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Alright I don't know if I missed something or what but I've been left really confused since I read Oathbringer the first time. So its been stated that first the heralds received their powers through the oathpact with the almighty, which happens after humans switch from odium to almighty and spren learned from that how to form the nahel bonds that allowed people to become radiant and surgebind. According to the Eila Stele in chapter 111 in OB the radiants who at the time were of odium and therefore couldn't bond to spren (b/c pre oathpact) somehow destroyed their world and came to roshar and took it over? I feel like I'm missing something because it hasn't been brought up anywhere I can see despite being a major plothole.

Was there an Axies the Collector sighting in Oathbringer and I just missed it?

Hello all, I have invested some stake in the idea that Cusicesh the Protector is the third Sibling, referred to as a sleeping "they" by the Stormfather in Oathbringer. The Stormfather refuses to divulge more information than their existence and their relation to himself and the Nightwatcher. Cusicesh is described in Interlude I-5 of the Way of Kings as a spren of great size (over 100 feet tall) with four arms and a body with a deep blue center. It* rises out of the ocean at the same time every day (7:46am, though I won't pretend to know what that means,) and looks toward the Origin for the full ten minutes of its "performance". While doing so, it rapidly changes between human faces--male and female. Axies cannot tell if there are any repetitions of the faces shown. People who have watched Cusicesh have reported feeling drained afterwards. From Oathbringer's exploration of the Cognitive Realm, there is mention of a link between humanity and the spren. If the Sibling is "sleeping" as the Stormfather said, I believe they would still need to sustain that interaction with humanity. So, everyday, Cusicesh wakes up from its pseudo-hibernation, drains some energy from onlookers to sustain itself, and looks toward the Origin with longing, bearing the faces of those it bonded with in the past, then goes back to sleep. *Though I believe Cusicesh to be the Sibling in question, my belief does not constitute as evidence for sentience in said spren, so I will use the pronouns given to me from the book for Cusicesh until I am proven correct or other pronouns are given.

Hello and welcome, I don't post theories or interpretations very often but this is one that I wanted to get off my chest. Ashyn isn't the Tranquiline Halls, Roshar is. Now, very quickly, I want to make sure that I am not misinterpreted: I am not claiming that humans did not come from Ashyn, the vast majority of humans on Roshar are descended from Ashynites that fled their self-caused cataclysm. What I am claiming is that the Vorin mythology of humanities fight for the Tranquiline Halls is originally a singer tale, co-opted by humanity and twisted into their own theology. So, I just want to establish the mixing of cultures that has occurred between humans and singers on Roshar. I only have 2 (Maybe 2.5) examples of this. I wish I had more but I feel we don't know enough about old singer culture to say what came from them other than what we have been told directly. 1. Human use of the term Voidbringers This ones an easy one, Eila Stele shows that singers were the first to refer to humanity as Voidbringers during the first Desolation. We actually also have a little of the opposite happening, with Listener songs describing humanity in a very similar way to the way Midnight Essence are described. Eshonai mentions this in the prologue: 2. Humans took the singer names From Leshwi and Moash's conversation: So what we see here is humanity on Roshar seems to have adopted some of singer culture, intentionally or not. The Tranquiline Halls So, the tale of the Tranquiline Halls has the following as it's main points of belief: Humanity is not native to Roshar Humanity was forced out of their old home by an invading force of Voidbringers When a human dies, their soul sticks around, they are given super powers and get sent to fight for the Tranquiline Halls The Heralds are leading the fight Now, points 1 and 4 we can trace in human culture. We know humans are not native to Roshar, we see Jezrien telling the people this lie in Oathbringer: But where do points 2 and 3 come from in Vorinism? What are the origins of these parts of their belief? Humans weren't pushed out of their homeland by Voidbringers. Humans don't die, get given super powers and get to continue the fight against said Voidbringers. But you know who does? Singers were pushed out of their homeland by Voidbringers. When singers die, they do get given super powers and get to continue the fight against said Voidbringers. Humanity took the singers world, their god, their names and even their religions. In Vorin myth, Ashyn would be the Tranquiline Halls. In reality, it's Roshar. Thank you for reading.

