Arondell

I just checked the description and it is a bit uncertain whether there were buildings other then the central tower or not. The initial description after Shallan first steps onto the plateau is a bit unclear. This seems like it might be referring just to the plateaus around the oathgate. Then there is a bit of description later. So there is at least an implication that there are structures on the plateau other then just the central tower. The dais wasn't that big. It seems likely that there was something other then just the central tower otherwise why send multiple search parties out? Unless visibility was severely limited which I didn't get the feeling was the case based on the first example.

So far nothing indicates that a marriage between Dalinar and Navani involves the law. It appears to be entirely a matter of tradition and precedence. This thought passes through Shallan's mind when Navani stops keeping her at a distance. Very strong tradition it seems but then again it is pretty clear that the world is about to change. Traditions like this could well be viewed as inconsequential compared to the upheavals that are about to occur.

I'm a little confused. Are you making a separate point or are you just paraphrasing the quote from the book?

The specific reference in Words of Radiance.

My general feeling on animated vs live action is fairly neutral. That being said any production should try to be as faithful to the source material as possible. Yes, that does include casting. I must admit I find the idea of encouraging the financial success of such an endeavor by essentially catering to "the inherent racism of our time" to be...distasteful. I would rather not have it happen at all then have that happen.

Hmmm...The only time I can recall Hoid expressing approval of Elhokar is when he leaves in the Way of Kings. I'm not sure that qualifies as "fond" precisely. Maybe by implication. I can't recall any other scene where Wit discusses Elhokar. At the least I don't get the impression that Wit holds Elhokar in contempt. That could just be a matter of his position though. The Wit isn't supposed to mock the king just the king's guests.

It may not have been a choice on Elhokar's part. High level marriages are often matters of alliances and intrigue. We do have a strong hint in the WoR prologue that Jasnah thought she might be a problem. In Way of Kings we have a general comment from Navani that Aesudan shut her out of current court politics. Then of course we have the Lhan interlude which gives us more insight into the hash of things Aesudon is making in Kholinar. I'm not surprised Dalinar isn't getting any straight answers about the cause of the riots. One of the minor things I'm hoping to see in the next book is a scene with Dalinar finding out about what started them. I wonder if stormlight will come out of his ears.

Ah...I missed that. I had thought she was messing with illumination when she told Dalinar to call out and she would hear.

I suspect the Radiants of old trained all their members to at least a basic level of competency in combat In the Starfalls vision I'm pretty sure the female Radiant that Dalinar speaks with was either a Lightweaver or a Truthwatcher. She didn't seem to be particularly lacking in the combat skills department. One of the issues here is the difference between the Radiants of old and the Radiants now. As Jasnah points out in the old days the Radiants had long established traditions and a strong support base. It would not surprise me if most new Radiants were found at a young age and trained up to the responsibilities both martial and scholarly. Granted different orders would probably have put more emphasize on one or the other. On the other hand since everyone got the blade and probably the plate it would be a huge waste not to expect everyone to train in their use. There is also quite a bit of real world precedence for elite warriors to also be educated.

I did think it was interesting how the opening to the Navani point of view put a heavy emphasis on describing how much Navani valued order.

My personal favorite were his comments on the Xbox marketing strategy during the 2013 E3. http://www.escapistmagazine.com/videos/view/zero-punctuation/7595-E3-2013

I get the impression your seeing "related to the very nature of the Bondsmiths and their divine duties." I'm not going to insist on some particular interpretation but I do feel this is a non-trivial hint pointing to...something. It is a description of a particular event not just a brief description of the Bondsmiths which we already have.

Ta da! It may or may not be related to this but I've been kind of wondering about one of the quotes from the in-world Words of Radiance. Granted we are warned that their are errors in the book but this part sounds like Melishi was playing with fire. Tinkering with the fundamental nature of the power of the heralds. Kind of makes me wonder if he somehow messed up how the Oathpact was supposed to work.

Errr...Your refering to that scene in the chasm fiend hunt? The same one when he charged the Chasm Fiend on foot after he fell from his horse? That was foolish perhaps but I don't think it showed a lack of courage. He certainly didn't "whimper away helplessly" when a creature capable of smashing him flat, even with shardplate, showed up. Elhokar has exhibited, paranoia, jealousy, and poor judgement as king. I don't think you can honestly say he has shown any particular lack of courage.

