Ariyar

Ok...it appears I will have to relist my favourites, since everyone is doing it. But, it's quite hard for me to do so, since I usually have 3 categories when it comes to characters - protagonists, antagonists, and supportings. Still, I will try. = Protagonists = 1) Kaladin - I like him very much. He's a role model to me for being a kind person even when his life is dark and fate never favored him. Moreover, his interactions with his family members felt so pure and genuine that I truly wished things could have turned better for them. Last of all is...his unwavering leadership...it is very inspiring to me, as I really feel that he's someone we need in our world, someone who could guide us even in the our most direst times. 2) Adolin - Among all the extrovert characters I have read, he is the one I find the most refreshing. He is so cheerful, protective, righteous, and even flirtatious lol. He's kind of like a perfect gentlemanly knight, but not really! Why? Even though he has a positive demeanor, he is not as flawless as everyone thinks him to be. His inner monologues, his emotional outbursts, and his murder of Sadeas gave so much depths to his persona. His entire life is a ceaseless conflict, and I hope his ties will help him overcome the bad within him in the future books. 3) Jasnah - This scholarly woman is too intelligent and too rational for me to not like. She's the perfect representation of what a scholar...what a scientist should be. Unbiased, and firm to one's beliefs. However, what made me really like her...is her vulnerability. Behind her powerful appearance lies an insecure woman, who is unsure of the consequences of the decisions she makes, who is doubtful of her own qualities, and who is forever incapable of trust. = Antagonists = 1) Amaram - With him, it's just plain and simple. There was always one scene of his, which always struck a cord in my mind. “Why? Why did you reject it? I have to know.” From that scene alone, I realized he was just as vulnerable as Jasnah, but more desperate and vain. Somehow, he felt too real to me, like the people of our world. I just couldn't help but ponder on him even now, if there was anything Kaladin could have done to prevent Amaram from making his cruel decision. 2) Taravangian - Compared to the other world-ending villains, Taravangian is quite new to me. He is kind, and he's striving for the good of the humanity. But his methods are pure evil. Still, what I liked about his character has to be the boon the Nightwatcher gave. From dumb to intelligent, from intelligent to dumb, it was just unique. 3) Mraize - There had always been something about his character. Something scholarly evil. And, there's too much we don't know about him. I wish to discover them. I wish to discover his philosophy, so he is the one character that I expect a lot. 4) Nalan - He is too prepared, like a hound that is set on the task. But beneath his facade, I see he is broken too. With him, I do not wonder if he will overcome the evil within him. With him, I wonder if he will remain broken, if he will be able to lie himself by indulging in the supposed acts of justice. That, and I just want to see whether he will prevail in killing Lift, or not. = Supportings = 1) Pattern - The entirety of his self is quite intriguing, starting with his appearance which is merely a pattern, or his shrouded past, or his exalted standing among the sprens, or just to the peculiarity of his speech. More than that, he feels like an alien child that is learning the ways of the world. So, it is rather pleasing to see him mature in mind through the novel. 2) Hoid - In this story, Shallan is depicted to be perfect in ideals or emotional quotients. Sadly, I don't believe that, but many of the SA characters believe her to be in right. Jasnah might disagree, but I have a feeling that she will eventually be swayed. However, with Hoid...I believe he's probably the only one philosophical enough to be able to give a wake-up call to Shallan. And of course, I want to know about his history with Odium, and what effect he will have on the characters of the Stormlight Archive. 3) Tien - He is a child, who remains to be a child, even in his teenage years. There was a purity about him, which I felt could not be corroded no matter who or what intrudes. We can clearly see that in how he reacted to Roshone and the town people, and that scene where he carved the wooden horse was also very touching. I really wished Lirin had left that town, it would have saved this innocent child. 4) Elhokar - All we have seen of him are his flaws, and his failures as a king. Yet, I believe there can be more to his character. Like...If only there was a right nudge, he could have been much greater he is, a real king that even Dalinar cannot become. And, I want to see if Kaladin could help with him. That, and I just feel bad for his character, being always pushed around and manipulated by those around him, and even those he trusts. 5) Renarin - He's like Tien, but with mental and health problems. He has a good heart, and is considerate of those close to him. I just want to see if he will be able to survive the changes he will have to do. Notable Mentions - Szeth, Sylpherena, Lirin, Hesina, Sigzil.

@Argel @galendo @maxal @WayneSpren

TT______TT Sighs. I'm actually speechless. ...I suppose you're right about that.

