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I'm reading The Stormlight Archive for the first time


Amira

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16 hours ago, SarChasmFiend said:

Having just done that, I highly recommend it. Going one into the next is rewarding 

As someone who started The Way of Kings twice but then never stumbled once as I ploughed through them all without stopping I don't see how you can stop knowing the sequels are actually there.

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On 8/8/2022 at 4:57 PM, rosharian_cat said:

I remember reading tWoK for the first time, and I also loved Kaladin’s chapters. I still do! I hope you keep uploading for the other books as well. :D

 

19 hours ago, Amira said:

I'm thinking I'll start book 2 immediately after finishing book 1

 

17 hours ago, SarChasmFiend said:

Having just done that, I highly recommend it. Going one into the next is rewarding 

 

1 hour ago, BinarySecond said:

As someone who started The Way of Kings twice but then never stumbled once as I ploughed through them all without stopping I don't see how you can stop knowing the sequels are actually there.

I think the goal of @rosharian_cat was to ask for another thread like this for each book in SA.

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On 8/9/2022 at 11:17 AM, BinarySecond said:

I've only just caught up with the whole thread but it has been a complete delight!

Aww, thank you!!

11 hours ago, Ta'veren Kaladin said:

I think the goal of @rosharian_cat was to ask for another thread like this for each book in SA.

I think I'll just rename this topic "I'm reading The Stormlight Archive for the first time."

10 hours ago, Benedictify said:

You should do a blog! It’ll be like the youtube videos of people reacting to watching movies they haven’t seen yet 

That's a neat idea! Although if I did a blog, I'd have to figure out how to get people to find my blog, whereas here all the Sanderfans are already gathered...

Chapter 44, in which little Kaladin volunteers as tribute: gosh, it's so sad to read this knowing that Tien dies. I wondered why Kaladin's parents told him he could do whatever he wanted with his future in the academic fields, but didn't want him to join the army, but maybe they're just afraid he's gonna die.

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32 minutes ago, Amira said:

Chapter 44, in which little Kaladin volunteers as tribute: gosh, it's so sad to read this knowing that Tien dies. I wondered why Kaladin's parents told him he could do whatever he wanted with his future in the academic fields, but didn't want him to join the army, but maybe they're just afraid he's gonna die.

In this book you will get the flashback to what happens to Tien. In books to come you will learn more about the Roshone and why Lirin was so against Kaladin becoming a soldier.

Spoiler

As implied by my question near the top of this page.

Nice Katniss reference, btw.

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3 hours ago, Amira said:

 I wondered why Kaladin's parents told him he could do whatever he wanted with his future in the academic fields, but didn't want him to join the army, but maybe they're just afraid he's gonna die.

consider that most alethi wars are petty things. the highprinces are constantly battling each other for minor territorial gains, all the while they are supposedly united.

it really makes no sense to get themselves killed in those conflicts.

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7 hours ago, king of nowhere said:

consider that most alethi wars are petty things. the highprinces are constantly battling each other for minor territorial gains, all the while they are supposedly united.

it really makes no sense to get themselves killed in those conflicts.

Predominantly this, Kaladin has the potential to do better for himself and his family. He's second Nahn, he could potentially reach 1st or even 10th Dahn. For example by marrying Laral, or becoming a personal surgeon to a prince following exceptional training in Kharbranth. Lirin never went to Kharbranth IIRC.

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11 hours ago, king of nowhere said:

consider that most alethi wars are petty things. the highprinces are constantly battling each other for minor territorial gains, all the while they are supposedly united.

it really makes no sense to get themselves killed in those conflicts.

4 hours ago, BinarySecond said:

Predominantly this, Kaladin has the potential to do better for himself and his family. He's second Nahn, he could potentially reach 1st or even 10th Dahn. For example by marrying Laral, or becoming a personal surgeon to a prince following exceptional training in Kharbranth. Lirin never went to Kharbranth IIRC.

Sure, but that's "outsider" hindsight. Consider it in the second person:

  • Spoilers for WoK
Spoiler

 

  • Your parents (well Mother) are very religeous
  • Your religeon constantly reminds you that "all work, done earnestly, is noble; but being a soldier is the most noble"
  • The girl you fancy wants you to win a Shardblade so you can be together 
  • Your peers hate you for being "too lighteyed" and you are ostricized

Now given all that, would you possibly daydream about going to war? Would you volunteer when they take your pacifist brother?

As for the Alethi in general, you only need point two to realize that the "petty land disputes" are actually rarely about the land at all - it is Alethi people practicing their religion to elevate their callings and improve in battle, both as a people and earn the chance to go to the Shattered Plains and fight for their murdered king. 

 

 

 

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On 8/11/2022 at 2:57 PM, Treamayne said:

Sure, but that's "outsider" hindsight. Consider it in the second person:

  • Spoilers for WoK
  Hide contents

 

  • Your parents (well Mother) are very religeous
  • Your religeon constantly reminds you that "all work, done earnestly, is noble; but being a soldier is the most noble"
  • The girl you fancy wants you to win a Shardblade so you can be together 
  • Your peers hate you for being "too lighteyed" and you are ostricized

Now given all that, would you possibly daydream about going to war? Would you volunteer when they take your pacifist brother?

As for the Alethi in general, you only need point two to realize that the "petty land disputes" are actually rarely about the land at all - it is Alethi people practicing their religion to elevate their callings and improve in battle, both as a people and earn the chance to go to the Shattered Plains and fight for their murdered king. 

