DALINAR FLASHBACKS DONE?

[ParadoxicalZen]

I don't mind him, but on my last re-reads, I skipped his chapters mainly due to boredom because it was the same kind of stuff repeated but i'm kicking myself now because there was a few little things in there that kinda made me think 'derp, should of seen that'

[+Wax]

55,000 words, and only 13% done. That puts us on an estimated 423,077 words in total for SA3.

 

So... just a novella then, Brandon?

 

 

I do not remember that, actually. Makes sense though.

 

So, 423,077 is a lower end estimate, and could in fact be double that if he gets bored part way through and writes Szeth's or Eshonai's book as well.

 

WoR had a word count of approx. 398,000.  So, what's another 25,000 words - Just 2-3 weeks extra given that Brandon is averaging 2,000 words per day for SA3.

[IAmTheBeard]

I totally disagree with the comparison between Joker and Szeth and the fact that Szeth's background wouldn't add to the story. Szeth's POVs are one of the few places where we get any hint of what was going on with returning Spren and Surgebinders before Kaladin's repulsion from the army. (Other places would be Jasnah's prologue and a couple of small hints in Shallan's POV, her flashback with Hoid and the fact that she attracted Pattern before she killed her mother.) 

 

I'm not saying that we should like Szeth or commenting on whether he'll be redeemed or anything like that. I'm just saying that I think the reveal about why Szeth is a Truthless is going to be a Big Deal.

[Bort]

Haha! I have found my spren... IAmTheBeard, my RP character on these boards is Bortholemew the Blind, beardomancer, and bonded to a beardspren. If YouAreTheBeard, you must be my beardspren

 

I'm with you on Szeth's backstory. I think we're going to discover a lot from that, including why he was made Truthless; how he knew the Radiants were returning; and how Darkness got his Honourblade back; more about Cultivation (another reason for Szeth's story to be book 5. I think when he returns to Shin, something will happen that means Cultivation dies).

 

I also think that one of Dalinar's trials as a Bondsmith will be bringing the Skybreakers back to Urithiru and the Radiants, including Szeth.

[blad3mast3r]

WoR had a word count of approx. 398,000.  So, what's another 25,000 words - Just 2-3 weeks extra given that Brandon is averaging 2,000 words per day for SA3.

 

How many was TWoK?

[Bort]

Blademaster, I asked you once, a while ago, not never saw a reply... What was the worst Stormlight Pun Ever? I love bad puns

[AerionBFII]

I think september/october time 2016....2 1/2 year gap roughly

[blad3mast3r]

Blademaster, I asked you once, a while ago, not never saw a reply... What was the worst Stormlight Pun Ever? I love bad puns

 

Q: What do you do after the Everstorm hits?

 

A: Avoidbringers

 

 

 

 

(Avoid Voidbringers, Get it?)

 

Actually this was made up by one of my friends, but they let me post it and it got featured

[blad3mast3r]

I should probably take it off of my signature

[kaellok]

I totally disagree with the comparison between Joker and Szeth and the fact that Szeth's background wouldn't add to the story. Szeth's POVs are one of the few places where we get any hint of what was going on with returning Spren and Surgebinders before Kaladin's repulsion from the army. (Other places would be Jasnah's prologue and a couple of small hints in Shallan's POV, her flashback with Hoid and the fact that she attracted Pattern before she killed her mother.) 

 

I'm not saying that we should like Szeth or commenting on whether he'll be redeemed or anything like that. I'm just saying that I think the reveal about why Szeth is a Truthless is going to be a Big Deal.

I hope that people that are downvoting me for hating on Szeth are among those that are posting why they disagree.  If not, please feel free to join the discussion, if only to offer support to one of the voices offering counter-arguments that you may actually agree with.  I don't care too much about upvotes or downvotes, but if you're going to send negative votes towards someone you simply disagree with, then I think you should be adding your voice to the discussion, too (no need to say, "Arrgh! I downvoted ye, an' now I'll be stealin' all yer treasure! Arrr!" unless you are a fan of pretending to be a pirate.)

