Random Baseless Speculation about Foreshadowing

[Kaurne]

In the prelude to the Stormlight Archive, Kalak says that 'Taln had a tendency to choose seemingly hopeless fights and win them. He also had a tendency to die in the process'.

 

Okay, not from the way we look at it, the situation of Roshar... isn't good. The Almighty is dead, their nations are engaged in pointless wars, their leaders are being killed off, they've lost all sense of honor and there are only a few people who are even on the path to becoming Knights Radiant.

 

In meantime, Odium is coming. The Night of Sorrows approaches; the Everstom, the True Desolation. If the good guys somehow work out how to fight the godlike being of pure hate and all his minions, and then manage to do it, the world still might not be saveable.

 

In other words, things seem hopeless. And Taln has just returned.

 

I'm guessing that, at some pivotal moment, Taln with either make the right choice (and die due to its consequences) or make a heroic sacrifice, ensuring the victory of the good guys. He then dies in the process.

 

This came to me basically because I'd love it if Brandon hid the ending to the entire 10 book series in the four pages of prelude. I'm not sure why, it just feels... right.

[makromag he/him]

I do think that you have picked up on something improtant here and the whole concept is extremely awesome, however I don't think it would be the pivotal point to the whole series. I rather think, that this important decision Taln will make is going to be somewhere in the first 5 books, since after the 5th book there will be a timeskip and I hope the whole Everstorm arc will be through by then. Not because I don't like it, but simply because whatever comes after it will be even more awesome.

Plus, I don't like having the outline of the series decided by the first book, the Wheel of Time did that with Tarmon Gai'don and although I love WoT, I did not like the fact, that we had to wait for 14 books to finally see the last battle, even though everyone kept saying how close it is.

 

Actually, the more I think about it, the more conflicted I am. I would love to see it play out the way you describe it.