on the pseudo-science of Roshar. But to each their own: I suspect that if the flora, climate, and geography were given this treatment, I would be less critical, since those are subjects I enjoy. Nonetheless, I do think that Sanderson overbuilt and over-described some of the mechanics of the magical systems/aspects in this book, and that took away from the mystery of the world, the flow of the book, and the coherence of the magical system, since there are so many aspects of it, it is hard to generalize regarding the spren, surgebinding, etc. in a way that is possible with allomancy. There are too many actors and possibilities with the spren: what is up with Sja-Anat for example? How does that fit in? Where does surgebinding come from? At first, I assumed it was linked with Honor or Odium, but the book made clear that Honor and Odium’s orders worked within the surgebinding system. But if surgebinding is investiture, then how did it come to the Rosharian system? I feel like I know too much about how spren can make a ship fly, and too little about some of these other questions. This complexity blends into the Cosmere aspects of the book too. Having read Mistborn, I was able to grasp what was going on, but I wonder if it would all seem more confusing to readers who are not familiar with the Cosmere. I think I need a thorough reread of the other Cosmere works after this. This brings me to another point, and a critique I have of Sanderson’s writing and worldbuilding: I think that he does not expand to scale very well. His best-written works, in my view, ones that are detail-oriented in relation to a single space and the mechanics of world building and characterization therein: the Shattered Plains (two books of the series were located there), Luthadel in Mistborn, T'Telir in Warbreaker. When Sanderson scales up, making the series more “epic” so to say, in the tradition of Tolkien and Robert Jordan, I feel like I’m quickly jumping around from place to place without getting a feel of any place, and this feels choppy. This is related to my final criticism. RoW featured an entire arc containing a battle to liberate Emul. We know a couple of things about Emul: while it is subordinate to Azir, it is still an independent state home to the important city of Sesemalex Dar, which Kaladin saw in his visions in The Way of Kings. Emul has been at war with Tukar for 80 years, and it is ruled by a Prime, currently Vexil the Wise, who we met in Oathbringer. Despite this reasonably moderate level of detail (reasonable because Emul is not the main country in the story), we read an arc dealing with Emul without meeting any Emuli characters, including the Prime. We have almost no information about the culture, customs, or characteristics of Emul. Whatever brief political and military information we need is presented, cursory, through quick meetings with the Azir leadership. I understand the need not to get distracted by a 500 page digression, but perhaps some elements of Emul could have been written in during the arc set there. I loved the way we discovered the Reshi Isles and Shinovar through the interludes in previous books, and I would have at least wanted to get a brief view of what Emul is like. Jah Keved is even more troublesome for me. It is one of the most powerful kingdoms in Roshar, the homeland of Shallan. It is the homeland of Vorinisim (Valath). The horneaters are technically under the overlordship of Jah Keved. And it falls to Odium so easily? Indeed, the events that occurred in Jah Keved, even accounting for Taravangian’s plots there, happened in an entirely convenient and swift way. Political developments occurred in Jah Keved in such a cursory manner, that it was evident that certain things were just happening conveniently and inexplicably quickly in the background in the service of the plot. We hear many, in about two sentences, that many of the new leaders of Jah Keved were inclined toward Odium and that is all. Assuming the people of Jah Keved are as human as the people of Alethkar, you're bound to see more things happening there: local leaders who support and resist Taravangian, random people who claim the throne, people fighting Odium or leaders who ally with Odium, and so on. I'm sure there are a lot of ideas there right now about how things should pan out in Roshar, and that was just reduced to nothing. I don't want these supporting characters and countries to be reduced to minions who just exist to further the plot. I felt the same way with Amaram's arc in the last book, especially the Orc-like behavior of his soldiers: when you need a thousand baddies for the heroes to fight, here they are. Sure, in-book explanations were given, but I didn't fully buy them. At this point, I realized one thing I really missed from George R.R. Martin’s writing: even random, unknown, side characters, like a third cousin or a counselor, could become important players, because that’s realistic. When you have a family-based aristocratic system, like in Alethkar, it really does matter who your random heir is. Who replaced Sadeas? Some random nephew, but this information is treated as unimportant. You can’t kill off the entire ruling class of Jah Keved to merely fulfill the needs of the story without there emerging new actors with new desires and their own agendas, sort of how Ramsey Bolton emerged out of nowhere in the wake of the chaos engulfing the North after the machinations of Theon Greyjoy. In short, the complexity of politics is leveled, and its implications and possibilities take a back seat in favor of the main story with our main characters. Again, I understand why Sanderson took this route. Martin got bogged down writing out the political game of thrones that characterized his books, losing track of the larger plot point. Robert Jordan never finished his series, and his widow needed to hire Brandon Sanderson to wrap up The Wheel of Time. With all due respect to Sanderson, who I love as the best world builder author out there—Roshar is so lush and full of life and mechanics!—he is not a student of politics, history, or anthropology, definitely not like George R.R. Martin in. Again, I am aware I am biased here by my own background, interests, and career choices in what I look for, but the lack of historically-informed political complexity began to grate on me. Despite all this, I wish Sanderson could have written politics and other, non-Alethi cultures, more into his work. He has clearly thought a lot about political topics, and is a good planner. Alethkar is quite well developed. So, if anyone can do it, Sanderson could. The canvas on which the incredible complexity of spren and magic is built seems a bit sparse. However, despite these critiques, I am looking forward to continuing to read and enjoy the series. We are not even halfway through the projected 10 books, so a lot could change and be filled in. I sense a bit of falling away from the freshness of his first two SA books from Sanderson in writing multiple 1,000+ page volumes and this is being reflected in the present volume. But despite all this, I love being part of the community of fans, and the large and caring fandom, unraveling mysteries, and discussing the books and world together. And I have been deeply impacted by the characters and their struggles and growth over the past few years of my life.