 

To the points I've bolded: Of course it'll add to the story.  If Sanderson wrote "I am a stick" 50,000 times, it would add to the story.  Maybe Joker isn't the perfect example, but I still say it's pretty darn good.  Joker is one of the most iconic villains of all-time, and yet has never had (to the best of my knowledge) a storyline dedicated to his origin.  Would it add to the story?  Would it add to Joker as a character?  Yes, inevitably.  But the time, story, and space that it would take wouldn't be as meaningful as if they told a different story instead.  The same is true of Szeth, as he is right now. 

 

Where the story, and Szeth in particular, are at--would having flashback scenes of Szeth add as much, as easily, as if they were delayed a bit?  I've specifically said that showing the course of progression that Dalinar has made will make it substantially easier to show Szeth in a sympathetic/relatable light; am I wrong?  (Sympathetic and relatable don't mean "good" or "redeemed."  Mr T is largely sympathetic, and probably the most evil human alive in Roshar right now.)  In order to write these scenes in a believable way that continues to track with the result of the Szeth we have now, Sanderson would have to pull off some incredibly risky moves.  The chance of failure would be, if not high, much greater than the alternatives, while the payoff for success would be exactly the same.  Why bet $100 for a chance to win $10 in profit, when you could bet $10 for a chance to win $10 in profit?

 

Further, if Szeth is a major focus character in SA3, some much needed character development can occur, it remains possible to learn things about his past without having specific flashbacks to it, we will learn more about the Shin regardless, etc.  I am not, and haven't been, saying "Not ever" to his flashback story; just "not yet." 

 

I'm pretty sure that why Szeth is a Truthless will not be a big deal; it will be about a group of scared humans grasping at retaining power for as long as they may.  Remaining blinded to the truth of things.  I'll be utterly astounded if it's anything else.

[Twenty@20]

So, If you looked at the twitter, Dalinars flashbacks are done, and the first draft is at 13%

 

I've been trying to chart the progress, it seems to be about 1% per day.

 

So.... first draft done October 11th?

 

I thinking there will be a summer 2016 release. I there any date Brandon said?'

 

You know your a Sanderfan when you get more excited about a book release than your vacation.... :/

Brandon started the Dalinar flashbacks on 16th June and finished them on 16th July. Thats a month to write 13% of the 1st draft. i think you have to revise your estimates. Roughly we can expect the 1st draft to be completed around mid February. 

 

I hope that people that are downvoting me for hating on Szeth are among those that are posting why they disagree.  If not, please feel free to join the discussion, if only to offer support to one of the voices offering counter-arguments that you may actually agree with.  I don't care too much about upvotes or downvotes, but if you're going to send negative votes towards someone you simply disagree with, then I think you should be adding your voice to the discussion, too (no need to say, "Arrgh! I downvoted ye, an' now I'll be stealin' all yer treasure! Arrr!" unless you are a fan of pretending to be a pirate.)

 

To the points I've bolded: Of course it'll add to the story.  If Sanderson wrote "I am a stick" 50,000 times, it would add to the story.  Maybe Joker isn't the perfect example, but I still say it's pretty darn good.  Joker is one of the most iconic villains of all-time, and yet has never had (to the best of my knowledge) a storyline dedicated to his origin.  Would it add to the story?  Would it add to Joker as a character?  Yes, inevitably.  But the time, story, and space that it would take wouldn't be as meaningful as if they told a different story instead.  The same is true of Szeth, as he is right now. 

 

Where the story, and Szeth in particular, are at--would having flashback scenes of Szeth add as much, as easily, as if they were delayed a bit?  I've specifically said that showing the course of progression that Dalinar has made will make it substantially easier to show Szeth in a sympathetic/relatable light; am I wrong?  (Sympathetic and relatable don't mean "good" or "redeemed."  Mr T is largely sympathetic, and probably the most evil human alive in Roshar right now.)  In order to write these scenes in a believable way that continues to track with the result of the Szeth we have now, Sanderson would have to pull off some incredibly risky moves.  The chance of failure would be, if not high, much greater than the alternatives, while the payoff for success would be exactly the same.  Why bet $100 for a chance to win $10 in profit, when you could bet $10 for a chance to win $10 in profit?

