Excerpt from Words of Radiance: Chapters Six, Eight, and Nine

[Shardbearer he/him]

Also, I am quite happy to find I was wrong. Shallan writing stuff down about Puppy is not locking him into his current developmental stage.

[Guinevere she/her]

Here are my thoughts:

 

Chapter 6

 

Holy crap, that first line in Navani's journal!

 

Pattern—cute name. Aw, Pattern the puppyspren.

 

Cool! Shallan is Lightweaving!

 

Illumination—was that on the chart before?

 

I'm wondering if the Parshendi have access to those old records in their "city."

 

"And stop trying to mother me." HA! Jasnah is awesome.

 

I think Chapter 7 is a continuation of the cliffhanger and that's why they didn't include it.

 

Chapter 8

 

I totally buy the idea that Dalinar wrote the glyphs himself. Or perhaps a spren or someone using him to write it and that's why the glyphs weren't quite right.

 

Chapter 9

 

Gravity is an agreement between friends. I love Syl. She's definitely giving something away here—something about spren controlling natural forces. Perhaps this is why one needs to bond with spren to control those forces (ie Surgebind).

 

I think Pattern and Syl could be friends if they could get over their sprenist stereotypes.

 

Stormspren—like the spren needed to create stormform?

 

I think there's something behind her defying the Stormfather. Stormfather=Jezrien, whose order is the Windrunners. Perhaps he controls all the honorspren. Or maybe (random speculation) Syl used to be Jezrien's spren.

 

Weight? She's becoming more a part of the Physical Realm?

[Asha'man Logain]

Loved the chapters obviously. my biggest question is what was the glowing pool of violet? Did a puddle somehow absorb stormlight? Was it a  puddlespren?

[Meg]

Wow

 

-- Thaylenens seeing Pattern; Rock sees Syl. Might it be that the non-Vorin believers are nearer to the Cognitive Realm and thus able to see those spren?

 

-- Jasnah on Desolations: "industry smashed. Each time ... were reduced to an almost prehistoric state."

 

-- Spies among the Parshmen ...

 

-- Renarin already got his Shardplate.

 

-- Information about loaning Shardplate and -blade.

 

-- Kaladin and Syl: I love them both.

 

-- Honorspren and Cryptics "love" each other.  Syl: "Lie? ... What do you think I am? A Cryptic?"

 

-- Syl: Refounding the Knights Radiant is "a brilliant idea."

 

-- Spren can not attract spren.

 

-- Syl: What they do is important, she defied the Stormfather, who was the face in the Highstorm Kaladin saw.

 

Need more ...

 

edit for visual clarity.

Edited January 21, 2014 by Meg

[Moogle]

Loved the chapters obviously. my biggest question is what was the glowing pool of violet? Did a puddle somehow absorb stormlight? Was it a  puddlespren?

 

There are three Shards on Roshar. Three moons.

 

According to the Stormlight Archive Wiki:

 

The first moon is Salas, which is the smallest and the dimmest of the moons, casting a violet light. The middle moon is Nomon, which is a bright, pale blue. The third moon is Mishim, which is small and green, rising in the east.

 

I've previously tried to assign colors to Roshar's Shards. I think blue is Honor, green is Cultivation, and violet is Odium.

 

So... Odium's Shardpool in the Shattered Plains, anyone? I sense a similarity between it and the little pools at the bottom of the Pits of Hathsin in Mistborn.

 

Edit: You know what, this deserves its own thread. I'm going to go make it.

 

Edit 2: http://www.17thshard.com/forum/topic/5538-odiums-shardpool/

Edited January 21, 2014 by Moogle

[Guinevere she/her]

I buy that, Moogle. Even if it's wrong, it's an interesting coincidence.

[JesseQ]

Loved the chapters obviously. my biggest question is what was the glowing pool of violet? Did a puddle somehow absorb stormlight? Was it a  puddlespren?

 

I think the light was coming from the amethyst broam Kaladin fished out of the puddle.

Edited January 21, 2014 by JesseQ

[Bloodfalcon he/him]

Hmmmmmm.... Perhaps the Heralds control the spren that grant Surgebinding associated with their order? Shallash would be the head of the Ring, or appointed the Ring, and Vedeldev is the Mother that Wyndle is talking about? 

Edited January 21, 2014 by Bloodfalcon

[Starspren]

Old friend of Dalinar? Tell me it isn't Amaram!

 

 

 

Shadesmar is more dangerous than it once was.  What has changed?  The force pulling Shallan and Jasnah under the sea of beads is a relatively recent development in Shadesmar?

 

Honor died…?

