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Brandon Tweaking Words Of Radiance


Kelsier Kenobi

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Thanks Kelsier, +1!

 

Sure, go ahead and change it.  The new ending sounds like it might be annoying plotting, but I can't tell w/out reading it. 

 

But I bought the book.  Give me the new ending, please.  Actually, I'll probably buy the ebook anyway, so never mind me.

 

As for 18th Shard's point, does that mean that Jezrien's Honorblade counts as a dead Shardblade?  That would explain why Szeth thinks that he can't heal Shard-severed limbs, while Kaladin can. 

 

Further, I guess that means that we will have Shard-severed limbs, the healing or lack of which will be vital to future plots. 

Edited by hoser
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I'm also interested about the shardblades.  His wording makes it a little ambiguous.  I think he means that you cannot be healed from a wound inflicted by a dead shardblade but you can be healed from one inflicted by a living blade.  But his wording suggests that the living shardblades actually have spiritually healing properties.  Anyone else wondering about this?

 

it’s an important plot point for the series that dead Shardblades cannot heal the soul, while living ones can.

 

Edited by soulcastJam
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Yes, though I'm interested to see how it actually plays out. Given his abilities, Szeth being killed by the storm smells slightly off suicide, an action forbidden to him and one he has avoided in the past.

On a separate note, Brandon's explanation surprised me because this is not the message I took from that final sequence, and I don't think I've seen it postulated here on the forums either.

The question this raises is about Szeth being stabbed by a Shardblade, then being resuscitated. I’m sad to lose this sequence, as it’s an important plot point for the series that dead Shardblades cannot heal the soul, while living ones can.

Edit: double ninja'd! Obviously we're all thinking the same thing.

Edited by ccstat
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I actually don't mind that Kaladin doesn't kill him. It shows both Kaladin's honor and Szeth's and it will actually set up for a better "reunion" when they meet further down in the series fighting Odium's armies.

 

One question: does having his wrist slashed by a shardblade count as severing Szeth's bond to the Honorblade? Is it bonded to the entire person or just the hand?

 

Also, Kaladin healed himself from Szeth's strike the first time they met, so the living/dead shardblade question can be ansewred both ways. But, Syl hadn't manifested as a shardblade yet, so maybe/possibly it's wounds made by a living shardblade can be healed?

Edited by Kelek's Breath
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One question: does having his wrist slashed by a shardblade count as severing Szeth's bond to the Honorblade? Is it bonded to the entire person or just the hand?

 

I doubt it's the latter - I feel like I've read about Shardbearers summoning their Blade with either hand. It would be weird if it bonded to the hand only anyway.

 

No, the way I interpret the whole thing is that as a Surgebinder, your ability to heal comes from your spren - who is also your Shardblade, once you progress far enough. So if you have a living Shardblade, you are "Radiant enough" to be able to heal yourself from Blade-inflicted wounds, you can heal your soul. Szeth couldn't do that - the Honorblade he wielded gave him the ability to Surgebind, and also allowed him some basic healing, but something as advanced as restoring his Spiritweb, it couldn't do. 

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One question: does having his wrist slashed by a shardblade count as severing Szeth's bond to the Honorblade? Is it bonded to the entire person or just the hand?

 

In this case we really can't say, since Szeth willing released the Bond.

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No, the way I interpret the whole thing is that as a Surgebinder, your ability to heal comes from your spren - who is also your Shardblade, once you progress far enough. So if you have a living Shardblade, you are "Radiant enough" to be able to heal yourself from Blade-inflicted wounds, you can heal your soul. Szeth couldn't do that - the Honorblade he wielded gave him the ability to Surgebind, and also allowed him some basic healing, but something as advanced as restoring his Spiritweb, it couldn't do.

 

I really like that explanation and seems the most reasonable. I'm really kind of scared about this move though, I mean that's a big difference for Kaladin/Syl as a character duo and for people who read the original but don't follow the blog, which I'm going to assume is a large number of people, could potentially be quite confusing.

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I support the Creator in this change. I personally dont much like it, but its his Cosmere after all. We all make decisions we regret later. If the oppurtunity to fix it comes along why not fix it. Cleans the body and soul and.... whatever else you want to clean I guess. A windshield maybe?

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Though I am happy with the changes made, particularly because now we don't know exactly if Szeth truly died or not (and therefore brandon doesn't revive 2 dead characters in the same book), and Kaladin killing Szeth had always bothered me, I'm a little upset. I was looking forward to Kaladin having to deal with the fact that he slaughtered Szeth in a fit of rage. Now he didn't...

 

Edit: Also, why the two changes of "Stormfather" to "Rider of the Storms?" Is Brandon specifically wanting to distance the Stormfather from spren? This also solidifies Kaladin's vision as taking place from the Stormfather's perspective, at least to me...

Edited by Blaze1616
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I really like that explanation and seems the most reasonable. I'm really kind of scared about this move though, I mean that's a big difference for Kaladin/Syl as a character duo and for people who read the original but don't follow the blog, which I'm going to assume is a large number of people, could potentially be quite confusing.

They should probably include a note about this in the beginning of book 3.

 

I find myself agreeing with this change also. It fits Kaladin's character better and makes Szeth's 'resurrection' less egregious.

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Edit: Also, why the two changes of "Stormfather" to "Rider of the Storms?" Is Brandon specifically wanting to distance the Stormfather from spren? This also solidifies Kaladin's vision as taking place from the Stormfather's perspective, at least to me...

