Benjibooboo Posted February 4, 2014 Report Share Posted February 4, 2014 Don't get me wrong, I will love the book. I don't mind Shallan as a character but I am not exactly eager to read all of her flashbacks. Maybe it's the adrenaline, sword fight loving, action centric man in me but I wish this book were focused on Adolin or Dalinar, or pretty much anyone else. Anyone agree? I know brandon has a way of making anything interesting and a great read so I am very excited to read it, but there's just a little voice in my head that wants Shallan to tak a back seat 8 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moogle Posted February 4, 2014 Report Share Posted February 4, 2014 I personally didn't find Kaladin's flashbacks to be all that exciting. He had what, one short fight with a farmboy? Shallan's only flashback from the excerpts has me begging for more. It was short and haunting. I want to know more. Shallan has a Shardblade and people have died of Shardblades around her. I'm sure there's bound to be some action there. 9 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FingerstyleFunk Posted February 4, 2014 Report Share Posted February 4, 2014 Nope, can't agree with you there. With the exception of Szeth, Shallan's backstory has by far the most mystery of any of the major characters. And thank the Almighty that we only have to wait until book 3 for Szeth, since I'm dying to hear that one too. It's not like Kaladin's flashbacks added much action to WoK... I'm sure we can expect plenty of that in the main plotline anyway. And hey, by comparison, this set of flashbacks promises to show a POV character actually acquiring and using a shardblade. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
krill Posted February 4, 2014 Report Share Posted February 4, 2014 I would have agreed after my first reading of WoK but time and a couple of rereads have me more interested. I would say she is still my least favorite of the main POV characters but I have faith in Brandon to make me more invested. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JesseQ Posted February 4, 2014 Report Share Posted February 4, 2014 (edited) Not really. It's sort of the opposite for me. In tWoK I was in a hurry to get back to the present to see Kaladin morph into superman so at times I felt myself wanting to skip over his backstory; I didn't and I'm glad I didn't but there was that urge. I wasn't as deeply invested in Shallan but she grew on me as things progressed. That said, with the one flashback we've seen I find myself really looking forward to her history. Also, while some seem to disagree with this I get the feeling that she doesn't want to just sit back and study. She almost seems to want to be a warrior and in my opinion I think you may have a latent badass with her given I believe she was responsible for either mother's death, the death of the guy who killed her mother or both of the people in that room. So I have a feeling you may get your action with her. And also she has a shardblade. I'm looking forward to her story. Edited February 4, 2014 by JesseQ 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shadow Guardian Posted February 4, 2014 Report Share Posted February 4, 2014 Actually, the only reason I'm hesitant on having book focus on Shallan is because I'm am curious about her character, but not yet as invested in some of the other, upcoming POV characters (like Taravangian), so I'm perhaps a little worried about hitting a lull in later books. But counter to that, Brandon has time to make me more interested in those characters by the time their books come around, so I probably shouldn't worry about it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shardlet Posted February 4, 2014 Report Share Posted February 4, 2014 I think that Dalinar's and Adolin's back stories may be interesting, but they are far behind Shallan, Szeth, Jasnah, Taln, and even Renarin in my mind. Action is okay, but I want back-story that will give us some key information. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
11thorderknight Posted February 4, 2014 Report Share Posted February 4, 2014 What y'all said - I can't wait for Shallan's backstory, and I'm sure there will be plenty of action in it (as well as her present-day story). Kaladin's backstory, to be honest, while well-written, was very predictable. You knew exactly where Brandon was going with it. Shallan's, on the other hand, will not be predictable at all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crisapx Posted February 4, 2014 Report Share Posted February 4, 2014 I wish I could see kaladins time as a slave, mostly him trying to escape! But at this time in the series, it's more advantageous to explore backgrounds of different characters 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+eveorjoy Posted February 4, 2014 Report Share Posted February 4, 2014 I get the vibe that the Ghostbloods are as interested in Shallan as they are in her father's soulcaster. Kabsel knew who Shallan Devar was, I'm sure and he was eager to keep her alive and return home with her. Also there are mysteries in her past that I think relate to spren and shadesmar. When I read her brother's interlude in TWoKs, I knew there was quite a story. Kaladin's flashbacks showed us the good foundation he had that made him desire to save others no matter how bad things got for him, but they are the parts of TWoKs I skip the most. It's a story we have read before, except the conflict with Reshone. I want to know what kind of a mess Shallan is and how she will overcome it. I am very eager to read her flashbacks. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aminar Posted February 4, 2014 Report Share Posted February 4, 2014 Last book Shallan was kind of dull until the end. The chapters of Words I've read are fascinating though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Rooster Posted February 4, 2014 Report Share Posted February 4, 2014 (edited) Hahaha. I saw this topic and cringed thinking"No no no these guys all LOVE Shallan, they're gonna tear poor Benji apart!" Luckily it's kept civil like must anything on these forums. Gotta agree with the gang. I've become increasingly find if Shallan with every reading. I think there's going to be some really good stuff in her flashbacks. I love Kaladin but his flashbacks to Hearthstone are so depressing, my least favorite stuff.. Tho still good. Edited February 4, 2014 by AG Rooster Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Who Sharded? Posted February 4, 2014 Report Share Posted February 4, 2014 I say get her book out of the way now, save the more awesome Szeth, Eshonai, and Dalinar for later. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DefiantBurrito Posted February 4, 2014 Report Share Posted February 4, 2014 I've been liking Shallan more lately, but to be honest I found Kaladin's flashbacks a little exhausting, and I like Kaladin more than Shallan. I hope Shallan's flashbacks stay short and sweet, and don't distract from the main story too much. I felt like Kaladin's could have been more concise. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DragonReborn Posted February 4, 2014 Report Share Posted February 4, 2014 Before I read Way of Kings I read that Shallan would have the flashbacks this book. During my read, I started disliking Shallan and definitely wanted Dalinar or someone else to have the flashbacks. But once she admitted killing her father and when I found out she had a Shardblade she is the one I want to read about the most. She went from being my least favorite character to one of my favorites really quick. I want to know why she killed her father (I assume he raped her) and I want to know the situation of the Shardblade she has. I also thought all of Kaladin's flashbacks, besides the battle when he won the Shardblade, were really boring. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Benjibooboo Posted February 4, 2014 Author Report Share Posted February 4, 2014 Hahaha. I saw this topic and cringed thinking"No no no these guys all LOVE Shallan, they're gonna tear poor Benji apart!" Luckily it's kept civil like must anything on these forums. Gotta agree with the gang. I've become increasingly find if Shallan with every reading. I think there's going to be some really good stuff in her flashbacks. I love Kaladin but his flashbacks to Hearthstone are so depressing, my least favorite stuff.. Tho still good. Haha I cringed writing it, but really it's the truth. I am sure that after reading the book I will absolutely love her (as is Brandon's way) but right now I just can't bring myself to be motivated by the prospect of her flashbacks. It has excited me a little bit actually after everyone reminded me of some of the explanations we are waiting for. Like how she got her blade, why she killed her dad etc... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skaa Posted February 4, 2014 Report Share Posted February 4, 2014 (edited) To be honest, I was sorta disappointed when I first heard that Stormlight 2 was going to be Shallan's book, not Dalinar's. At the time I thought "The Highprince of War" was a very cool title. But later on, when I started getting more into the magic system, I realized that I really, really wanted to see how Shallan first learned how to capture "Memories" of what she sees, and how that ability fits with her Surges (this was before we learned about the Surge of Illumination, by the way). So I decided that as long as she no longer invents words like "errorgance", I'll be perfectly happy with a Shallan-centric book. Oh yeah, I almost forgot, there's also HowSheGotShardbladeDramaHowMomDiedDramaHowDadDiedDrama and all that jazz. Edited February 5, 2014 by skaa 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lorna Posted February 4, 2014 Report