Yay!

Thank you for reading!

I'm culturally Hindu. There are definitely several points of similarity between the Stormlight Archive and Hinduism, or aspects of Indian culture. A quick list that comes to mind: Cycles of time and forgotten history: similar to the Hindu notion of cyclical ages, after which history and technology are forgotten, and humanity has to start over so to say Castes, eye colors, and differences between them: caste is a Western term for a really complex phenomenon not well-understood by those who haven't experienced the Indian context directly, but I would describe the dahns/nahns are subdivision of classes as more similar to the Western class system, and is more similar to the Hindu notion of varna (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Varna_(Hinduism)) because there are ways to go up and down based on one's socioeconomic status, but the lighteye/darkeye division is an almost insurmountable barrier derived from endogamy (only marriages within the group) and reinforced by particular customs, habits, clothing, food, weapons used, and so on. It is similar to the Indian notion of jati (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jāti), and is somewhat like the current notion of subcultures. Everyone lives together within a society, but there are differences in norms between the various social groups Evolution of script : The script changed over time in Alethkar, so that it took some deciphering to figure out ancient inscriptions. In India, likewise, the ancient Brahmi script used during the Mauryan Empire evolved into the modern Devanagari and other scripts, but in order to read ancient Brahmi writing, one does have to get into some deciphering first to read the pillar inscriptions of the Emperor Ashoka (268-232 BCE). See image below. Vedas…the power of the word calling things into being : There is a WOB out there stating how the Parshendi rhythms resembled the Vedas, ancient Hindu hymns that are chanted in a particular manner. Dawnchant as well. Vedas Narak : this is from a Sanskrit word, naraka, meaning hell Heralds, Pantheism: The notion of the heralds being thought of as gods, but not ultimately God, is similar to the Hindu notion of devas. In ancient times, devas, who resemble gods in the ancient Greek or Egyptian religions, were worshiped for worldly success, but gradually Hindus came to understand that the devas were themselves just incomplete elements of ultimate reality, or all aspects of a pervasive godhead that permeates the universe, Brahman, personalized as Bhagavan or Ishwar (God). This has some resemblance to the notions of gods/God in the Cosmere, Adonalsium, and so on. The idea of the Stormfather being a sort of cognitive shadow of Honor is also somewhat similar to the Hindu notion of an avatar, when a major deity, usually Vishnu, puts forth some of himself in a finite form for a period of time. Trinity: The Rosharian trinity of Honor, Cultivation, and Odium seems vaguely like the Hindu Trimurti, the supreme trinity of Hinduism, in which God (not devas/gods, but God personified) takes three forms, a creator, preserver, and destroyer, Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva. Like the Christian trinity, God is of one essence, but manifests as different personas. Mind/body/soul: as someone else pointed out, the mind, body, and soul are all separate in Hinduism. Both the mind and body come from natural phenomenon in Hinduism, prakriti (nature, or the principle of matter). All things in the material universe are of prakriti, which is primal matter and energy that combines in many ways both to create the body and the mind, which is derived from various mental phenomenon. On the other hand, the soul (purusha, also atman) is the underlying life force behind all beings, and upon death it separates from the mind-body complex either to reincarnate or merge into cosmic oneness (Brahman). There may be some commonality between Hinduism and the fate of the soul in the spiritual realm in Sanderson's works, but that's just speculation. In particular, I think he would maintain the specificity and distinction of souls, which is important in Abrahamic religions. Parshendi reincarnation: some ancient Hindus believed that the souls of their forefathers reincarnated into newly born babies, and that upon dying, the dead souls of their people swapped places with the souls of their ancestors waiting in one of the various swargas (heavens) of one of the deities, or an intermediate zone (pitr-loka) between the heavens and earth.