Hello All As the wait for Book Four continues, I’ve begun to formulate various thoughts and expectations for how the rest of Stormlight should progress. Now, I have been a lover of the fantasy genre for quite some time, (ASoIaF, LotR, etc.). That being said, I’ve grown tired of the altruistic “good v. evil” fantasy that comes up time and again. Thus far ASoIaF has not really fallen prey to that, but it might depending on the course of the last two books. The show Game of Thrones looks to be heading in that direction based on the ending of Season Seven. One of the main drawbacks I have had with Stormlight is the predictability factor. I am certain that the series (in its current state) will end with Roshar emerging victorious in the brutal struggle against Odium. But Sanderson could subvert all of that, in some ways… End the First Arc (Books 1-5) with a “Last Battle” of sorts between Roshar and Odium. At the end of Book Five, Odium has either been destroyed or incapacitated in such a manner that he is no longer a viable threat to anyone. I believe that there is enough time for this to be accomplished. For one thing, via Venli and the other parshmen, discord, doubt, and anger has already been forged against Odium. With a focus of Venli and Eshonai in Book Four (I’ll call it The Rhythm of Storms. It works well on an ominous note while staying true to Parshendi communication), the “Voidbringers” will slowly start to join the Radiants as the Unmade and Sleepless come into full view. Book Five (Skybreaker) will be critical as it covers a battle that sweeps the entire continent. As Szeth is the focus character for Five, the core of conduct with the Radiants and the war against Odium will come to a head and be called into question. Book Five ends in such a regard. Dalinar dies and becomes a new Herald, and is visibly shaken as to where this will lead him. Hoid welcomes him to the Tranquiline Halls. Granted, this is a significant risk, both from a publisher and author standpoint. Tor may have issues with a large ending in the middle of the series, and the lack of readership and interest that may result. The Second Arc (Books 6-10) is set 30-45 years after the end of Five. The characters who are alive, (most likely Kaladin, Shallan, Lift, not Adolin) are insanely corrupt, and a shadow of the young heroes we once knew. The seek out the destruction of all who cannot stand against supernatural forces. Honor, aka the Almighty, was resurrected by the Radiants in between Five and Six, in an attempt to secure everlasting peace. A war begins to brew, this time with the Three Realms: Physical, Cognitive, and Spiritual. We saw this for a bit at the end of Oathbringer, but now the melding is permanent. It is absolute chaos in what should have been a happily ever after. The Second Arc will follow a conflict between Honor, Cultivation, and other Cosmere forces: Braize, the Tranquiline Halls, etc. It’s hard to map out the exact details, but this second half must show the fallacy and corruption of the true power the young foolhardy heroes were given. Sanderson could end the predictability halfway through! Thanks!

I just finished Oathbringer, and now I think I'm dying on the inside.

I'm about half way through Oathbringer. There is one thing that's nagging at me. It seems that the only thing that cultivation has done through out the entire story is be the night watcher and give an edge dancer a neat trick. Wouldn't it have been in cultivation the best interest to keep honor from shattering? Am I giving shards too much credit. Did I miss something along the way? Please help me=noob

1, would you rather be at the mercy of A, a high storm (with no shelter) or B, a chasmfeined (or however it's spelled) 2, would you rather only being able to own A, shard plate, because your sword is already pretty dope or B, shard blade, because duh 3, would you rather be a A, deceitful (yet rich) light eyes or B, humble (yet poor) dark eyes 4, would you rather be besties with A, Lopen or B, Rock 5, would you rather be stuck with A, chasm duty or B, Wit at a party Put your answers below!!

