Ain Soph

Haven't posted here in forever but I finished WaT last week, and have been ruminating.... By the time I hit the end, I was emotionally and mentally exhausted. A lot happens. A lot is implied. Some of it I adore, some of it I dislike, and a lot of it I'm still not sure about. I don't think I can call this a home run for Sanderson....but it's still good and I think I need to give it another read through and get a different perspective on it. And of course, a lot of this was really prologue for 6, so it'll look different once things are in the rearview and we can see where the threads are going. Always figured this was gonna be a "Empire Strikes Back" ending where the heroes lose, but escape complete annihilation so it still kind of feels like a win. We definitely got that. Best part by far was Kaladin, Syl, and Szeth. The entire Shinovar segment felt like a different book entirely, and it was refreshing. I'm glad we had those chapters of relative optimism and happiness to contrast with...everything else. The whole quest is practically quaint compared to the chaos across Roshar and I'm glad Kaladin and Szeth got to have that. And I was never a Syladin shipper but did anyone else get that vibe from them? I actually find myself rooting for that outcome now; they have the most intimate, fun relationship here, and it felt physical in a way it didn't back at the start. Not just the fact that Syl is normal sized and gaining mass, but some of the conversations, my gods. Didn't expect Kaladin to become a Herald, seemed too obvious. The whole sequence felt rushed though, and didn't feel like it had the import it should. That said I'm happy with the development. I'm far less happy about Kal hitting the 5th Ideal and us not getting to see what it can do. That was crazy disappointing. And the alteration of the Oathpact deserved a lot more attention; I know Ishar explained the basic 'science' of it, and how he was able to change it to avoid the torture, but it needed a lot more page time. And Syl is now the....Storm Mother? Seems like she might be the biggest chunk of Honor left, so both she and Kaladin end up with crowns. Ha! If only 'lighteyes suck!' Kaladin from WoR could see himself now. Szeth was never my favorite character and I found his flashbacks and PoV's just a little boring compared to everything else, but it was a solid showing and I approve of how his arc wrapped. I'm glad he got married and seemed to live happily ever after. But you can skip Ideals? Don't like that. I'm not happy with how rushed Szeth's elevation was either. Seemed appropriate for Szeth to break his bond with 12124/Aux, it was the right choice for him in that moment, but who told Sanderson it was a good idea to show us two 5th Ideal Radiants and have both of them do nothing? Actually, with Szeth disarmed (too soon?) and out of the fight, maybe the 'villain on a redemption arc' role will fall to Moash in the back 5. I'd rather the man die a traitor's death as he deserves, and he's never shown a hint of wanting to atone, but I can see Sanderson maybe doing it. Nightblood is absolutely horrifying. Presumably he learned Surges from all the Blades yes? Is there a more dangerous weapon this side of a Dawnshard? And I love that he's starting to question philosophy. Adolin had a quality showing and I like how his arc resolved. He's always been the lowkey, invisibly broken one; the one who seems to have it all together while quietly struggling and it's thematically perfect for him to have his revelations without becoming Radiant; that was never the direction for him. I had also come up with the theory that he and Maya would be able to utilize dead Blades for Adolin's forces and I was thrilled to be right about it. Adolin is the viewpoint character for the regular troops, being able to give them dead Blades/Plate is a pitch-perfect ability. Though now that Honor's rules are gone, those deadeyes might not be dead anymore. Enjoyed Rlain and Renarin, it's about time those two got more focus. I'm pretty sure them releasing Mishram is going to decide the fate of worlds. Would've been nice if we'd seen one/both of them say the Words and level up though. Still, they were practically the only people acting with any agency in the Spiritual Realm. Shallan's arc feels like it was really just build up for 6-10 somehow. I was hoping for a big confrontation between the Unseen Court and Ghostbloods, but it seems like she only managed to take down middle management. I think her development was alright, she dealt with a few more issues, we got a better look at her wedding....it was fine, but definitely not the kind of high-end send off I expected. Her being stuck in Shadesmar is potentially interesting, but that feels like 'time skip' stuff we won't see much of. Her being pregnant....what happens to kids born in the Cognitive Realm? Too much time spent on Mishram. Clearly that's 6-10 setup and I'm sure it needed to happen, but I wish Sanderson had condensed it more. Stuff with Sig was alright. But a giant, all-out war between Surgebinders deserved more detail and time. And Sunlit connections! His poor spren. But I do like that he's on the Sunlit path now, I wasn't sure if that stuff would start to happen to him yet. And he's got Aux, and a non-Nale group of Skybreakers to eventually run into. Plus, y'know, a Dawnshard that'll haunt him the rest of his life.... The 'Wind/Stone/Night' stuff...it kinda felt like it came out of nowhere but when you consider it, this has been set up from the start. It was always an easy assumption that the singers had gods before Honor arrived on Roshar, and that's history so deep nobody remembers it but an echo of it was always there in the phrases and monologues, removed from how people spoke of normal spren or the Stormfather. With the Shards gone, those ancient sprengods are coming back. Makes sense, but it's all prologue for 6. I also dislike how passive Dalinar was here. And despite being with Navani and Gav for most of the book I feel like they didn't get any time together. What we learned about Honor and Roshar's history is still spinning my head around, and I'm glad Dalinar got the answers he was after, but after four books he finally lost momentum, right at the end. And I was kind of right in the fact that the Blackthorn would've simply killed an innocent and claimed victory while the Bondsmith, who built the Colalition and got everyone this far, wouldn't be able to take that last step. Gav....him being Champion was called ages ago but why age him up? Felt pointless; his mom ingested an Unmade and he was screwed with by voidspren for who knows how long; Odium could have easily manipulated the kid back then, turning him into a potential knife for Dalinar's back without the unnecessary step of making him an adult. Truth, it'd have felt even more powerful if Gav had been a kid challenging the Blackthorn. The Cognitive Shadow Blackthorn, or whatever it is....I always figured Dalinar would end this book fighting for Odium but I didn't see this coming and I don't care for it. It feels....cheap. But maybe that'll be a major factor in 6-10; it's not the real Blackthorn and that might be his undoing. RoW pretty much promised us that Odium and Honor would merge here, and they did, but the entire Contest was such a rushed mix of chaos. I think the events were fine; Odium using a champion Dalinar won't hurt to ensure a victory, Dalinar finally getting Honor only to realize he'll still lose so he loses the battle to win the war and force the other Shards to take action....okay, that's fine, cool. But it needed like, twice as many pages and a deeper exploration. Less time in the visions, more time spent on the Contest would've been nice. Enjoyed Lift, Rysn, and the other interludes. Wish there was more of The Lopen. And this post is already three times longer than it had a right to be. Apologies, just had to get some of this out.

