Brandon vs. Consequences

[Frustration]

Also known as Brandon does too many fake out deaths.

All fake out deaths

1. Marsh
2. Kelsier
3. Jasnah
4. Syl
5. Szeth
6. Wax
7. Yumi

Real deaths

1. Hrathen
2. Vin
3. Elend
4. Lightsong
5. Elhokar
6. Wayne
7. Dalinar
8. Teft

That's an almost 50/50 split for major characters, which is actually crazy. And that's not going into all the times characters should have died but walk away without a scratch.

 

Now we look at some other things

• Economic fallout so heavily implied in OB, nothing came from it.
• The Fused took over Urithiru, no lasting consequences.
• Adolin lost his leg. And almost immediately got plate that replaced it and then some.
• Outer cities in the basin and Elendel almost go to war. It's resolved without issue.
• The coalition breaks apart in OB, but they all get back together by RoW with no further problems.

These are the biggest, but not the only examples.

Basically Brandon can't commit to having negative consequences or really anything bad happening to his characters at all.

[Ascended Grubberfly He/Him]

Yeah, he’s got an issue with this thing.

WaT is a major offender, but do I keep hearing people say it has less of a revision phase than other books? Or am I just going crazy?

29 minutes ago, Frustration said:

• Economic fallout so heavily implied in OB, nothing came from it.
• The Fused took over Urithiru, no lasting consequences.
• Adolin lost his leg. And almost immediately got plate that replaced it and then some.
• Outer cities in the basin and Elendel almost go to war. It's resolved without issue.
• The coalition breaks apart in OB, but they all get back together by RoW with no further problems.

These are all really bad. There has to be consequences for things. I’d hate to try to excuse too many of these, but the economic fallout thing could have been ignored for the sake of things happening in the story.

 

33 minutes ago, Frustration said:

• Marsh
• Kelsier
• Jasnah
• Syl
• Szeth
• Wax
• Yumi

Again, hate to be that guy, but Marsh, Kelsier, and Syl’s fake outs aren’t that bad. Marsh and Kelsier, I dare say, are the better fake outs, and Syl’s is important to Kaladin’s growth.
 

Everyone else’s fake outs add nothing to the story. They aren’t that great.

[Frustration]

17 minutes ago, Ascended Grubberfly said:

WaT is a major offender, but do I keep hearing people say it has less of a revision phase than other books? Or am I just going crazy?

People say it felt less edited, and I agree.

Brandon says it had a longer revision process than he's ever done.

18 minutes ago, Ascended Grubberfly said:

Again, hate to be that guy, but Marsh, Kelsier, and Syl’s fake outs aren’t that bad. Marsh and Kelsier, I dare say, are the better fake outs, and Syl’s is important to Kaladin’s growth.

Oh those are the best ones, especially Marsh and Kelsier as they have consequences that the rest of the story deal with. However they are still fake outs and they make death overall feel less meaningful for the rest of the series.

[Nitpicking]

I would argue that Dalinar's death is a fakeout, too. He's dead, but then the Blackthorn spren is young Dalinar. It's a cheat. I'm sure Brandon will use it to explore the Cognitive Shadow concept. Is that really Vasher, or a spren with Vasher's memories?

Also, don't forget both Tanavast and Honor, who we were led to believe were dead.

EDIT:

SPOILER FOR A SECRET PROJECT

Spoiler

Everyone December knows dies in her vision, only to be alive again in the next scene.

 

Edited 41 minutes ago by Nitpicking
Thought of something to add

[Ascended Grubberfly He/Him]

8 minutes ago, Nitpicking said:

I would argue that Dalinar's death is a fakeout, too. He's dead, but then the Blackthorn spren is young Dalinar. It's a cheat. I'm sure Brandon will use it to explore the Cognitive Shadow concept. Is that really Vasher, or a spren with Vasher's memories?

Also, don't forget both Tanavast and Honor, who we were led to believe were dead.

EDIT:

SPOILER FOR A SECRET PROJECT

  Reveal hidden contents

Everyone December knows dies in her vision, only to be alive again in the next scene.

 

Could you please specify which one?

Yeah, I guess Tanner counts as another fake out. Didn't someone literally say they were splintered?

[Nitpicking]

1 minute ago, Ascended Grubberfly said:

Could you please specify which one?

I'm trying to avoid spoiling by implication, so I'll spoiler-hide the title:

Spoiler

The Fires of December