 

This I think has to do with the fact that it's in Eshonai's POV and the listeners call the Stormfather the Rider of Storms.

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I really like that explanation and seems the most reasonable. I'm really kind of scared about this move though, I mean that's a big difference for Kaladin/Syl as a character duo and for people who read the original but don't follow the blog, which I'm going to assume is a large number of people, could potentially be quite confusing.

 

Maybe Brandon will add in a forward or something after the ending of the next book that explains the change to readers who don't read the blog. 

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Well, I can see why brandon would like that more.

Still, I am worried that it  could be confusing to people who don't follow the blog. if they have the book saying kaladin killed szeth, and then in book 3 it will be referenced that kaladin did not kill, then what will they think?

 

Also, I can't get out of my head the alternate scene

  • Szeth did not parry. He just closed his eyes to accept the attack.
  • In that instant, for reasons he could not have articulated—pity, perhaps?— Kaladin diverted his blow, driving the Blade through Szeth’s wrist. The skin greyed. Flashing with reflected lightning, the sword tumbled from the assassin’s fingers, then dulled as it plummeted.
  • Then, before he could think, kaladin said "Luke, I am your father". Huh, I wonder what was that about?
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Wouldn't that change for what Nale says to Szeth about restoration imply that Nale has the Truthwatcher or Edgedancer Honorblade?

 

Peter, you got some explaining to do on why it changed from fabrial. ;)

 

I imagine it was still a fabrial. Nalan puts away something glowing into a pocket after reviving Szeth. I would be highly surprised if it were not a Regrowth fabrial, given we know those exist from WoK.

 

As to the changes: good. I'm glad Kaladin didn't kill him. Szeth was surrendering and giving up. Brandon has previously said this irked him. I don't like retcons in general, but this is fine.

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Also, I can't get out of my head the alternate scene

  • Szeth did not parry. He just closed his eyes to accept the attack.
  • In that instant, for reasons he could not have articulated—pity, perhaps?— Kaladin diverted his blow, driving the Blade through Szeth’s wrist. The skin greyed. Flashing with reflected lightning, the sword tumbled from the assassin’s fingers, then dulled as it plummeted.
  • Then, before he could think, kaladin said "Luke, I am your father". Huh, I wonder what was that about?

 

Although this is a great alternate scene, I'm going to be that guy and tell you that what you've quoted is not Vader's line...

 

To contribute to the topic at hand though, Changing the "fabrial" to "Surgebinding" makes the scene more confusing if Nalan still used a Regrowth fabrial.

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I imagine it was still a fabrial. Nalan puts away something glowing into a pocket after reviving Szeth. I would be highly surprised if it were not a Regrowth fabrial, given we know those exist from WoK.

 

As to the changes: good. I'm glad Kaladin didn't kill him. Szeth was surrendering and giving up. Brandon has previously said this irked him. I don't like retcons in general, but this is fine.

Sure, but why change the wording from fabrial when we (as readers) already know, and can infer that Regrowth fabrials exist?  Saying 'the right Surgebinding' would suggest that the method Nale used was the actual power (presumably via an Honorblade) rather than what he tucked away.  While there are fabrials that, strictly speaking, can duplicate Surgebinding, the change doesn't make it clear what the source of this particular use Surgebinding was, and arguably obfuscates matters more.  I just don't see the point of the change when the previous text was rather clear about how Szeth was healed, I guess.

Edited by dvoraen
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I think the change is better.

It's really weird that it was changed tho. If this forum weren't so PC I'd say it is Copulated-up to change it. But whatever I can hang. Hopefully with a more reasonable amount of time to crank out the future books this will not happen again.

Will the audiobooks be changed?

Edited by The Rooster
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Well, I can see why brandon would like that more.

Still, I am worried that it  could be confusing to people who don't follow the blog. if they have the book saying kaladin killed szeth, and then in book 3 it will be referenced that kaladin did not kill, then what will they think?

 

Also, I can't get out of my head the alternate scene

  • Szeth did not parry. He just closed his eyes to accept the attack.
  • In that instant, for reasons he could not have articulated—pity, perhaps?— Kaladin diverted his blow, driving the Blade through Szeth’s wrist. The skin greyed. Flashing with reflected lightning, the sword tumbled from the assassin’s fingers, then dulled as it plummeted.
  • Then, before he could think, kaladin said "Luke, I am your father". Huh, I wonder what was that about?

 

 

  • Szeth did not parry. He just closed his eyes to accept the attack.
  • In that instant, for reasons he could not have articulated—pity, perhaps?— Kaladin diverted his blow, driving the Blade through Szeth’s wrist. The skin greyed. Flashing with reflected lightning, the sword tumbled from the assassin’s fingers, then dulled as it plummeted.
  • "Well done Kaladin," Syl said, "Many that live deserve death. And some that die deserve life. Can you give it to them? Then do not be too eager to deal out death in judgement. For even the very wise cannot see all ends. I have not much hope that Szeth can be cured before he dies, but there is a chance of it. And he is bound up with the fate of Roshar. My heart tells me that he has some part to play yet, for good or ill, before the end; and when that comes, your pity may rule the fate of many - your own not least."

That's all I could think of when I saw the word "pity" in the changed section. 

 

I do like this better for Kaladin at least, after all the growth he has done in his book especially from his vengeance against Amaram to saving the king. It may be confusing, and now I have to buy to versions, but still... better for the character of Kaladin. 

Edited by Green Hoodie Mistborn
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