 

Further, if Szeth is a major focus character in SA3, some much needed character development can occur, it remains possible to learn things about his past without having specific flashbacks to it, we will learn more about the Shin regardless, etc.  I am not, and haven't been, saying "Not ever" to his flashback story; just "not yet." 

 

I'm pretty sure that why Szeth is a Truthless will not be a big deal; it will be about a group of scared humans grasping at retaining power for as long as they may.  Remaining blinded to the truth of things.  I'll be utterly astounded if it's anything else.

Let me start by saying I personally would like to know about Szeth's past. I was happy when Szeth's flashback was planned for the 3rd book. Book 2 ended with Szeth starting afresh and I thought his flashbacks and his upcoming expedition to Shinovar would have provided a kind of symmetry to book 3. 

 

I would say that Szeth becoming a Truthless was one of those defining moments without which Stormlight Archive wouldn't have started rolling. Szeth is the first character we come in contact excluding the WoK prelude. As much as Brandon talks about years of planning about Dalinar and Kaladin's stories, I am sure he has kept some surprises for Szeth's story as well. Even though we have got some hints about his past, its definitely going be heartbreaking to watch a good honest guy being turned into a killer. If its going to be anything like Eshonai's arc in WoR- a story of manipulation, missed opportunities and evil smothering the good, I look forward to it.

[kaellok]

Let me start by saying I personally would like to know about Szeth's past. I was happy when Szeth's flashback was planned for the 3rd book. Book 2 ended with Szeth starting afresh and I thought his flashbacks and his upcoming expedition to Shinovar would have provided a kind of symmetry to book 3. 

Fair enough, and I guess we'll just have to agree to disagree then.  I'd like to want to care about Szeth's past, but at this point I just don't.  I can see how there would be symmetry with showing Shinovar-in-the-past and Shinovar-in-the-present, and Szeth's viewing both very differently due to the path he's walked.  If I cared about Szeth as a character on a deeper level (as I did with every character after WoK, Szeth included) then I would look forward to this, too.  The changes that happened in WoR took him to a place that is alien and chaotic to me, with the implication that it is because of the culture. 

 

A culture that is capable of producing a creature like Szeth is one where we (meaning them and myself) differ at a fundamental level of what it means to be alive--and I dread reading about that for 55,000 words, because there will be no "aha!" moment for it.  It will just be trudging through things that make no sense to me, in an effort to make me understand a character that will become something I despise.  Or, at least, that is what I fear.

 

And when I see how the character arcs of Dalinar and Szeth seem to be currently inversed, I have hopes that I'll be able to relate to Szeth's journey more when it's finally told.  Besides, if, as you say, Szeth becoming Truthless really is one of the defining moments of the SA--wouldn't it make more sense for its realization to come about at the end?  Tying the beginning up with the ending, etc. etc.

[Twenty@20]

And when I see how the character arcs of Dalinar and Szeth seem to be currently inversed, I have hopes that I'll be able to relate to Szeth's journey more when it's finally told.  Besides, if, as you say, Szeth becoming Truthless really is one of the defining moments of the SA--wouldn't it make more sense for its realization to come about at the end?  Tying the beginning up with the ending, etc. etc.

 I bet Brandon thought the same and therefore decided to postpone Szeth's flashbacks to the 5th book. I remember him mentioning in one of his tweets something about deciding whose flashback would take the story forward the best in book 3. And he decided on Dalinar. One can suppose in the same vein, he kept Szeth's story for book 5 because he thinks it would contribute to that book's plot the best. So I would say we can definitely expect some "aha!" moments in the his flashbacks.

 

 

A culture that is capable of producing a creature like Szeth is one where we (meaning them and myself) differ at a fundamental level of what it means to be alive--and I dread reading about that for 55,000 words, because there will be no "aha!" moment for it.  It will just be trudging through things that make no sense to me, in an effort to make me understand a character that will become something I despise.  Or, at least, that is what I fear.