 

 

 

I was taking it more from Lirin's perspective. I cannot fault your logic given for Kaladin wanting to become a soldier

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2 minutes ago, BinarySecond said:

I was taking it more from Lirin's perspective. I cannot fault your logic given for Kaladin wanting to become a soldier

Much of my response was for King of Nowhere (but they went together), but if you are considering Lirin's POV/Frame of mind (non-specific spoilers for Lirin's characterization):

Spoiler

Lirin had to know that marriage to Laral was no longer an option as soon as Wistiow died. However. because he is a "My Opinion IS Fact" pacifist father, he uses mental and emotional abuse (especially in OB and RoW, but visible in TWoK on reread) to coerce the choice(s) he decides Kaladin should make. It's not that Lirin doesn't have points - but he absolutely refuses to acknowledge anybody else's (including Hesina) ideas and opinions (until her final interlude in RoW).

TV Tropes character page makes a great point here: In any normal war (especially Alethi border skirmishes), his stance and opinions would have considerable weight; but they are painfully naive during the True Desolation.

To him, becoming a Surgeon was the only correct choice, and Kal failed him. We'll see if the improvements at the end of RoW actually stick.

 

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Chapter 45, Shallan:

What the storm just happened??? A cold voice, a warm voice, creatures, a sea of beads, a faraway sun, spontaneous soulcasting, Shallan momentarily jumping into another dimension, "I will change"...:blink::mellow::huh: Do these emojis look baffled enough? Who knew Shallan would discover her powers before Kaladin. And what's that about ten heartbeats, Shallan is a Shardbearer??? It's like this entire book is a drawing on a page, slowly building, and this chapter is a knife suddenly cutting through the page!

Edited by Amira
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It's not really a spoiler, just a reference from a book you may not have read yet. . . but it would seem Sanderson's personal motto was uttered by a certain thieving crew chief:

Spoiler

Mistborn: The Final Empire Ch 5:

“The trick is to never stop looking. There’s always another secret.”

if you hang around the forums a while, You'll see that referenced fairly often.

10 hours ago, Amira said:

It's like this entire book is a drawing on a page, slowly building, and this chapter is a knife suddenly cutting through the page!

Nice simile

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10 hours ago, Amira said:

Chapter 45, Shallan:

What the storm just happened??? A cold voice, a warm voice, creatures, a sea of beads, a faraway sun, spontaneous soulcasting, Shallan momentarily jumping into another dimension, "I will change"...:blink::mellow::huh: Do these emojis look baffled enough? Who knew Shallan would discover her powers before Kaladin. And what's that about ten heartbeats, Shallan is a Shardbearer??? It's like this entire book is a drawing on a page, slowly building, and this chapter is a knife suddenly cutting through the page!

it's actually even weirder than that. shallan's past is a gold mine. you keep getting nuggets and more nuggets. we got the last big piece at the end of book 4, and we suspect there may yet be something more for book 5.

do note that most everything we gradually discover is true. it's just not the whole truth

(I hate when mystery stories go about "oh, but we've been lying all along, the truth is X. and 100 pages later, no wait, that's actually false, the truth is something else". I give up those stories, because what's the point if you're just fed lies all along? but "there's another detail that changes the context", that's something I can get along with)

Edited by king of nowhere
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Chapter 46, Kaladin:

Doing more magic in his sleep, Kaladin gets a glimpse of Szeth, I guess he's pretty far away atm. Adding a parshman to Bridge Four is an interesting development, I've been curious about the parshmen for a while, so I look forward to seeing where this goes. Finally Kaladin meets Adolin and refuses to believe any lighteyes can perform genuine acts of kindness. Of course Teft still hasn't told Kaladin about the Stormlight magic, I hope that actually happens at some point. I was looking forward to seeing them train, but we didn't get there yet. Sometimes I wish this book moved a little faster!

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On 8/15/2022 at 6:33 PM, Amira said:

It's like this entire book is a drawing on a page, slowly building, and this chapter is a knife suddenly cutting through the page!

Yeah, it's really weird. I promise it starts coming together.

3 hours ago, Amira said:

Sometimes I wish this book moved a little faster!

I do know what you mean. It will slowly build, though... until the Sanderlanche!

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On 8/17/2022 at 1:19 AM, Amira said:

Chapter 46, Kaladin:

Doing more magic in his sleep, Kaladin gets a glimpse of Szeth, I guess he's pretty far away atm. Adding a parshman to Bridge Four is an interesting development, I've been curious about the parshmen for a while, so I look forward to seeing where this goes. Finally Kaladin meets Adolin and refuses to believe any lighteyes can perform genuine acts of kindness. Of course Teft still hasn't told Kaladin about the Stormlight magic, I hope that actually happens at some point. I was looking forward to seeing them train, but we didn't get there yet. Sometimes I wish this book moved a little faster!

I remember the absolute hype I felt following Kaladin's dream sequence. I know that Shin man!

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8 hours ago, BinarySecond said:

I remember the absolute hype I felt following Kaladin's dream sequence. I know that Shin man!

I love those sorts of references too, like Shallan's ten heartbeats thought (referenced above). Information that you can notice and draw inferences from just in the course of normal reading of a given book or series (as opposed to the multi-thousand page, multi-series, WoB-charged references we increasingly tend to focus on).

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Chapter 47, Kaladin's past:

We skip over Tien's death for a retelling of chapter 1, this time from Kaladin's pov. Do we ever find out why Rosharians say such weird stuff on their deathbed? As expected, the Shardbearer kills Cenn and then Kaladin kills the Shardbearer. But then he turns the Blade down?! Look, I understand that it sickens him, of course it does, it just killed all his friends, but picking up a sword won't change him into the men he hates. With a Shardblade, he could *prevent* his men from dying next time! Sorry, but I just lost some of my respect for Kaladin. Then again, I suppose giving it to one of his men is also okay, but instead of walking away, he should have stayed put a few more seconds to ensure the man actually picked it up! Do you guys think Kaladin did the right thing here?

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