[OB] Oathbringer chapters 25-27

[Fifth of Daybreak he/him]

11 minutes ago, Steeldancer said:

Hmmmm he always disliked Amaram. Thought he was too perfect. 

Yeah, he gives Kaladin basically the exact same speech when they get out of prison.

 

Quote

"“The things you said about Amaram,” Adolin said. “Were they true?

”“Every one.” Adolin nodded.

“I’ve always wondered what that man was hiding.” He continued walking.

...

“My father,” Adolin said, “is the best man I know, perhaps the best man alive. Even he loses his temper, makes bad judgment calls, and has a troubled past. Amaram never seems to do anything wrong. If you listen to the stories about him, it’s like everyone expects him to glow in the dark and piss nectar. That stinks, to me, of someone who works too hard to maintain his reputation.”

All of Adolin's actions seemed in character imo.

[WhiteLeeopard she/her]

Adolin thought Amaram was fishy because he was "too shiny", and real people are not that perfect. However he was wiling to let it go and think the best of him. Until Kaladin told about the shards and the betrayal, and Adolin was disgusted (its two very big crimes after all, steal shards, kill your men, and three if you count the lie). But I suspect a large part of Adolin's new dislike for Amaram is just loyalty for Kaladin. Adolin is quite protective of those close to him, Kaladin seemed to reach that spot for him on the last fourth of WoR (from 4v1 duel onwards).

I agree Shallan is unraveling, but I don't see Adolin acting unusual for him at all. He is a tiny bit more vocal than I expected and he is hiding Sadeas' killing spectacularly, but no major variations from his character. 

edit: ninja'd

Edited October 24, 2017 by WhiteLeeopard

[Harbour he/him]

16 minutes ago, Viridian said:

Ok, wild theory time. It's clear that Shallan's going crazy. She's too splintered. Her viewpoint is very unreliable.

And Adolin's acting weird, too. He didn't have a bone to pick with Amaram before.

I think that some of the time, it's not actually Adolin. I think Shallan is imagining him and maybe projecting her actions onto him.

Maybe Shallan was the one who got kicked out of the meeting for being belligerent (that part was really weird) and then imagined herself talking to Adolin, putting together truths she already knew. That guy wasn't acting very Adolin-ish. Shallan could have known it was Kaladin on the battlefield, could have already put it together and has been trying to avoid it.

I keep thinking of how Adolin is acting towards Shallan throughout these chapters, regularly reminding her of his name and their relationship. Who knows what she doesn't remember about how she's been acting? She's a total mess. I wouldn't be surprised to find out that this is how far she has cracked.

Woah, love this theory.

Dalinar and Amaram greet each other, Shallan says "Bastard" because she hates Amaram, Dalinar tells her to leave, she does it gladly, and the scene of accepting Amaram the Highprince made her realize its not him she should hate but Kaladin instead. It comes in the form of Adolin. Then she prefer to leave Adolin to be alone. Why? Maybe she subconsciously want to break up with him so she tries to make him hurt her in her mind with these words? Maybe she wants to be alone?

Following scene with a bunch of chaotic pictures add the element of insanity to the previous scene.

I just imagine Shallan walking off the HQ room alone thinking about Amaram, Adolin, Kaladin and Helaran while drawing these insane pictures on the walk. Its really creepy.

Now, im not trying to made up some Shaladin stuff, just playing with mysteries. I dont think this is true, but i think its very interesting and mindlowing theory.

Edited October 24, 2017 by Harbour

[CaptainRyan he/him]

50 minutes ago, Caesura said:

Something that stood out a bit to me that no-one's commented on yet:

Quote

Dalinar dashed toward the oncoming force, his Shardplate crunching against stones. He felt sad to have to engage a Shardbearer, instead of continuing his fight against the ordinary men. No more laying waste; he now had only one man to kill.

He could vaguely remember a time when facing lesser challenges hadn't sated him as much as a good fight against someone capable. What had changed?

The Thrill is clearly a negative thing, but this feels like it takes it a step up. Dalinar is starting to find more satisfaction in mindless slaughter of as many people as possible than the challenge of a good fight. Whatever flashbacks follow this, it's not going to be good.

I find this interesting because it is almost the exact opposite of how Torol Sadeas was feeling before his death. He was depressed by not having any real challenge and was bored slaughtering Parshendi with his new Shardblade. Does that mean the Thrill affects people in different ways? Does it represent a change in tactics by Nergaoul? Is it something worth noting or is it simply flavor for the story?