So do we have confirmation (via WoB) that Oathbringer was the Bondsmith book? Brandon has confirmed that just because a books flashback is about one character, doesn’t mean the Knights Radiant Order focused on in the book has to be theirs. My question stems from the fact that other than Dalinar’s whole Unity thing going on, which we don’t understand yet anyway, plus a little showcase of his Surges, how much info did we get about Bondsmiths in general. (As I write this I realize there were all the conversations about the Sibling, but still, not that much stuff) On the other hand, we learn ALOT about Nale and the Skybreakers, their training, their hierarchy, their mindset, their ideals. In fact, this is the only Order of Radiants that we’ve seen even hinting at the 5th ideal. I haven’t seen much about this but if I’m missing something, please fill me in

I'm not sure if any part (or all) of this theory has been posted before, so sorry if it has. It seems almost certain that, based on Bands of Mourning, Kelsier has a new Physical form. (BoM Epilogue) In Oathbringer, the Fused gain Physical form by bonding with Singers during the Everstorm. I think it likely that something similar is going on with Kell and his Physical form, except instead of the Everstorm, Hemalurgy is used. (Ibid.) My friend and I recently noticed this WoB: I realize that a RAFO could just mean that Brandon doesn't want to say either way just yet, but there is the potential (as far as I am aware) that Spook could still be around. (Mistborn: Secret History Epilogue) It seems that Kelsier enlisted Spook in his quest to get a new Physical form. If so, it could be that the "new string", at least at times, could be Spook. My friend and I are still working out some parts of this theory, so if anyone wants to add something that refines, supports, or even contradicts this theory, please do.

I believe that Cusicesh is the mysterious Sibling the Stormfather speaks of. This post will explain why I feel this is a plausible theory. First, we know that Spren are manifestations of the thoughts of sentient beings and in Roshar everything, no matter how large or small, gets manifested. Now, what's the largest concepts humanity tends to anthropromorsize? Land, Sky and Sea. Nightwatcher looks like living land. Stormfather manifests in the Physical Realm as a literal face in the sky. What does Cusicesh look like? Here's the quote: At precisely seven forty-six in the morning—the locals could use it to set their timepieces—an enormous, sea-blue spren surged from the waters of the bay. It was translucent, and though it appeared to throw out waves as it rose, that was illusory. The actual surface of the bay wasn’t disturbed. It takes the shape of a large jet of water, Axies thought, creating a tattoo along an open portion of his leg, scribing the words. The center is of the deepest blue, like the ocean depths, though the outer edges are a lighter shade. Judging by the masts of the nearby ships, I’d say that the spren has grown to a height of at least a hundred feet. One of the largest I’ve ever seen. To me, that seems like a perfect candidate for the Mega Spren personification of the Sea. That Cusicesh is important is obvious; Brandon would not waste an interlude describing it otherwise. However that isn't quite enough to come to any firm conclusion of its nature. For that, we turn to the Recreance. We know that at the time of the Recreance there was only one Bondsmith of the possible 3. We know that Bondsmith was not bonded to the Stormfather; Honor was Investing him before his Shattering. We can assume that the Nightwatcher wasn't the one who was bonded as she is still viable and operational. Also, Cultivation lives and seems to be holding her leash. We know that 9 of 10 Orders abandoned their Oaths. The Skybreakers stayed true; the Bondsmiths did not. So, one Bondsmith abandoned the Order. The Recreance damaged all the Spren who held a bond at the time. Stormfather and Nightwatcher may be crazy but they don't seem to be fundamentally damaged. That leaves Cusicesh, a Mega Spren, one of a kind, one who looks like the Ocean given form, and one who looks damaged as the Sibling bonded during the Recreance must be damaged. It is the perfect candidate for the third Sibling. Furthermore, I believe the faces displayed by the Spren are the faces of every Radient whose Oaths were abandoned during the Recreance, sort of a living memory of a forgotten time.

Just wondering what that was since the stormfather said he will not be used a shardblade

In the battle of Thaylen city, Szeth obliterates (possibly on all three realms!) a thunderclast just by flying into it with Nightblood. He then loses the sheath for a while and nearly dies, before getting back the sheath. From then on he keeps Nightblood sheathed for the rest of the battle. Why doesn't he use it again, at least to take out high-value single targets like ships or the other thunderclast? Maybe wipe out a few slower-moving Fused, or even Amaram? He's of similar speed to the flying Fused, so they can't stop him easily. He just has to make sure he doesn't lose the sheath again, which can't be that hard for a super-duper flying psycho-ninja...

