The Count

I too have been suspicious of Danlan's sudden appearance and elevation. The main counter argument to her is that Navani has investigated her and likes her. Navani is a very old hand at the political game. As for Moash, I am more concerned that his need for murder / death / vengeance will lead him to Odium. Narratively it would make a nice counterpoint to Kaladin's journey to let his hatred for lighteyes go. So I would say Moash is potentially less a betrayer and more a corruptible soul.

I am not sure Kaladin will ever get vengeance on Amaram... I think that Kaladin will have to let his hatred and lust for vengeance go as part of his journey to Radianthood. I think Amaram will get some comeuppance, just not necessarily from Kaladin. If I had to speculate, I would say that Amaram dies in battle saving someone's life and is redeemed, or is killed by his own hubris, or something. As for Dalinar, the only way he could find out is by Amaram or Kaladin telling him and I can't see that happening.

There are so many questions and implications! who took their blade back? why? Did they hope to stop their descent into madness? did they take off of someone else who had found it? Did they also take up the burden of the oathpact? Did they hope to do that out of guilt but it didn't work? AAAAAAAARRRRRRRRGGGGGGHHHHH!!!!! Mind = blown

Where did this come from? Can you link to the actual quote? Not that I doubt you but the implications are pretty important. I mean where does that herald stand with relation to the Oathpact? They definitely abandoned their blade before Kelek shows up in the prelude (he sees all the blades accounted for) So they must have gone back to retrieve it at some point in the intervening years... As for the Manipulation of the Parshendi... I am not so sure but for certain, the whole evening of Gavilar's death stinks like week old fish guts! How did the Parshendi know that Szeth could possibly succeed against the Alethi King unless they know about his power? How did they know what Gavilar was planning when he did not even tell his own brother or daughter? What exactly were Darkness and his twitchy friend talking to Elokhar about? If the beggar was Ishar or Jezrien and If darkness and his mate are Nalan and Kelek and If Shallash was there defacing her statue then that is 4 out of 10 Heralds present at the feast... It stinks I tells ya!

Agree with cem here... Winter's Heart is a bit slow to get going but the end is one of the best of the series and is absolutely crucial to understanding the rest of the books. The main issue with Fires of Heaven is that it follows The Dragon Reborn and The Shadow Rising which are arguably the strongest two books in the series. So the interminable middle section of FoH (in the circus especially) reeeeeeeally drags. Of the books you have left: 7: Crown of Swords - Good book 8: Path of Daggers - Not really bad, but certainly not the best 9: Winters Heart - A bit slow with a mammoth finale 10: Crossroads of Twilight - Yup, you will have to wade through this one... it is the weakest of the whole series IMO. 11: Knife of Dreams - Not bad, I would say on a par with Path of Daggers. 12: Gathering Storm - The Epic finale begins, Awesome 13: Towers of Midnight - Nice continuation with some much needed resolutions. 14: Memory of Light - Truly excellent end to the series. In all, I would recommend going as slowly as you need to get through the weaker ones but not to skip anything. To answer your question... YES, it is worth it.

I like this actually... Many have speculated that the WoR prologue comment is with regards to Szeth but we KNOW that the two men have been talking to Elokhar from TWoK prologue... The mention of Glyphs on the blade is also quite suggestive. Nice catch.

I always assumed that in the Cosmere forces were conserved across all three realms rather than just the physical one. That way any issues such as the spanreed example above are explained by the cognitive / spiritual aspects of the process. So a cognitive aspect defining 'direction' according to local cognitive influence asserts itself causing a spiritual force component to redress any physical limitations that would otherwise assert themselves. Thereby preserving conservation of energy and momentum across the three realms. ...not sure if I explained that particularly well... how about... It is MAGIC!

Don't give up so easily young grasshopper! There are many ways that the surges could be paired other than that you give above. I seem to remember, back in the long long ago that someone suggested a cognitive / physical and internal / external split for the surges similar to that seen in Allomancy. I think the premise of opposing surges / forces is kind of inherent in surgebinding since it is based around fundamental natural forces. I think your basic premise has great merit. There is also the Honor / Cultivation split to consider so that may also complicate matters. As for the final surge, I think you may be bang on the money. I have argued elsewhere for Vibration or Resonance as the final surge and I think this fits nicely with your own idea.

I agree with everything you wrote above apart from this. Brandon definitely writes morally ambiguous characters... Kelser and Hoid are the most obvious characters to note. Hoid is even more ambiguous, he seems to do good but is entirely focussed on the big picture and his own goals. I do not doubt that Hoid would leave someone to die in order to achieve his desires. We have no idea if his ultimate design is for good or not. Then look as Jasnah, the whole point of her lesson to Shallan is that morality is not so easy to define. Jasnah I would say is definitely a morally grey character. I agree that Brandon does tend to make it clear who the good guys are and who the bad guys are. This, I think, comes out of his cinematic writing style. That said, it is not really clear in TWoK who the enemy really is. Taravangian and Szeth, as you so eloquently say, do evil things but may not be the bad guys really. Odium is still very amorphous and it is unclear exactly what his influence has been. But he is, undeniably a bad guy. Sadeas is the closest thing to a true antagonist in the book, but he is no worse than any of the other highprinces, he is just more powerful and devious. He may yet be redeemed with some / all of the others is Dalinar succeeds. I think there are plenty of morally ambiguous characters in SA. It is, for me, what makes the series so compelling.

