Wind and Truth Full Book Reactions (Cosmere Edition)

[ParaTulip fae/faer (declines as she/her)]

I often find my thoughts become easier to see when I am writing them out. If anyone has seen my posts about WaT so far, you should probably know I am pretty negative on the book. I kind of felt like I should stop reading the series because I finally felt vapidity in what I was reading, and thus I thought I ought to turn to the meaningful classics. I have seen some people giving grief to the book for what I see as wrongheaded reasons too, so I hope to make my position on the text clear as not just "another hater" but someone with a perspective on speculative fiction, and, in lesser extent, serial narratives.

Why read speculative fiction? The idea that it is purely for entertainment is a simple one, deflationary though it is. But this then begs the questions of why not real accounts of exciting historical events or listen to music or any number of other idle occupations. JRR Tolkien supposed Fairy Stories, which is how he saw his own works, were joyful because they provided an elaborated escape from one's own circumstances that enabled a new perspective on those circumstances. This notion is one that forms the basis for what is specifically good in all manor of stories which produce rich other worlds of imagined possibility. It is also where WaT begins to fail itself in the worst way.

There is a lot of focus on the notion of reform and restoration in the text. The climax is the best place to look at the theme in its clearest form, and working backwards from there exposes the failure to elaborate the imaginary. The resolution of the story comes in the form of Kaladin becoming one to give his life to undo the wrong of his brother-in-arms treason against the most ancient king at the same time that the contrasting notion of Retribution takes over the world. There is a clear contrast of the notion of redemption and, this could not be more explicit, retribution. The presence of Nale and the High Spren also makes it clear that this is also exploring an idea of justice. The frame of the events being part of Szeth's crusade makes this a certainty in the mind of the reader: Redemption is justice, wrathful retribution something else. It is thus a shame that the means of redeeming people are so woefully poor.

Kaladin the therapist is where the imagination of the story falters so brutally that it spills past the scenes where Kaladin himself is trying to be such. There is a point where Shallan thinks to herself that the spiritual realm is hurting her "mental health". The use of that exact phrase is, to this reader, the piercing wounds which exposes the other world as hollow. Psychology has had a long and complicated history. If a reader of this post wants to understand this better, consider reading Foucualt's work on the matter, his work on the history of medicine is also interesting for anyone who imagine more vividly other ways such practices might be. In short, the idea of the mind has skipped ahead on Roshar from the model of the sanitarium straight to the modern self-help book. In reaching this same stage as the world the reader knows, the potential to gain a new perspective is lost, and this is the most damning criticism of the book.

Beyond that highest critique, there is the issue of how this book mishandled being the payoff to 4 books of build up. Simply put, there's too much crap going on. Until I found out that Sizgil had become the protagonist of another book that I had not noticed, I had no idea why he kept getting brought up. The whole business of the prior books insisting that there would be no trickery based on the letter of the agreement, and then there is trickery based on the letter of the agreement, just made every bit of drama with Adolin fighting for his life feel hollow until he got traumatized by having to actually fight like a soldier instead of a fancy lad. I was actually relieved when The Mink only got a single chapter of "Well, that didn't work" because it all felt so tedious. The fact Shallan, Rlain, and Renarin had to dance around in the background of Navani and Dalinar's historical reenactment quest so much also made things drag. In short, the book could have been about half as long imo, and it would have been better for it. Also, Venli felt like she was spending too much of the text reminding the reader of her arc from the last book, which is, again, tedious.

Except there was not enough Leshwi. She's my fave minor character. I love her as trans rep because she actually has the awkwardness of "Ah crap, do I need to shave? Can literally anyone else do this for me, I hate being aware that I have stubble" business going on, and that is really relatable to me.

