Khognilin

My bad

Oh, boy... This was Sanderson on steroids. He is getting even better, how on earth is he getting better??? I loved this book from the get go. It is a lovely, heartworming-heartbreaking adventure. I found the first book entertaining, but this one is better by leaps and bounds. The pacing is perfect, it answered enough question, while still raising many others, and it made me empathize not only with our heroes, but with our we-are-not-so-sure-if-they-are-villans-victims-or-heroestobe. I had enormous expectations and I was worried that I might be disappointed (as I was with Mitosis), but every expectation I had was fulfilled twice over. I found the half-submerged, brightly glowing, overgrown with trees-inside-building Manhattan to be a lovely setting

People don't like the ending for many reasons. I for one dislike it not because they found a place to begin anew, that was okey and kind of expected. I disliked the whole "God did it." premise and the whole tirade against technology and how inreperable humanity is. The entire premise was antihumanistic and antireason. It was horrible from meaning of life and stuff perspective.

I doesn't seem a mix to me at all, it is its own thing. What I love about Branden's works is that he presents the magic as part of reality - something completely natural (in their worlds), that is subject to study, development and control. In all books there are at least a few characters that act as scientist in their respective worlds. It is not all gruesom battles and political intrigue as with GRRM, nor is it "man, the most insignificant player in reality, subject to the whims of each and every force", that we have in Tolkien. Branden puts the individual mind, the rational explorer, on a piedestal, while showing his personal growth and journey and the battle of internal conflicts. For me the epic stories in his works are just the background on which his characters can grow and interact.

Oh, in my case I hooked him up as well. He was skeptical all the way through the first season, but now comes back from work every evening and says "Watch!"

And you are under the illusion that I would allow myself to get spiked that easily? Storms, you people are a presumptuous lot!

I loved the new BG for the first two season, it was one of the best shows on TV. The third one seemed to have lost direction. The forth had just too much deus ex machina for my taste. Stargate may have less production quality and the first season kind of sucks because they were still findinding their feet, but from there on it is my fav TV show of all times. I'm rewatching it for the n-th time now. I finally convinced by partner to watch it with me!

I saw that somebody already mentioned Edward James Olmos for Dalinar. I've pictured him like this through both books from very early on, but in the second book he is especially fitting. That scene were Dalinar got over the table and challenged the changed transcripts of his visions was very Olmos-adama-like. I know he is a bit older, but make up can do miracles. He just has... this "aura" that would make him a perfect Dalinar. Oh, and he already has the blue uniform Robin Wright (from House of Cards) is how I see Jasnah, the descriptions is just a perfect fit. Younger Christian Bale for Kaladin. Always so dark, gloomy and pissed off at the world. Natali Portman for Shallan. I think she could perfectly portray the confidence Shallan projects at others, while showing her inner insecurity. Ian McShane (from The Pillers of the Earth; Justified) for... Sadeas obviously. Needs no comment. Benedict Cumberbatch for Hoid. Antony Hopckins as Taravangian I don't have anyone for the rest as of yet. Some of those I just though of (Taravangian, Hoid, Shallan), but the rest of them are the people that took their form the minute there was some meat to the characters I don't really care about age difference, they are all fixable and it won't be the first time a characters age was change from a book to a tv adaptation. And contrary to most people here, I think that SA would make a fantastic tv show - it would be the most beautiful thing TV has seen - just imagine all the spren, the storms, the battles, the appearing and disappearing blades, the stormlight. Oh boy!

Thanks for the info on the Nightwatcher. What about the other thing - both Dalinar and Taravangian want to unite Alethkar/The world in order to deal with what is to come. Is it the same force that is driving them to do that? Dalinar is driven by the visions given to him by Honor, what about Taravangian? I may have missed this, I only have the audiobook and it is difficult to search through it. Oh, and throughtout the book I thought that Dalinar was misinterpreting the "Unite them" part - he took it to mean the Highprinces. I thought initially that the visions were speaking about the blades, but I guess that they meant the newly-formed Radients, is it so?

I am just begining to read about the Cosmere and just got through the basic stuff. There are many questions in my mind, but one of them, although related to a seemingly insignificant point, burns me - Why is Dalinar's curse a lack of memory about his wife, and the inability to even hear her name? Teravangian's curse looks meaningful and related to his reward - he lacks empathy during his peaks of intelligence, which supposedly helps him plan the overall hard decision, while he is tormented by the consequences in his lesser days and is influenced by it in the implementation of his greater plan - so it brings a kind of a balance. Dalinar's seems inconsequential - Navani even says that his wife was less intelligent than he was. Could it be that for some reason memory of his wife or what happened to her could have prevented him from following his "destiny" - the unification of Alethkar (or perhaps even beyond Alethkar). On the same note - is it the same force that is driving both Dalinar and Teravangian to the same goal - having both just as a precaution, or are they the results of competing forces with seemingly similar goals? Somewhere it was said that Teravangian was wondering whether Dalinar would become his ally or competitor, depending on the path he chose, which at the time stroke me as confusing. Also, does anyone knows about Dalinar's curse, I don't remember from the text whether that was made clear.

Thank you for the warm welcoming, you have a cool and fun community here it seems, I'm going to like spending my time here

Hi! I'll be short. I'm actually high of stature and can do nothing about that (storm these Alethi and their long legs!). Storms, that was a bad pun, Jasnah would have been disappointed, but I'm committed now. At least they released me from the psychward. Get it, "committed"? I, know, my wordplay sucks, but that hasn't stopped me from trying yet. I just finished Words of Radiance and I am in love. I haven't been this excited for a story in ages. "Mistborn" was impressive. "The Alloy of Law" was engaging. "Warbreaker" was shiny and enjoyable. But "The Stormlight Archive" is something no words of mine can do justice. The aforementioned ones are the books I have read until now and I'm on a quest to hunt all words Sanderson has written ever since I opened up the first Mistborn. So, hi to all, and I'm dipping in the forums head first to research the marvelous world of the Cosmere. A note about my nickname, although few would care - it is a wordplay between cogni and Kholin. I'm studying cognitive science and I am preparing to do a PhD in the field, and that is where the Cogni part comes from. The other is self-explanatory, but just to note that Dalinar and Jasnah are my favorite characters from all books. I cannot describe the relief and excitement I felt at the end of WoR. And throughout WoR at every Dalinar scene I was like "Please don't die, please don't die! damnation you GRRM and the fear you have instilled in me about my favorite characters dying!". Oh, I also love Hoid and... Rock - he is just adorable, best minor character of all times. Airsick lowlanders! Maybe it's partly due to the fact that I listened the audiobook and Michael Kramer did a fantastic job at brining the characters to life, but his Rock was adorable throught both books. I'm done rambling for now. Oh, where do I start with the forums and reading about the Cosmere? I know next to nothing and it seems that there is a lot of info.