 

I wonder what you think about the Listeners as a culture. If our knowledge about their culture was limited to Dalinar's perspective only, perhaps the Listeners or their leaders would also appear despicable for killing their ally on the very night of signing a treaty with him. What I am trying to suggest is that lets not prejudge Szeth and the Shin untill we hear their side of the story.

[Esa1996]

So, If you looked at the twitter, Dalinars flashbacks are done, and the first draft is at 13%

 

I've been trying to chart the progress, it seems to be about 1% per day.

 

So.... first draft done October 11th?

 

I thinking there will be a summer 2016 release. I there any date Brandon said?'

 

You know your a Sanderfan when you get more excited about a book release than your vacation.... :/

He began writing the flashbacks on the 15th of June, so it's not 1% per day. It's pretty close to 12% per month though, which would mean that he gets the 1st draft done in February 2016. Of course, he might speed up his writing. I've been following his updates all the time and his speed has gone slightly up from what it was last month. Also, he once said in an interview that he writes 8 pages a day, and when he made the update of Dalinar's flashback being written he'd written 183 pages (55 000 words) which is "only" 5,7 pages a day.

And it's my first post! I've been a member for a while but apparently haven't posted before.

Edited July 19, 2015 by Esa1996

[hypatia]

I'm in that state trusting the author with every decision.

Dalinar or Szeth - I don't have a problem, even if Szeth is kind of a villain, he would/will transport themes like the honourblades, the culture of Shin, it is even possible, that he was one of the stone-shamans.

Perhaps he has observed a change with this blades causing his knowledge of the desolation.

Whatever - it will be interesting.

But now we know it is Dalinar - his flashbacks and the title is a book with the name of his old shardblade.

The blade we see right after Adolin kills Sadeas.

I think Mr Sanderson decision isn't only in favour for Dalinars story, but also the direct continuation of what will happen with his son.

As to his flashback I think this could be more than only his life as a warrior.

He was and he is the blackthorn, the Highprince of War.

But what has changed?

We like him because of his attitude for human life even for the lifes of the darkeyes.

I think it is possible that he was the same as his old friends Sadeas and Amaram, it could have been his idea using slaves as bridgemen in this way.

Or a flashback similiar to the end of TWoK - only there he don't give a thought about the lifes of darkeyes.

Our sight of his personality is based on his actual personality, but we know nothing about him in the past like his old companions.

And right from the beginning this old friends tell us that Dalinar isn't the same as they had known him, but not as a warrior.

I fear he will end up as someone like - or even worse - Sadeas in his flashbacks.

But now he is the new Bondsmith and I believe his first order must be to unit darkeyes and brighteyes like in the "good old times".

This point can be much more interesting, if he himself once was a Brightlord like Kaladin pictures every other of this species, not the "daddytype".

[maxal]

I hope that people that are downvoting me for hating on Szeth are among those that are posting why they disagree.  If not, please feel free to join the discussion, if only to offer support to one of the voices offering counter-arguments that you may actually agree with.  I don't care too much about upvotes or downvotes, but if you're going to send negative votes towards someone you simply disagree with, then I think you should be adding your voice to the discussion, too (no need to say, "Arrgh! I downvoted ye, an' now I'll be stealin' all yer treasure! Arrr!" unless you are a fan of pretending to be a pirate.)

 

 

I am sorry you've got downvoted  I saw only one and I fixed it yesterday. 

 

 

Further, if Szeth is a major focus character in SA3, some much needed character development can occur, it remains possible to learn things about his past without having specific flashbacks to it, we will learn more about the Shin regardless, etc.  I am not, and haven't been, saying "Not ever" to his flashback story; just "not yet." 

 

I'm pretty sure that why Szeth is a Truthless will not be a big deal; it will be about a group of scared humans grasping at retaining power for as long as they may.  Remaining blinded to the truth of things.  I'll be utterly astounded if it's anything else.

