Philomath

Wow. I love that you shared that interview. Ha ha. I feel a small amount of personal satisfaction being indirectly validated by my favorite author. And I agree with you about anything in Stormlight regarding a redemption needing to be really earned and delivered well so it doesn’t feel cheap. (On a really side note, if I ever do any writing myself, one of my ideas focuses heavy on the idea of redemption by going one of two ways. A character goes for the redemption save someone suicide in order to die seeming like a good person. Succeeds in the dying part, but the rest of the book is people he knew vs strangers dealing with whether or not that makes them good. The other way is trying the save someone suicide plan, failing to die, trying again and again and actually ending up redeemed by learning to be a good person who cares about other people.)

See I’m weird and don’t consider Darth Vader actually redeemed. Moash saving Kaladin, then immediately dying feels the same to me. Like does one good thing really atone for many many more misdeeds? What would they have done next? Actually tried to be better (like Dalinar? And yes I know he is controversial.)? Allow justice to take it’s course (like Szeth?)? Or were their motivations more guided by selfishness in a moment and they’d go back to being crem the moment it was over. I think Moash works better, as others have said, staying a bad guy and acting as a foil for other characters. Not everyone wants to be redeemed. Moash seems “happy” to not feel anything or care about anything ever again. Why would he care to change? On another Moash note. This total unfeeling Moash can feel a little two dimensional character wise. We understood where he was coming from in WoK and WoR. Now he is just flat. But I think that is the point. He literally gave up an entire dimension of himself when he chose to stop feeling anything. I think long term this could have some very interesting implications.

Listened to this yesterday and you guys made me cry. Or I guess Brandon did because this book just had so many great parts. And then my husband started part 5 yesterday and was texting me his reactions and I about cried all over again. I have loved your reviews together. Thank you for sharing with us.

There’s an old theory about Lift that dealt with the possibility of something happening to the Stormfather/high storm that would make getting Stormlight to the Radiants impossible.

Got to this episode a little late. Agreed that this did wonders for Mayfeld’s character. Though I turned to my husband and said, “What is he supposed to do now?” Looking forward to the season finale.

The Dog and the Dragon is one of my favorite parts in the whole book. That entire chapter is beautiful. Definite tears. Also, I need it as a picture book to read to my kids. That said, I read it to them as a bedtime story tonight regardless. Why do you think Wit has such a soft spot for Kaladin?

Thank you both! Sorry the good quality was confusing. I mostly meant are the a reputable seller or is it actually the right book since it was the only place I could find it. I didn’t even see it on Brandon’s site when I searched.

I like the idea of “worthiness” as a theme. It ties in well with a lot of the arcs actually. Navani being worthy of considering herself a great scholar in her own right and in bonding the Sibling. Kaladin and Shallan in being worthy of good things happening in their lives despite their flaws and weaknesses. Rlain bonding a spren who found him worthy of his own merits. Adolin having worth despite him being different than Dalinar’s expectations. Teft being worthy of love and forgiveness. Jasnah trying to prove her worth to some people through fighting in battle as a woman (despite the fact that it doesn’t actually effect her worth.) And then contrasted to their many foil characters who have decided for one reason or another that some things aren’t worth anything. Aren’t worth saving or caring about. Everyone has worth and value.

Before RoW when I heard it was possible Navani would become a more major character I had mixed feelings. I really wanted this to be a heavily Singer/Listener oriented book. But then I started my reread of the series to prep and paid a little more attention to her as a character. And man is she awesome. Even from her first appearances in WoK you know she is a powerful woman. I love how she knows what she wants and goes for it. She fights fiercely for those she loves. But she is also very reasonable and down to earth. She recognizes flaws in others, (like her own children) loves them still, but knows when things are mistakes and need to be fixed. She is also a flawed person in that she tends to make assumptions about people and situations based on preconceived ideas. (See how she originally treats Kaladin in WoR.) She is incredibly smart and creative. I love how in some ways she just doesn’t care what Alethi society or anyone really cares or thinks is proper anymore. I’m all for breaking social norms. After RoW really getting to know her and be in her head, she is quickly growing to be a favorite of mine too. She was absolutely standout in this book. Her whole arc with Raboniel and growing into a confident scientist in her own right was so great. I hope to see her grow more in her relationships with Dalinar and Jasnah. I know she feels sort of obligated to make order of things as a queen, and with Gavilar it was a struggle and with Dalinar she wonders if it will be the same. But she really is good at organizing things and being there for people so I hope she can still do that in some ways. I hope she can grow to feel truly comfortable taking care of queenly/radiant responsibilities while still having time to do great inventive/scientific works. Edited to add that Steve Argyle’s art of her burning the Justice glyph in Sadeas’s warcamp is absolutely fantastic and I am seriously considering getting it as some Stormlight art in my house.