Ever since I read Warbreaker, I have been wanting to re-read the chapters of the storm light archives, where "Ziehl (is that spelled right?)" And "azure" are in it... Because, ya know... But, I listened to the 3 storm light books on audible, so it's much harder for me to find what those chapters are, much less which books they even begin lol If anyone knows what chapters I'm looking for/where to find them, then plz let me know, thx!!

I've seen quite a lot of good art from Oathbringer, but as I've been going through the book again there's a particular scene that I wish someone would draw. If anyone has seen it, please let me know where. I'd love to see it and thank the artist. It's times like this I wish I'd spent more time learning art. Also, are there any scenes you'd like to see? (I apologise if I misspelled any words. I listen to the audiobooks, which means I don't always know the spelling of places/people.)

I managed to get my copy of Oathbringer a bit early and have been thinking and trying to make sense of Dalinar's awesome transformation at the end. In crafting a theory to explain this, I made a list of some important details and thought I would share those with y'all in the hope of a good discussion: Important Details: UNITE THEM! - Chapter 119 - I'll start off with the obvious detail, when Dalinar freaking grabs the fabric of reality with his hands and merges the Physical, Cognitive, and Spiritual realms together into a perpendicularity. We've had tidbits of perpendicularities in Arcanum Unbound and different things but to my knowledge, we've never seen anyone short of a Shard or splinter do something this powerful in the Cosmere as of yet. According to the Arcanum Unbounded, this generally requires "concentration of so much Investiture" that "creates points of ... friction, where a kind of tunneling exists". As far as I know, only Shards themselves have caused this in the past and it seems well outside the powers of a bondsmith so the question is how is Dalinar doing this? Syl says its Honor's perpendicularity so we at least know that it is Honor's power that Dalinar is wielding somehow. Whatever this power is, Dalinar seems to be able to do it on command now since he overcharged Kaladin with Stormlight in Chapter 122 before Kaladin takes off to find his missing bridgemen. I am Unity - Chapter 119 - When asked what he is by Venli, Dalinar responds with the awesome phrase "I am Unity", which could have many interpretations. Is this referring to his overall goal of unifying? Is it simply a cool way of leading into his unifying the Realms? Or is the capitalization of Unity important and does that signify that Dalinar has become something far more? WE KILLED YOU! - Chapter 119 - Perhaps my favorite detail is Odium's reaction to Dalinar's epiphany. Not only is Odium shocked by Dalinar's resistance, he seems to be downright scared here. And most interesting is the choice of pronouns here. In their previous discussion regarding Dalinar's sins, Odium always said "I" as in "I was there, influencing you", so this doesn't seem to be a royal "we". With the available information, I can see two possible explanations. One, Honor's death was a cooperative effort between Odium and some other party such as Autonomy though this seems unlikely since all of our evidence so far indicates that Odium killed Tanavast by himself. Second, and more intriguing, is the shattering of Adonalsium, which seems to better explain the anger, outrage, and fear in Odium's statements. What about Dalinar's Unity frightens Odium so much? What does Dalinar look like to Odium's eyes? How? What have you done? - Chapter 119 - Despite being the Cognitive shadow of a god, the Stormfather has no clue what or how Dalinar just accomplished. Is this just the typical Spren forgetfulness since he hasn't been bonded in millennia? Their later conversation seems to indicate that this really hasn't been done before... We are something different - Chapter 119 - Dalinar's own words to describe this event are "We are something different. His remnants, your soul, my will". This is interesting to me since it could be interpreted in a realmatic context as the combination of Physical (his remnants), Cognitive (my will), and Spiritual (your soul) components though the remnants seems like it should really be of all three and not just Physical. Dalinar was not supposed to Ascend - Chapter 122 - Another Odium line that stands out since the topic of Ascension has a known definition within the Cosmere: a vessel taking up a Shard of Adonalsium like in the Mistborn series. The context of this phrase is a bit murky though since Odium and Mr. T are talking about events in the past, present, and future so it's a bit unclear whether this is directly referring to Dalinar's display or if it is some future event that both Odium and Mr. T have foreseen. Still, this clearly indicates to me that something major is going on with Dalinar and