[Moogle]

I think the light was coming from the amethyst broam Kaladin fished out of the puddle.

 

... and of course it would have been. Sigh.

[Shardlet he/him]

Oh sweet confirmation.  Totally called it that Nahel spren were a base type spren with a bit extra on the side.

 

 

“No. But I knew I’d find you.” She smiled. “I spent the time with my cousins, searching.”

“The windspren.”

“Without the bond, I am basically one of them,” she said. “Though they don’t have the capacity to do what we do. And what we do is important. So important that I left everything, defying the Stormfather, to come. You saw him. In the storm.”

 

I don't know who the Stormfather is, but I don't think it is Jezrien.  I don't think he could project his face across the entire sky.  It is immensely interesting though that the Stormfather is indeed a real distinct personage. 

Edited January 21, 2014 by Shardlet

[laeelin]

Not that i'm complaining, but I didn't expect to see another excerpt so soon... At this rate we will be on ~chapter 24 when the book comes out. That would be absolutely awesome, but somehow I don't trust it.

 

That makes me worried that we have had our last excerpt before release date...

Edited January 21, 2014 by laeelin

[Crysanja]

i guess a spren of a Knight Radiant can pass back to shardsmar and return without any harm/loss.

guide other spren to potential ablicants, vetted by the spren of the KR.

 

this would make sence with one of Dalinars earlyer visions in TWK.

 

 

---

 

about the pink water, i first thought it was water with blood.

but after rock fished out the sphere, i thought it was just the light reflected from the water of the sphere.

if it would have been anything else(very odd), would rock just search it for a sphere? 

 

guess we are not accustomed to lots of glowing spheres in many different colors =)

 

 

---

 

something like 45 days to the book - wonder how much more they are going to give us before release.

[Shardlet he/him]

about the pink water, i first thought it was water with blood.

but after rock fished out the sphere, i thought it was just the light reflected from the water of the sphere.

if it would have been anything else(very odd), would rock just search it for a sphere? 

 

guess we are not accustomed to lots of glowing spheres in many different colors =)

 

 

Actually, Kaladin retrieved the sphere from the water.  Rock took it from Kaladin.

 

 

“Hey,” Kaladin said, nodding to Rock, and fishing in the pool. He came out with an amethyst broam and held it up. Somewhere up there on the Plains, a lighteyes had died with this in his pocket. “Riches, if we still were bridgemen.”

“We are still bridgemen,” Rock said, coming over. He plucked the sphere from Kaladin’s fingers.

Edited January 21, 2014 by Shardlet

[Baine he/him]

It's actually kind of weird to have so many theories and speculations confirmed so quickly... It makes me feel really excited!

[Argent he/him]

I was wondering when we'll get more chapters...

 

Chapter 6: Terrible Destruction

• Dramatic chapter name, dun dun dunnn...
• Heh, silly Navani. Jasnah totally had it (almost) figured out.
  • Oh, wait, that's neat. Parshendi willingly assumed their "no form" form to go spy on the Alethi armies?
• "She’d occasionally seen snow and ice in Jah Keved, during the odd winter." - temperatures in Chicago just dropped again. I now hate Jah Kaved like I hate all countries that lack real winter.
• Hmm, Pattern seems to have troubles speaking. Syl didn't have this problem, and presumably neither did Ym's spren.
• Hey, interestingly, both Jasnah and Shallan named their spren, as opposed to asking for their names - like Kaladin and (I guess) Lift did.
• Aaand there goes the dramatic chapter name. Maybe, just maybe, Pattern feels that Shallan is eating the food's spren? Or something?
• So Shallan and Pattern first met around the time of Shallan's father's death. I am not sure if and how this is significant.
• Woah, Pattern actually turned the deck green? Wait, nevermind. Shallan has access to two surges - I've been thinking about her as a Soulcaster, not a Lightweaver. Makes sense that her spren would be able to create illusions.
• Alai - and presumably the academia - seems pretty certain that the Nightwatcher is a spren. Is it possible that she is not Cultivation but a proxy of hers? A Sliver? A colossal Splinter?
• Okay, Pattern's obsession with lies is starting to get a little creepy.
• "And how much time remains to me? Not long. Not long…" - woah, lady, what's going on? This reeks of either some kind of a terminal disease or knowledge of the future. That sound you just heard? Yea, that was the sound of the plot thickening...
• I wonder what Jasnah is hiding. I don't see how her worries about the Voidbringers could summon a fearspren - not after such a long time getting used to the idea. She might be worried, but not terrified. Emotions dull after a while.
• WOAH, CLIFFHANGER MUCH?

