Rainier

I could see this, maybe, but again, the problem is that this sword has consumed Vasher's (after)life for centuries by this point. He might be tired of it, but I doubt he would put the burden down unless, as you say, he found a worthy steward. I wouldn't call Nale or the Nightwatcher a worthy steward, since the former is insane, though not so insane as to protest his own insanity, and the latter offered up the sword to a bloodthirsty warlord when the opportunity arose. He could be retired from leading people, but I don't think he would ever retire from guarding Nightblood from the world, and guarding the Cosmere from Nightblood.

This is the key point that I think everyone should grasp. Each order has two values, and four oaths specific to them. Oath 1 is always the same, oaths 2 and 3 are on one of the two values, and oaths 4 and 5 are on the other value. I'd even say that the order of these values puts them in a hierarchy. Ignoring the Windrunners for a second, let's take a look at the other orders whose oaths we have seen. Edgedancers Clearly these two oaths are about loving, not healing. Therefore I expect Lift's next oaths to be about healing specifically. Skybreakers I won't quote the specific words, because we get the best explanation of what's behind the words with this order. The first Ideal is named for one of the Divine Attributes, so we're right on the money there. The Ideal of Dedication can't be confidence, because it is necessarily deferring authority to another entity, but then accepting that entity as the source of Justice. The second pair are all about Confidence, that is confidence in your own judgement and ability to uphold your own laws and ideals. The Crusade allows you to determine your own target, and thus require confidence that you've picked the right target for your judgement. Ideal of Law is confidence taken to the extreme, where your own confidence is the standard you hold yourself to. So yes, I expect Kaladin needs to learn to Lead, even when it means he can't always Protect. Just like Skybreakers need to learn to balance their adherence to the Law with their own personal sense of Justice and Confidence in themselves, the Windrunners will need to learn how to lead when that leadership means leaving someone unprotected.

So is Vivenna hunting Vasher, or Nightblood, or both? Why doesn't Vasher have Nightblood? Who did he give it to, or who managed to take it from him? What could get Vasher, the man who killed his own wife over the secrets of this sword, to cede control? I figure a threat to Vivenna's life wouldn't be enough, and neither would any other similar forced choice. Vasher already thinks Nightblood is his own personal everlasting shame, so I can't see how he would give it up. These are the questions I want answered, and I don't think we're going to get them until after Nightblood (the book) is published sometime after Stormlight 5. Hopefully before we get our answers, we at least get to see Vasher unmasked as a world-hopper, realmatic theoretician, and functionally immortal demi-god. Imagine what Navani would do if she knew what Vasher had done with investiture on his own planet.

I'm not going to quote everything you wrote, but I agree with all of it and feel much the same way. Rushed, unbelievable, unsatisfying, and generally poorly done. That said, I don't see the Kaladin/Adolin, and I find it weird that so many people are so willing to make two obviously straight men gay. Kaladin spent his youth assuming/hoping he'd marry Laral. He had a relationship with another woman as a soldier. There's no reason to believe he's gay, at all. Adolin is the same way, in that he's a known womanizer and goes through women before Shallan showed up. Neither of them have ever shown anything that would indicate that they're gay. It's kinda gross, like the weirdo Harry/Draco fetish erotica so popular among a certain subset of Potterheads. I also don't think Jasnah/Kaladin is a good ship, but that's mainly due to personality and age differences. Jasnah is never going to love Kaladin, and I'm not sure she's capable of the kind of love that Kaladin so clearly yearns for. I can see Jasnah marrying politically, but I don't see why Kaladin would be it. Much more likely that the new Queen of Alethkar gets married off to some other King to solidify the bond between two nations.

To be fair, I pronounce spren in a slightly germanic way (shpren). I always wondered if anyone else thinks the same way.

The best that Hoid can do is run behind the boulder of time and nudge it one way or another. He's not getting in front of it for anyone else's sake, even if it means letting that boulder crush people. So it's not just Dalinar he's warned, it's Shallan, too. He's not a good guy, even if he's opposed to Odium, which we don't know for sure.

