IndigoAjah

You can Soulcast Aluminium I think. It's mentioned by name in one of Stormlight Archive

I genuinely think every character with screen time (all the mains bar Szeth) had a much better and more well defined character development than they did in previous books. Even Kal and Shallan. They had fascinating problems and real, realistic, interesting growth for me. They fleshed out into characters that relied on less pastel-toned emotions and traits. But that's just me!

What are people's issues with the pacing? (I have to say whilst I find pacing a big issue in films- looking at you, Snyder-, I've rarely been bothered by it in books or even TV or games. Except for a few.) I thought it was an excellent book, best of Stormlight, with more nuanaced character work, appropriate continuing mystery, lots of high octane moments, more drawing together of the Cosmere (which I like), improved humour and a flourishing mythology. It had flaws, but I think it's a less one dimensional book than any of Brandon's other works, and continues to explore some of the issues his series previously touched whilst exploring new ones and not feeling especially cluttered. The flashbacks were so raw. It could have balanced POVs between characters better, it was over the top at times and was maybe too optimistic (in the end) for a book 3 of 10 (then again, it's a Wheel of Time parallel and Book 2/3 of that matches up quite closely in many ways). It was remarkly similar in tone and soul to Thor Ragnarok for me, actually.

Or CAN she?!?!

Certainly it's not impossible that she's Awakening with Stormlight, but logically it's less likely that her doing what we know she can already do

1) it's reusable when you Awaken, so it's not really more finite 2) it's stated that Stormlight is rare in Shadesmar, which is where she implicitly plans to use it 3) we don't see her with any charged gems, and it seems odd that she would deprive the group who do relie on Stormlight of their use if she were keeping some (esp as she has another way to Awaken that wouldn't use their, at that time. Highly precious and life saving resource that they were incredibly careful not to waste) 4) Occam's razor: we KNOW Viv can Awaken with Breath and last time we saw her we know she had access to Breath. Since then she has picked up an Awakened Blade, presumably meaning that access has increased even since we left her in Warbreaker. We don't know that she can use Stormlight and have no indication that she knows how to access it in any way. Her Awakening teacher, Vasher, can't use Stormlight to Awaken and we don't know that anyone knows how to yet. The assumption would clearly be her doing something we have no evidence for, when we have a simpler explanation.

If letter 2 is Autonomy, could it refer to Autonomy somehow involving itself in Dromediad? First of the Sun is a planet with a Perpendicularity and a magic system but no Resident Shard, asking the question of where did those things come from, and the planet is notably a water based one full of seas, and trials. Khriss notes in AU that the main feature of the hospitable area of the system is water.

surely she's using Breath?

Kind of reminds me of Saidin vs Saidar...

Ah, ninjaed. Should have checked

phoenix2563 Can you drop a hint about which Shard authored the first of the letters to Hoid shown in the part 2 epigraphs [of Oathbringer]? Brandon Sanderson You have seen their world. So, I guess that means Cultivation (unlikely) or Endowment (pretty certain now)

I mean, T could just break any deal anyway...

And he thrives on people pretending they aren't responsible for their actions like Clan Sadeas (not Sadeas himself who, if nothing else, doesn't seem ashamed of any of his actions. Actually, I respect Sadeas more than Amaram)

I've given it an 8, which is a high score for me. Close to a 9.

The Scars may not be real...

As for Jasnah vs other Radiants, Kal does v well against Fused when he's got a lot of Stormlight, and facing them in combat when you have a very powerful ability to attack in Soulcasting is different from a chase in which you don't want to destroy the gem. Different objective, the Fused Szeth and Lift faced only needed to stay away, and did not engage unless they got the gem

Shallan may have earned her Plate and 4th ideal. But like her Blade has suppressed the ability to use it with self-deception. Either that is one HARD truth she is hiding from now (given the last one!) or it's related to her false personas including her "Shallan" persona which she and Kal allude in WoR to being a mask anyway.

Oh and I agree that Evi is a wonderful character that old Dalinar never came close to deserving and it's sad that new Dalinar can never meet her

It's awful, but the Evi death flashback was just sooooo powerful And on the opposite end, the moment where Dalinar rejects Odium (both with the joining of Realms and then tricking Nergoul) Kaladin being saved by Rock Jasnah rekking a room of enemies The Girl that Stood Up I loved Shadesmar, and Syl getting them the boat and Kal getting them off the boat. I loved Szeth unleashing Nightblood. I loved Pattern comedy. So many moments. Fave character - most of the main cast vie for it, they are all excellent characters who are very different and highlight morality and brokeness but strength in different ways BUT I think Adolin has vaulted a few to become my number 1. Of the new bunch, I am thrilled to have Viv and Nightblood on the cast, really liked the minor Parshendi characters too Moash can go and die in a pit though

1) it is reasonable to suspect that Odium might find another way to get around the Oathpact, esp as they weren't sure how well it would hold with just 1 2) he's mad and might be linking in his mind the danger of the Radiants destroying the planet with the idea of a Desolation and bringing Odium, in a kind of "nearly right but completely the wrong way round" sort of way 3) Ishar told him so, and he weirdly thinks Ishar is not mad, is used to him making the decisions for the Heralds and may even have sworn to him in his 3rd Oath

If she's a Returned, what does that mean regarding how we see her age?

Kalazure please. They had chemistry, and Kal is enough like Vasher, but younger, for me to think Azure would be interested, and likewise Azure has that resoluteness we see in Tarah and whatshername from his childhood (and that he likes in Shallan)

Anyone else finding it interesting that at the moment each Radiant is doing well at the first of their attributes but badly on the second, at least superficially? Kaladin needs to learn (but has started) about delegation and letting losses go etc (nearly there) and other aspects of leadership (Adolin and Dalinar can help him surely?). He has vastly improved this book though, and that's why he's close to the 4th Ideal. Shallan's lies are now a huge part of her character, keeping secrets re the Ghostbloods in particular but also her personalities and guarding her feelings (no resolution with Kal re her brother). Dalinar has lost a lot of his religious faith and has been denounced as a Heretic. Odium is the god he knows now, but he still has some faith, so if he gets in touch with Adonalsium a bit more he'll get to his next ideal. Szeth may well be just now, and seems it in his internal dialogue, but lacks confidence in his own ability to judge. Nin has actually lost this as well, which may be relevant. Jasnah is wise but lacks compassion. However, she shows some glimpses at the end with Renarin, and there are suggestions that she made a temporary Plate and may be near her 4th Ideal. Lift cares for others and does spread that agape-style love. Despite physically healing though, so far she has not done a lot of emotional healing. Renarin we don't see a lot of, but we see him as Learned for a while, but he is closed off and not especially giving. Am I stretching this too far? I suspect that the 4th Ideal comes roughly along with the 2nd attribute

The only thing we KNOW about the Dawnshards is that one of them is different to all the others, it's a WOB

For me, Nale's Heel-Face Turn will be saving the heroes (likely including Szeth and/or Lift) from Ishar the mad when he realises that his 5th Ideal means he can decide what the Law should be, and sees reason (or someone finds a flaw in the Parshendi are innocent story, Spren-law, Adonalsium law or something else). Nale will have a redemption arc, but ending in self-sacrifice IMO. And he will always have the capacity to decide to change what counts as the Law because he is a Full Radiant of the 5th Skybreaker Ideal and that Ideal is that HE is the Law. When he fully realises this, he may even unite enough of Honor's essence to become the Subshard Justice and deal Odium a huge hit against Ishar before passing that SubShard over to Szeth. Yeah, I kind of like Nin, even though right now he is insane and guilty of a lot of harm