QuantumAce

They could quickly support specific small groups on a battlefield, but that would be more of a tactical support unit. I could see them being used similar to a shard bearer, leading a charge to break through enemy lines, or jumping to support weak spots in their own lines. In most situations, their powers are all most effective when used up close and targeted against an individual or small group. Emotional allomancy could add a nice boost to any mistborn skilled enough to use it alongside their physical powers. A coppercloud could be effective at momentarily disrupting singers and fused, but its not going to be debilitating. I believe a coppercould would also disrupt or interfere with most uses of investiture, so it would have to be targeted and coordinated with allies.

"Opening a dialogue" is not a commitment to weighing something on a specific set of scales, or measuring it against a pre-defined set of criteria. A discussion can involve looking at something from different perspectives, examining how it relates to other ideas and concepts. A discussion can help you learn more about something, without trying to measure its worth. This is a very narrow definition of trailblazing. I believe the only change guaranteed by trailblazing is the creation of a path that did not exist before. It may also involve destruction of previous paths, but it doesn't have to. I did not see it as a 180. I feel like it was foreshadowed throughout the series. We saw Kaladin almost lose his bond with Syl because of conflicting oaths. We learned radiant oaths were necessary because surgebinding without Honors restriction was dangerous. Oaths are extremely important and can be used for good things, but are not inherently positive.

But did Kaladin stick the landing? My take was that he barely avoided complete disaster, while leaving a trail of destruction and pain. That was about the ugliest win possible.

I did. Can you explain how the Iriali initially settling in a remote area, or more recently settling in a less remote are, would prevent them from being the golden haired people of wax and Wayne?

People being forced to change is pretty standard for the apocalypse. Azir needs a better leader than who Noura naïvely thinks Yanagawn should be. The Coalition needs Lift to grow up and be a hero, instead of pretending to be a little kid forever.

Maybe zephyr and sunlight spores?

I dont follow, can you explain?

Which is completely implausible on such a developed planet like Scadrial... Also, If they initially show up in a remote location they wouldn't necessarily have to be hidden, just not noticed yet.

Some honorspren would be pretty embarrassed when they started attracting Highspren

Ishar is clear that Kaladin's body died, and his future bodies will be copies. Then Ishar says "Your soul will be pulled with us, leaving the body behind". That leads me to believe he was invested enough that to resist the pull of the beyond, instead of being a copy. I feel like Ishar would understand the difference as well as anyone, but its possible he was just trying to keep the explanation simple.

Kandra plus Sleepless could be...interesting. Both should be capable of far more creative or specialized bodies than we have seen so far, but both require more practice the farther they get from their most commonly used configuration.

At first I assumed it was docked at the Shattered Plains, in whatever configuration it would be secured for a highstorm. That would presumably keep it out of the action during the fighting. However, that would also put it under Listener control now. It is a prototype for revolutionary technology, so it would most likely be in some sort of R&D facility between test runs. The War Camps or Urithiru are plausible options that would keep it under Kholin control.

I do not like this, but maybe its just what happens when you cross the streams with Kholins and Lightweavers.

That is the nature of a teaser. We get to see a few cool examples, but in a way that is intentionally designed to avoid giving out too many specific details. @Quantus has put together a nice summary of what we do know so far, but that is still shorter than the list of things we don't know yet. Unfortunately, Brandon has been know to leave some teasers open for a looooooong time.

I would say it hasn't reached a sizable chunk of his readers yet. Much of his writing requires at least one re-read for the average reader to digest. Climaxes are incredibly dense and it can be easy to miss key details scattered throughout the lighter sections. Many of my initial complaints have been tempered by rereading a few specific passages. Looking back over previous books has also helped adjust my perspective a bit. I still wish Dalinar had picked any number of other options, but it feels a little more natural. Yeah, still feels like that was awkwardly shoehorned in as a setup for something in the back half. Not sure where Brandon is going with that, but hopefully the payoff is better than the introduction.

Or, we get Syladin spending the next 20 SR years raising 9 immortal beings from mental infanthood.

It has elements of horror, where the mystery creates a more visceral reaction. Seeing the fight would have been super fun and cool, but the shock factor made it more impactful for me. Coming from Adolin's PoV, with his pain and exhaustion definitely made it hit harder.

The Sleepless are not from Roshar

Teasing the mechanics of the oathpact is the cruelest thing Brandon has ever done. You are better off seeking the Old Magic to have it shshsh'ed out of your mind

I enjoyed Adolin's storyline because it was more focused, character driven. Plot may have been a little thin, but it was enough to keep me engaged. I needed it as a break from some of the other storylines that were focused on advancing the plot at the expense of the characters. That was my first impression, but it fit with the "There is a lot more going on than we realized" theme of the book. Szeth's flashbacks and the SR visions answered questions and solved mysteries that have been teased for several books, while the Wind showed us there was a whole new layer.

But do they have a physical body on Braize? @alder24 has presented a compelling argument that they did not have a physical body on Braize, only the soul in the Cognitive Realm. But I am still unclear how their souls manifest on Braize and how they are tortured. Unless having the mind protected in the newly opened Spiritual Realm Retreat and Spa Center also protects the herald's spiritual ideal.

I was going with the handwavy Bondsmith Connection thing, but I like this better.

But did Fen know they were checkmated before she agreed to terms? I thought that wasn't revealed until after.

Many of the characters felt thinner, more one dimensional, almost like imperfect copies of the originals. I kept waiting for someone to wake up and realize the whole thing was a vision curated by Gallant. Smart for a horse, but he lacks Wit's flair for realistic storytelling. Bit of an exaggeration, but it would explain some things. Yes, big fan of the Szeth backstory. I know, right? I know Honorspen have a reputation for being jerks, but that's a bit much. Honor started gaining sentience while the power was unbonded. Dalinar wants Honor to continue learning and growing, while bound to the worst person ever. What is so hard to understand about that ? Seriously though, maybe Honor keeps popping by Nohadons for warm bread while Taravangian isnt paying attention? Side effect of the Shin bread? I had the beginnings of some insightful thoughts, but they fizzled. I was probably a little burned out by the time I got to this point. I am betting most of my gripes will fade during the next read through. It seems more likely that I did a poor job of reading than Brandon suddenly becoming a worse writer.

This has been at the top of my Stormlight gripe list for a long time. I just need to understand the mechanics of the Oathpact. Its not necessary to enjoy the story, but it has been dangled for so long that grown into a compulsion. I don't care if book 6 is written as a musical performed by Lift clones recapping the last 10 years, as long as they include a simple description of the mechanics of the Oathpact.