JDM

I'm with you. It was an incredibly painful outcome, because I really like Jasnah and seeing her lose someone that it really felt like she had won over at a personal level was rough. I'm hoping we see her build from it in the second arc. One thing worth noting is that despite (because?) being humbled so badly, she made the right choice to get the Shattered Plains into the hands of the Listeners, who both deserved the legitimacy the treaty granted and are likely to play a huge role in finding a path where both peoples can find a path to peace. I don't think the book was super clear on exactly who had what input into the plan happening, but at bare minimum she signed off on it.

Was he even in a position of strength? A 1000 year delay isn't nothing. But it's also not a solution. He didn't turn Odium into a threat to the Cosmere. It already was, and it was already planning to send agents out, "personally" contained or not. By controlling the timing and giving the other shards incentive to cooperate, rather than letting Taravangian sit comfortably and acclimate to the power, he gave everyone else the best chance to actually eliminate the threat. There's a reason Harmony is constrained, and it's more than Sazed valuing free will. When the intent of the Shards aren't aligned, it's difficult for the holder to take strong action. Honor wants to be more, and becoming more will constrain Odium more than being tied to Roshar ever did. He also, on multiple levels, fulfilled the calling he's been given through the entire arc. "Unite them." He directly united Odium and Honor. He created a path for the rest of the shards to unite as allies against the threat it poses. ---- Ignoring all the debates about "the right move", though, it's a story. We want to be at the front lines, and see the inflection points of history. Sanderson just turned all the prior books into the pre-history for an epic war for the Cosmere, a war of Gods, with some very clear understanding of how powerful Gods can be from his prior works in the Cosmere.

Yeah. It took it from a 10/10 to a 12/10. He took an obscenely large scale epic and made the whole thing feel small with the new scope he opened it up to. It made Ghostbloods even more anticipated, and the possibilities for the second half of Stormlight and the wider Cosmere feel endless. All while increasing the already large number of deep, complex characters that I care about and guiding several through very important personal growth. Mistborn are good, Stormlight was very good. Wind and Truth turned it from a masterpiece into the masterpiece.