[Fifth of Daybreak he/him]

4 minutes ago, CaptainRyan said:

I find this interesting because it is almost the exact opposite of how Torol Sadeas was feeling before his death. He was depressed by not having any real challenge and was bored slaughtering Parshendi with his new Shardblade. Does that mean the Thrill affects people in different ways? Does it represent a change in tactics by Nergaoul? Is it something worth noting or is it simply flavor for the story?

Hadn't the thrill moved off to Jah Keved by then?

Edited October 24, 2017 by Fifth of Daybreak

[maxal she/her]

 

Here are my wonderful comments on this week's chapters.

Chapter 25

I enjoyed reading Shallan's story even if it wasn't meant to further the narrative. It was meant as a metaphor, the wall being her protection mechanism to shelter the world outside from the horror within herself. Truly, she is a deeply scarred kid and I wondered if she didn't get the idea to protect herself this way because of the play?

I love when Brandon writes such introspective chapters for his characters even if I'd wish he were to write it for other characters, sometimes.

I have no idea what this creature she is hunting is, but the copycat murderer has been found. It doesn't just mimic murders, but harm in a general manner or physical harm and it takes the shape of the original aggressor. Interesting, but I have no idea where this is going.

Chapter 26

Ah the Dalinar chapter which all needed to read. The Blackthorn at the height of his barbarous glory as he slaughters all which stands too close to him, including his own men. How can any even agree to follow him after this baffles me but here he was hacking through his own people, never satiated always needing more blood, more gore.

The greatest lie within SA is finally unravelling itself: Dalinar did not love Evi. He might not have wished her dead, but his and her wasn't the tale of a great love. They had a political marriage made for convenience. Maybe she loved him, but he quite certainly didn't love her.

The boys life suddenly becomes less perfect.

I appreciated seeing glimpse of future player into this flashback: Sebrarial the opportunist, Highprince Ruthar and his son (Relis), Talanor (former owner of Adolin's Blade, 29 years ago, so a forty-something veteran bullied a 16 years old kid to duel him: I SO want to read this scene).

The chapter changed, in the original version, Dalinar gave the Shards to Elhokar. In this version, he isn't born yet, so he just gives them to Gavilar. I somehow preferred the first version.

Chapter 27

So time for the politic bashing of the week featuring the new Highprince Amaram. I really need to say it because I had theorize on this before and yeah, I was right. Amaram is the new Highprince and, yeah, Dalinar agrees to drop the accusations, for now. Not exactly how I saw it happening, but the result is more or less the same. On the side note, I am glad to finally toss away the "Ialai is pregnant" theory. For one, she really is too old for that, for second, she and dear Torol had named a heir, a nephew.

We get our first glimpses at what Dustbringers are interested in: breaking things apart to see what is inside. It made me think of creepy Balat dismembering animals in his backyard.... If there is one order we got wrong, I would argue it seems to be them, based on what we now know. 

I still don't trust Malata.

Adolin's reaction was over the top: his father has done so much worst and politically speaking, it made sense to appoint Amaram as the next Highprince, even if he did steal a Shardblade. Still, that bastard was well felt.

And Shallan learns the truth in what has to pass as the worst possible way. Adolin didn't even notice it was a sensitive subject (he could have guessed) and Shallan, of course, closed up onto herself. This passage is going to give munitions to the Kaladin/Shallan shippers as yes, Adolin was an idiot, yeah, he didn't get it and yeah, it seems less likely than ever for Shallan to ever open up to Adolin.

Shallan's reaction was hard to read: always closing up, always repressing... I got it she was doing it for her broken family's past, but Helaran was not part of this past. It somehow annoyed me she would react this way: the revelation didn't seem as if it were so terrible. I mean, murdering a Highprince ought to be a greater cause of anxiety and stress then finding out your dead brother was killed by another soldier you thought he was killed by. I still don't get why Shallan is so angry over anyone having killed Helaran. Maybe I am struggling with my own personal reaction because, if I were her, I'd hate Helaran for having abandoned them to go seek glory elsewhere. 

So all in all, three very good chapters once again this week. My only complain in the book so far is how Brandon has handled (or not handled) Adolin's character. I don't mean ti say everything should have unraveled by now, but each week Adolin sinks more and more into the background and each week, he sounds more and more like a mechanical robot. I feel as if I were reading the barely fleshed out Adolin from early WoK, not the Adolin with hidden layers I thought we were moving into. So yeah, I am slowly getting used to the fact Adolin will not be much more than a foil and a minor background character, just one with viewpoints to steer the other characters where they need to be. It will remain a disappointment as so much could have been written for his character, so many avenues could have been explored, but the author chose the no-avenue avenue, the one where the character is utterly unaffected by everything. The problem is I, as a reader, thinks it makes the character too simplistic and I find it harms the story. I would feel more tension if Brandon had actually given Adolin some viewpoints to show me he is feeling something.