 

I agree with your commentary. Szeth becoming a Truthless probably was not a big deal and reading this story would not be overly interesting.

 

One of the reasons Kaladin's backstory worked so well was because of the sense of impending doom we had while reading it. We knew from early on in the book that Tien died, somehow, but we did not know when or how. It made for a captivating story where we hoped we have been wrong all along.

 

One of the reasons, Shallan's backstory did not work as well was because we knew early on she had killed her mother. The revelation was uselessly delayed and her story after the event. Her life as a teenager was not overly interesting and bore no sense of foreshadowing as everything defining Shallan had already happened. It mostly was the boring story of a young sheltered girl who block all of her memories and tries to create lies for her brothers. It did not work as well as Kaladin's.

 

 

Dalinar is a character whom we know has dramatically changed from his present self. Simply reading about this bloodthirsty warmonger will be interesting, not to mention the large gap in his past we have been speculating one, notably his late wife and the Nightwatcher. They won't present any sense of doom and no ground-breaking revelation will be made through those (or I do not think there will be), but just getting to know this character better will be great.

 

Szeth now... Szeth's backstory does not carry any foreshadowing: we know the ending. We do not know who he was before and that may carry some level of interest, but it is not relevant now in the story. The whole idea of the flashbacks is to get the reader to know about the characters past and how they came to be where they were. Kaladin's were great because how he ended where he did needed explanation. The character also was overly sympathetic which made the readers root for him. Shallan was not great because we learned nothing new in those: the flashbacks added little to her present self. Dalinar's are much needed for us to understand him, no questions here. Szeth... well Szeth is not a character most people want to read about. Do not get me wrong, people generally want to know about the Shin culture and what Szeth will do with Nightblood, but not many has expressed the desire to find out about his personality, he inner self.

 

Based on this, I thus say it is thus way too early to have Szeth as a flashback character. 

 

 

But now we know it is Dalinar - his flashbacks and the title is a book with the name of his old shardblade.

The blade we see right after Adolin kills Sadeas.

I think Mr Sanderson decision isn't only in favour for Dalinars story, but also the direct continuation of what will happen with his son.

 

 

When I finished WoR initially, these have been my thoughts. I was overly depressed to find out the next book would feature Szeth because I felt the important story to be written in book 3 was Adolin's fall from grace, not why Szeth became a Truthless. I have always thoughts Dalinar's flashbacks would be important there because he WILL weight down his son's actions with his past self: too much remembrance there. Therefore, in order to understand Dalinar's reaction, we need his flashbacks. It would make this story all the more powerful. 

[DreamEternal]

Sorry. I was the one little imp throwing red arrows at Kaelloks posts. I deeply regret it. I can often get protective of characters I like, and comparing Szeth to the Joker triggered my unjustified rage. I wish not to excuse myself, just explain my actions. Was I more fluent at this language I would have posted a defence, not of his actions or intent, but of his non-evil or sociopathic nature. Instead I let the hate flow throught me. It seems that, like Szeth, I am weak.

I am sorry.

Edited July 20, 2015 by CognitivePulsePattern

[maxal]

Sorry. I was the one little imp throwing red arrows at Kaelloks posts. I deeply regret it. I can often get protective of character I like, and comparing Szeth to the Joker triggered my unjustified rage. I wish not to excuse myself, just explain my actions. Was I more fluent at this language I would have posted a defence, not of his actions or intent, but of his non-evil or sociopathic nature. Instead I let the hate flow throught me. It seems that, like Szeth, I am weak.

I am sorry.

 

It is very noble of you to have come forward with this. It was not an easy thing to do. I respect this.

[kaellok]

Sorry. I was the one little imp throwing red arrows at Kaelloks posts. I deeply regret it. I can often get protective of characters I like, and comparing Szeth to the Joker triggered my unjustified rage. I wish not to excuse myself, just explain my actions. Was I more fluent at this language I would have posted a defence, not of his actions or intent, but of his non-evil or sociopathic nature. Instead I let the hate flow throught me. It seems that, like Szeth, I am weak.