I am additionally never that thrilled by how Sanderson, or most anyone other than myself actually, writes action scenes. I did martial arts as a child and have been fond of watching combat sports on and off for some time, and almost no one captures the vivid details of space and time that I feel in a fight. Action scenes in film and television only sometimes approach this, with oddly enough animation tending to be the place where people get it right the most often. This makes Adolin's long, elaborate, battle scenes the worst thing to read for me, since I was mostly just annoyed that he was even doing this, and I was not into stuff until he was doing hard drugs to push his maimed body to fight on even after clearly reaching the point of getting PTSD. I think having Yanagawn be the PoV for most of the battle, slowly watching Adolin get worn down as he comes to befriend the man, only to then show Adolin's PoV as he crosses the breaking point, could have given far more oomph in far fewer words.

Simply put, a tighter, more focused, and more literary WaT could have been an amazing capstone to the first half of this saga. But the book we got was inelegant and overlong.

[ParaTulip fae/faer (declines as she/her)]

On 2/18/2025 at 8:36 PM, Soccorro said:

The worst this is: this is exactly what Odium asked Dalinar to do in book 4. He literally ask Dalinar to free him and let the rest of the cosmere to deal with him, but Dalinar refused because it’s supposedly bad and irresponsible to burden others with your problems. It took 1500 pages for Dalinar to make full 180. All events of the last to books are now pointless and everyone who died in those books died in vain 

This critique is one I don't care for. Eternal imprisonment of Odium was not working out, it was only making Roshar a world where more and more people became keen on genocide as a solution to their problems. Someone has to shatter that thing so that fighting it isn't a world crisis, but no one on Roshar can do that. Making Retribution feels like a way to make something that is actually more vulnerable to being torn apart by its internal contradictions than Odium ever was.

Basically, Wit is an idiot.Listening to him about how it is such a good idea to use Roshar as the Odium containment pit was a mistake. Dalinar realizing this late is better than him realizing it never.

And yeah! Everyone who died in the desolation was a waste. The thing that they should have done on the first day of the dang thing is pursued making peace with the Singers by rejoicing at their return to sapience and giving them proper rights. But Jasnah didn't murder her way onto the the throne in time to abolish slavery and formal class privilege before the desolation, and no one else was even trying to make a society with ideals of equal justice for all people.

I know I complained that the book is tedious, but I really think having more perspective of Singers would help explain how the PoVs we have been following are actually mostly the baddies or the unhelpful associates of such from a distant perspective and applying modern notion of justice.

[Arsoneer]

K hi, first post! But basically Wind and Truth was amazing, but I'm rereading now and realising I missed SO MUCH. It has tons of secrets and clues for whats coming, and wow I've really loved it. Especiall the Kaladin development its had.

[Nitpicking]

Hi. Yeah, I don't think anyone, even the people who didn't like it, have complained that Wind and Truth was too simple.

[Briar King]

That was a 6 month grueling grind to get through. SLA is just to different from other works that I love by BS imo. I was hoping Dr Kaladin Therapist Extrodinare(seriously successfully Shrinking multiple people in mere days is just ridiculous!) would die finally but nope he's free to keep on being a Debby Downer in 6.

At least the other annoying head case MC Shallan took steps of progression to get rid of her multiple personalities. Being with these characters for 1000's of pgs whining and being off the rails isn't very entertaining on my end. 

I actually enjoyed Venli this time.

Wanted more Lift! I hope she gets her own "book" while I'm still interested in SLA books.

I really liked seeing Tanner. That's my name and it's not often to run across in life/entertainment.

Always enjoy Dalinar. That said that contest of champions was sooooo underwhelming. 

I like Adolin. I guess I'm interested to see where the Unoathed thing goes. Its unexpected and shakes things up.

Renairn and Jasnah just blah I don't care about either one but maybe I could start if Jasnah takes up Retribution's Regent position..

Navani I guess is playing Snow White now? Her and Dal's visions arc took up just to much time for me. Me being a slow reader didn't help for sure but that was what like 8 or 900 pgs long..

I felt...not much for Szeth. He was better entertainment as the assassin in white imo.

For now I can say I'm still in for SLA6