Since this has already been brought back from the dead, I'll add something else. Shash means dangerous, not slave. Kaladin no longer thinks of himself as a slave, but he knows he's dangerous, and by picking up the spear instead of the scalpel he's committed to violence in a way that he's ashamed of. He keeps the brand because he's dangerous, and he knows it, and he's ashamed of himself for being so dangerous.

I've thought that Hoid isn't trying to recreate Adonalsium, he's trying to make his own shard that doesn't have an Intent. That by taking from all different forms of Investiture and combining them, he avoids subsuming his own personality to the Intent of the Shard(s). A pinch of glowing sand, a Cryptic, a bead of Lerasium, and so on. When his collection is complete, or balanced, or whatever, he'll try to merge them all into one piece of Investiture all his own that won't control him. He's trying to ascend to godhood on his own terms, and without losing himself to the power of the shard. He's not trying to restore what was broken in its entirety, rather simply recreating a part for himself.

Shallan broke herself into at least three different personae. One of them is Shallan Kholin, married to a highprince. One is Veil, member of the Ghostbloods. And one is Radiant, who is responsible for building her powers and using them to fight the Desolations. These three personae are in conflict, and I expect that conflict to continue in Book 4. I think what you're seeing is the first blush of that conflict.

I thought I'd finally finish this song. I hope you enjoy. I'll Make a Crew out of You

Nice post, I have only two things to add. First, I like the idea of differing uses for the surges that are associated with the three realms. So you can have physical cohesion, or cognitive cohesion, or spiritual cohesion. Some may be stronger than others in these aspects, and the different Radiant orders probably have some natural affinity with one or two specific combinations of their surges and the realms. This framework allows you to get into the nitty gritty of atoms and bonds and such, but it limits it to the surges working in the physical realm. Second, it seems like there's a cycle at work, where each realm affects one realm and is affected by another. So Physical Realm affects Cognitive Realm but is changed by the Spiritual Realm. Your quote from Dragonsteel shows that the Cognitive Realm can make changes in the Spiritual Realm, and we know that those changes in the Spiritual Realm cause changes in the Physical Realm. So it seems like a one-way direction of effects dominates the interactions of the realms.

This is certainly the most obvious answer to the question, "How does Szeth know the Radiants are returning?" He knows because it happened to him. Book 5 is Szeth's book, so I wouldn't expect much in the way of answers in book 4. The book 5 flashbacks should cover this in explicit detail, as we've grown accustomed to.

Yes, but in typical Shallan fashion she'll only recognize she's in too deep when she's midway through drowning, believing until then that she was merely free-diving, and could totally hold her breath this long, promise. While Rock will eventually bear Shards, and eventually return home, I doubt it will ever be triumphant. There's too much angst in his murky past for a simple happy reunion. There's something he's running from, and the moment when it finally catches up to him will be a resigned moment, not a triumphant one.

In terms of numerology, I could see Honor associated with 2, not 10, and Cultivation with 5. When you combine 2 and 5 you get 10. After all, there's only two states for an oath: upheld or broken. Honor splits everything rigidly into a dichotomy of true/false, oaths/lies, and right/wrong based on the oaths you've sworn. ...or Ruin's number is 1, and Preservation's is 16. Although this just brings up one of my pet peeves with the whole Shard/number association. I always thought it would make more sense for Preservation's clues

I suppose it's always best to remember that just because I like his books doesn't mean Brandon is a great writer. If that's the end of the triangle, it was a waste of everyone's time, and it was no better than any of the other really poorly written relationships elsewhere in the Cosmere. I wish I could take this attitude, and I've already started talking myself into it. Shallan made her choice, she isn't choosing again, but Adolin is doomed to die and once he's out of the way, the Great Ship Shalladin is launching on a great voyage! I don't think I can stick to that, unfortunately. This whole episode is a reminder to focus on the parts that I actually like (the apocalypse) instead of the parts I can't stand (Shadolin).

