Zea mays

In Jasnah's last quote she mentions the Highspren as her source of information. Highspren are, I believe, though cannot recal absolute confirmation, the spren that bond to Skybreakers. Nalan's order. Does Nalan "know" what the Highspren "know", things that were true before, but no longer hold? Not precisely mad, just failed to keep up with recent unheralded changes to the mystical laws that govern his universe.

My money is on latent metal powers. Something that will manifest in the next generation. If [when] Steris succeeds in the project she was studying for so ardently on the train, we may get to see how and when powers are manifested or tested for in this era (and hopefully it does not involve intense emotional and or physical trauma).

Jasnah soulcasted the jam by herself, the ardents on the plains use ancient soulcasting devices. I imagine a living radiant with the soulcasting ability has more range in what they can produce than those devices. At least once they've trained and practiced a lot.

How did they get Szeth's Oathstone in the first place, and from whom? Anhh, so many questions! I agree about the Honor thing. Maybe Parshendi cilture also dictates owning up to assassination? I half recal either Navani or Jasnah commenting sadly that they never really understood the Parshendi as much as they thought they did.

At the end of WoR, Iyatil shoots poison darts at Amaram (unfortunately " Taln" catches them out of the air before they hit their target). Amaram must have done something to tick her off personally.

Seek the advice of a Mr. B Sanderson. Rumor has it that the man is in possession of an unique razorshard capable of cutting through a physical hair without severing its cognitive shadow. Upon viewing this man's picture, many mistakenly believe that he is clean-shaved, unable as they are to apprehend the true might and splendor of his cognitive beard.

...Are beardspren male or female?

How do they feel about razorspren?

We will all feel very foolish when his true role on Roshar is revealed: Yup, you guessed it, all along Kelsier was the true identity of Shshshshsh.

Yes, now that he knows a little about the greater cosmere, he would wish to know more. I don't know if Kel would consent to be "Harmony's agent", probably, he thinks Harmony is a crew member of his, that he left in charge of stoking the home-world fires, so to speak. Dang it, now that the possibility is out there, I really want to see him compare notes with someone like Zahel. Maybe he can punch Szeth in the face? A girl can dream.

So, by the end of BOM we learn that not!Lord Ruler left the title artifact when he went away, somewhere, and intended to maybe come back someday. That was some what, 300 years ago on Scadrial? Where did he go? Where is he now? Has anyone managed to spot him somewhere? That seems unlikely to me. It maybe just strong wishful thinking, but I'm betting we'll catch a at least a glimpse of him on Roshar during Oathbringer. Seems cosmere savvy persons go to that planet. Does anyone have any ideas?

This book took soooo many left turns, it was dizzying. After the wedding we got a set-up for a good old fashioned macguffin hunt. On the way, it becomes an all fashioned Western complete with horse-back train robbery (Wax notices that this is ridiculous), but it turns up, that was just a distraction. Then, an archenemy from the heroes past resurfaces for a long-delayed vendetta. Nope, that was also a distraction. It becomes a story of political intrigue in glamorous foreign surrounding. For a while. Then someone uses a radio. And gets shot. While traipsing through the old 'being framed for a murder I didn't commit, must stay alive and clear my name' terrain, the story veers into vintage science-fiction land, complete with air-ships and aliens. OK, not aliens. Not as such. People in masks from the other side of the same world. Then everyone becomes an adventure archeologist. The only thing That could be counted on now was the sudden but inevitable betrayal. I am still reeling.

Interesting. I loved his psychological portraits of the characters. Everyone was was so human. My favorite character was Prince Andrei, (after him Nicholai Rostov and his army friend Vasca) but I don't think I ever really warmed up to Natasha. The sermons about historical determinism I didn't care for so much (I listened to an unabridged version). Also had to take everything said of Napoleon with a grain of salt - but can't really blame anyone in 19th century Russia for loathing the man. I'll probably listen to the book again, maybe in a year or two, and skip all of the random historical essays and musing about various military leaders, and just concentrate on the main characters and their evolutions.

