Questions about TWoK Prime

[Rashekin]

Well, I have not yet fully learned English, I am far from level enough to read a manuscript as long as this book is.

So I wanted to see if someone could help me by answering various questions about the book. (I don't care about spoilers for this one, because it's non-canon and besides, I'll still read it one day.)

The questions are:

• In what places does the plot take place? (TWoK takes place in Shattered Plains and Kharbranth.)
• What important or recurring SA characters don't exist here on TWoK Prime?
• What is the role of the Heralds here?
• Are the Shards or Adonalsium named? (Very improbable, I know.)
• Hoid appears? And if so, what role does he have?
• What is the climax of the book? (In TWoK it is the Battle of the Tower.)
• Does Stormfather exist? (I know there is no spren in this book, but it is still a doubt.)
• Which characters are better here than in SA, and vice versa?

I would be infinitely grateful if someone could clarify all those doubts for me!

[Frustration]

52 minutes ago, Rashekin said:

Well, I have not yet fully learned English, I am far from level enough to read a manuscript as long as this book is.

So I wanted to see if someone could help me by answering various questions about the book. (I don't care about spoilers for this one, because it's non-canon and besides, I'll still read it one day.)

The questions are:

• In what places does the plot take place? (TWoK takes place in Shattered Plains and Kharbranth.)
• What important or recurring SA characters don't exist here on TWoK Prime?
• What is the role of the Heralds here?
• Are the Shards or Adonalsium named? (Very improbable, I know.)
• Hoid appears? And if so, what role does he have?
• What is the climax of the book? (In TWoK it is the Battle of the Tower.)
• Does Stormfather exist? (I know there is no spren in this book, but it is still a doubt.)
• Which characters are better here than in SA, and vice versa?

I would be infinitely grateful if someone could clarify all those doubts for me!

Roshar is a lot different in Prime, none of the places match up.

Shallan and Kaladin are so different they might as well not be the same people

Heralds have the same role, but are more sane, and active in the plot

The Almighty is still there, and is clearly at least something resembling a shard if you know what to look for, but isn't named

Hoid does not appear

There is a battle but I don't know if it has a name.

Stormfather is not present

Shinri is better than Shallan, Jek is worse than Szeth but not by much, I like Jasnah more.

[Rashekin]

6 hours ago, Frustration said:

Roshar is a lot different in Prime, none of the places match up.

Thanks for clarifying my doubts!

6 hours ago, Frustration said:

Heralds have the same role, but are more sane, and active in the plot

Are they still the same as in SA? You know, Jezrien, Nale, Pailiah... Although I do know that Taln is a PoV recurring character.

6 hours ago, Frustration said:

Hoid does not appear

I find it strange that it does not appear. At that point, Brandon had already created Hoid and put him in Elantris (which he wrote in 1999.)

6 hours ago, Frustration said:

Shinri is better than Shallan, Jek is worse than Szeth but not by much, I like Jasnah more.

Jek is still the assassin, as well as Szeth?

[Frustration]

2 minutes ago, Rashekin said:

Are they still the same as in SA? You know, Jezrien, Nale, Pailiah... Although I do know that Taln is a PoV recurring character.

Yes they have the same names

2 minutes ago, Rashekin said:

Jek is still the assassin, as well as Szeth?

Yes Jek was Szeth's early name

[Bejarden]

It’s very different from SA, BS changes the entire plot and most of the characters.

there’s a few similarities that are easy to pick up on.

I do think Shallan is better than Shinri though Szeth is better than jek.

All in all its a good book, gets a bit long winded 2/3 in but after that it speeds up.

 

[Eternal Khol]

On 4/24/2021 at 1:37 PM, Frustration said:

Shallan and Kaladin are so different they might as well not be the same people

Because Shallan actually is a different character lol

Brandon said that he considers Shinri and Shallan to be 2 different characters that share the same last name.

[Frustration]

29 minutes ago, Eternal Khol said:

Because Shallan actually is a different character lol

Brandon said that he considers Shinri and Shallan to be 2 different characters that share the same last name.

What actually makes them different characters?