[kari-no-sugata]

A thought on Shallan tracking down this thing from Odium...

I had originally expected that this would be a much more complex task. But, with the latest chapters, Shallan has "met" it (assuming there's just one) and has gotten a better idea of what it does, what it reacts to and so on. She's also about to put a plan in motion to do something. Are we actually reaching the end-game here? It seems possible now.

[CaptainRyan he/him]

7 minutes ago, Fifth of Daybreak said:

Hadn't the thrill moved off to Jah Keved by then?

From the original Kindle version of Words of Radiance, page 346:

"It faded. As always, the Thrill was fleeting once battle itself ended. It had grown less and less sweet during these raids on the Parshendi, likely because he knew deep inside that this contest was pointless. It did not stretch him, did not carry him further toward his ultimate goals of conquest. Slaughtering crem-covered savages in a Heralds-forsaken land had truly lost its savor."

Now, I supposed it is possible that the reason he felt this was because Nergaoul had moved but we see during the Battle of Narak that others felt the Thrill so I think Nergaoul was still close enough to affect things.

[Fifth of Daybreak he/him]

9 minutes ago, CaptainRyan said:

From the original Kindle version of Words of Radiance, page 346:

"It faded. As always, the Thrill was fleeting once battle itself ended. It had grown less and less sweet during these raids on the Parshendi, likely because he knew deep inside that this contest was pointless. It did not stretch him, did not carry him further toward his ultimate goals of conquest. Slaughtering crem-covered savages in a Heralds-forsaken land had truly lost its savor."

Now, I supposed it is possible that the reason he felt this was because Nergaoul had moved but we see during the Battle of Narak that others felt the Thrill so I think Nergaoul was still close enough to affect things.

I found the quote I was thinking of, and it does say that the thrill ever left Alethkar anyway, and you're referencing way earlier in the book than I had assumed. It's possible that the thrill is getting weaker and so that's why he would regret the lack of a challenge, especially since the war would be about to reach this climax in Jah Keved sometime around the Sadeas viewpoint chapter.

 

Quote

"“The Thrill ?” he whispered to Adrotagia as they left the latest group of men. “They fought through the night as their capital burned. It must have been in force.”“I agree,” she said. “It gives us a further reference point. The Thrill is at least as strong here as it is in Alethkar. Maybe stronger. I will speak to our scholars. Perhaps this will help pinpoint Nergaoul.”"

 

Edited October 24, 2017 by Fifth of Daybreak
Clarity

[Dahak he/him]

43 minutes ago, maxal said:

The greatest lie within SA is finally unravelling itself: Dalinar did not love Evi. He might not have wished her dead, but his and her wasn't the tale of a great love. They had a political marriage made for convenience. Maybe she loved him, but he quite certainly didn't love her.

He didn't love her yet. Love is rarely instant and usually takes time.

[Calcium]

These chapters were pretty cool even the wall story one but especially to extreme Thrill. Such good insight to Shallan. Amaram annoys me but I think there's a chance for this storyline to tie into Dalinars role to "unite them". How good would it be for Alethi unification to see Dalinar and Amaram put the public discrediting from earlier behind them.

[maxal she/her]

22 minutes ago, Dahak said:

He didn't love her yet. Love is rarely instant and usually takes time.

It's been three years. Thee years of courtship and he still does not love her, I say it doesn't bode well.

[Subvisual Haze]

15 minutes ago, Calcium said:

These chapters were pretty cool even the wall story one but especially to extreme Thrill. Such good insight to Shallan. Amaram annoys me but I think there's a chance for this storyline to tie into Dalinars role to "unite them". How good would it be for Alethi unification to see Dalinar and Amaram put the public discrediting from earlier behind them.

He murdered soldiers under his own command for personal gain and committed treason by attempting to steal a priceless military resource for his own use.

Dalinar being so willing to acknowledge Amaram as a peer after doing his song and dance to Kaladin about justice feels like a big step backward for his character.  Poor Kaladin, I'm so happy you're not there to have to deal with this.

