Starla

Perhaps cryptics are drawn to younger children because they are more imaginative and open-minded, whereas adults are more realistic and focused on what they see right in front of them. It seems like Shallan's vivid imagination (i.e. lies) is what drew Pattern to her as a child. The spren of the other orders we've seen seem more focused on actions, and age is irrelevant.

I barely noticed Jasnah when I first saw the cover, much less what she's wearing. My eyes immediately went to the thunderclast. I still can't believe our heroes be dealing with those in Oathbringer. I though the transformed parshmen would be the worst of it in this book, but egads, it looks like things are escalating quickly. Can't wait to see how they deal with the new threats.

Would Nightblood attack Kaladin? I have a feeling Kaladin would fall into the non-evil category, like Vivenna and Lift, so Nightblood would leave him alone. Unless we're talking about Szeth fighting with Nightblood as a regular sword, rather than letting him loose to do his "let's kill some evil" thing. In that case I think Kaladin with Syl blade/spear would easily win.

At the end of WOR Adolin is contemplating the fact that his causal betrothed is now a radiant, and he isn't quite sure how to feel about it. Perhaps he is feeling a little inadequate, or his confidence is waning and he is uncertain of his purpose in Urithiru, the Knights Radiant city. He may decide to leave for a while, perhaps return to his home in Kholinar where he can help with the problems there. His lack of confidence might lead him to call off the causal betrothal, leaving Shallan before she has a chance to leave him. After this, Shallan and Kaladin might explore some feelings. In this scenario there would be no real love triangle and no betrayal of the bro code since Adolin broke it off with Shallan first. I could see Shallan having feelings for both and confused about what she wants, but she is not seeing both of them at the same time. In this scenario there is the possibility of Adolin and Kaladin remaining friends, which is the primary relationship I'd like to last.

I wonder if some of the glowing bridgemen were able to infuse the spheres? Maybe Shallan or Kaladin lent their spren blade to a bridgeman squire and they opened the gate.

Personally I think everyone has potential for a loving relationship if that's what they want. They all have their issues: Adolin serial dates but never settles down, Renarin is socially awkward and insecure, Shallan keeps secrets from everyone, Kaladin obsesses on his duty to protect people. I don't see any of these as insurmountable obstacles, either in the near or far future. The fun part is seeing how each of them evolve, and how it changes their interactions. I'd be interested any relationships that develops so long as they don't all hate each other. I love them all and want them to be content (cue sappy music).

How about Sigzil? He is smart, well travelled, and a potential worldhopper. For some reason he reminds me of Sazed... maybe because the audiobook narrator uses the same voice for them both, so they are the same person in my head. :-) Not that I think Jasnah needs a romantic partner, but I think they would make interesting companions.

I think Kaladin is the best person to bond it for safekeeping. No one else has the spren bond/oaths to keep its power in check. It won’t give him much extra power and he would probably never use it, but he could loan it out to whoever needs it for use in battle. He can re-summon it if that person goes rogue assassin or dies. This would prevent the enemy from getting it if they kill the person bearing it. Hopefully the heralds will get their acts together one day and he can give it back to Jezrien once he sobers up.

I am curious about the Adolin and Kaladin flashback chapters, and in what context they will come up. Perhaps something in the present triggers the memories. There is a reading of one of the Kaladin/Tarah chapters here (starts about 3 minutes in). I had a thought about it:

@StrikerEZ thank you, it works! I appreciate the Steelheart recommendation. I purchased it in an Audible sale recently, so I may give it a try when I'm done with Elantris.

@ArborealEtymologist you can find all of the internal artwork for WOK and WOR on Brandon's website. I'd give a direct link but the website is down at the moment (if anyone at Team Sanderson needs website help, I'm your girl! ). I didn't find the drawings until my second listen of the books, and they greatly enhanced the experience! One thing I find interesting about the audiobooks is the similar voices used for characters in the different series (the one's Michael Kramer reads). Forever in my head, Wayne = Lopen, Sazed = Sigzil, Kelsier = Dalinar, and Elend = Wax = Kaladin. Oddly enough, I have similar feelings about the characters with the same voices. Perhaps it's a weird auditory brain connection, or they are similar character types. Edited to ask: How to I tag someone's user name so it is highlighted in black?

I will attempt the multi-quote function while I'm in the newbie zone. Better to screw up here than in the "real world." Let's see how it goes... Thanks Manukos, I feel honored that you came out of hiatus to say hello. I enjoy magic cookies with white chocolate chips. When you say you "post scripts," are these story scripts or code scripts? As a writer and a web developer, I find both types of scripts geekily exciting. I've not heard of the mafia game, but it sounds fun. I'll keep an eye out for it. You know, it's now been a full day since I got spiked, and I am beginning to wonder why I was so concerned. I feel great, and everyone here is intelligent, and witty, and beautiful, and articulate, and all your wishes are my command...

Oh you guys are ruthless. One post and I'm already lying on the floor bleeding with evil entities taking over my brain. Haha I should fit right in. I have a bumper sticker that says "Cleverly disguised as a responsible adult."

I’ve been lurking for a while and decided to say hello. I’m not usually very talkative on the internet, but there are a lot of interesting discussions here so I thought I’d give it a try. A few months ago I decided to try a new fantasy series on audiobook, which I’d never done before (I’m usually a reader). I decided on Mistborn because I was familiar with Brandon Sanderson from the Wheel of Time, which is one of my favorite series. I got sucked in and listened to all six Mistborn books plus Secret History in about six weeks. I then moved on to Stormlight Archive. Holy cow. I listened to WOK, WOR, and Edgedancer twice in two months. I have just finished Warbreaker and am about to begin Elantris. Needless to say, I am loving the books and am also an audiobook junkie now. I’ve also read a good chunk of the Coppermind wiki, the TOR rereads, and this forum. I made it as far as page 100 in the Stormlight sub-forum. Alongside all that, I managed to eat, sleep, work, go to the grocery store, and tend to personal hygiene. I even see people now and again. I am fascinated by the worldbuilding and pure imagination that has gone into the cosmere, the magic systems, the shards, realms, the different worlds, etc. I’ve been writing fantasy since childhood, and have a huge multiverse with interconnecting worlds and hundreds of characters partially on my computer and partially in my head. I know how much work goes into it, and how difficult it is to organize all of it without losing focus and letting the story sprawl. Brandon has done an amazing job of communicating the different parts of his multi-world universe in a clear, concise, imaginative way. He keeps the individual stories focused while hinting at the bigger picture without giving too much away. I’ve been watching his writing classes on youtube and am in awe of his process and what he has created. Even better than his worldbuilding are the characters. I love characters and need to fall in love with one or more of them to get fully invested in a story. That happened with every one of these books. I now have a few new fictional boyfriends, which is always fun. Sorry, I’ve rambled a little. I’ll stop now. [Note that I'm magically protected against all poisons, spikes, voidspren, raisins, or anything else you try to hide in my cookie. I’m not saying how.]