I cried during the last hundred pages. Dalinar accepting his pain, Dalinar taking the next step, Dalinar taking responsibility for his actions. I wept at that.

Is Lyn romantically involved with one of the Bridge 4 members, perhaps?

Although I cannot find the specific instance of where I heard/read this, I recall that someone said that Brandon once mentioned that the Kholin branch to which Dalinar and Gavilar belonged to usurped Kholinar from the main branch of the family, or something. Dalinar's tale about finding his sword master's master's master "after we captured Kholinar," confirms some sort of conquest was made. I would appreciate it if someone could shed some further light on all this, or if someone has a WOB on this. I also wonder if something happened to Dalinar's parents early on that spurred him and his brother to conquest. Gavilar is obviously leading the Kholins at a young age: what happened to the father? And is it strange that in young Dalinar's recollections, he thinks little of his parents. There's some mystery here. EDIT. I found the quote here:

Thanks everyone, we had a great time! Checked out Salt Lake City, Park City, Moab and the parks near it (and I can def. see how Sanderson may have been inspired by them), and got a signed Mistborn in the airport.

One more related question, friends! What are some good spots to eat at in Salt Lake City? Any specialties in the local cuisine....bison?

Thank you @Sunbird, much appreciated!

Thanks! I'm def planning to check out the Salt Lake Temple, and maybe BYU. Religion is always interesting, and I like how Sanderson treats religion in his books. Are there any Cosmere-themed bars, stores, or restaurants in SLC as well?

Hello friends. I'm going to Utah in a couple of days. My trip isn't specifically Sanderson related (though I'll be seeing the Shattered Plains, sort of, in Canyonlands, and I can't help but think he was inspired by the topography of his state) but as a fan, it would be nice to see if there's anything to do related to Sanderson in Salt Lake City. I have a free day there on Thursday, and while there are no events, I wonder if there are stores, exhibits, or lectures pertinent to Sanderson that I can go to. Much appreciated. Thanks!

Check it out: http://www.theamericanconservative.com/articles/geeks-nerdoms-and-politics/

A book club and media production group that I'm involved in -- it mostly focuses on fantasy novels and makes various podcasts discussing fantasy novels -- is doing something called "Thanksbooking" this month. Today, we wrote a thank you note to Mr. Sanderson. https://backroomwhispering.com/2016/11/04/brandon-sanderson/ You can follow our group, Backroom Whispering Productions on Twitter (https://twitter.com/BackroomWhisper) and our podcasts at Soundcloud. Thanks!