[Dahak he/him]

15 minutes ago, maxal said:

It's been three years. Thee years of courtship and he still does not love her, I say it doesn't bode well.

One to three years since she first showed up 31 years ago and this was 29 years ago.

Do I also need to remind you Dalinar is off his head on the Dark Side of the Force and is thus not necesserily a reliable witness, in a scene where the two of them have conflicting cultural behaviours.

[maxal she/her]

Just now, Dahak said:

One to three years since she first showed up 31 years ago and this was 29 years ago.

Do I also need to remind you Dalinar is off his head on the Dark Side of the Force and is thus not necesserily a reliable witness, in a scene where the two of them have conflicting cultural behaviours.

They changed the timeline, last time this chapter was 25 years ago and he met her 28 years ago. Still it was two years, two years is a long time to get to know someone. Within the first draft of this chapter, Dalinar downright says he hates Evi.

I personally do not buy him loving her: growing more found of her, yes, but love? No. This is the first thing he remembers too: he remembers he was physically attracted to her, but he can't remember loving her. Also, this chapter isn't Dalinar witnessing anything, this is Dalinar living a relationship with Evi and well, he does not love her.

[Subvisual Haze]

It occurs to me that Amaram dropping in on Urithuru means Taln is likely in the city as well.  When we last saw them they were sharing a wagon ride on the Shattered Plains.  I wonder how Taln will react to being inside the haunted castle.

[Dahak he/him]

3 minutes ago, maxal said:

They changed the timeline, last time this chapter was 25 years ago and he met her 28 years ago. Still it was two years, two years is a long time to get to know someone. Within the first draft of this chapter, Dalinar downright says he hates Evi.

I personally do not buy him loving her: growing more found of her, yes, but love? No. This is the first thing he remembers too: he remembers he was physically attracted to her, but he can't remember loving her. Also, this chapter isn't Dalinar witnessing anything, this is Dalinar living a relationship with Evi and well, he does not love her.

Whereas this draft says even the bethrothal was delayed a painfully long time and the lowest point between something 31 and something 29 years ago is just over a year due to rounding. And Dalinar doesn't say he hates her, he instead gives a lot of evidence of being confused about their relationship and why it isn't like the Thrill.

Love can take time and doesn't always come on a convenient schedule and you don't always realise it is developing. And that's without one of the angels of the god of hate trying ot rootkit his soul.

[Kingsdaughter613 she/her]

My thoughts/theory with regard to Adolin: 

We know originally Adolin did not have any viewpoints in Part 1, but people couldn’t remember who killed Sadeas.

My theory: Adolin is going to snap, and it is supposed to be a shock to the READERS because, aside from slight hints, he seems to be coping fine. Having Adolin’s viewpoint would render that moot, since we would be watching him crack. (It would also be redundant, as we are seeing that to a much greater extreme with Shallan.) Not having any viewpoint would leave readers confused, as there would have been no indication prior that he was the culprit.

I don’t think Adolin is coping as well as people think. He’s avoiding his father - or at least that’s how I’m reading Renarin taking his place. His viewpoints clearly show that he is trying to ‘not think’ about what happened, often by forcing himself to focus on something else. (Sound familiar?) He’s spending a lot of time doing a repetitive action that calms him (horse care). (Again, sound familiar?) He’s even more reactive then usual - as much as he hates Amaram there was a time he would have at least managed to keep it in an undertone.

So when is he going to break? Well, what better time than when Dalinar becomes King of Urithiru, Elhokar swears fealty and Adolin becomes HIGHPRINCE? Lots of witnesses, makes a giant mess for everyone, NO possible way to brush it under the rug... sounds perfect!

So basically, that’s my thoughts/theory on this.

(As an aside, I do think Adolin was right to tell Shallan; far too many people know and she was bound to find out. I think he did realize it bothered her; that’s why he tried to explain the circumstances. And she SEEMED to calm down; unlike us he can’t read her mind.)

[maxal she/her]

10 minutes ago, Dahak said:

Whereas this draft says even the bethrothal was delayed a painfully long time and the lowest point between something 31 and something 29 years ago is just over a year due to rounding. And Dalinar doesn't say he hates her, he instead gives a lot of evidence of being confused about their relationship and why it isn't like the Thrill.

Love can take time and doesn't always come on a convenient schedule and you don't always realise it is developing. And that's without one of the angels of the god of hate trying ot rootkit his soul.

He did say it within the older version of the chapter. So while love can take time, I honestly do not see it. We have had several clues so far within several chapters which hints towards Dalinar not having loved Evi. Mind, not loved doesn't mean hate, but their story isn't the tale of a great love.