I do hate Moash. The Cosmere will be a better place once his eyes are burning, but mostly I just pity him. It's true that he's not entirely accountable for some of his actions; Odium is working his mind, he's suffering from textbook addiction symptoms, disillusioned by systems broken beyond repair (from Alethi culture to rightful ownership of the planet itself) or suckered into a conspiracy by people smarter and smoother than he is. In many ways Moash is a victim. And he believes himself to be a victim for whom justice, reparation, and peace is impossible. Who's going to judge him rightly? The royal family who ignored Moash's grandparents to death? The parsh, who as a race spent generations as dull-minded slaves because of Moash's own world-and-god-stealing ancestors? Bridge 4, who Moash betrayed by seeking justice for his family and who cozied up to the clan that killed Moash's kin? It's all such a tangle of blame and pain and blood debt. Who can Moash turn to, but Odium and emotional oblivion? I pity him for all of this. This isn't where he thought he was headed when he threw in with Kal, and it's not like he meant to start down this path. But what really grinds my gears is that he's such a willing, selfish victim. He's had every opportunity to seek help, he's had every chance to turn things around. And he refuses to take those first steps. He refuses to try. It's always the easy way with Moash, for no reason than he chooses the easy way. And the crap he's pulled since joining Odium? There's a special level of braize for betrayers and mutineers. Anyone remember the moment in the Star Wars prequels (I know, ew) where Anakin kills the kids? Moash makes me feel like I'm watching that scene.

I think it will change the way everyone sees Adolin, honestly. Some might see him in a more positive light, claiming that he proved he would do what was necessary to protect his House, others will see him in a less positive light, claiming that what he did was no better than the actions of a common criminal. Personally I take no issue with what Adolin did at all, Sadeas deserved what he got and was a clear and present danger to everybody. As for Kaladin specifically, Sadeas was a threat to Dalinar and the people Kaladin had sworn to protect so I don't think there'd be a problem with Adolin killing him. But the oaths can be a little weird sometimes too, and the way Adolin killed Sadeas may have rubbed up against Kaladin's bond in a bad way. I don't think it would, I'm just saying it's possible. Regarding the fact that the Kholins didn't prosecute Sadeas for his betrayal, like you said Dalinar was still trying to unite the Alethi and was willing to let things slide to accomplish that. Prosecuting Sadeas would have alienated his allies and split the kingdom. But by the time Adolin kills Sadeas, that's already happened; some of the Highprinces stayed behind in the war camps and Sadeas' faction was solidly set against the Kholins and their allies. So the reason Dalinar didn't persecute Sadeas in the first place was no longer a factor. And all their attempts to discredit Sadeas, like with Adolin's duel, had failed too.

