Goatbringer

I quite like that rationale - the discovery of new things doesn't necessarily have to mean exploring the physical world like Eshonai liked, but scientific or technological discovery as well.

As much as I am not a huge fan of this character, inasmuch as I can hate any characters in Stormlight, the more I'm thinking about it, the more certain I am that this will be Navani's book. We already know from the back cover blurb that the face of the war is changing due to technological advancements (probably fabrials, Navani's main thing) and the blurb also mentions the secrets of the lost city of the Radiants. Oathbringer was full of instances where Navani was just sitting around being stumped by Urithiru and how it worked, so I think the main thrust of this book is going to be Navani figuring out how to switch on Urithiru. Plus, a little bit of a spoiler for those of you who don't subscribe to Brandon's newsletter: All this said, I'm quite disappointed it won't be Venli as the central character. While I'm sure she's going to get more screentime than she got last time, I was really looking forward to her primary role.

It was easily Kaladin when I read the first book when I was 20 years old and moody. Now that I'm pushing 30, I think I'm identifying a little bit more with Jasnah.

There are all kinds "bois" going on when she's upset with someone... I can't openly swear on this board so I'll let you do the guesswork there. Also, our cats are nicknamed the "fatboiz", which we usually end up screaming at them.

I quite like this theory. I think that these are just some tantalizing hints BrandoSando is dropping on us to signify that Rock, or at least the Unkalaki, are special. We already know from WOBs that they've got Singer/Human ancestry like the Herdazians. Actually, on that note, from the chapters that have been released it seems like the Herdazians may have a larger role in RoW than they've had as token comic relief through Lopen and his cousins in earlier books. Perhaps book 4 is where we delve into what makes the Singer/Human hybrids special?

Beaut - thanks @Nuatoma

I only have a vague notion of what this is about but I'm sure my wife would approve

Cool! I'll have to get my hands on a copy.

Hey people - not sure if this goes in here or in unpublished works, but I've been rereading Elantris again and listening to old Writing Excuses episodes (lots of time on my hands in lockdown you know). Brandon mentioned that in one of his earlier Elantris drafts he had a wacky side character who was Raoden's brother that he had to cut out because he just wasn't helping with the story. Do we know if this character has made it into any other Cosmere books as another character perhaps? Brandon sounded quite sad to let him go so it got me thinking he probably just tucked him away somewhere to use when it was more appropriate.

@Booknerd and @HemalurgicStickBreaker - Tay has said you are "boredbois" because you're stuck in a "quarantine-arino". @old aggie she likes your idea, but she wants everyone to know that she's the funny one - I'm just the boring one who has the account on the 17th Shard

She just read this on my post- "What? He abdicates!?" Turns out she fell asleep through the last few pages.

We got to the end of Part 2! Here's some of the greatest hits up until Dalinar's choice to abdicate. Navani – Michelle-Pfeiffer-that-white-gold – “Not Michelle Pfeiffer… make sure they know it's Michelle-Pfeiffer-that-white-gold every time.” Chulls – Crab-cows – “It’s what they are, Chris!” ME: *reading about Kaladin thinking about abandoning the warcamps* TAY: If he’s going to abandon his friends in Bridge Four I’m done. He will be Traitorboi to me if he does that. ME: Knobweed- TAY: Ha! Knobweed. Sounds like pubes. That’s what I’m calling your pubes from now on. ME: So now that you’ve heard all of them – can you guess who wrote the letter in the epigraphs? TAY: *defeated* I dunno Chris. Is it the Court Jester? ME: Yes! TAY: Wait – really? Oh damnation I’m good at this! *after Bridge Four has chasm duty for the first time* TAY: Huh. Guess I was wrong. I seriously thought Slaveboi would be attacked by a Rock Lobster down there. ME: *knowing smile* ME: *describes Kaladin doing his first kata with a spear on chasm duty with Bridge Four* TAY: Weird flex, but ok. ME: *describing Dalinar smashing things with a hammer when he’s thinking* TAY: That’s some Perrin Aybara stuff right there. ME: *says ‘Brightlord’* TAY: Hey Chris hey. If there’s a brightlord is there a dumblord? Heh. *pauses* Sadeas. Sadeas is a dulllord. ME: *reads the word khokh and linil describing Dalinar’s glyphpair* TAY: Did you say cock? *laughs uproariously* And it’s in the shape of a tower too! Ha! Legitimately interested reactions (oohs and aahs - not just being funny) to: - Dalinar thinking that there’s a pattern to the Shattered Plains. - The Parshendi having grown their own armour - How spanreeds work

I love this idea. Hot take: Cultivation's Vessel is an old flame of Hoid's from back om Yolen.

I am 1000% behind Nightblood and Lift teaming up to Destroy Evil™.

Vaguely off-topic: Has it been theorized that Kaladin could in fact be appointed Highprince Sadeas? He's now a lighteyes and a Radiant from Sadeas who are running seriously short on leadership?

1000%. I was absolutely devastated in that moment, but it was absolutely perfect. Can't wait for all those kinds of moments in Rhythm of War.

I'm quite taken with Keeper of Words

Kaladin's depression can be a bit much sometimes - but in that sense, I kind of get it. When you're in the throes of a depressive episode it tinges everything you do, everything you see, every comment that's made... so in that way I think he's relatable. But the thing that really gets me is the fact that he's a surgeon who has kind of chosen a path of destruction that constantly makes him at odds with himself. I loved his storyline in Oathbringer probably more than any other character since it seemed so grown-up: he couldn't distinguish friend from foe on the battlefield and just wanted people to stop. It's a very adult way to look at fantasy fiction, as opposed to a stalwart protagonist who is always assured in each thrust of his sword that he is the man in white killing the monsters in black.

