Who are the most boring characters in Stormlight Archive

[Bearer of all agonies he/him]

Hey I was just wondering who everyone thinks is the most boring character in SA. Do you have any opinions?

[AerionBFII he/him]

I don't want to be a downer but Lift drives me insane. I don't find her goofy act cute at all. I find her quite irritating.

Some of the interlude characters were a little dull but there are some interlude characters who are incredibly interesting, so it doesn't balance out so to speak but makes reading the interludes a positive experience.

I got a little irritated at all the Bridge 4 characters getting their little 'breathing in stormlight for the first time' and there 'you got this bro' moments. But on a reread I really enjoyed them. I think the 1st time I was just really eager to follow the story and see what happens. On the second reread I could fully appreciate the character building scenes.

[Karger he/him]

If you think any part of SA is boring you truly are a bearer of all agonies.

Edited July 14, 2020 by Karger

[DramaQueen she/he/neopronouns]

Personally, Dalinar is who I find most boring. His chapters are mostly wars and politics, which I am not at all interested in. Or Elhokar, because Dalinar at least has the cool visions...

[DramaQueen she/he/neopronouns]

Just now, Bearer of all agonies said:

Same. I thought Shallan was boring until I got to understand her. Maybe the title goes to Rysn. 

Shallan was my favorite!! I wasn't ever bored by her chapters, and I thought Rysn was pretty interesting too...

Guess I just have controversial opinions.

[FantasyFanatic he/him]

It really depends on the time for me. Towards the beginning of the WoK Shallan was really boring at least to me (upon a reread she is quite a bit more interesting especially since I know her motives). But, in the end, it has to go to Rysn. I just feel as though she doesn't really have much plot or character. I know a ton of people love her, but she is, in my opinion, the most boring SA character.

[Bearer of all agonies he/him]

6 minutes ago, FantasyFanatic said:

It really depends on the time for me. Towards the beginning of the WoK Shallan was really boring at least to me (upon a reread she is quite a bit more interesting especially since I know her motives). 

Same. I thought Shallan was boring until I got to understand her. Maybe the title goes to Rysn. 

[Airsick Lowlander!]

 

1 minute ago, RadiantDramaQueen said:

Guess I just have controversial opinions.

Yes. Definitely. I like Dalinar more than Shallan. 
I guess we just have different opinions. 

[DramaQueen she/he/neopronouns]

3 minutes ago, Karger said:

If you think any part of SA is boring you truly are a bearer of all agonies.

It's not that its boring, its just that it's less interesting.

[Dunkum he/him]

Depressed Kaladin.  I like him most of the time, but whenever he gets to a low point, and gets more depressed, he gets introspective and inactive which is often pretty boring to read, especially when it means he is interacting less with the people around him who generally tend to be pretty interesting..

[Honorless he/him]

Wow, I liked the dark Kaladin chapters in WoK, and the Shallan chapters were like the light in the dark for me. I love the interludes, and it always surprises me when I read that the interludes break someone's immersion. They were interesting bits of worldbuilding I looked forward to, and I needed the breaks. Rysn is a particular favourite, the only interlude character appearing in all 3 (soon 4) books, seeing Shinovar & the Reshi Isles was interesting! Her part in Oathbringer tied up directly with the main plot, and coming up next, she might visit a land of longstanding mystery on Roshar.

I have to admit I liked Dalinar's chapters less in WoK, but it had little to do with boredom. Same with WoR Shallan. I have no complaints with OB.

So, no one, there aren't any characters whom I found boring.

Edited July 14, 2020 by Honorless

[PiedPiper she/her]

Nan Balat. What was up with that interlude? All he did was torture cremlings and ruminate on his feelings of inadequacy.

[Honorless he/him]

26 minutes ago, PiedPeterPiper said:

Nan Balat. What was up with that interlude? All he did was torture cremlings and ruminate on his feelings of inadequacy.

Quote

Questioner

There's a scene where you can see from the perspective of Nan Balat, Shallan's brother, where he's maiming an insect. It's described as soothing his aches. Is that in any way related to how Kaladin feels depressed and down during the Weeping even in his early childhood?

Brandon Sanderson

What's happening to Nan Balat is magically enhanced. What's happening to Kaladin is mostly just chemical depression. Be he is really too young to be diagnosed with depression during some of these events, but he's got the seeds in there. So Kaladin is not magically depressed. Kaladin is just legitimatly a person with depression. Nan Balat... What's up with him is... ah... being exaggerated by certain forces moving in on Roshar. (last bit is a bit indistinctive)

Leipzig Book Fair (March 24, 2017)

Quote

Questioner

Was Shallan's family, during her childhood, being influenced by an Unmade?

Brandon Sanderson

Um, yes.