I am sorry.

Don't feel bad, at least not on my behalf. I happen to like conversations where people are passionate on one side or the other; and believe me that I know Szeth is one of those about whom people feel strongly.

I only said something to hopefully provoke a lurker into speaking their views, if that was the case, just because i like talking. Since this thread introduced an aspect to the conversation about Szeth that's new to me (the placement of Dalinar's book before Szeth, and Szeth's taking up the end) i was excited to recruit more people into talking. I understand if you don't want to, or don't feel comfortable with, continuing the conversation. And you shouldn't feel bad or sorry regardless.

For the comparison, I like the Joker; the Joker is the reason why Batman is as interesting a character as he is. So, the comparison itself wasn't supposed to be insulting.

[Bort]

Szeth now... Szeth's backstory does not carry any foreshadowing: we know the ending. We do not know who he was before and that may carry some level of interest, but it is not relevant now in the story. The whole idea of the flashbacks is to get the reader to know about the characters past and how they came to be where they were. Kaladin's were great because how he ended where he did needed explanation. The character also was overly sympathetic which made the readers root for him. Shallan was not great because we learned nothing new in those: the flashbacks added little to her present self. Dalinar's are much needed for us to understand him, no questions here. Szeth... well Szeth is not a character most people want to read about. Do not get me wrong, people generally want to know about the Shin culture and what Szeth will do with Nightblood, but not many has expressed the desire to find out about his personality, he inner self.

 

Based on this, I thus say it is thus way too early to have Szeth as a flashback character. 

 

When I finished WoR initially, these have been my thoughts. I was overly depressed to find out the next book would feature Szeth because I felt the important story to be written in book 3 was Adolin's fall from grace, not why Szeth became a Truthless. I have always thoughts Dalinar's flashbacks would be important there because he WILL weight down his son's actions with his past self: too much remembrance there. Therefore, in order to understand Dalinar's reaction, we need his flashbacks. It would make this story all the more powerful. 

 

Maxal, I was the one that downvoted you on this post. You're making some wild, baseless comments (like how most people don't want to read about Szeth's backstory, and how it won't tell us anything important), which I completely disagree with. You may not be interested in such things because you're fixated on Adolin, but other people are.

 

I think Szeth's back story will be very interesting. Not only will we find out more about the Shin and the Stone Shamanate, but we'll also find out more about Cultivation (assuming we are right and she is hiding out in Shin), the Honourblades, probably the Heralds too, as we know at least one of them has been to retrieve their Blade.

 

Yes, Adolin's storyline is a good one, and I'm also looking forward to seeing how that is worked out, but I'm not going to focus solely on one of the characters when they are all interesting.

 

Besides, look at Brandon's other books. Elantris, Mistborn, Warbreaker... The 'bad guys' in those all thought they were doing good things. Here we have a contrast to that. Someone who did the right thing, and was made Truthless for it, and basically then sent out into the world to act as an assassin for anyone who picked up a particular rock. He knows fine well that what he does is evil, but that was the punishment bestowed upon him by his leaders, and he accepted it. Of course, now we know he was right, that's going to be another interesting dynamic to watch when he returns home.

[hypatia]

Dalinar's flashbacks don't mean there isn't any other story.

The further way of Adolin would be in book 3 with or without this flashbacks - there is a dead highprince, this will have consequences.

Personally I see the decision pro Dalinar not as something against Szeth.

It is possible Sanderson want to give more to his actual story before we get his background.

Until this book we know only his facette as a Truthless and even without his flashbacks we are going to see him in the next books as a "free" man - perhaps a way to get a better access for his real personality, a better understanding for the moment when finally his story is explained.