Chapter 8: Knives in the Back | Soldiers on the Field

• "He believed anyway. For he suspected his own hand had written those words." - Huh. I guess it fits... 
• Heh, Dalinar and Amaram are BFFs. The plot solidifies.

Chapter 9: Walking the Grave

• Gods, but I like Syl! 
• Spren like red lightning? 
• "Oh, that question." - oh, you wonderful, wonderful, little honorspren. Kaladin, stop being such a grumpy cat!
• "Lie?” Syl said, aghast. “Kaladin! What do you think I am? A Cryptic?" - oooh. Nice touch, Brandon.
• "So important that I left everything, defying the Stormfather, to come. You saw him. In the storm." - Implications, implications... The Stormfather was the one to prevent / prohibit the spren from leaving Shadesmar and binding with Surgebinders? Why am I getting the feeling that this book won't make everything clearer, but foggier instead?
• Man, and I still don't fully understand the interplay between windspren and honorspren. What the hell does "cousin" mean for a spren?
• "Sigzil sent me. He wishes to know if you are ready to practice your abilities." - give me this chapter NOW!

Edited January 29, 2014 by Argent

[KiManiak he/him]

Another set of thoughts and first impressions when reading the new sections:

 

Chapter 6

Shallan’s memory – I believe taps into the Illumination surge.  Illumination is different then “Light” (what we initially thought the surge was) because it also means to make clear, to help unveil that what was hidden.

 

Pattern likes good lies, true lies.  Deals with some of the speculation that Cryptics like secrets or things that are true, but hidden.  They like to discover that which is hidden; it pleases this particular Cryptic to do so.  Ties more into the “Illumination” theme.

 

“Light makes shadow.  Truth makes lies.”  I can see why this surge could have been called “Light” but Brandon instead decided “Illumination.”  Light could be a little too specific (or “focused” if you want to go with the pun), but “Illuminate” definitely has more of a broader meaning.

 

Shallan is doing a lot of recording of Pattern (notes and drawings).  Apparently, measuring/defining this spren does not lock him into a certain shape or dimension, in contrast to the ardents experiments in Way of Kings.  More proof that not all spren are so equally controlled.

 

Jasnah knows and confirms the second ability; she already knew it would deal with light?  Confirmation of “Illumination” as the name of the surge, by Jasnah who definitely appears to know a lot (relatively speaking, of course) about the different Radiant orders, as we suspected.

 

Hah!  I like that Jasnah is rather deceptive in her word choice.  Urithuru may not be in the Shattered Plains, but “the path to it may be.”  Very Aes Sedai-like. 

 

Words of Radiance is still the title of a book within its own book, just like the Way of Kings!  Nice.  (I don’t know if others already knew that Brandon was going to continue to do that in each of his Stormlight Archive novels even after deciding not to use "The Book of Endless Pages," but it was news to me!)  And of course, the book is about the Lightweavers.

 

 

Chapter 8

Nice, more information about the lending of Shardblades.  This addresses a bit of speculation.

 

Aladar doesn’t seem like an idiot or a fool, just a man trying to protect his own interests.  Will Dalinar be able to win him over with reason?  Will Dalinar’s display of battlefield awareness and tactical genius win Alardar’s respect?  Or will the lack of trust amongst all Highprinces continue to be a problem? 

 

Even Dalinar thinks he wrote the words on the wall?  This helps to support those with that theory.

 

The letter – I bet the question should be, “Who here does not think the letter is from Amaram?”

 

 

Chapter 9

Kaladin still goes into the chasms?  Will this be for his secret training?  Ah, probably not since they brought the new recruits down here with them.

 

Syl mentions spren like red lightning?  Interesting.  Similar to the spren in Dalinar’s flashback vision?

 

Thank goodness!  This is a book where the main characters ask realistic, intelligent questions about unknown events!  Thank you Kaladin (and Brandon) for asking Syl if there are more of you! 

 

Syl’s unconscious (yet apparently not quite conscious) knowledge of Cryptics (and their association with lies).  Nice.

 

Syl remembers her time in the Cognitive realm?  Maybe she hasn’t been in the physical realm for centuries.  Maybe the theory that has her as a discarded spren from the Day of Recreance has just been disproven.

 

Syl actually answers Kaladin’s questions about more proto-Radiants!  Thanks again Brandon, for not having the stereotypical “drawn out mystery” of whether Syl is aware of other proto-Radiants and other spren’s efforts.

 

Syl is the only honorspren who came?  They were forbidden?  I’m loving the fleshing out of these details, which answer some questions but then leave us with so many more.    

