Hakusho Slick

I bought the book and am done within about 7 hours, with a two hour break in the middle, so hopefully that gives you an idea of the pacing. It feels good to be in the first wave of finishers, I've been quite late to the party on other Sanderson books. Enough about that, here's my take: Book is good confirmed. There was a distinct tone-shift from Skyward, which really worked to make the universe feel a bit bigger/more alive. Spensa's character growth in this one was welcome as well, even if it does remind me of a streamlined version of a certain flying bridgeman circa Oathbringer. No spoilers but if you know, you know. The ending was a little jarring due to the fake epilogue (Brando's sneakiness has gone meta now), it felt like a nice wrap-up and prep for the next book followed by "sike, here's the real ending, and it's a cliffhanger." I had previously guessed that doomslug makes the hyperdrive work, and slugs like mushrooms, hence the mushrooms, so that reveal had a bit less wind in the sails, given that I think most of us were on the same page with that one. That said I certainly didn't call Jorgen being a cytonic, or that the delvers can be reasoned with. My only other gripe is that we got a lot less of Skyward Fight in this one-- those characters needed some love as they felt a bit undercooked in the first one. I'm also a bit hesitant about the setup for book three here; Spensa on foot with her talking ship replaced with a talking drone, but I trust Brandon to handle that well. That said, Starsight itself was a great setting for a spy thriller, and I really liked seeing the our leads out of their element. At some point, more dogfighting is gonna get stale; I'm glad he gracefully sidestepped that. All in all I can't wait for the next entry, these books are a lot of fun. Perhaps I'll try not to binge the third one like I did the last two, but then again, no I won't.

@KandraAllomancer This theory is quite good and feels like something Brandon would do. It also fits with Brandon's desire to distinguish himself artistically from Robert Jordan-- bbeg is dead halfway through and there's no Tarmon Gai'don that we work up to at the end, the back 5 are more about sociopolitical stuff and "fixing/uniting" Roshar to prep for Outer Space Time seen in Mistborn Era 4. (I like that, btw. Brandon doesn't want to rehash WoT and that leads to great creativity.) One thing I'd add is that there will likely be some kind of Christian-God analog in Stormlight. See: Sazed as Father, Vin as Son, Kelsier as Holy Spirit. That also feels like something Brandon would sneak in there. Perhaps this is where Adonalsium comes in: the people of Roshar turn away from their two warring gods once things are dealt with, and instead seek out Adonalsium, mirroring the Israelites' story of abandoning Baal and other Pagan deities as lead by Moses (Dalinar?). This, I'm not too sold on. It certainly seems like something Brandon would do-- borrow themes from another Christian era, sure, but still a tale with a lot of Christian baggage. Good stuff all around.

A quick Google reveals CREM stands for "CAMP Responsive Element Modulator." CAMP stands for Cyclic Adenosine Monophosphate, which is a cellular messenger molecule, and Responsive Element Modulator refers to a gene that codes for parts of it. This is some ADVANCED molecular biology here. Brandon is definitely dropping some hints as to what Mother Cultivation is up to on Roshar... Unless there's yet another deeper level I'm not seeing here...

Hey, no need to feel old! Sanderson is for all ages, I'm just a little baby. Your Name WAS decidedly moving, in that it turned me into a babbling fool for 15 minutes, but I agree on 5 Centimeters-- gorgeous but a bit odd in a way that detracts, I think. Garden of words was great though. For games, I'm more of a multiplayer guy. League, Destiny 2, and Smash Ultimate on the dorm room couch are my go-to's right now. So grateful to Brando and the community for all these awesome new friends I'm making.

I've contacted the hospital that issued my birth certificate, evidently I have a long lost brother who's 10 years older and lives in Scotland. Definitely check out some Satoshi Kon if you haven't, Millenium Actress is a favorite of mine. Also check out some Makoto Shinkai, not as consistently great but definitely some gems in there. And there's the Shinkai. Children Who Chased Lost Voices is Best-Ghibli-Not-Ghibli, I think. I've gotta say though, my favorite might just be The Wind Rises just purely for the aesthetics. Incredibly gorgeous film.

Oh man I've gotta say that season two is my favorite for the pure political intrigue but I can guess why you picked season three (no spoilers!). Now all you gotta do is tell me you're a fan of Hayao Miyazaki and/or Satoshi Kon and I will honestly launch an investigation into a sibling switched at birth...

Oh yeah, I think we'll get along fine. It usually takes me months of getting to know someone before I get them onto both the Sanderson and Expanse hype trains, but here, seems like people are already on board. I think that the Expanse would be getting a lot more buzz if there wasn't so much amazing stuff coming out right now. Which was your favorite season?

Thank you for your service, @1stBondsmith. Journey before destination.

Yup I just wasn't thinking. Sorry bout that. I'm predicting this whole thing will get wrapped up by the end of the front 5, with a 10 year time skip for humans and allied Singers to get used to each other before the back 5 and a new round of stuff to get through.