There have been hints about Kaladin not really living life or letting others live their lives either. I know that kind of ties in to “Life Before Death,” but I wonder if it will be something along the lines of “I will live life and allow others to live life accepting risks.” Not very elegant at the moment, but that’s the gist of what I’m thinking. Kaladin is moving on from holding on to the dead. Now he has to step forward and join the living. (Maybe now that he has Hoid’s flute back he can get a hobby, start a band, break social norms as a man with music. Ha ha.)

Ha ha. Well sorry I couldn’t offer up much new for you, but glad to know there are others who’ve read all of those too. We can definitely chat books anytime.

Do you like period romance? Sara Eden writes some fun ones based in Regency England. Julianne Donaldson and Jennifer Moore also do some fun regency period romances. I also really like one called Counting Stars by Michelle Paige Holmes. There are 2 sequels to that that are pretty decent as well. Rachel Nunes writes some good ones too. (Note that these are LDS romances and while not always totally overt, if you aren’t into that religion then maybe these aren’t for you.) I will throw out a second for The Paper Magician series. Fantastic reads. Short. But super interesting and different. The author was actually a student of Brandon’s I believe. The romance is fun, but it also contains a unique magic system. Colleen Houck wrote a YA series called Tiger’s Curse that I mostly liked. Love triangles. Based in Indian culture (though I doubt some of the accuracy a bit and wonder if it was just used to try to get a “different” setting.) There are some good YA dystopians that have some good romance in them. I can’t remember all of them off the top of my head. Matched is the first of a trilogy. I think another series starts with one called The Selection. And if you are willing to look into Middle Grade (which I actually still have a weakness/guilty pleasure for) look into Jessica Day George and ED Baker.

I’m not sure there is a specific real world timeline. The gap that will exist here will be because he has said he needs to write Elantris 2-3 and most if not all of MB Era 3 before the second half of SA. And that doesn’t include Skyward 3-4 (he’s working on 3 now) or Wax and Wayne 4. Besides, this is Brandon we’re talking about so there is probably a good chance we get some kind of surprise new book in there too. So that is at least 8 books that he needs to write. Granted many of these are smaller so it’s possible we could get them more than 1 a year. I know I’m excited for all of it. As to the actual topic on hand. I would guess that it is just an in world word on par with balderdash. It reminds me of the word gobbledygook. Which is another real world word essentially meaning nonsense. Navani and Wit have been around each other more what with so it’s possible it’s just a word he uses a lot and she picked it up.

Ah! I hadn’t totally seen that connection to the Dog and the Dragon before. Now I love it even more. I think that is the next step for Kaladin moving forward. Recognizing that life is not simply not dying, but truly living. It also ties back to one of his flashbacks with Tarah. When she says he needs to really be there for the living, not just the dead. Life before Death.

I would love a Dog and the Dragon picture book. What a wonderful message I’d love to share with my own kids. I will join your petition. I don’t think there is any more I can add that hasn’t already been said here. I loved this book. I felt all the feelings. This is one of the first books in a long time that I have actually taken time to sit and read instead of listen to the audiobook. The audiobook wasn’t fast enough to keep me going through the story. My husband is still working on reading it and talking with him about it makes me excited about parts all over again. I definitely teared up over Kaladin becoming a therapist and saving Noril and others. I loved his whole arc. I loved how he had to really rely on Rlain and Dabbid. I loved it leading to his Tien vision. I know the vision obviously may not be what happened in reality, but I absolutely accept as headcannon that Tien absolutely volunteered to be with the other boys to try and help them not be alone and scared. Tien is absolutely as good and wonderful as Kaladin. Navani and Raboniel were SO good. Science! I love it. I could very easily have a soul stamp where I am a scientist so this arc was absolutely fabulous to me. I love how deep Raboniel was as a character. I love how we really got to see the Fused/Singer society as nuanced/complex/diverse as human society is. So many of the Fused just being tired of fighting is such a great direction. Shallan/Adolin/Maya were all so good. Their arcs complimented each other so well and those resolutions were so powerful. I’m very curious where these go next. I love that this book has me so hooked for the next one. I’m so terrified and I hate it, but love that a book can be so well written as to make me feel not just joy, but genuine sorrow, fear, and anger.