Sorta-kinda but not entirely. Granted, Adolin "literally" kills Sadeas in a dark corridor but I think the situations are quite different. Kaladin was talking about secret plots to assassinate a king while pretending to be an ally and loyal subject. For all of Elokhar's faults he wasn't a villain and he wasn't opposing Bridge Four or the Kholins or anything like that. He was just an idiot. Sadeas had basically just explained his evil plan to Adolin in a movie villain monologue. He explained how he was going to spin events to make things look like Dalinar was working with the Parshendi and take control of Urithuru. Sadeas straight up says "I'm not going to admit Dalinar was right, I'm going to keep coming at you people until I murder my way to the throne." Sadeas might not have been swinging a sword at Dalinar's neck that very second, but he makes it clear he's not going to stop until the Kholins are dust. I think that makes a difference. Maybe it's not much of a difference, and maybe Kaladin would still be oath-sworn to stop Adolin. But Moash was trying to kill the king out of selfishness, Adolin killed Sadeas because Sadeas was a clear and direct threat to Adolin, his family, the kingdom, and humanity.

My working theory is this; We know Navani talks about how hard Jasnah was to raise; the kid was always independent and too smart for her own good, always apart from others, likely always considered strange (a prodigy perhaps, but strange). At some point in her youth (we can likely guess her age by comparing the "lunacy" comment to Adolin's age but I forget the chain of events) some male close to her or the family abuses her; someone with a reputation for honesty and honor who was deeply trusted by the Kholins. I'm guessing it may have been an ardent (setting Jasnah on the road to denouncing religion), but I'm nowhere near sure about that. This would help explain why she hates Amaram so much, because he reminds her of her attacker. Or, if they were old enough for it, he may have been her attacker himself. This traumatic event leads to her first use of Investiture and likely her first glimpse of Shadesmar. Being the highly logical child she is, she tells the proper people about it (likely her parents). And the stories about seeing another world makes the Kholins (or whoever the authority is) think that Jasnah is just a hyper smart little girl with too much imagination and too much stress. The story about her abuse gets tossed aside in the face of the fantastical tales of Shadesmar (if she imagined a pretend world, her accusations against a trusted individual are likely false too), and the conclusion is that Jasnah is losing her mind. Dalinar, when looking for "the madman" at the old war camps, ruminates on how medical theory says sunlight is bad for the mentally ill and they're kept in dark rooms. So that's where this reference from Jasnah comes from. Jasnah, before longs, starts telling the healers what they want to hear so she can leave and they declare her lunacy to have past. But her trust is broken, both by her abuser and the family who didn't believe her, her faith in the Almighty is shattered (especially if the abuser was an ardent) and her search for answers about Shadesmar would have fueled her meteoric rise among scholars.

Adolin's future is one of the things I'm most curious about. I don't really need another Radiant in the Kholin household, but Sanderson is keeping Adolin awfully close to the Surges and spren and who knows what will happen when he finally revives his sword. Adolin might become a proper Radiant, or something brand new that uses the spren differently. Or maybe not. Maybe he'll just be a powerless second string player the whole time leading the normal soldiers while all his friends and family are flying around blowing up mountains. Shardbearers can't hold ground and neither can Radiants, so who better to hold it for them than Adolin? Regarding the murder of Sadeas, Adolin seems to feel guilty not because he killed a man outside of ritual/military combat but because he let Dalinar down. He tells Shallan that he feels pretty justified in his actions, but regrets that he broke the Codes. I don't think this comes anywhere close to breaking him enough for a Nahel bond. I don't think the kid is broken enough for a bond at all, honestly. We've been in his head enough to have a fairly good grasp on his character and while he has his problems, he's very well adjusted. But look at his struggle to reconcile with the changes in the world; he was one of the most influential and powerful people in Vorin culture, and now he's living in a world where people have Surges, travel to other realms, and he's been swept up in a theological war well beyond his understanding. Adolin, for the first time ever, feels small and he's trying real hard to be cool about it, but we've seen him worry about what and where his role is. And don't forget, he has no idea that Dalinar is responsible for what happened in the Rift. Adolin isn't broken, but he probably will be by the time this is all said and done. And I suspect that he'll end up fighting Odium's champion in the end, whatever happens to him. He's supposed to be one of the best duelists around right? He's likely the most qualified, as far as skill goes.