Oh, I don't think he dislikes Adolin, and I don't expect him to satisfy the whims of the readers. What I meant was... If he were to lurk around long enough, maybe he will have a change of perspective...enough that he might consider much could be done about Adolin. And yes, it would be really nice if Adolin got his own focus book. I had always liked reading his PoVs, no matter how few they were. In essence, they were similar to but less suffocating than Dalinar's since Adolin's PoVs feel much more unrestrained than his father's. As for Lift, although she added much to the story, I had a really difficult time reading her chapter. She has a style to her speech, but I still could not relate to her much. I found her ok as a child, but not particularly captivating as a character. And I admit I skimmed through her chapter. That, and I felt bad for her spren, lol. ------------ The premonition I was feeling was... Adolin might not be killed off in the third book, but he could be killed off in the fourth or fifth book. So many ways for him to die. It could be anti-climatic, but it would still add a a shock value. <= I would hate it, but I know many who would enjoy it, not because they like death, but because they just like being shocked.

It's sad that the author feels that way, but I hope he lurks about the forum and maybe considers exploring more on Adolin. The young Kholin needs much love. On the topic though, it's possible that Adolin might be killed off by Nale or Szeth, when we're all feeling safe and sound. Being an uptight character Dalinar is, I wonder if he would order a "death sentence" for Adolin too, should the murder be exposed? And it's possible that Adolin might confess his crime to Kaladin instead of Dalinar and others.

@hwiles I don't know where the conversation flowed, but I will try to reply to both of you. @Argel@maxal

According to my experience with romance or love triangle, there is a very high chance that Kaladin would win Shallan's hand. However, I stay with Adolin. I just hope a kind guy like him remains kind, and finally gets the real love he needs. But with the way things are set up, I see Adolin getting dark soon, and Shallan shying away from him. I just hope it doesn't happen. Too cliche. Too frequent. And too bad. Moreover, no matter how much the author wants us believe that Shallan is a suitable match for Kaladin, I just don't buy it. Kaladin deserves a different person, someone who could be the real light Tien was, not someone who retorts in every conversation and makes other people uncomfortable with her supposed wittiness. So, let Shallan stay with Adolin. Please.

With the amount of replies given here, my initial curiosity is sated. I could see Dalinar's character wasn't as weird as I originally thought, considering his focus is on Elhokar and morals, rather than his sons. Besides, in the story, his ravings during Highstorm would be worse of a gossip than the scandal with Navani. So, his character...after much reflection seems fine to me, though I still wish he would be more. As for Shallan, even though Maxal had explained to me that I might be misled by Shallan's narrative, since her vision of how she is perceived is mostly lies, I suppose I should wait for more books to see what happens to her. However, from what is written about her so far, I still feel that she is too "perfect" in term of her interaction with the other characters. The only thing my feeling for her might be remedied is if she is outmaneuvered or misunderstood by other characters, since so far, her EQ is too high/unrealistic that she can seemingly get out of any problem with just "talk" alone. Oh. The last thing about Shallan that I felt her out of character was how she let everyone know about Pattern. Sure, they heard Pattern hiss, but she could have pretended to be ignorant, and let him distance himself from her for a while, then sneak back later when everyone was no longer paranoid. That could have benefited her more, and it would also be in character, since she supposedly has such a calculating nature. But, that just didn't happen. ---------------------------- @Maxal @Argel @hwiles @Blightsong

No, I didn't feel weird with Shallan not because I saw the trend in her but because I found her character "overly achieved that it no longer makes sense". As for Adolin, yes, he is emotional in that infatuation way. That was clearly written. But, what made me like his character was because he is kind and righteous, in contrast to the lighteyes we had seen so far. However, that wasn't all. There was an understanding between him and Kaladin. (distrust for valid reasons, and respect for what the other had done) When it came to Shallan, his infatuation turned into a genuine love. So, I found him mature. And, his character isn't overly achieved because he just did the possible things within his limit. Not to mention, he also screwed up a lot of things. All in all, I find his character quite reasonable. But about Shallan, I just couldn't get a good impression because of all the things I had listed in my previous posts. [ Yes, I enjoyed her conversation with Jasnah...Pattern...Gaz and the others, but that was it. ]