Taln may not be as knowledgeable as you think. Certainly he has more knowledge of the KR and the nature of surgebinding than the main cast of TWoK. Also about the Cosmere. But he has only been on Roshar for what, 100 years out of the last 100,000? Certainly he was only around for about a decade out of the last 5,000 years. How much useful knowledge could he really have? There are some points of interest... firstly he seems to speak perfect modern Alethi (seems slightly odd as, from Dalinar's visions, the main language the last time he was around was different) so he has the ability to learn quickly what has happened in the last few thousand years. But it is not clear whether he knows any of the following... That his fellow Heralds gave up their blades That the KR have disbanded and been disgraced by history That surgebinding is all but non-existent in the modern era That Tanavast is dead and Honor splintered That Fabrial science is possible / exists We cannot possibly know what Taln knows about anything so cannot judge how useful his knowledge would be, or how relevant it is to the modern era of Roshar.

I started with Elantis, and thought is was excellent. However, I recently went back and read it again (having read most of Brandon's other works) and it is weaker than I remember. Not bad by any stretch (still better than most of the books I have read recently in the SF&F genre), but I can really see how far Brandon has developed as a writer in the interim. So my Favourites.. in order... 1/ The Way of Kings. As others have said, it is truly great. Probably the best Fantasy book I have read. Completely original setting and really Epic in scope. It does get a little bogged done in the 3rd quarter (but not much) but the end really sparkles. 2/ The Rithmatist. I know it is a YA novel (I am 32), but it really had me hooked. Overslept and was late for work the next day due to being up late to finish it. The hallmark of a great book. 3/ The Emperor's Soul. Probably the best written of all Brandon's work to date. A wonderful novella.

Agreed, all the significant instances of 'magical powers' seem to have started recently - around the time Gavilar started exploring the Shattered Plains. It certainly could be that the visions are likewise a recent phenomenon.

Well spotted Aether. Just goes to show that you can read a book multiple times and still miss stuff like this. I too have always thought that others must have seen the visions in the past. I subscribe to the theory that the Hierocracy tried to seize power on the back of visions to 'Unite them'.

Agreed with Windy on this too. I think Adolin is potentially a much stronger character if he does not get powers. There are so many directions he can go... Speculating for a moment or two: Adolin watches all the remainder of his family develop abilities and tries very hard to emulate them to get his own. However his desire for power means that the spren are not attracted to him. At the same time he is unwilling to give up his shards so spren are even less attracted to him. Maybe he deals with this an finds worth in himself without surgebinding... Maybe he doesn't deal with it and goes looking for other sources of power with dire consequences... Either way, Adolin becoming a surgebinder / Radiant is the least narratively interesting direction in my opinion. Then again, this is Brandon, I am sure he has some big plans for Adolin and I am also sure they will be awesome.

The simple explanations are usually the best: Theory: On Roshar a child inherits one of the parents eye colours 1) Two Lighteyes - always have a lighteyed child 2) Two Darkeyes - always have a darkeyed child 3) One of each - could get lighteyed or darkeyed children (lets say 50/50) Simples.

Wow.... just wow. That is totes amazeballs! Love the idea that Shallan's self recrimination and Kaladin's lust for vengeance somehow leaves them vulnerable just as they are getting stronger... I am reminded of the Starfalls chapter and the Windrunner telling Dalinar that they could help him prevent the desire for battle from consuming him. And the Assassin has arrived.... showdown time... Kaladin vs Szeth... bring it on! EDIT: I am beginning to think that I am, overall, too fond of the ellipsis...

Greeting all, Just saying hello and letting you all know that I have changed my name to keep things fresh. Maybe I was inspired by the recent Ookla celebrations.. who knows. Anyway, henceforth I (MadRand) shall be know as The Count...... ah...ah...ah

Actually I really like this, nicely done. The one issue I have with it is that if it is, as Swimmingly notes, a protoKRblade then it is in essence still a regular Shardblade just at an earlier stage. Still it is definitely a plausible idea. The current top theories for the 3 type of blade are: 1/ Honorblades, KR Sharblades, Szeth's blade 2/ Honorblades, Ancient KR Blades, Modern Shardblades (in this case Szeth carries an Honorblade) Presumably if your idea is correct and Syl's blade is the 3rd type, then Szeth would be carrying an Honorblade in your scenario as well.

