Welcome to my liveblog of Rhythm of War! Index post here. Beware of spoilers.

Chapter 37 (Silence from the Dead)
Title: I presume this is to do with the library in the basement?

Epigraph: Hoid is more scared of Rayse than Odium, and Sazed calls him out on it. That’s interesting.

Full mobility in any direction, as long as I’m getting dragged around by my hand? Yeah, I’m going to go with “nope!” Thanks, Tomor, but I’ll pass. I do look forward to seeing whatever this changes into under Navani’s guidance.

Oh, she’s going to test it. Not the most dignified of activities for the Queen Mother.

Bahaha! He didn’t even think of a way to change direction or descend. The only option is to turn it off and fall, or to keep going the direction the glove is facing. This is not the mobility solution you are looking for.

Quote

She was short of stature, but not of personality.

What does that even mean? Short as in lacking? She had plenty of personality? I’m sure this seemed like a clever phrase, but it really doesn’t work for me unless there’s something idiomatic in Alethi that it’s trying to point to in another “near-miss of translation” moment...which I don’t think this is.

So she caught a patsy planting the replacement spanreed, but he won’t (can’t?) talk. It’s interesting that she’s specifically choosing a Lightweaver for help due to their ability to see into Shadesmar. Why not an Elsecaller, who are explicitly better at that? Are there fewer of them around? Did I misinterpret the assertion that interaction with Shadesmar is the Elsecaller’s specialty?

Oh no. Is it Dabbid? Dang it, this spren just got on my nerves. Don’t bring Dabbid into this. I’m also concerned about how Kal will react and interfere or “help” Navani’s investigation.

Um, explosion? What kind of things do they have that can explode lethally?
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Ah, Venli’s turn.
 

Quote

The Everstorm was a trance of extended passion--an experience, not an event.

Good line. Evocative but also a distillation of the personality behind it.

I like the reminder that the passion and power of Odium remains tempting despite her understanding of the situation. 

Huh. Aluminum/ralkalest lining on the passage into the mountain. I wouldn’t think that could work with how much physical power the Fused have on top of their magical abilities, but obviously it’s an integral part of the defense.

I’d forgotten that Raboniel was the Lady of Wishes. Eee. I love that she’s been shown to be competent and savvy, along with hints of her apparently deserved reputation.

Oh, there’s a Masked One along in the party. Spy games are go.

The Deepest Ones strip before passing through the rock. That’s pretty good evidence that they can’t take anything with them, which is an interesting limitation that I presume is not shared by the Willshapers and Stonewards when they perform similar feats… but obviously I don’t know since we haven’t seen those orders do practically anything yet.
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Kaladin’s turn. I wasn’t expecting a fast-POV-switching climax already.
And Oroden is right there. Potential tender moment turned into an implicit threat with the suspense of the ongoing attack. 

Lirin uses stormwarden style glyphs for his medical charts. I wonder if there’s any cross-communication for that type of usage, or if they arrived at things independently?

Yup, it was Dabbid. Things are really turning chaotic now.

I do like that Kaladin is trying to establish decades worth of research into mental health in a matter of weeks. Coming from a modern society it’s easy for me to say, “Oh, good they’re trying pet therapy. Of course that would work.” But then I remember that a month ago they took the first one out of solitary confinement and I’m amazed at the pace of discovery. Good going, Kal!
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I don’t remember what Raboniel’s order was, but she sure seems like a Dustbringer/Releaser to me. 

Quote

“Carry a knife, for Ado’s sake”

Whaaat!? This is my new prized addition to the list of swears. The Fused are old enough to still swear by Adonalsium? And in informal/shortened form? I need to know more. Suddenly I don’t want the Fused to all pass Beyond. We need interviews first!

Quote

She hadn’t lost her mind to the spren that had inhabited her; she’d told herself it was because she was so strong. In truth, she had already been selfish and ambitious.

That’s a mood right there.

Well, at least Venli realizes she’s not going to make easy allies on this trip.

It’s going to take hours for them to ascend the tower? That’s a reasonable amount of time for the humans to mount a defense, assuming the message that got through was the one we just saw violently cut short.

Ah, the title is talking about the worry of missed check-ins by patrols. A fittingly poetic way to put it.