I've felt like it's going to be something out of left field that shows us why the other Heralds trust Ishar the way they do. Something like Ishar being Tanavast's brother in real life or something that even if he is absolutely insane, the Heralds would trust him.

Here's how I'm seeing it: LAWFUL NEUTRAL CHAOTIC GOOD Dalinar Kaladin Lift NEUTRAL Szeth Jasnah Wit EVIL Sadeas Moash The Fused

You're assuming she's lawful good. Rather think chaotic neutral

Quick update! So I told my wife about how excited everyone was getting on this board. This is generally how it went down: ME: "I got so many points! I went from Prelan to Babsk to Houselord and now I'm a Forescout!" TAY: "None of those mean a single thing to me." ME: "So how about I read to you again tonight? You can help me with my burgeoning career as a Cosmere comedian. Wait - does that make me Wit?" TAY: "No, Chris. It makes me Wit. You're just the vessel I use to share my genius with the masses." Either way, I read a good five chapters last night. Here are some of the zingers: ME READING: "'I can save her,' Kal said." TAY: *snorts* "Ha! No you can't. Why? Because character development, Slaveboi, that's why." Tay tries to convince me by way of a five minute conversation that the White Stripes predicted the plot of the book - "Think about it, Chris! 'I'm talking to myself at night because I can't forget'! Like the Stormdaddy is talking to JDM during the storms! I'm right." She has also predicted that Kaladin secretly killed Brightlord Wisitow when he was 13 - "Because... abuse? Or something. Slaveboi doesn't like Lighteyes anyways." She also came up with the following character names: Rock - Dwayne Johnston Wit - The Court Jester Brightlord Wisitow - Brightlord Wichita (this was the starting off point for her hot take on the White Stripes) Laral - Rosalind - "Rosamund. Because he's got unrequited love with her like Romeo and Rosamund. Wait - no. Rosalind. Rosamund is playing Moiraine." Lirin - Pop-Pop And last but not least, she came up with her title for The Way of Kings. I present to you: The Adventures of Slaveboi and Jeffrey Dean Morgan - Book One of the Stormlight Archive. That's all I've got for now! But if we're stuck at home with COVID-19 any time soon, I'm sure there will be more!

Not quite yet - we've only met them in passing so far!

Cue Jon Snow - "Ah don't want it."

Hey everyone! So I, like many of you I'm sure, have been trying to successfully convert my wife to the Cosmere. Literally since I met her I've been trying to get her to read The Way of Kings but there never seemed to be a good time for her to jump into it - either she was reading something else, had too much work, or just couldn't commit to a 1000-page book whose series wasn't finished yet. However, we've recently figured out that she really enjoys being read aloud to - she likes the sound of my voice and it helps her relax after a long day (she's a high school English teacher dealing with teenage angst all day - please show her some sympathy here). So naturally, I finally sold her on tWoK and I've been reading it to her for the last few months, a bit at a time. At the moment, we're in part 2 and just read the scene where Dalinar experiences the first vision we see 'on-screen' where the Midnight Essence shows up and he fights it off with a fire poker. So here's another thing: my wife is absolutely hilarious and also has trouble remembering names (to be fair, Alethi names have a lot of -lin, -as, -nar suffixes), so I recently asked her to give me a breakdown of what she remembers each character as. Here's what she's got: Kaladin - Slaveboi - "He used to be soldierboi, now he's slaveboi, but I'm pretty sure by the end of all this he'll be shardboi" Shallan - Sneak - "She's so mean! She's just becoming friends with her to steal her magic jewellery. I don't like her." Dalinar - Jeffrey Dean Morgan - "He looks like JDM." Adolin - The Hot Brother - "He's kind of a slut right?" Renarin - The Awkward Brother Sylphrena - Manic Pixie Dream Girl Sadeas - B****boi - "He's the idiot with the bridges right? Yeah, he's a b****boi." Jasnah - Princess Jasmine - "She's a princess right? No? Yes - she's the daughter of Dead Kingy Boi." Gavilar - Dead Kingy Boi Szeth - The Michelin Man - "Because he's big and all in white!" "Tay, he's average size. Just his eyes are described as big." "Are you kidding me?" Elhokar - Boi King - "You're making sure to write these all as 'b-o-i', right?" Gaz - C***! - I know this board doesn't allow swearing - but she just straight-up shouted the c-word when I mentioned Gaz. The Stormfather - The Stormdaddy - "Make sure they know it's being said in an uncomfortably sexual way." Chasmfiends - Rock Lobsters Some early hot takes from Tay: - Dalinar killed Gavilar so that he could become king because he's in love with Gavilar's wife. - The shardbearer who Kaladin fights in the first chapter killed all of his men and enslaved Kaladin. - Sadeas is behind the cut saddle. - Kaladin and Syl are going to fall in love. - Kaladin is going to get a shardblade ("He's obviously going to get a shardblade Chris... don't mess with me here.") - Shallan already has a shardblade (!) - Shallan is going to feel too guilty to steal Jasnah's soul-caster OR "Princess Jasmine is going to catch her sneaking around and say 'Hey Sneak. Let's have a DMC about why you want to steal my magic jewellery.'" I also thought I'd pop back in on this thread every once in a while to update you with any fun observations she makes in the future, and thought this could be a nice place to share our experiences with introducing the series to the people in our lives and their reactions to us being insufferable and incorrigible nerds!