[IAmTheBeard]

I hope that people that are downvoting me for hating on Szeth are among those that are posting why they disagree.  If not, please feel free to join the 

To the points I've bolded: Of course it'll add to the story.  If Sanderson wrote "I am a stick" 50,000 times, it would add to the story.  Maybe Joker isn't the perfect example, but I still say it's pretty darn good.  Joker is one of the most iconic villains of all-time, and yet has never had (to the best of my knowledge) a storyline dedicated to his origin.  Would it add to the story?  Would it add to Joker as a character?  Yes, inevitably.  But the time, story, and space that it would take wouldn't be as meaningful as if they told a different story instead.  The same is true of Szeth, as he is right now. 

 

See, I too love the character of the Joker and I agree (with whoever said) that his character makes Batman the character he is. But there is simply no comparison between the Joker and Szeth, especially where their backstories come in. Joker's present, his love for chaos, are what make the story interesting. With Szeth, everything we've been told about him is about his past. Almost all we know about his people and him personally are based on reflections about his past. It has been heavily foreshadowed that he knew something, or learned something, about the coming of Radiants and Voidbringers. With the Joker, you're right that his backstory doesn't add to the story. Rather, his vague background adds to his mystique, which adds to the story. But with Szeth, his background has already been stated to be important to the story. 

 

Think of it like this. What if you knew that the Joker had foreseen Batman's coming and had tried to do something to preemptively help Batman against his enemies, only to wind up becoming a villain because of those actions which were intended to help. Would his backstory be important then? You becha. What if that was foreshadowed from the beginning, the very beginning, of Joker's story?

 

I don't downvote people because I disagree with them. If I downvoted you (and I don't think I have downvoted anyone on this thread), you were being rude or disparaging. I responded because I think it's ludicrous to say that Szeth's backstory is unimportant to the progression of SA. 

 

I also want to point out to people how frequently the comment of "I didn't like Shallan until WoR" comes up. There's a good chance that whatever Brandon already has planned for Szeth will turn a lot of peoples' opinions around.

[DreamEternal]

Until this book we know only his facette as a Truthless and even without his flashbacks we are going to see him in the next books as a "free" man - perhaps a way to get a better access for his real personality, a better understanding for the moment when finally his story is explained.

I am not sure if Szeth can be considered a free man now. Actualy, one of the reasons I wanted his flashbacks was because I like the character, but don't like where he is headed in the present. Used as a weapon by another secret society? Bringing "justice" when he should either have decided that justice is meaningless or that he shouldn't be the one bringing it? Teaming up with Nightblood of all things?! Often I think Szeth should have stayed dead, for the only other way he could find peace, by abandoning his blind obedience and taking the long and arduous path of learning to differentiate good and evil on his own, seems more and more distant.

[hypatia]

That was the reason for the quotation marks - "free" isn't right, but there will be a change in his personality, because Szeth doesn't believe in his truthless state anymore.

What this change will be, it's in the further story and the starting point with Nightblood and Nale is interesting, even if this isn't easy.

His past may be also interesting, but there's no way back in his evolution, it's just history.

His actual story is something new - good or bad isn't relevant - and will bring the story to a next level.

I was near a heart attack because of Nightblood, but on second thought it is possible Szeth is the person who is able to bring Nightblood to a better understanding of good and bad, because they must learn together - only as a possibility.

My problem is Nale - but to know his intensions and plans I need the actual story, not the flashbacks.

Justice is another problem - normally there isn't a single justice, it depends on different

societies, cultures, religions...justice for one group is sometime unjustice to another.

And with a further story I hope to know the rules of the Skybreaker-Justice.

At the moment I can't see much sense in it, but that doesn't mean there isn't any.

[EvilNuff]

...

I also want to point out to people how frequently the comment of "I didn't like Shallan until WoR" comes up. There's a good chance that whatever Brandon already has planned for Szeth will turn a lot of peoples' opinions around.

 

I think this is an excellent point and well worth emphasizing.  While I still don't particularly like Shallan I definitely like her more after book 2 than book 1.  To speak more generally, how people perceive characters can vary wildly!  There is one character who comes to mind as an example who is well thought of here and yet I find that character to be one of the worst in the entire series.  Szeth is a character whom I personally greatly enjoy reading his point of view chapters.  I don't fault others for disagreeing with me on either count.