I think this is the most likely oath, as it sums up the clear intent that Brandon was hinting at in the scene where Kaladin simply can't say the words, while not overcomplicating things. I also think that the specific words are nowhere near as important as their intent and meaning, so different people could swear different oaths that serve the same purpose. After all, what does the Stormfather say Dalinar speaks oaths? "THESE WORDS ARE ACCEPTED." It's up to the spren to accept the oaths in their meaning, not in their diction. As an example, I think "I will shield the unshielded" would have worked for the second Windrunner Ideal, because it conveys the same meaning. Or a similar phrase in another language would be accepted. What I'm saying is that the Intent of the fourth ideal is that they can't protect everyone, so however Kaladin comes to that realization and vocalizes it won't matter so much as his internal feelings and INTENT as he says the words. The intent is to accept that you can't save everyone, in every circumstance. The intent is to accept that sometimes people will die and there's nothing you can do about it.

I'm very skeptical based on the other known names for shardholders. Ati, Tanavast, Leras, Edgli, Uli Da, Bavadin, Rayse, Aona, Skai, and....Dawn? I don't think so. I think it's more likely that dawn has associations with the Origin and the direction East, and thus overlaps with religious worship related to the Stormfather. Or, perhaps, it's a holdover from humans' time on Ashyn, maybe some kind of Kingdom of Dawn style branding.

That's a moot point for Ishar because all of the Heralds have perverted their supposed attributes. It's a relevant point with Dalinar that should be addressed in the coming novels. He's still got more oaths to say, and if Nale is correct, not even Ishar has said the fifth oath of the Bondsmiths. Something that distinguishes between guiding and leading, just as the other fourth and fifth level oaths are all more complex and nuanced versions of the second and third. In fact, I bet Dalinar says his fifth oath in the presence of or in direct response to Ishar, and you heard it here first! I hope.

I wouldn't be surprised if Rhyshadium were something like horse-radiants who bond a spren. There's got to be some explanation of how such a foreign animal survived and formed a symbiotic relationship with the native magic.

Former is first, and latter is second, so I'm assuming you just crossed your wires here. I agree that Adolin cheating isn't that likely, but I imagine it could be the case if Shallan is sent off on a mission like she was, but this time Adolin can't tag along. What happens when they're separated for an extended period? I don't think cheating is as likely as his death, though, so it's mostly a thought experiement.

I think the best thing you have going for you, and in turn the biggest reason why I think you're right, and Rock is a Lightweaver, are the lies. Kaladin doesn't really lie to himself, or to others. He keeps his past to himself, but he doesn't distort or mislead. Rock, on the other hand, is full of half-truths and convenient lies. We never get a sense for how much his outer persona contradicts his inner monologue until we get his POV in Oathbringer, and then we even hear him fretting to himself about what will happen when the lies he told are uncovered. I think Rock is a great candidate to start dropping some truths in the upcoming books. In fact, he may have already spoken one at the end of Oathbringer, which allowed him to use the Shardbow.

Adolin dying has always been somewhat likely, as he was the least important character in the prime WoK. It was always about Renarin and Dalinar, so the fact that Adolin has dominated so much of the first three books is something I expect is an aberration in the full scheme of things. That being said, someone needs to raise Gavinor, and Adolin/Shallan seems likely. That even gives Kaladin a reason to stick his nose in their business as he might have some bridgemen who are slightly attached to the tyke. And thus our awkward triangle keep staggering along, until one member kicks the bucket.

I really like this portion, but I like it for showing a glimpse of what Hoid's end goal will be. I think Hoid is trying to recombine parts of all 16 Shards into his own Shard that doesn't have an Intent, so he can continue to be himself while simultaneously holding divine power. This is also the reason why I think he turned down the opportunity to be one of the 16 so long ago. So him musing about putting the 16 back together, and how similar it would be is him musing on if he's actually going to accomplish his audacious goal, or if he'll get the balance wrong and not know it until it's all put back together. In any case, Gibletish is one of the most important scenes in the books, simply for the mention of Adonalsium.

I went through this with regards to Heralds vs Unmade. It was a stretch, but I definitely liked some of the connections. I linked up the Bondsmiths (Ishtar), so it's probably not accurate, but take it for what you will

I think so, but I'm not certain. There are a few of my questions there, and they're all about Nightblood. But that was definitely the question I was thinking of.