Share Posted February 4, 2014 Shallan was interesting, but she has such a dark past and secrets that I can't bring myself to trust her. Kal is currently my favorite character. I liked his flashbacks even more this last read through. Seeing how Kaladin's history had shaped him was good. I found Tien's appearances golden and endearing. What was his gift that he could brighten Kaladin's darkest days? Even though I knew it was coming, it broke my heart when he was drafted, and again when he died. I can't wait to find out what became of Kaladin's parents, and who was Tarah? What about his time as a slave? I wish this were Dalinar's POV book. I'm quite invested in the Kholin family and don't want to have to wait until book storming FOUR! Oh well, at least we can be confident that Sanderson will make the journey worth it. All that said, I'm still crazy eager for Words of Radiance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IllNsickly Posted February 4, 2014 Report Share Posted February 4, 2014 Ill take all of the backstory Mr Sanderson will give us. And side story... and tangent andooooohhhh SQUIRREL!!!! 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lorna Posted February 4, 2014 Report Share Posted February 4, 2014 (edited) Ill take all of the backstory Mr Sanderson will give us. And side story... and tangent andooooohhhh SQUIRREL!!!! Me too. My biggest complaint is that I can't have the entire 10 volumes of masterfully written, beautifully illustrated, amazing and awesome Stormlight Archive dominating my bookshelf right now. Thank you Brandon Sanderson for writing so much so well. Live long and prosper... for all our sakes. Edited February 4, 2014 by Lorna 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cromptj Posted February 4, 2014 Report Share Posted February 4, 2014 Does anyone know why the flashbacks for the second arc were changed? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bloodfalcon Posted February 4, 2014 Report Share Posted February 4, 2014 I'm with you. Shallan is third to last on the list of characters I want back story on (the Kholin boys steal the show there). She is fairly young, and while that didn't stop Kaladin's flashbacks from being entertaining, she has said herself that she grew up in the same place and wasn't allowed to go do anything. So unless she contradicts herself, I think this is going to be a lot of seeing into the terrible things she has done and somehow convincing readers that she is still capable of being on the good side of things. I'm mildly curious about the first flashback piece we saw, but 70% of that curiosity is for what is in the safe, hahaha. I hope I am wrong and Brandon does convince me that Shallan should be absolved so she can fight voidbringers and I can cheer her on. Otherwise, Navani flashbacks would be very VERY informative in both Gavilar's story, Jasnah and Elhokar's stories, and in the way fabrials operate. That is the one that I could have used a bit more of. She's not my favorite personality-wise, but when I think of chapters well spent, I think Navani. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cortez Posted February 4, 2014 Report Share Posted February 4, 2014 I've been waiting to find out Shallan's backstory for over three years. She obviously has a lot of skeletons in her closet and appeared in WoK to be actively hiding from her own past, which makes her backstory much more interesting than any of the other characters (except perhaps Szeth). Dalinar's backstory is to me largely irrelevant, his story is about where we go from here, not back in the past. As for Adolin and Renarin I've not seen any hint that there have been any events in their lives that require a backstory. Navani at the moment also doesn't interest me in the same way as Shallan although her backstory could be used to give us insights into Gavilar's mindset and actions before his death. Jasnah's backstory could be interesting, especially regarding her actions with the muggers and how she became an atheist (in a world chock full of the supernatural). So for me I'm glad that this book is Shallans. I'd have been extremely disappointed if another character had been chosen over Shallan, possibly even to the point of not reading the book. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WeiryWriter Posted February 4, 2014 Report Share Posted February 4, 2014 I for one am super excited about Shallan's flashbacks. She was one of my favorite characters in my first reading of WoK. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Count Posted February 4, 2014 Report Share Posted February 4, 2014 Not only am I super excited to learn about Shallan from her flashbacks... I am also looking for some juicy bits on her father as well, I think that man had his fingers in some very significant pies! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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