JessK

My unpopular opinion is that Mistborn to me is the least engaging of the Cosmere works. The first Mistborn book was my first introduction to Sanderson, but I found it a fairly average fantasy installment and I felt it was fine as a standalone and didn't even read books 2 and 3. Then two years later my cousin introduced me to Stormlight Archive, and it was my true love, lol. Stormlight hooked me on Brandon as an author, so I went back and gave Mistborn another shot and read the rest of the series. I did enjoy it more the second time around knowing its Cosmere significance (and I am very fond of Sazed and TenSoon, and Kelsier is an icon in more ways than one), and Era 2 brought some interesting ideas to the table, but it still ranks lower for me than most of not all of the Cosmere works.

I found these guys in my stuff and didn't know what to do with them, then I realized they were perfect for my Sanderson shelf, lol.

Moash did eventually murder Roshone too though, didn't he? Yes, what Roshone did was horrible, but I can understand why Moash was more demonstrably disappointed in Elhokar than Roshone. I see it as being similar to Kaladin seeing lighteyes in Alethkar (in fact, the very same Roshone being one of them) and thinking, "The light eyes on the Shattered Plains would never do this, they would fight with honor." That kind of thinking is naive and unfounded perhaps, but regardless the higher the expectations, the more disappointing it is when people fail to live up to them. Elhokar is the king; he is supposed to be better and he sets the precedents and the tone for the nation. He is much more visible than Roshone; he is making a statement to Alethkar about the indifference and callousness of the lighteyes by killing Elhokar that he would not with Roshone, so politically it makes sense. I appreciate that Elhokar was trying to better himself at the end and I do think it is sad that he was killed before he could get further on that journey, but I don't think he really started out as a GOOD person. He had quite a lot of personal improvement to do. Dalinar can say he was deceived by Roshone, but the fact of the matter is that he still forgot two elderly people and left them to languish in jail. His negligence was an abuse of power and a miscarriage of justice. He is the leader of an entire nation, and negligence is not acceptable. I work in healthcare, and it feels to me that it would be similar to one of my coworkers abusing a patient and a supervisor not only allowing the abuse but making it possible and giving that person the avenue for that particular form of abuse. That supervisor, even if they themselves did not do it directly, had that person under their authority and do bear guilt for knowing and letting it happen...and caring so little that they just straight up forgot to resolve the situation or make any true amends would make it so much worse. It is so insulting that he just...forgot. I'd be furious with him too. Not that I do condone him killing Elhokar (and even more so I do not condone turning on people who had once loved you and given you hope when you had), but I can understand the anger that triggered Moash to become a villain. Did he then take that anger too far? Yes, but he's a villain so villainous actions are expected. When in Rome, I guess? Lol.

Lol

A moral sinkhole, haha. That's an awesome description.

Thank you!! Brandon doesn't usually write throwaway lines and he has so much material I was sure he had to have written an explanation somewhere, but I had no idea where to even start, haha.

Okay, that's fair. It's interesting how while in desire for vengeance he was a foil to Kal, in terms of dealing with guilt he is Dalinar 's foil. (Of course Dalinar did his fair share of trying to avoid avoid facing his guilt too, through his bargain with the Nightwatcher and through his drinking, but ultimately he does decide to acknowledge them and work through them and become a better person rather than handing them over like Moash.)

I have, lol. RoW spoilers: Otherwise, logically I know he's betrayed Kal and Bridge Four and he's done some pretty terrible things, but yeah, I don't know why, I still just don't hate him, lol. Maybe because he's a direct foil for Kaladin and I see a lot of what Kaladin could have been in him. Yes, same!! All of the characters in these books could benefit so much from therapy, haha. RoW mild spoiler

Soooooo...when Llarimar yells at Lightsong, he says, "And everytime, I get in trouble with you. Nothing has changed. You become a god, and I still end up in prison!" It sounds to me like it is implying this is not the first time Llarimar has been in jail because of Stennimar? I am curious now about the back story to this, lol. What did Stennimar, a scribe (who, as is implied from his lack of fighting or lock picking abilities, apparently did not have any criminal inclinations) do to get his brother temporarily thrown in jail?

(ROW spoilerish discussion) Moash is not my favorite character, but he's not super hateable to me either. I have noticed a lot of people hate him, but honestly if a king left my grandparents to die in jail for no good reason, that would probably be my villain origin story too, lol.