Wind Caller

Okay. Here is my two cents on Talm: 1) I believe the reason he at least appears to be less broken than the others is simply because he was the only one who actually followed the rules of the Oathpact. 2) The fact that Jezrien said the Oathpact was dissolved doesn't actually mean that was true. Since Talm was forced to return, he followed the rules of the Oathpact, and since at least one of them did so, the Oathpact was still in force. 3) By this logic, I think the reason the other Heralds are all insane to various degrees is (a partially due to their lengthy lifespans, but more importantly (b a direct result of ignoring the Oathpact. 4) I agree that the perception of others gave Talm a leg up in terms of survival since he was seen as unbreakable by so many. That tracks with established Cosmere logic. 5) None of the other main flashback characters are anywhere near perfect, and I think Brandon wants to keep as little known for certain about the Heralds themselves as possible for now since they will play a larger role in the back half. 6) Therefore, I think readers will largely continue to see Talm as perfect either until Talm's own book, or that of Shalash depending on which Brandon writes first. 7) Essentially, Talm may appear perfect now because he followed the Oathpact, but that doesn't mean readers will maintain that view once we actually learn more about him from those who know him well. 8) If this logic holds, I have no problem with Talm's current characterization since I believe the events of the back half are bound to (a give readers more information, and (b Set Talm off on his own evolving character arc. Sanderson has earned my trust more than any other author, so I have confidence that I'll enjoy the end result, even if it doesn't follow this train of thought Apologies if none of these thoughts are original. I didn't look at the full thread prior to responding, just the initial post.

I think it's awesome that Sanderson is capable of writing a character who is both someone's favorite and someone else's least favorite. It really shows his range as an author. I do think Venli makes for an interesting topic of discussion though, because based on the events of Rhythm of War it seems like she and her followers are on a separate path from the rest of the main cast. Not that they won't converge again at some point, but given the timeline of the battle with Odium, I wonder what Sanderson has planned for Venli in book 5. Do you have any predictions? By the way, my guess for the title of Stormlight 5 is Knowledge of Worlds. I don't know if anyone else has thought of it, but so far that's the best I've come up with

Good questions... My least favorite character is Venli by quite a bit. Even though I "understand" her viewpoint better now having read Rhythm of War, she still comes across as unlikeable to me. Not that she is poorly written, but I listen to the audiobooks consistently and everything Venli says comes off as heavily condescending to me. I'm not sure if that was intentional on Kate Reading's part or not, but I just can't bring myself to like Venli. For what it's worth though, I did appreciate her interactions with Raboniel all throughout Rhythm of War. As for weirdest Cosmere character, I had a tough time answering that until I thought of Rysn. Not that she herself is truly weird, but the combination of her physical handicap and the events of Dawnshard place Rysn in a unique position not only on Roshar, but quite possibly in the entire Cosmere. Thanks for checking out the novella. I hope you like it! By the way, in case it's not obvious, I chose my name because according to the Knights Radiant Quiz, I'm a combination of Windrunner and Elsecaller.

A big hello to the entire Cosmere of Brandon Sanderson Fans! Wind Caller here. Big fan of Stormlight Archive, Mistborn, Warbreaker, and of course Brandon's BYU lectures. Those lectures inspired me to write my own novella. (Because my mind is strange, I began my personal writing with what is now clearly the middle book of a trilogy. For those interested, it is attached.) I started my Sanderson journey with Elantris and it only gets better as time goes on. I look forward to interacting with the wider cosmere here on the 17th shard. Thanks a lot, and keep the quality content coming! Enigma's Solution_edited_101521.docx