If that is the case, I will give it a try. Thanks for the suggestion again. 1. What I said about "prideful, if not arrogant" might be stereotyping in one perspective. But it doesn't mean that what I said is wrong. After all, that is generally true for all the Highprinces; even Dalinar is proud. Continuing on...Jasnah's notes dismissed him as "obnoxious" and "useless". She didn't say "kind" or "generous". So, what made Shallan approach Sabariel was her own decision because she supposedly saw something in him. But I don't know what she saw in him, and I am not taken that she should risk so much just from "first impression analysis". As for Sabariel's mistress, sure, she could be kind. However, no matter how kind a person is, generally speaking, most women would always be hesitant to readily accept a young girl taken home by her husband. Most people would question, if not hate. However, this is supposed to be remedied by this quote "It isn't like you are the first one he has taken in." But, I simply wasn't persuaded because of not just one or two, but series of fortunate events that happened to Shallan after her interaction with Sebariel. 2. You're right in saying that Shallan hadn't known Jasnah for long. However, not only was Jasnah her teacher, she was also someone who Shallan spent the time with the most during her stay in Kharbranth. At one point, she even stated that she would really love to stay with Jasnah, instead of carrying out her duty. So, it's reasonable for me to assume that Shallan should feel attached to Jasnah. And if we continue from that, yes, it is shallow of Shallan to flirt in the next conversation after Jasnah is mentioned. I thought she would be hesitant, or at least express her guilt in the narration. Also, they didn't even talk about Jasnah's death when she conversed with Adolin, which I find very...odd. 3. Perhaps so. It's just that I don't get the same impression from it. 4. I don't find her character annoying in total. I just find her annoying when she retorts every sentence, and how she treated Kaladin, right after Kaladin helped Adolin in the duel. Lastly, let me defend myself a little. It isn't that I dislike female PoVs because they are female PoVs. It's just I generally dislike how most writers depict female PoVs. For instance, in Wheel of Time, I'm sorry...this is my opinion so I hope it doesn't offend anyone...but, I felt that Robert Jordan was being sexist towards females, so I didn't like it. I wished he could be more fair toward the female characters. However, in Stormlight Archive, what I felt was the opposite. I felt that Brandon Sanderson was being a feminist that he overdid the female characters more than necessary. But, even without those two points... Back to my original point...most writers tend to write male emotions in the line of "rage", but female emotions in the line of "infatuation". For one, I like "mature love" so "infatuation" thing just doesn't work out for me. So, you can't blame for liking male PoVs more. It isn't that I am biased to female PoVs, it is just that I am forced to like male PoVs more because of the general trend. But there exist also male PoVs being hopelessly infatuated, however, I just see them not as much among what I read in my life so far. And, I would avoid them too if possible. ---------------------------- @Maxal - I see... That line made sense very much. I'm glad you pointed that out, and also about how the Ghostbloods might have perceived her. I suppose, I need to wait for more books to clamp down Shallan's character more. As for Dalinar, I also believe he should love and hangout with Navani. But, it's just that what I think someone like him should fear are not included in the narration. So, I just find that odd. It's like...when I think he should be worried about his countrymen or the children's impression regarding his case with Navani, instead his worry is more focused on the morality of it. Then, when Navani pushed him, all of his worries just disappeared, and he went along. I thought...he would be or should be thinking hard about how to confront his sons and nephew. Well, he did confront Elhokar but that was hectic though. And you are right that the diversity is a good thing. Perhaps, I am just reading too much into the characters. But, I daresay the whole Shallan situation is still odd.

Thank you, I am really happy I read it. About Sebariel manipulating Shallan in some ways...even if that turns out to be true, it wouldn't change what I said earlier in my post. Because, the first interaction between Shallan and Sabariel will continue to remain dreamy no matter what. But, it might alleviate a little if Sabariel is indeed manipulating Shallan though. But then again, if such a thing happens, it might damage Shallan's supposed intellect, because she allowed herself to be in such situation. So, I am not sure if that is a good. It's like... *if she can solve Sabariel's betrayal = she is unrealistic, *if she is hurt by Sabariel's betrayal = she is not in her character. The only way out of that might be...Shallan knew that Sabariel could betray her, but even still, she failed to outmaneuver him. But I wonder if Brandon Sanderson would really do that. I plan to read Mistborn books later, but I did hear Vin is the focus? If that, I might not enjoy it. Off-topic, I only enjoyed Egwene in her later chapters in Wheel of Time. So, it is a little difficult for me to endure female characters, mostly because they are too emotional (in ways of romance) for me to enjoy.

Hello, I recently read two books of Stormlight Archive, and they are the first I have read from Brandon Sanderson. Those were mildly a good surprise, and I did enjoy reading through them. So far, I like - Kaladin - Hoid - Jasnah - Adolin - Renarin - Elhokar - Pattern - Tien - Amaram - Hesina - Lirin - Sigzil Dalinar and Shallan though...I'm not sure what to make of them.