Flashback characters and WoB

[RandomSpeculation]

I've always viewed the whole "flashback character doesn't have to be alive" thing as mostly hand waving by BS.  After all, it kinda takes the suspense outta Jasnah's "death" if you know she is gonna be a main character in an upcoming book.  Doesn't mean we wont get a dead flashback character, but I think at the time he made the comment it was more directed towards obscuring whats gonna happen in book two.

 

In the same vein, we have Brandon saying not all flashback characters need be tied to the main radiant theme of that book.  To me, the idea of ten books and ten orders, with a flashback character detailing an individual order for each of the ten, works pretty well.  But once you have that knowledge, and a list of flashback characters, it becomes too easy to fill in the blanks on which characters will join what order before BS is ready for us to know all that.  I look at Taln and Shalash as potential placeholders for a flashback character BS doesn't want revealed as a proto radiant just yet.  This doesn't mean they won't become main characters, and TBH I would drool over a flashback sequence from the PoV of a herald, but i'm not totally sold on both of them being flashback characters just yet.        

 

 

[maxal she/her]

Brandon has stated the patter of book one and two would not repeat itself for all books. However, the current line-up does make it seem as if it would repeat itself as, after all, confirmed Radiants such as Dalinar, Jasnah, Renarin and Lift have already secured a spot. Whereas I agree the format of book 1 and 2 worked well, they had the downside of focusing too heavily on one character. It was alright for the first books where the characters are not well established yet, but in the long run? I am glad the format is said not to repeat itself for all books as it opens door for Brandon to break the pattern, which I hope he will in book 3.

 

I sincerely doubt Taln and Shalash are place-filler as Brandon stated the second half of SA would deal with the Heralds backstory. So it fits to have two there. However, since they are not Radiants and the thought they may become ones simply to fit the pattern feels contrived and too much like Deus Ex Machina. I thus think it is rather probable these books will focus on a main character of a given order unrelated to those Heralds.

 

Also, whereas there are many theories on the matter, there is no reasons to believe Szeth and Eshonai are future Radiants. They could be or they could not. To think of them as such simply because they have a flashback is horribly contrived as well.

 

Personally, the one unknown I wish to know is who are the 10 major Radiants and if these are the same as the 10 major protagonists Brandon keeps talking about. I have always assumed so, but I wish to know if I am right or wrong. I also wish to know if there is place for other characters than those to evolve in this story.