Why does Shiniri get to be someone else and Merin is Kaladin? 

[Eternal Khol]

16 hours ago, Frustration said:

What actually makes them different characters?

Why does Shiniri get to be someone else and Merin is Kaladin? 

The simplest answer? Because Brandon says so?

 

Brandon mustve took the core values of Merin and really just applied/refined that into Kaladin. He didnt want to create a whole new character so he tweaked the already existing "template". Changed his name and a key decision in life and boom... you have Kaladin.

Brandon said that Merin is pretty much the same as Kaladin, if he had only chosen a different path in life(keeping the Shards instead of rejecting them) Brandon actually kept Kal's name as Merin up until one of the later drafts of the published Way of Kings. Merin really just got refined into Kaladin

 

He mustve disliked some core aspects of Shinri's personality that just made him go "its time for a do over"(he states in like 4 WoB that he doesnt view them as the same at all. He had to have disliked something about her to completely exise and replace her, but keep the plot of a Davar ward of Jasnah)

So... instead of modelling Shallans character after what he wanted her to be like(like Kal/Merin), he modeled her character over what he knew he didnt want her to be like (Shinri)

And that is what makes Kal/merin the same/similar and Shallan/Shinri different.

Edited April 27, 2021 by Eternal Khol

[For T2]

I just finished the canon version of TWoK for the first time today. I also won a hardcover copy of the Prime version which I am quite excited to eventually read. I think I will read the 3 other SA novels and the 2 novellas first and then read the prime version. I've read Prime spoils some things in books 2 and 3. Can the same be said for RoW? I'm curious of those who've read all the current books, thoughts. Does Prime give a deeper look into some of the minds of the characters or is all basically just a completely separate story, irrelevant to the canon story that is out so far?

 

 

 

[Bejarden]

It’s pretty irrelevant after you’ve read TWoK.

Theres some of the same characters names but their completely different in basically every way

[For T2]

Would you recommend reading it? At 800+ pages is it worthwhile in your opinion?

[Bejarden]

If you have time. 
I found it good for 1/3 of the book, but it’s pretty dragy in the beginning and middle and... end   I read it during the shutdowns of Covid but if I had anything else to do I wouldn’t read it again

Other people probably have different opinions but there is a reason that Brandon didn’t publish it

 

[Frustration]

6 minutes ago, Ghost of Hrathen said:

Would you recommend reading it? At 800+ pages is it worthwhile in your opinion?

I almost liked it more that WoK

[For T2]

Thanks for your thoughts. I will hold off on reading it until I finish all of Brandon’s canon Cosmere books first. I really enjoyed book 1 and am pumped to start WoR tomorrow.

[Weltall]

Well, you've already decided to do so but I'd suggest to anyone else thinking about it that they wait until reading Oathbringer before picking up WoKP, because while the latter doesn't go into details it does mention things that are obviously equivalent to big reveals in the canon works up to that book, even if the names have changed. Also, while the individual characters' arcs will differ from their canon versions there are some things that Prime can spoil you on, even if the hows and whys are different.

And I'll add my voice for 'it's worth reading', especially if you like seeing how Brandon's writing has developed over time. It's not as polished as WoK obviously and it has some rough bits, but I didn't regret the time reading it and would read it again.

[For T2]

On 5/4/2021 at 0:51 PM, Weltall said:

Well, you've already decided to do so but I'd suggest to anyone else thinking about it that they wait until reading Oathbringer before picking up WoKP, because while the latter doesn't go into details it does mention things that are obviously equivalent to big reveals in the canon works up to that book, even if the names have changed. Also, while the individual characters' arcs will differ from their canon versions there are some things that Prime can spoil you on, even if the hows and whys are different.

And I'll add my voice for 'it's worth reading', especially if you like seeing how Brandon's writing has developed over time. It's not as polished as WoK obviously and it has some rough bits, but I didn't regret the time reading it and would read it again.

Thank you for sharing. You confirmed some doubts I was having. I am glad I found a hardcover copy of Prime but I will hold off on reading until I am at least caught up on the SA.