This is my reaction blog for Wind and Truth. Beware of spoilers! Index post here.

Title: Memories like wine

I have fond recollections of “Dandelion Wine” by Ray Bradbury, and that’s what this calls to mind. This feels like a different metaphor, though. Bradbury’s book was about preserving and distilling (pleasant) memories for later. The vibe I’m getting here is more like… Szeth has been gone a long time, so his memories have aged and become more potent with time? Or you can be drunk on memories and fail to see clearly in the now? Or…

Icons: Jez and Nan

We’ve got a windrunner and a skybreaker on a roadtrip.

Epigraph: Oh. Ooooh! It’s the sleepless. Referencing the Dawnshard and its passing makes it obvious, but the stewardship they mentioned in the last chapter—is it for Roshar as a whole? Specific items and locations they needed to guard? I’m guessing the broader meaning.

Szeth getting lost trying to navigate his childhood neighborhood is very relatable. I have that same problem, and my home hasn’t been abandoned.

I’m not sure I quite buy the progression of “no metal available-->weapons are ineffective-->develop pacifist society-->Build moral system that compels violent people to remove themselves”. I mean, it’s a neat culture for a fantasy story, and maybe if you have the honorblades backing up your central authority that’s enough monopoly on violence to force the rest of the world to follow your lead? But it feels like it’s skipping some steps, and a lack of metal ore doesn’t seem like a sufficient obstacle to weapons development. There’s certainly no shortage of perfectly effective wood/shell/stone weapons on Earth. Yes, Szeth makes a good point about the power imbalance when facing other countries, but that doesn’t really seem to have been a deciding factor in Shinovar’s recent history.

Doesn’t really matter, though. The point is that Szeth is wrestling with accountability for his actions and starting to ponder the validity of his Truthless status. Yay introspection.

Szeth addressing his bonded highspren as “Spren” is such a cold contrast to basically every other character we know. Syl, Wyndle, Mayalaran, Pattern, and all the rest that we’ve met have a much closer personal relationship with their humans. Even Sibling and Stormfather, despite their sometimes antagonistic interactions, are more…involved? Invested? Can’t find the right word, but none of them so far have been quite this distant.

It does make sense for the law-bound highspren to set arbitrary rules about when you are permitted to use surges, rather than relying on the strength of the bond to simply provide the powers. And here’s a useful clue that Division (which apparently can set atmospheres alight) was directly related to the fall of Ashyn.

Szeth being nauseated by fakely over-friendly Kaladin: also relatable.

Kaladin says, “Let’s work on your guilt complex.” The highspren’s advice: “don’t have emotions.” Yes, that will definitely keep him away from Odium’s side, exactly like the rest of the Skybreaker order… Oh, wait! That’s right, they all switched sides because Nale’s “logic” told him Honor wasn’t worth serving anymore. So maybe take your advice and shove it, Mr. Spren.

Also, Szeth’s selective translation is what miscommunication is made of. “My spren agrees with you” indeed.

Oh, never mind. Szeth is trying to translate more of the intent after all. Shouldn’t have assumed that was the end of the conversation. However, “I should be a sociopath when killing people” probably won’t endear him to the resident windrunner.

There’s the skybreaker disconnect: “You chose to follow the law. It’s not like it’s the only option.” “Um, yes it is. Duh.”

Ooo, Nightblood getting in on this self-reflection business. “Taravangian was nice and old, but I killed him.” Szeth and Kal in unison: “No, he was evil.”

It gets better. “I almost killed you, Szeth, but you’re not evil.” “…”  Valid points about judging good and evil, though.

If I don’t stop I’m just going to quote this whole nightblood section. She’s hilarious. “I haven’t seen Yesteel for a few weeks at least.”

Disappointing that none of them ID’d Vivenna as Azure here. But, “You’d like her because you’re super grumpy too! Syl says you need a girlfriend.” That’s probably the best part of the whole chapter. I’mma stake a claim here that nothing else will beat it out.

(Even so, “I want a sword that can talk” is a great origin story for sword-nimi.)

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Quote

“The soul of the world is contorting. It’s why the Wind speaks again.”

As ominous statements go, that one’s a banger.

Oh, nicely followed up with a foreboding premonition of “the end of all spren.” Good indication of where a bad outcome could lead. (Not sure if that would be a consequence of Odium or of gluttonous Nightblood, though. Obviously the first option is the intended implication, but…)

This whole conversation between Syl and Kaladin has the shape of something that should be meaningful, but it’s really not landing for me. Maybe it’s because the “I’m not worthy of you, should we break up?” bit feels shallow for these two people. There’s no chance of it actually happening, so the stakes are absent, maybe?

There’s the title drop. Memories are like wine because they ferment when bottled up, which builds pressure in the vessel until it explodes. Gotta say, that’s not nearly as poetic a metaphor as I expected.

Quote

“You’re trying to imply that we’re the same. You and me.”

Szeth knows Kaladin is the villain, and he’s not going to fall for that old line.

Oh, disappointing. Szeth doesn’t give a direct answer, even in summary. Just says “Next flashback chapter will explain it.”