Best main POV Character?

[That Violin Guy]

Quite honestly I think that Szeth is the best character in the Stormlight Archives series. If you think about it he is also the most tortured. We don't know much about this Szeth's past but we do know this. 1. He was one of the guardians of the honour blades. 2. He was branded truthless and given the blade that granted Windrunner powers after raising the alarm that another desolation had come. Being branded truthless meant that he had to do ever the person with his oath-stone commanded him to do with two exceptions: One- Kill himself Two- Give up the blade. 3. He was then purchased by the Parshendi and made to murder king Gavalar. 5. He then went around from master to master for a few years not killing anybody but serving, being traded quickly because his masters found him unnerving. 6. Szeth is forced to kill for a crime boss to expand his empire, in doing so he starts to become insane each time he closes his eyes he hears the screams of those he damned. 7. King Taravangian captures the oath stone and proceeds to make Szeth kill most of the monarchs of Roshare, in doing so he starts to hate his masters for making him do this blaming them for all the murders. He also blames the people he kills for not being strong enough to kill him. 8. Szeth tries and fails to kill Dalinar Kholin mainly because of Kaladin of the Windrunners who demonstrates that he is a Knight Radiant. Szeth realizes that if Kal is a Knight Radiant then everything he has done is his fault, his world starts to fall apart as he realizes this. 9. Kaladin kills Szeth. 10. Szeth is reborn as a Skybreaker and starts to make amends for all that he has done, however, he is still tortured by his past. 

[Inky]

Szeth is a wuss 

[Elsecaller_17.5]

34 minutes ago, Inky said:

Szeth is a wuss 

I fail to see how that contributes to this conversation nor do I agree with your statement.

I’d have to pick Kaladin just because I relate so much to him on a personal level. Rarely have a rooted so hard for a character.

[garlick]

Szeth is a tortured soul but I to give that title to man my Taln. Szeth had a spanking in comparison.

Edited August 26, 2019 by garlick

[Quantus]

Szeth is likely not the most Broken of the POV characters, or even the most Tortured, given that there are Heralds in the running who were literally tortured for tens or hundreds of lifetimes in a deliberate attempt to Break them all. 

  

[Karger]

In Stormlight?  Dalinar is probably the most interesting and best done POV character.  He is wise in a way that is actually understandable and his life experience as the cultural ideal of his people(one that he now rejects) make him very interesting.

[That Violin Guy]

Thanks, I agree with everybody, tortured was probably not by the best choice of words, broken is probably better. Kal I relate to on such a personal level as well, but I just want Szeth to succeed so badly. 

[Winds Alight]

I'm one of those extremely common Kaladin people. Well.

But Jasnah and Renarin have potential.
And Lift's POVs are a delight.

Edited August 26, 2019 by Winds Alight

[+Invocation]

I like Renarin's POVs, limited though they have been. Lift's are also funny most of the time.

[That Violin Guy]

2 hours ago, Winds Alight said:

I'm one of those extremely common Kaladin people. Well.

But Jasnah and Renarin have potential.
And Lift's POVs are a delight.

Agree about Lift.

[Vindo]

Rock is my favourite character, I cant wait for him to be more fleshed out. 

[Karger]

2 minutes ago, Vindo said:

Rock is my favourite character, I cant wait for him to be more fleshed out. 

ROCK NOVELLA!

[Ookla the Pom]

I have to say Dalinar. It's incredible how much I've come to like him, especially since in WoK his chapters where the ones I looked forward to the less.

[Lightblood]

2 minutes ago, Eluvianii said:

I have to say Dalinar. It's incredible how much I've come to like him, especially since in WoK his chapters where the ones I looked forward to the less.

Speaking of WoK chapters that I didn't look forward to, Shallan was really painful to me the first time through. 

My favorite character is Kaladin, not only because Kaladin is awesome but then you get to see all the bridgemen all the time. Also I love the Tien-Kaladin relationship, when I found out Tien was I lightweaver-in-training my mind exploded

[That Violin Guy]

9 hours ago, Lightblood said:

Speaking of WoK chapters that I didn't look forward to, Shallan was really painful to me the first time through. 

My favorite character is Kaladin, not only because Kaladin is awesome but then you get to see all the bridgemen all the time. Also I love the Tien-Kaladin relationship, when I found out Tien was I lightweaver-in-training my mind exploded

Wait when do you find out Tien was a Lightwever-in-Training, I must have missed that part.