Questioner

Was it the corrupting--

Brandon Sanderson

I'll RAFO that, but yes, there is some external influence there. 

JordanCon 2018 (April 22, 2018)

[Frustration]

Shallan by far hands down.

2 hours ago, Dunkum said:

Depressed Kaladin.  I like him most of the time, but whenever he gets to a low point, and gets more depressed, he gets introspective and inactive which is often pretty boring to read, especially when it means he is interacting less with the people around him who generally tend to be pretty interesting..

Well, uh, his thoughts are similar to mine at one point in my life so....... I'll try not to be too offended.

[InfernoHues]

Out of the main characters, I would definitely go with Dalinar. His chapters always felt like a slog to read, even when he was doing interesting things. 

[Quiver he/him]

I don't know if boring is correct, but I find Kaladin to be the least interesting of the main cast. I feel like he get's a lot of very standard hero moments and tropes - such as being able to replicate a Last Clap on his first try in combat conditions - or that he has a lot of moments where the narrative works hard to absolve him of responsibility. I'm on the record as rather disliking the direction Amaram's character went in, and I feel Kaladin play's a role in that.

To be fair, he has some interesting aspects to him, and I can see why other people would like him... but of the main characters thus far, he's the one I am the least interested in.

[PiedPiper she/her]

@Honorless I'll give you that one, but I still didn't enjoy it. Maybe someday there'll be some big reveal about Shallan's family and I'll go back and read his interlude and go OOH! But for now, I still think he's kinda meh.

[Turos]

The Stormfather has a rather monochromatic personality. Sure, by virtue of his importance in plot, he isn’t exactly boring, but he suffers from rebellious cognitive blinders. I can’t wait until he starts developing like Syl and gaining more human qualities. Imagine him questioning his purpose and start changing the directions of storms to protect people.

[Negative_Null They/Them]

I'm just going to go on record and say Rysn is among my favorite non-major characters in the Cosmere. 
i think Amaram is boring. Every time he comes up, the plot turns into "everyone is mad and Amaram tries to be smooth about it" and it's just not interesting, as well as a slight cliche device. I'm glad he's dead

[trav]

Shallan by a large margin.

not funny. not interesting. nothing.

 

this is with the entire story so far in mind. Shallan became better at the end and the chapters were less of a drag to read. on average, shes still by far the worst and most boring character.

nothing wrong with that though. I don't have to like everything about a book to enjoy the book in general.

[Emi she/her]

So, when we talk about SA I don’t think that there is a “boring” character, but I didn’t really like Adolin. He seemed a little bit too spoiled and he had too good life. In addition everyone liked him and his optimism, but it’s easy to be optimistic when you didn’t have any (or a little) problems in your life. 

[Frustration]

On 7/22/2020 at 2:51 AM, Emi said:

So, when we talk about SA I don’t think that there is a “boring” character, but I didn’t really like Adolin. He seemed a little bit too spoiled and he had too good life. In addition everyone liked him and his optimism, but it’s easy to be optimistic when you didn’t have any (or a little) problems in your life. 

Evi is looking at you with a hurt expression.

Edited August 12, 2020 by Frustration

[Cavani Kholin]

On 14/07/2020 at 5:14 PM, InfernoHues said:

Out of the main characters, I would definitely go with Dalinar. His chapters always felt like a slog to read, even when he was doing interesting things. 

Dalinar has one of the best character arcs in fantasy ever though. I don’t think I’m alone in thinking that either. But this is all personal opinion at the same time

[Little_Dagger she/her]

I love the books and read them all with excitement. Yet, upon rereading I find myself skipping Venli's chapters most often. She plays an important role in the development of the story but feels rather one-sided to me (more so in the earlier books than the later).

[Duxredux he/him]

Most boring moment in all of SA? I often listen on audiobook, so it's gotta be Taravangian writing out those strings of numbers in the Diagram epigraphs in WoR. 1118251011127124915121010111410215117112101112171344831110715142541434109161491493412122541010125127101519101112341255115251215755111234101112915121061534 was a code that did not translate well from a written medium to an audio medium.

If we're talking viewpoints, I'd say Sheler from the interludes, who is the Lighteyes after the callous and pride-focused Alethi stereotype that presumably gets eaten by the "hog". I learned absolutely nothing about the Alethi or really much about the status of the war from Sheler, I only cared because I got to see how the Mink was playing with him. I had to look up Sheler's name, I had forgotten it because he had so little impact. The interlude itself was quite entertaining, but not because of him.

If we're talking major characters, I like them differently on multiple readthroughs. I tend to find the primary viewpoint character of each book the most interesting while I'm doing my first readthrough, and then I focus more in on the secondary viewpoints on subsequent readthroughs.