3 minutes ago, Kingsdaughter613 said:

My thoughts/theory with regard to Adolin: 

We know originally Adolin did not have any viewpoints in Part 1, but people couldn’t remember who killed Sadeas.

My theory: Adolin is going to snap, and it is supposed to be a shock to the READERS because, aside from slight hints, he seems to be coping fine. Having Adolin’s viewpoint would render that moot, since we would be watching him crack. (It would also be redundant, as we are seeing that to a much greater extreme with Shallan.) Not having any viewpoint would leave readers confused, as there would have been no indication prior that he was the culprit.

I don’t think Adolin is coping as well as people think. He’s avoiding his father - or at least that’s how I’m reading Renarin taking his place. His viewpoints clearly show that he is trying to ‘not think’ about what happened, often by forcing himself to focus on something else. (Sound familiar?) He’s spending a lot of time doing a repetitive action that calms him (horse care). (Again, sound familiar?) He’s even more reactive then usual - as much as he hates Amaram there was a time he would have at least managed to keep it in an undertone.

So when is he going to break? Well, what better time than when Dalinar becomes King of Urithiru, Elhokar swears fealty and Adolin becomes HIGHPRINCE? Lots of witnesses, makes a giant mess for everyone, NO possible way to brush it under the rug... sounds perfect!

So basically, that’s my thoughts/theory on this.

(As an aside, I do think Adolin was right to tell Shallan; far too many people know and she was bound to find out. I think he did realize it bothered her; that’s why he tried to explain the circumstances. And she SEEMED to calm down; unlike us he can’t read her mind.)

This is actually a great post: I wish I could see it the same way. I wish this will happen, but I can't allow myself to wish more for Adolin's character as each week I get disappointed it isn't happening. I need to focus onto the rest of the story. Shallan's chapters were beautiful and I loved them.

This being said, I would have loved to read Adolin slowly cracking: this would have been more interesting to me than reading Shallan cracking. It would have been something new.

I keep arguing with myself Adolin is not coping as well as it appears, but each week the narrative disagrees with me. I did get the feeling he was avoiding his father, at least it explains why both characters have seldom inter-acted since the beginning of the story. I however do not think this is why Renarin is standing next to Dalinar: this is because Renarin is the Radiant and not Adolin. Adolin seems to have sunk deeper into the role of a soldier, sitting with them, joking with them and this is odd. Back in WoK/WoR he spoke of how he never wanted to be a soldier and now he looked up to Amaram because he was the perfect soldier? 

I also agree he has been working to ignore his own problems, seeking solace with Gallant and yeah it was familiar. And yes, he is more reactive than usual but is this really going to pan out into anything? I can't say. I have been wanting Adolin to snap again since the beginning of the book, but now I fear it will happen in a very anti-climatic way. 

This being said, if Adolin snaps, I can't say it will happen because he is named Highprince. This seems like such a non-deal for him, so I doubt it will happen, but we'll see.

[Hemalurgic Headshot he/him]

One thing that is really coming out at me: Urithiru has a spren.

We know that lots of things have spren. Recall when Shallan first entered Shadesmar, and she encountered the cupspren, thingspren #2, etc, and she looks further and sees the palace. Palacespren. Urithiru is definitely distinctive enough to have its own spren, especially how other spren and Shallan act around/in it. Note the strata description, which furthers Urithiru as more than a building.

Now we have H. P. Kandraspren that has been haunting up the place. The popular theory is that this eldritch monstrospren is an Unmade, and I agree. But I feel that this spren was not originally warped by Odium. The Urithiruspren is ancient, and Odium warped it, making it into one of his demonthings. That is why it is Urithiru, why there is something so wrong about that place.

There has to be a reason why that spren is in Urithiru.

[Kingsdaughter613 she/her]

@maxal

This actually came from me considering why it was a problem if the readers forgot who killed Sadeas. The conundrum only became more obvious as the murder mystery turned into a horror one. The answer I found was that the surprise wasn’t supposed to be WHO killed Sadeas, but the character revealing it. Though I’m sure there are other possible theories; this was mine.

I don’t think it’s becoming Highprince that is the issue; I think it is the shock of it. Adolin doesn’t know what the plan is. I think his shock when Elhokar swears fealty to Dalinar as HighKing, then turns around and appoints Adolin Highprince, is going to cause Adolin to let slip just a little. And then the whole story is going to come out, because Adolin will not be able to lie to Dalinar’s face. 