Yeah, that seems like a safe bet. I predict Dalinar will Unite the remaining Singers with humans against Odium, preventing a genocide to help atone for his previous one. Did I double post on this post or are you mentioning another post I made? Not surprising that I double posted since I'm coming from Reddit where that's more the norm, but if it's on this post it's definitely some kind of bug/accident since I only see my original and a bunch of replies. Edit: ooohhhh, I figured out what you meant about double posting. Yeah I figured it was the norm to do a separate reply per person who commented originally. Bad habit. Thanks!

@RShara Thanks for linking me to the thread, I don't know how I missed that one. I'll be sure to check it out. Sorry for double posting, I'm coming from Reddit where that's often the norm instead of editing the original post. I'll be sure to do that in the future. Thanks for showing me the ropes! Have a good one.

@Ixthos Yeah, I think the question is whether we can support the man he is without first forgiving the man he was. I think that in the case of Dalinar we can and do, but that would be rare outside of fiction. It makes for a compelling character, but in reality we would have no way to see the regret, remorse, and possible redemption from Dalinar without being inside his head. Either way it was great writing.

@Solant Yes I am definitely on Team Dalinar since he's shown himself to be a good person when considered in a vacuum. I can root for somebody without forgiving them, which I think is where many people are with Dalinar. That kind of realistic, nuanced reaction to a fictional character is rare, which is why I like the character so much.

Thanks for such a great response. I think I'm in the same place with Dalinar-- I wouldn't forgive him in real life, but I can't hate him since he's clearly shown real remorse and steps to atone. That's why he's my favorite character-- a monster, perhaps, but a very well-written one. As for the Rwandan genocide example, I find it to be inspiring. I understand why you say you would never forgive a perpetrator of a genocide, but I'm still in the gray area on this one. Dalinar might be the only circumstance I've seen that I could see myself forgiving him. It's tricky to reconcile that with the Dalinar we all love, and having his main motivation be to seek redemption by saving the world from a greater evil is powerful to say the least. Thanks for your thoughts on the matter.

Thank you for mentioning this. I did a brief search to see if this topic had been brought up already, and didn't see that it had-- I guess I used the wrong keywords. If you think this thread should be locked to replies let me know-- I'm new here and less familiar with the etiquette.

Oh yeah, Amazon seems to be on the ball right about now. Expanse Season 4 looks amazing based on the trailers.

Major Oathbringer spoilers and dark/adult themes to follow. I don't think this topic has been brought up on the forums, so I'd like to start a serious and considerate discussion of a topic that merits consideration. Be warned and don't read on if you're uncomfortable with discussion of genocide in general, as well as specific mentions of historical genocides. I've hidden the contents to make sure that those who would rather not read about the worst crime a human can commit can avoid doing so. If this is your cue to exit, have a lovely day-- if not, here goes: Thank you very much for reading my wall of text. Please be respectful and mindful of these darker topics if you choose to reply. Beyond that-- happy reading. Journey before Destination.

Kaladin getting hurt just contributes to this overall feel of tiredness for me-- not sick of the books; Kal is just so beaten down, you can feel his exhaustion. It's kinda heartbreaking, and that's good writing. I personally loved the Hero of Ages ending. I didn't see it coming but knew it needed to happen when it did. Honestly our protagonists just needed a rest. As for the Oathbringer one you mentioned, yeah that one was brutal. I loved the way that arc was shaping, not too sure about the direction Venli will go after that. Just gotta wait and see-- journey before destination. And yes, happy theory crafting to you as well! Hope to see you around the forums.

Oh man I'm very very excited for WoT. Seems like a ton of love and passion from the production team. I know the casting has been controversial but I'm withholding judgement until the show comes out. Journey before destination, after all.

It's an Inspector Gadget/Power Rangers/Stormlight Archive mashup. Now that's what I call pod racing.

Oh that's a very interesting thought. I think you might be right.

Here's hoping!

I think the most painful moments were Moash's two big kills in Oathbringer. Great writing to set up a Kaladin foil like that, but still hurt my soul. As for my pick for worst moment, I'd say it's Rock robbing Kaladin of the final blow at Thaylen Field. I get why he wrote it that way, but man I would've loved to see Kal get his vengeance, reflect on why he feels the need to kill, and maybe come closer to the fourth ideal as a result. Again, I respect the decision Brando made but not the most satisfying end to that fight imo-- although I will concede that it likely works better for Kal's character to have it end that way, just not for my own satisfaction.

Journey before destination indeed!

Yeah Chromium Compounding seems like some actual honest-to-Harmony cheating. Hopefully we see it at some point in Era 3 or 4. Yeah college is demanding, I'm doing mostly audiobooks at this point, just so I can read during meals/trips to class. Gotta squeeze it in when you can. I'll get to it eventually. As for the Dalinar quotes, the whole thing just really encapsulates the Oaths as well as Dalinar's character. Just a masterclass in how to hit me with the feels train. Yeah the Order quiz insists I'm a Lightweaver, but I don't really connect with the whole lying to yourself archetype. For me it's always been knowing my mistakes and taking one step every day to fix them, hence why I like the Bondsmiths the most. But of course, telling truths to yourself cannot hurt, and I love the Lightweaver aspect of illuminating and transforming others through kindness. Just wholesome all around.