Not sure where to put this on the forums. I was hoping to get a physical copy of Dark One for my husband for Christmas. Does anyone know where to find that? Is Vault comics still the only option? And is it a good quality copy?

I hope she isn’t a one off character who was just put there as a false lead for the spy. I think it would be cool if she was the woman Adolin saved. I would love to see more of the Lightweavers like we have the Windrunners. (Except Stargyle. I know he is the Steve Argyle insert and I love his art, but that name just kills me. Ha ha. On another name note, my great-grandmothers name was Beryl so it is a little strange for me to have a character in a Sanderson book with a name that is so personal to me.)

Agreed. Mostly. The one thing I think Kaladin misses out on as an Edgedancer is that he misses out on details. He often has to get pointed to solving problems versus noticing them on his own. (Think all the Bridge 4 perspectives in OB.) Once he realizes something is off, he does his best to address it, but he is much more big picture than small details. I found it interesting that on Brandon’s Knight’s Radiant quiz that the two groups were so closely related. Many people had them near the same or tied. (I personally feel more like an Edgedancer, but Windrunner was like a point higher because I like camping... and on a quiz related note, my one pet peeve was how the Windrunners info only related to how they are good in war/battle, not in general like everyone else. I fit the Windrunners, but am basically a pacifist so where do I fit?)

I think we were all expecting the Edgedancers to be Rosharan therapists so when it turned out to be Kaladin I was so surprised. And then instantly excited. It really fits him so well. That moment when he rescues Noril is one of the parts of the book that had me tearing up.

Ravioli is too delicious to be compared to him in any way.

Hi @Aspiring Writer I haven’t come to this part of the forum much in the past and thought I’d check it out today. I appreciate that you made this topic. While this is not something I struggle with personally, my husband seems to quite a bit. I’m sorry you have to go through it. Something we have been trying in the past is to make sure he makes time for a hobby he loves. The past two winters he did musical theater with a local community theater and that seemed to make a huge difference. It gave him something to look forward to, plus got him physically active instead of shut in our house all the time. This year is obviously different. His theater group had to stop their last show mid run back in March and hasn’t felt comfortable doing anything since. (For which I am actually grateful that they are being responsible.) Anyway, now we are re-figuring out what will help him. He is now doing virtual voice lessons with one of his theater friends and I try my best to give him time to practice every day after work instead of immediately jumping to “welcome home, help me with dinner and the kids.” He has also been trying to go out for walks more and we decided to try to get out of the house more often in simple ways. The last thing we are trying is vitamin D. I’ve heard that that can be very helpful for people suffering from SAD. There are vitamins or I’ve also heard there are special lights you can get too. Wishing you the best this winter!

I definitely agree with Shannon about Shallan. I liked her best in book one. Was bothered by her in books 2-3. And loved her in this one which then changed how I feel about her in 2-3. And Alex on GB leader stuff. On So much to love about this book. Thanks for sharing all your thoughts! Glad to have a place to listen to other massive fans be excited.

Loved this episode. That’s all I can say about that. I also just want to express how much I love the music for this show. It has some great themes that give me that same rush as themes from the Star Wars movies. (Or any other good movie music theme.) And I love the credit artwork. Has anyone else watched the short behind the scenes series about the first season. My husband and I started it and it has been fun. Filoni just single handedly changed the way I viewed the prequel trilogy. I really enjoy behind the scenes/how it’s made type shows.

My son proudly told any/all of my family we talked to today that he beat Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity this morning. Some people more than once. Ha ha. (He’s 7. It’s a very big deal for him.) He did have a bit of help from my husband. But he had a blast playing. And each new character you earned to play led to even more surprise and excitement for him which was absolutely hilarious at times. Seeing kids experience things is the best. On Age of Calamity: Does anyone know if it is canon alternate timeline or just a for fun little bonus adventure? And also, is there anyone who even likes Revali? What’s his problem!?! Ha ha.

Yes to all ten of your moments! So much mind blowing madness. I’m really hoping that since book 5 is already outlined that it won’t take a full 3 years to get it. Probably wishful thinking but oh well. I am still just trying to absorb it all so I can’t wait to do a re-read and see how I feel after. Every time I re read Brandon’s books I grow to love them even more.