 

I also like Syl’s encouraging of Kaladin to trust Dalinar.  And Syl’s belief in Kaladin being a hero.  I have faith that Kaladin may share his Surgebinding abilities with Dalinar before the latter half of the book. 

(Another “Thank You” to Brandon for not doing the stereotypical thing and drawing Kaladin’s confession out until near the end of the book.)

 

Syl knows about the Stormfather?  Nice tease there, Sanderson! :-)

 

Edit for some grammar

Edited January 21, 2014 by KiManiak

[The Rooster he/him]

Guys I don't think I can take this.  It's so close but SO FAR AWAY! I don't know what I'm going to do with myself for another month.  These little teases are too much! Stormfather I just want to tear thru it!

[Mysty she/her]

Guys I don't think I can take this.  It's so close but SO FAR AWAY! I don't know what I'm going to do with myself for another month.  These little teases are too much! Stormfather I just want to tear thru it!

Me too!

And maybe my brother isn't so crazy for refusing to read exerpts until March 4th. He is not frothing at the bit like me waiting for the next installment. But there just soooo good I can't help myself! More! I need more!

[ccstat he/him]

So, I think we should be paying more attention to what Pattern says (and, significantly, doesn't say). In particular, these sections stuck out to me:

 

She frowned. These had been restored during the previous highstorm, held in a basket tied to the ship’s mast. The ones in her goblet were two storms old now, which was why they were running out. How had the ones in her pocket gone dun faster? It defied reason.

“Mmmmm…” Pattern said from the wall near her head. “Lies.”

He can sense the "lie" in her thoughts about how stormlight works. Remember, he likes "good lies," which to him means "true lies." Light makes shadow. Truth makes lies. In this case I'm not sure if he's sensing Shallan telling lies to herself or simply that the truth is hidden right in front of her.
 

Shallan pulled back, suddenly feeling as if she’d intruded upon an intimate moment. Jasnah with her defenses down. Shallan began to creep away, but a voice from the floor suddenly said, “Truth!”

Pattern likes truths that were hidden, and can tell when Shallan sees one.
 

“The Voidbringers are captive,” Shallan said, glancing toward Pattern. He rested on the floor, almost invisible, saying nothing.

[...]

Shallan sighed, nodding, and left Jasnah’s quarters. Pattern tagged along behind; he’d spent the entire conversation silent.

Nothing in their conversation struck him as an elegant obfuscation, nor a clever illumination. So everything that was said (or at least Shallan's understanding of them) are either mundanely true or uninterestingly false.

 

I suspect that Pattern will be very enlightening (and frustrating) as the book progresses.

[Moogle]

Very interesting observation, ccstat.

[ChocolateRob he/him]

Well I put in the comments to the last set of chapters that it was probably Dalinar that wrote the message but everyone was all 'Nah! Parshmen, maybe spren'. Well even Dalinar thinks he did it. Mwa ha ha haaa!!!...

 

... er, ahem.

 

So who else is hoping that Yalb is becoming a permanent sub-character, the only one Shallan has picked up so far is Jasnah and she doesn't count. Kaladin has his squad and Dalinar has all the highprinces.

 

Dalinar, if you're going to send for Navani to come all the way to you (she's already complained about the distance) for every random letter that you need read you're gonna end up sleeping on the couch.

 

Kaladin, the men need to see you fight if you want to inspire them. Teft can train them and even lead them but it's you that they need to believe in.

 

Adolin, speak up man, you just got engaged, let's hear your thoughts. Express yourself! (to us).

 

Edit

Ooh, before I forget. With the news that you can Will a Shardblade back to your hand even from the physical realm does that mean you can use it like a Keyblade's Strike Raid and hurl it at your enemies? it won't fly back to your hand and you'll be without it completely for a while but just imagine the extra fun. hmm I wonder if a keyblade would unlock shardplate and make a piece fall off with every strike... OK getting off track now.

Edited January 21, 2014 by ChocolateRob

[lummi he/him]

Was 7th chapter Eshonai interlude?

[Terra of Roshar she/her]

No, the interludes will presumably be between "books," like in WOK (so three sets of three interludes, wih Eshonai as the repeated POV like Szeth was then).

[FeatherWriter she/her]

Okay rambly liveblog underneath the spoiler cut for length. (Can also be found on tumblr, for those who prefer that format, because it's me and really is anyone surprised?)
 