[Elsecaller_17.5]

3 hours ago, Oduim's Champion said:

Wait when do you find out Tien was a Lightwever-in-Training, I must have missed that part.

It was a theory that got confirmation from Brandon.

Questioner

Was Syl starting to bond with Tien before he died?

Brandon Sanderson

No, good question. But Tien was starting to bond a different spren.

Questioner

I was suspecting that he was bonding a spren, but then Syl says, at one point, I think she was familiar with Kaladin's hometown, so I was like, maybe!

Brandon Sanderson

Good question, but no, he was going in a different direction.

Questioner

Can you tell me--

Brandon Sanderson

Lightweaver.

MisCon 2018 (May 26, 2018) Edited August 27, 2019 by Truthwatcher_17.5

[That Violin Guy]

Thanks

[go_go_gragdet]

There's "main" and "main"...

1st tier (Dalinar, Shallan, Kaladin) : Kaladin. As Truthwatcher_17.5 mentioned, he's the easiest to relate to (for me too). It'd probably be easier for me if he wasn't so strong/smart/talented/charismatic, etc. He bonded Syl, who happens to be my favorite spren, so it's an easy pick.

2nd tier (Szeth, Lift, Navani, Adolin, Moash, Venli, Eshonai, etc.)  : Adolin. I just love the guy's attitude, and none of his chapters are boring. None!

3rd tier (bridgemen, Zahel, Ash, interlude characters, etc.) : Teft. He's very likeable (caring, inspiring), and has a lot of potential, so I hope he can learn to forgive himself and overcome that crippling self-loathing of his.

Edited August 28, 2019 by go_go_gragdet
removed tons of blank lines.

[Hoidwillsaveus]

As for POV characters I really like Lift. Her just plain goofiness really lightens the books up for me. 

[That Violin Guy]

6 hours ago, go_go_gragdet said:

There's "main" and "main"...

1st tier (Dalinar, Shallan, Kaladin) : Kaladin. As Truthwatcher_17.5 mentioned, he's the easiest to relate to (for me too). It'd probably be easier for me if he wasn't so strong/smart/talented/charismatic, etc. He bonded Syl, who happens to be my favorite spren, so it's an easy pick.

2nd tier (Szeth, Lift, Navani, Adolin, Moash, Venli, Eshonai, etc.)  : Adolin. I just love the guy's attitude, and none of his chapters are boring. None!

3rd tier (bridgemen, Zahel, Ash, interlude characters, etc.) : Teft. He's very likeable (caring, inspiring), and has a lot of potential, so I hope he can learn to forgive himself and overcome that crippling self-loathing of his.

 

5 hours ago, Hoidwillsaveus said:

As for POV characters I really like Lift. Her just plain goofiness really lightens the books up for me. 

Thank you both for your honest options.

[agrabes]

On 8/26/2019 at 10:08 AM, Oduim's Champion said:

Quite honestly I think that Szeth is the best character in the Stormlight Archives series. If you think about it he is also the most tortured. We don't know much about this Szeth's past but we do know this. 1. He was one of the guardians of the honour blades. 2. He was branded truthless and given the blade that granted Windrunner powers after raising the alarm that another desolation had come. Being branded truthless meant that he had to do ever the person with his oath-stone commanded him to do with two exceptions: One- Kill himself Two- Give up the blade. 3. He was then purchased by the Parshendi and made to murder king Gavalar. 5. He then went around from master to master for a few years not killing anybody but serving, being traded quickly because his masters found him unnerving. 6. Szeth is forced to kill for a crime boss to expand his empire, in doing so he starts to become insane each time he closes his eyes he hears the screams of those he damned. 7. King Taravangian captures the oath stone and proceeds to make Szeth kill most of the monarchs of Roshare, in doing so he starts to hate his masters for making him do this blaming them for all the murders. He also blames the people he kills for not being strong enough to kill him. 8. Szeth tries and fails to kill Dalinar Kholin mainly because of Kaladin of the Windrunners who demonstrates that he is a Knight Radiant. Szeth realizes that if Kal is a Knight Radiant then everything he has done is his fault, his world starts to fall apart as he realizes this. 9. Kaladin kills Szeth. 10. Szeth is reborn as a Skybreaker and starts to make amends for all that he has done, however, he is still tortured by his past. 