it seems like Odium thinks that this is not a one-hit wonder use of power on his part. Interesting side note is how the heck do y'all think the "Renarin Kholin" reference fits into this conversation? Was he the one who should have Ascended or was he the catalyst that caused Dalinar's Ascension (perhaps in that one flashback where Renarin breaks Dalinar out of his drinking and makes him realize a bit how awful he is being)? A warmth that he had known once before - Chapter 119 - Right before Dalinar Unites, he feels this weird warmth. As far as I can tell, this seems to refer to Dalinar's curious dream/vision in Ch 89 of WoR, where he seemingly relives a childhood moment before stepping outside where "warm light bathed him. A deep, enveloping, piercing warmth. A warmth that soaked down deep through his skin, into his very self. He stared at that light, and was not blinded. The source was distant, but he knew it. Knew it well. He smiled". Still don't have a good explanation for what's going on here but we do have confirmation a few pages later that the Stormfather did not send this. Since all of Dalinar's previous interactions with Honor have been mediated by the Stormfather, what could this warmth be? Unite them - Throughout all books, Dalinar's thoughts are almost always drawn to a single phrase "Unite them" that has driven a lot of his actions so far. Presumably, the first instance of this was the vision that Honor/Stormfather gave him but it continues to be repeated time and time again in Dalinar's viewpoints. It's a phrase that has been interpreted to mean many things over the books like "unite the highprinces", "unite the world", and "unite the radiants" but here we see it once again in probably the most spectacular fashion as he physically unites the realms. Are these words just Dalinar's continual introspection on these words or is this an external voice speaking to him? The Stormfather said it wasn't him in Chapter 111 and Dalinar definitely perceived it to be an external voice. Was it always an external voice or just this time? Who or what could this be? Theories: Looking at the available evidence, I have come up with three possible explanations for the power that Dalinar is wielding now: Dalinar has, or is in the process of, reforming Honor and is its new vessel - I believe we have some WoB that this is possible but very difficult. The "something different" and "we killed you" details seem like they dispute this but either one could be interpreted to support it. Syl claiming that the perpendicularity is Honor's does seem to support this however. Another possibility is that he has somehow accumulated enough of Honor's Investiture to become something like a mini-sliver like a Herald or above. Dalinar has somehow accumulated enough Investiture to become something new, Unity - Perhaps not a full Shard but something akin to or above a Herald in power and not necessarily linked with Honor alone. At this point, he's had direct interactions with three Shards/remnants of Shards, which seems unique, and could somehow have taken some measure of power from each. To be specific, Odium has been shaping him into a Champion for what seems like his entire life and likely had to sink some Investiture in him to do so. Cultivation took a piece of him and perhaps gave something in its place when he visited. And we all know that he has a big piece of Honor in his pocket in the form of the Stormfather. Syl's claim that the perpendicularity was Honor's could just be her best guess or it could be that the bulk of Dalinar's new power is of Honor and that's what she's sensing. Has the combination of all of this Investiture made him into something unique? I think this is the most likely theory though the "we killed you" detail doesn't seem to quite fit. Dalinar is, in some way, connected to Adonalsium on a deeper level than we thought - This is a bit more out-there than the other two theories and is predicated mostly on the "we killed you" detail. I think there's a WoB out there somewhere that Dalinar was one of the first characters of the SA that Brandon came up with (number 17 here) and this makes me curious. I'm probably reading too much into this random detail but could Dalinar be something like the reincarnation of Adonalsium? We've had absolutely no evidence of this before now but it kinda fits the fear in Odium's reaction to Dalinar's Ascension. Of course, I would expect a god to pick up on that fact if he's been watching and influencing a dude for most of his life but maybe there's more going on than we know? There was also that curious exchange between Wit and Dalinar in WoK regarding Adonalsium (Chapter 54) that could support this theory but there's a WoB (number 1 here) saying that was probably not that significant. Building off the previous theory, perhaps Odium interprets Dalinar's combination of the three Shard's Investiture as a preliminary attempt to reforge Adonalsium.