And it will probably all take place from Dalinar’s perspective. MAYBE, a momentary shift to Adolin. But almost certainly most, if not all from Dalinar. Actually, make that Shallan first, then Adolin slips up, then we move to Dalinar’s perspective. No Adolin viewpoint at all. It’s more powerful that way; it also makes more sense; Adolin’s character arcs have a lot to do with his effect on the other characters, so that works better.

[maxal she/her]

11 minutes ago, Kingsdaughter613 said:

@maxal

This actually came from me considering why it was a problem if the readers forgot who killed Sadeas. The conundrum only became more obvious as the murder mystery turned into a horror one. The answer I found was that the surprise wasn’t supposed to be WHO killed Sadeas, but the character revealing it. Though I’m sure there are other possible theories; this was mine.

I don’t think it’s becoming Highprince that is the issue; I think it is the shock of it. Adolin doesn’t know what the plan is. I think his shock when Elhokar swears fealty to Dalinar as HighKing, then turns around and appoints Adolin Highprince, is going to cause Adolin to let slip just a little. And then the whole story is going to come out, because Adolin will not be able to lie to Dalinar’s face. 

And it will probably all take place from Dalinar’s perspective. MAYBE, a momentary shift to Adolin. But almost certainly most, if not all from Dalinar. Actually, make that Shallan first, then Adolin slips up, then we move to Dalinar’s perspective. No Adolin viewpoint at all. It’s more powerful that way; it also makes more sense; Adolin’s character arcs have a lot to do with his effect on the other characters, so that works better.

It will always feel odd to me we shall witness every single character unravel from their own perspective but not Adolin. I can't say if the story is more powerful the way you are suggesting it as if Adolin breaks down, the only viewpoint I want to read is his. So while third person's perspective can be interesting, this is a case where I would sincerely miss Adolin's own personal thoughts.

This being said, I agree his character is the background character and as such, what he thinks will always take the back seat, so yeah, if Adolin does break down, we don't be reading his thoughts on the matter. I can't say the story is better written this way: I am not sure find it better. 

[frozndevl]

3 hours ago, maxal said:

How can any even agree to follow him after this baffles me but here he was hacking through his own people, never satiated always needing more blood, more gore.

Actually, with his Shardblade, there wouldn't be much blood or Gore.

[maxal she/her]

6 minutes ago, frozndevl said:

Actually, with his Shardblade, there wouldn't be much blood or Gore.

I meant figuratively speaking 

[Kingsdaughter613 she/her]

22 minutes ago, maxal said:

It will always feel odd to me we shall witness every single character unravel from their own perspective but not Adolin. I can't say if the story is more powerful the way you are suggesting it as if Adolin breaks down, the only viewpoint I want to read is his. So while third person's perspective can be interesting, this is a case where I would sincerely miss Adolin's own personal thoughts.

This being said, I agree his character is the background character and as such, what he thinks will always take the back seat, so yeah, if Adolin does break down, we don't be reading his thoughts on the matter. I can't say the story is better written this way: I am not sure find it better. 

I think we have to remember that this isn’t Adolin’s story. He’s not a main character. As such his importance is only in regard to his effect on other characters. So if it was his story I would want to see more of HIS issues from his perspective. But since it isn’t, doing so runs the risk of having a secondary character become too prominent. 

Up until now, Adolin’s focus has been external. He’s been focussed on the issues of the people around him, allowing him to be their foil. In THIS book Adolin’s focus is more internal; that makes him less capable of filling that role. Adolin’s struggles may be interesting to us, but they are not the focus of these books.

Now I, as a reader, feel that another possibility would have been to have Adolin act as a foil for SHALLAN, with him mirroring her as they both fall apart from their secrets. Brandon chose to go another route, possibly because he had too many stories to juggle and/or Adolin is going to disappear from the narrative in parts 2-4. It’s also possible that Brandon isn’t seeing him as a foil/mirror for Shallan. Or that he preferred the shock of Adolin unexpectedly shattering. Or didn’t want to go too psychological thriller. (I’m a fan, but I know a lot of people aren’t.) He May also have found that they mirrored to well, in which case Adolin -as the lesser character - had his arc discarded as redundant.

There is also the possibility that Adolin was becoming too popular, or that his story overrode the main characters. In which case, diminishing him actually is very important. You don’t want readers latching on to a character who is important in part 1, then spend the rest of the book going ‘where is that guy?’

Failing a WoB, I guess we’ll just have to wonder...