Wuts Elnakam about (besides the vengeance of a deity)? I'm just finishing War and Peace (record time!), and need something to think about till next Tuesday.

Oh, come on, Imelda Stanuton is awesome.

Lawl, no. Cant say I see any resemblance.

... She has exactly the kind of power that is helpful when one wants to, from one's personal point of view, "skip ahead" in time. Like if, say, one is waiting for a book to be published. Note to self: do not try to be obscurely funny. It never works. She did toss the ear-ring over to Wax along with the paperwork she just gave him, so she'd have to somehow get it back to spike herself with it. She might use something else, of course.

Dang. Wax is adorable in this chapter. OK boy, I forgive you for what you said in the last preview chapter. 8 days. I hope Marasi instinctively threw a cadmium bubble around herself. That's looking like a pretty helpful power right now.

So do Zahel and Jasnah.

The idea of Steris wielding a sword, and the rough sketch are both very cool, but I really dislike the way she appears on the finished cover. She looks like a porcelain doll. I much prefer the Steris on the US cover.

I believe her mother is deceased. If she was still alive, we would have met her already, no? Maybe Steris could talk to Marasi's mother... prolly not a good idea. And Wax. Kick yourself Wax. Kick yourself hard you tactless dolt.

Well, what are the Honor blades, really? Are they like spren, pieces of whatever Honor is or was, but without their own separate consciousness? How did Honor's death affect them?

^By thine long grey beard and thine glittering eye now wherefore changes thou thine user name? It is time to tackle a classic. I got War and Peace loaded up on audible. Should take about a month, right?

We're getting lost in semanic. The point I wanted to make was that Kaladin started out rather prejudiced, but thorough WOR slowly gets over it.

Please pardon my slightly disorganized thoughts as I wade into the discussion. Welp, to me it seems that a major part pf Kaladin's character arc during WoR is slowly getting over his anti-light eyes prejudice. At the start of the book, he is very prejudiced*. He instantly mistrusts all light-eyes (ie, all people in authority). Throughout the book, this is not presented as a laudable attitude. Syl keeps calling him on it. His experiences belie his expectations - Kal expects The Tenner Lighteyes in charge of giving Bridge Four their uniforms to be sour resentful, but he is friendly and affable. Renarin, as Zahel points out, is willing to take instructions from someone socially much below him, and is not afraid to make a fool of himself if training requires it. Adolin is... well he's Adolin. In this case both persons eventually adjust their attitude for each other (vive le bromance). Than there's Shallan, and the discussions she and Kal have during the chasm trek. She repeatedly proves to him that there is much more to her than he initially assumed. A light-eyed privileged childhood full of cream and roses? Not so much. I think it was important to show Kaladin get over his horrible experience and come to fully trust and respect Dalinar gradually. It feels more real this way. It also demonstrates something about a truly honorable character - they do not instantly know all the answer. To be truly honorable one has to have the courage to honestly examine oneself, and if one dislikes what one sees - to be willing to change. *Perhaps I am being too pedantic, but I would not call it racism. Racism means something very specific in our world. It is a prejudice, and similar in some ways to what Kal shows, but also different. All Alethi are basically of the same "race". The stereotypical Alethi appearance is described in the book - tall, tan skinned, dark haired, almondine eyes. Characters vary from this (because people are different), sometimes explicitly because they have "foreign blood". Being of a different "race" on Roshar means being Herdazian, Makabaki, horn-eater, etc (The jury is still out about the listeners: Different race or different species? something else? ) Alethi society is somewhat racist in that sense - notice how all the funny foreigners got assigned to Bridge Four? Kaladin is shown to be a lot less racist than the average Alethi this sense. Now there's the eye-color difference, the main divide in the society. Although an inherited physical trait that cannot be altered (unless you have a few colored eye-drops or bond to a magical sword, but never-mind) I see it more as a caste difference than a race distinction. Will try to elaborate on this when I find the right words