So....I’m really worried that Dalinars past next book will be super brushed over. Sanderson has so far brushed over Kaladin killing Shallan’s brother, Adolin murdering Sadeas, and Szeth wanting to be Dalinars body guard. I feel like normal people would not react well, if they found out their dad killed their mom (even if by accident), but I worry this will be brushed over. Which just isn’t realistic, especially since the boys still get emotional about their moms death (at least Adolin does) thoughts? Do y’all think it’ll be covered? Or will it be forgive and forget? Or it’ll be happening but off screen? (Like Sadeas murder)

I would like to polity and respectfully ask why some readers like Adolin, because right now I hate him. Sure, I would love to be his drinking buddy or friend, but as a character I fail to see any compelling inner conflict or struggles. He's just to good to be true. It bugs me that a main character is that, especially in a book in which everyone is broken, where the Heralds themselves turned their back on humanity at the very beginning of the book. It is hard to care for him when he is written alongside: A: A young women who is apparently suffering a mental breakdown due in part of a lack of a self assured identity and past emotional trauma at the hands of an initially well meaning father B: Mr. Chronic Hero Syndrome (which thank god is proper deconstruction) who is being constantly thrust into situations that he fears most (watching those he worked to protect die while he survives, and his struggle with depression) With such a wide and varied cast, there is no way someone will like all of them, and that's good. My favorites happen to be Jasnah, Szeth, and, after Oathbringer, Dalinar, in that order. But even those who I don't personally like I can say that they are well written, compelling characters that add something to the story. For example, I personally don't like Lift, but there is no doubt value in showcasing a destitute street urchin seeking a higher and vital purpose. It is interesting to see such a bizarre and chaotic child become a freakin Knights Radiant. I want to understand so could Adolin fans please explain why his story is worth caring about or is compelling in any way. There are no wrong answers, I just don't see him being worthy of holding up the mantle of a main character, especially when we have yet to see much insight into his brother. I will say that while I don't like him at the moment, my thoughts of Adolin are similar to how I thought of Dalinar in the beginning of Way of Kings. Dalinar at first was also to noble, even though he had struggles with putting honor before reason. But Dalinar's growth has been nothing short of amazing and his slow change from becaming a diplomat to forming a coletion to seeking forgivness have injected depth into his character, depth that right now Adolin simply does not have. Back in Words of Radiance, my ears started to perk up a bit when I read Adolin showing a thirst for battle during his duels. However, this plot point seems to have fizzled out and, after Oathbringer, going down this path would obviously be redundant. But like I mentioned above, I have grown to love Dalinar, despite his less then interesting beginning, the same could happen to Adolin. But three books later and I still having doubts seeing the point of Adolin. Until his character gets interesting I will be calling him "Poor Man's Dalinar". Hopefully this will change, maybe he will be worthy of the name "A(n)dolinsm". Am I alone in hating him? Why is he so popular with readers?