Szeth is probably my least favorite "main" character, mainly due to the lack of consequences for his actions and the retcon of his death or his resurrection pre-retcon.  I don't like the way he seems to take the "just following orders" excuse for the many terrible things he has done.  He was not under magical compulsion to do what he did, he chose to do it based on a personal code of values that he had to listen to his government/elders when they said he was "truthless."  I get that part of the point of Szeth's story is that people's definition of honor can be different, and sometimes even contradict what a lot of people would call morally right.  I can appreciate that as a good moral message for the book, but it doesn't mean I like Szeth's character.

I thought he had a great story arc in tWoK and WoR - does a lot of bad deeds, but feels bad about it and then realizes what he's done is wrong and was entirely his own choice all along.  Then he dies and pays the price.  If it had ended there, he would probably be one of my favorite characters.  Instead, he sort of pops back up and is told that everything he did was fine because he did what he thought was the law and then he moves on as if he never murdered dozens of people as part of a plan to plunge the world into chaos.  I don't really get the feeling of person who is tortured by his past from Szeth the way I do from Dalinar.

My most favorite through WoR was probably Shallan.  I thought her character arc was really interesting and the way she tried to always make the best of bad situations, bring out the best in people despite having faced so many hardships herself, etc.  I didn't like her OB arc, but depending on what she does in Book 4 and 5 if the overall arc continues to give better context and meaning to everything she went through and did in OB, then I could easily see myself enjoying that arc as well once I understand it in context.

If Shallan continues on a path that isn't in my personal preference, then I'll probably default back to Kaladin for the same reasons as everybody else.  Dalinar is a close third place.

[That Violin Guy]

1 hour ago, agrabes said:

Szeth is probably my least favorite "main" character, mainly due to the lack of consequences for his actions and the retcon of his death or his resurrection pre-retcon.  I don't like the way he seems to take the "just following orders" excuse for the many terrible things he has done.  He was not under magical compulsion to do what he did, he chose to do it based on a personal code of values that he had to listen to his government/elders when they said he was "truthless."  I get that part of the point of Szeth's story is that people's definition of honor can be different, and sometimes even contradict what a lot of people would call morally right.  I can appreciate that as a good moral message for the book, but it doesn't mean I like Szeth's character.

I thought he had a great story arc in tWoK and WoR - does a lot of bad deeds, but feels bad about it and then realizes what he's done is wrong and was entirely his own choice all along.  Then he dies and pays the price.  If it had ended there, he would probably be one of my favorite characters.  Instead, he sort of pops back up and is told that everything he did was fine because he did what he thought was the law and then he moves on as if he never murdered dozens of people as part of a plan to plunge the world into chaos.  I don't really get the feeling of person who is tortured by his past from Szeth the way I do from Dalinar.

My most favorite through WoR was probably Shallan.  I thought her character arc was really interesting and the way she tried to always make the best of bad situations, bring out the best in people despite having faced so many hardships herself, etc.  I didn't like her OB arc, but depending on what she does in Book 4 and 5 if the overall arc continues to give better context and meaning to everything she went through and did in OB, then I could easily see myself enjoying that arc as well once I understand it in context.

If Shallan continues on a path that isn't in my personal preference, then I'll probably default back to Kaladin for the same reasons as everybody else.  Dalinar is a close third place.

Thank you for your reasoning. I will argue for Szeth for one moment though, he still feels that what he has done is his fault. However he now has a second chance to do whats right.

[rjl]

This is difficult; there are lots of great characters.

I probably enjoy Jasnah and Navani POVs the most - but partly that may be because they're so rare.

I also really like Adolin (and really hope he gets to become an Edgedancer by reviving Maya).

On the opposite end... I really don't like reading Moash.

[agrabes]

49 minutes ago, Oduim's Champion said:

Thank you for your reasoning. I will argue for Szeth for one moment though, he still feels that what he has done is his fault. However he now has a second chance to do whats right.

It's been a while since I read OB, but I don't remember getting that impression.  It seemed more like confusion and uncertainty about Nale and the Skybreakers, who were telling him that he hadn't done anything wrong - in fact according to their moral value system he had done exactly what was right.  That said, it's been about two years since I read the book and I could easily be remembering wrong.

[Karnage]

Honestly I like Venli the most right now because she is trying to find her own way just like Kaladin, Shallan, and Dalinar were doing in books 1 and 2. Also she brings upso many intriguing mysteries and is the connection other than Moash to the Odium and the fused and what their plans are. Also just the fact that she bonded Timbre and how he captured the "enemy" spren is just awesome.