Suggestion: An Index

[Azriel117]

Hi,

 

I've been lurking as a guest here for a while and finally decided to register.

 

I have read WoK several times. However I've never read any of Brandon's other works.

 

I think it would be nice to compile some sort of index of terms and terminology to help new people like myself out.

 

Normal concepts like spren and shardplate don't need much explanation besides a brief overview since they are described in the book.

 

A good example of things that I have not found a simple explanation of are things like Adonalsium and Cultivation.

 

Are Honor and Odium people? Not necessarily humans I mean, but individuals with self-awareness and corporeal bodies? Are they some sort of hybrid omnipotent super-beings?

 

What are the heralds? They can't die, because they just go to some torturous hell in between being resurrected into the world, so are they humans?

 

I think some important dates and summaries are needed. Explaining what the Recreance was and what happened would be a good example.

 

I apologize if something like this already exists, I have looked and have not found it.

Thanks in advance!

[WeiryWriter he/him]

First off, welcome to the forums!

 

As for your question, you might want to check out the Coppermind.  It is the wiki 17th Shard has created.  It has answers for some of your questions.  Unfortunately, some things just aren't known yet.

[Azriel117]

Wow, thanks WeiryWriter! That's right along the lines of what I'm looking for.

[Morsk he/him]

Are Honor and Odium people? Not necessarily humans I mean, but individuals with self-awareness and corporeal bodies? Are they some sort of hybrid omnipotent super-beings?

Have you avoided spoilers? Maybe what we're lacking is a simple, spoiler-free answer here. You can get an idea for how much we know and how much we don't by reading the Coppermind or other forums, but you're bound to come across spoilers for other series in the process.

Here's my try at a non-spoiler answer that I'll submit to the FAQ thread if you think it's helpful.

Q: What are Honor and Odium? Some type of gods? Super-powered aliens?

A: Honor is another name for the god that calls himself the Almighty in Dalinar's last vision. The clue for this is the Chapter 2 title, "Honor is Dead". He mentions a goddess Cultivation in the same scene, and of course there's Odium. Exactly what a god is in this setting, and its limitations, and the origin of its power, is a mystery so far.

Before dying, Honor briefly mentions other worlds, with other stars going out in his vision. Odium is once called "most dangerous of the sixteen." The Letter in the chapter epigraphs mentions Odium killing gods called Aona and Skai on another world. So there are other gods, but at this point it's all backstory about what makes Odium so menacing.

Some of those gods show up in Brandon's other fiction, but the topic is a mystery that's pieced together from scattered bits of evidence. (And we still don't know very much.) It's not told "in order", so there's no need to read other books before Stormlight to experience it. You can read Stormlight first, and then ask "Is this another god like Odium? Is this something Odium did on another world?" when reading other books, just as well as someone who reads Stormlight later can ask those things in hindsight.

Edited May 6, 2013 by Morsk