Ch. 6

• Okay no but I’m really scared because Peter said that the hooks have yet to come. SO SCARED
• Ooh winter Vorin wear I like
• PATTERN that’s a cute name. Also male pronouns, the opposite gender spren theory holds.
• (I kinda want an enby Radiant with an enby spren, but they use different pronoun sets now. Like the Radiant uses Xe/Xer/Xem and the spren uses Ze/Hir/Hirs wouldn’t that be cute?)
• He can speak! Cuuute. Also, not confined to a surface. You go Pattern.
• Hmm, seems opposite to Syl. Syl had trouble with abstractions, Pattern gets them easily.
• Ooh, Pattern pulls out her own memories ooooooooh
• YALB I’VE MISSED YOU
• "New Kid" I love it
• Yalb, pls continue to be perfect it’s awesome
• Oh, they know about Pattern? Interesting. And they can see the memories whoa.
• I’m getting a slight Nightblood vibe from Pattern: cute, but in a way that’s kinda terrifying.
• WHOA WAIT TELL US ABOUT THE WORD FOR WORD NIGHTWATCHER ENCOUNTER GO BACK TO THAT 
• "Shallan’s life was coming together." That’s not a good sign…
• “betrothed to a powerful Alethi prince" Not the right one yet, though, dear.
• Hmm, did she infuse? Or just take the Stormlight and let it leak away?
• Awww, Jasnah
• SHE DID DO IT. SHE TURNED THE THING GREEN. SHE WAS LIIIIIIIGHTWEAVING.
• Dang I just realized what an awesome combo Lightweaving and Soulcasting are…

• “And apologize too easily as well.” “I’m… uh, indignant?” Brb using that forever now.

• TITLE TITLE DROP
• Oh good screams shouts and smoke yay

Ch. 8

• Yaaaay Dalinar POV
• *absurd amount of blushing at the mention of Kaladin*
• Oh Adolin I’m so proud.
• Ooh, Blade loaning specs. Coolness
• EVEN DARKER SKINNED ALETHI CANONIZED *SHOUTS LOUDLY ABOUT THIS*
• I like Aladar. He seems reasonable, even if he’s siding against Dalinar. He’s thinking like a leader, who thinks he’s being undercut and is defensive. I like him a lot.
• STOP MISGENDERING ESHONAI GAH CAN SOMEONE FIGURE OUT SHE’S A LADY ALREADY
• Ooooh, Dalinar thinks he wrote the words. That’s certainly interesting.
• OH NO IT’S AMARAM ISN’T IT. “OLD FRIEND” FRICK I’M FLIPPING TABLES GROSS THIS IS AWFUL

Ch. 9

• Aaaand Kaladin POV.
• Why u down in the chasms, boy?
• Hehehe, Kaladin avoiding the feast I love it.
• "The order of bone" ooooh ominous, I like it
• Aren’t most of these men bridgemen though? Didn’t they have chasm duty before? I mean, I guess Bridge 4 took over all chasm stuff, but surely there’d be some who’d done this from the other crews, right?
• KALADIN YOU GOT GLORYSPREN THINKING ABOUT TEFT OMG
• Syl you are adorable and I love you, do not ever change.
• “Has it ever struck you as unfair,” she said, “that spren cannot attract spren? I should really have had some gloryspren of my own there.” SYL STOP THIS IS ILLEGAL LEVELS OF CUTE. (Also, Spren attracting spren? Spren shipping?)
• "Oh, that question." Syl…
• HA SHE USED TO BE WINDSPREN
• I feel vindicated in that Honorspren is possibly a title. I TOTALLY called that.
• I need more Syl backstory right now dangit.
• Awww he can feel her! That’s new!
• Whoops, Syl is suddenly a MAJORLY FAVORITE character now.
• OOH. PRONUNCIATIONS. EXPLANATION OF HORNEATER ACCENT. YESSSSSSSS
• (Yay my Kaladin pronunciation was right, though my Rock accent was not. *edits*)
• Amethyst broam! Haven’t heard much about those!
• Rock/Syl best friends 5ever pls.
• And that’s the end.
• Is there going to be another set of chapters? Because that was not nearly as devastatingly “hook”-ish as I was expecting…

 

...Chapter 8.

Man, if there were any more chapters like this, I'd have to start shipping Syl and Kaladin. Forget Tara, Shallan can have Renarin or whatever, and I don't even care about Laral anymore; SylxKaladin is where it's at!

I just gagged a little in my mouth but I DON'T CARE!

Well, I was going to give you an upvote for the implied Shallarin, but then you mentioned mouth-gagging so NEVERMIND.

 

Was 7th chapter Eshonai interlude?

 

Doubtful. Interludes happen in between Parts, which, I'm guessing we're not through Part One yet. Also, they wouldn't hold back releasing something that was already out in the open like that. More likely, it's something they simply didn't want to show yet.

 

EDIT: NINJA'D