There have been a couple of threads of readers being disappointed by OB. http://www.17thshard.com/forum/topic/68936-ob-whats-up-with-oathbringer/ http://www.17thshard.com/forum/topic/66361-ob-underwhelming/ Or a review on goodreads https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/891581512 These reviews hit on a point: Oathbringer is a really weird book. It ignores basic advice Brandon himself gives to young readers in his lectures on YouTube. 1. Lack of Expectations/ Promises (I wrote a different version of this somewhere else) In OB no grand expectation is set or promise made for the last few hundred pages or so. In WoK we had Dalinar vs Sadeas and the situation of Bridge Four and indeed these issues were met by the end of WoK. In WoR an even greater expectation was resolved that the war against the Parshendi would end which we had expected since the beginning of WoK. OB is different. The big villain is Odium but we also know that he is not going to be defeated in this book. There is no plan how to challange him, no ring to throw into Mt. Doom, no Death Star to destroy, no Horcruxes to kill, you get the point. All plotlines hang in a void without some big expectation to tie them all together. Instead the characters stumble along for the last act to arrive. I mean they literally stumble through the Perpendicularity into Thaylen! We could not have expected the books resolution there. Expectations we could reasonable have after WoR, were not met. Sadeas death had only minor consequences. His death is kind of swept under the rug for the entire book; The Ghostblood/Shallan/Jasnah issue, again not really addressed. And then there is the triangle of doom…I know this is controversial, but I expected clarity by the end of this book. We did not get a scene of Shallan having a conversation with Kaladin laying out why and that she really is not into him. Instead there was hardly any dialogue between Kaladin and Shallan and, well, an endless teasing game. Anyways, let`s not delve into that too much. Things turn toxic very fast. 2. Lack of agency Sah the freed Singer tells Kaladin: This line applies to most characters in OB. Elokhar does, what he thinks society demands of a “good” king. Kaladin cannot save him, because he is frozen on the spot. He only gets more frustrated by the question of whom he should protect. Shallan plunges deeper and deeper into her madness. Moash`s destiny is determined by his past choices. Dalinar is unable to face his former self. Adolin cannot tell anybody he killed Sadeas. Szeth is the exception here. He used to be swept away by circumstances, but he is making his own choices in this book. Only by the end of OB do some (mostly Dalinar) regain a little bit of agency. For the most part, however, they are just leafs in the wind being blown by the plot hither and tither. This is not good storytelling. I have too much confidence in Brandon as a writer to think this is merely a coincidence. Especially since he advises young writers in his lectures to set promises and to construct a plot with characters having agency. Instead I believe he tried to square the circle by writing Oathbringer: Laying down a compelling narrative without having promises or letting the characters make meaningful choices. And he kind of succeeded, didn`t he? Oathbringer is a good book, despite having these massive structural faults. Why did he do it? 1. Brandon cannot escalate every book by having bigger and bigger promises: (sequels always have to be bigger, as the Ardent jokingly said). OB is a purposeful step down to enable future plots to feel genuine and not like the next inevitable step on the ladder towards our final villain Odium. 2. It shows Odium`s almost absolute control of everyone. Odium`s influence is often described as letting go of any responsibility, to just go where momentum and your passions carry you. Odium has good reasons to believe there is no possible way for him to lose. This should be reflected in the narrative. Odium reigns. (Especially in Oathbringer)

I have just started reading oathbringer and it has only strengthened my belief in something i have been fearing since the last book i strongly suspect shallan has disassociate identity disorder aka multiple personality disorder from wikipedia " Dissociative identity disorder (DID), also known as multiple personality disorder, is a mental disorder characterized by at least two distinct and relatively enduring personality states. There is often trouble remembering certain events, beyond what would be explained by ordinary forgetfulness. These states alternately show in a person's behavior. Presentations, however, are variable. Associated conditions often include borderline personality disorder, post traumatic stress disorder, depression, substance misuse disorder, self-harm, or anxiety. The cause is believed to be due to childhood trauma. In about 90% of cases there is a history of abuse in childhood " "The symptoms of dissociative amnesia are subsumed under the DID diagnosis" from the wiki page of psychogenic amnesia " Psychogenic amnesia, also known as dissociative amnesia, is a memory disorder characterized by sudden retrograde episodic memory loss, said to occur for a period of time ranging from hours to years. More recently, "dissociative amnesia" has been defined as a dissociative disorder "characterized by retrospectively reported memory gaps. These gaps involve an inability to recall personal information, usually of a traumatic or stressful nature." i am not a psychologist and would be very interested if one happens to stumble over this post i just wanted to point out this thing and discuss possible implications it might have on the story ps: i am only about 16 chapters into oathbringer please no spoilers for further in the book

Okay so this just crossed my mind and I'd like a second opinion. Lift has a unique ability to touch Spren in the physical realm. Can she control this? Because she walks into the cloud made by the Thrill to give Dalinar the perfect gem. If that cloud is the physical form of the Thrill, wouldn't she bump into it as opposed to pass through it? Or does her unique powers let her walk into it but be unaffected? Just curious, maybe a WoB exists for this already?