This is a very interesting proposition.... +1 for you. If one of her 'ideals' revolves around repaying debts (or maybe restoring balance... or something) this could well tie in with her actions throughout the book. One thing we can say for certain about Jasnah is that she is fair (almost to a fault). 1/ She recalls Shallan to the alcove to return her spheres. 2/ She helps out Taravangian with the fallen block to release his granddaughter 3/ She kills the thugs under the premise that it is some form of restorative justice and helps out the king I realise that she could just be being nice, but remember Jasnah is an Alethi King's daughter. From what we have seen of other Alethi lighteyed ladies, they are not known for being half as reasonable as Jasnah Kholin.

I confess that the damage to the soulcaster confuses me as well. Firstly. I do not believe that Shallan meant to kill her father. everything we have learned about her character points to someone shy and timid. She did not make any attempt to help when confronted by the thugs and on numerous occasions on her arrival in Kharbranth, she gets upset at even minor confrontations. The best scenario I can come up with is that she tried to stop her father beating Nan Belat to death and either shoved him away or hit him with a vase or paperweight (or something) and his death was largely an accident. Nan Belat was unconscious, Shardblade drops, Shallan picks it up in wonder and accidentally binds herself to it. I think it is Shallan's guilt and relative ignorance that makes her see herself as a murderer. I think the cryptics can only see her conviction and honesty (to her own feelings) and so regard it as a truth. For the soulcaster... I do not know... maybe it's breaking was the reason that Lord Davar was beating on Belat? Belat found it, broke it by accident and Davar caught him and went into a rage when he realinsed what had happened... I am reaching now as there is not evidence for any of this in any way. However, it would be a delicious irony if Shallan broke the soulcaster and Belat was covering for her by admitting fault not knowing that Davar would almost beat him to death. But I think Shallan would have given some hint of this in her POV so I do not think this is true. In my opinion, an accidental death is the only scenario I see fitting with Shallan's character as we see it at the start of TWoK. EDIT: Just noticed I made these same arguments earlier in this thread... does this count as a double post lol... sorry if it seems like I am banging on like a duracel bunny.

I kind of feel that Jasnah's actions are a counter argument to Nohadon creating the oaths and somehow binding the spren to honourable individuals. I am not going to debate the honor / morality of the actions Jasnah took. The book makes it quite clear that it is a grey area. I am certain that at least Jasnah's motives were reasonable and she felt that her actions were for the 'greater good'. But then again maybe Alakavish felt the same? Taravangian certainly feels that his evil actions are necessary to save the world. Maybe, rather than binding / changing the spren, Nohadon just created a society where the only path to surgebinding was via the KR. The silver kingdoms era (as seen in the Starfalls vision) seems to be a world where the common people lead largely simple lives and are insulated from the need for war or battle. The Starfalls windrunner makes it clear that all men who feel the desire for battle should be compelled to come to Urithiru to learn. So maybe in modern Roshar, as in Nohadon's time... "Alas, not all spren are as discerning as Honorspren".

From the smell

If this is the case then it cannot have been done by Gavilar deliberately. From Jasnah's own account, Gavilar was still an Alethi warrior king through and through at this time, looking to hunt the greatshells. IIRC he had to have the significance of the Parshendi explained to him. Having said that, the exploration of the shattered plains does seem to have been the trigger point for the changes to his personality and his interest in the old ways. It is also the time at which, as you say, the death chants began. So something strange must have happened. On the other hand, we know that Gavilar did something on the night of his death. He tells Szeth he is "too late". Also the Eshonai interlude implies that Gavilar told them what he was planning (at least in part) on the same day as he was killed. As hoser said, we do not know what Szeth has been made truthless for or how long ago that was. His actions could also have caused the build up to Desolation and / or the resurgence of nahel bonding. The only conclusion I am willing to make is that the actions Gavilar took on the night of his death did not bring back spren bonding. I am also inclined (though less sure) to believe that the Death chants are related to the run up to a desolation. Therfore I think that the 'trigger' for the desolation occurred at the time Gavilar was exploring the shattered planes. Whether they were through the actions of Gavilar though, I reserve judgement.

I have my doubts about this... If Gavilar did something to allow spren to bond again then Jasnah certainly didn't waste any time attracting one. Her shadow was acting strangely even before Gavilar was murdered. I am sure Gavilar did something... just not necessarily to the ability of Spren to form Nahel bonds.

I very much doubt that Amaram will be trying to blackmail or otherwise badmouth Kaladin as Helaran's killer (assuming that this is the case). I am sure the story of Amaram defeating the shardbearer and getting the plate / blade are well established and Amaram will not want questions asked about what happened that day. Particularly not about the man who saved a Highprince and his sons's lives. At best he can probably attempt to sow general mistrust of the ex-bridgemen to discredit their captain. But I do not think he will want to be seen focussing any special attention on Kaladin. I am sure Amaram will be very displeased to see Kaladin is not only alive but in a position of honor and authority in the warcamps. He will probably be puzzled as to why Kaladin has not used his influence to try and get revenge on him in some way. Amaram will undoubtedly believe that this is Kaladin's eventual aim (it is the Alethi way after all). It remains to be seen how far Kaladin's new philosophical approach to life extends once he comes face to face with the man who branded him and gave him to slavery. It should make for some interesting dynamics.