I think the final verdict on Elhokar is still to come. It all depends on how he reacts to events after the real assassination attempt. Admitting openly that he knows he needs to be a better king, Kaladin saving him despite his dislike, and being under the care of Lopen's mother and away from his normal position of authority might change his perspective and understanding of how he should behave. SImply having a good example like his uncle around obviously wasn't enough. I would hope that he might turn his life around in the wake of these events. Then again it could end up all going over his head an he could remain the rather childish paranoid man he became in the wake of his fathers death.

He did? The only reference I recall about this is when Dalinar asks why he was chosen to receive the visions when he confronted the Stormfather on top of Urithiru..

One of the points that is made repeatedly is that soulcast food of any type doesn't really taste like normal food. Only simple things are likely to get an edible result. Jasnah also specifically explains that blood is an exception to the normal rules because it is one of the essences. I suspect that the reason even simple food tastes bad is cognitive in nature. Soulcasting appears to be a process where you take something like a rock or other relatively homogenous object and in some way convince it to turn into something else. Since a rock doesn't really "know" anything about grain or meat the result is just a general approximation of what that is. A ball park guess if you will. So when a rock turns into meat the resulting meat won't be particularly human. It will be what something with the intellect of a rock guesses might be meat. Which would also explain why it always tastes bad without a lot of spices.

The real issue I have is that the visions have been shown to be imprecise. Probably the most clear fulfillment of one of the visions is the "True Glory" one. It used "pit" to refer to refer to the chasms and two dead men. Vague and imprecise. I suspect they have been intended to be confusing and perhaps even deceptive. They are of Odium after all.

I'm not all that sure it would be a loss. I can't help but think that the one spren specifically associated with the night is the Nightwatcher who is generally thought to be Cultivation's counterpart to the Stormfather.

Actually that is a very close fit for describing the relationship between Wyndle and Lift. At the least there is certainly a certain amount of friction between their personalities.

As Mr. Sanderson pointed out his early drafts are often a bit wordy. As for how much stormlight he needs to change eye color.

I agree that there will be a lot of distrust aimed Kaladin's way. Where I disagree is that I think that distrust will be because he is a Radiant not because he is a darkeyes with a shard. For that matter since he can instantly change his eye color any time he summons Syl as a shard object then it would be pretty hard to call him a darkeyes when he is standing there with eyes lighter then anyone else. That and they glow to boot. Given that he often unconsciously breaths in stormlight while he is walking around he'll have to make an effort to not have his eyes turn light when he is around spheres. Hearthstone's exact status is a bit of a question mark for the moment. Given that there were parshmen servants in the town it could be very bad indeed. The reading gave us enough info to suspect there will likely be quite a bit of structural damage from the storm moving the wrong way. The buildings weren't designed to handle those kind of stresses. As for the social situation in Hearthstone. Well that is total guess work. It entirely depends on what Mr. Sanderson wants Kaladin to be facing and he isn't talking yet. I do hope is that it doesn't take up to much of the book. A bit like Shallan's trip through the frost lands in Words of Radiance. Important for her development but it was resolved in the first half of the story.

Granted from the interlude the queen hasn't proven to be the brightest sphere in the goblet. On the other hand if Dalinar Kholin and probably Elhokar as well instructs the queen that the guy that killed the Assassin in White is the captain of Dalinar's personal guard and should be greeted as such...well...she would have to be a whole new level of dumb to slam the proverbial door in his face. For that matter I would think the news that the Assassin in White had been killed by one Kaladin Stormblessed might well have spread over much of the world now via spanreed. That is world shaking news right there.

Errr...Regarding Kalidans location I'll put it under a spoiler. As for Kholinar I doubt they would put him into a position of authority as such but since Dalinar is in direct communication with Kholinar via spanreed I would be very surprised if he hadn't sent word ahead to expect Kalidan's eventual appearance.

I'm not exactly sure how Kaladin will handle his initial contact. Maybe he won't immediately tell anyone he is a Radiant. On the other hand a couple of things will have to happen to prevent him from giving easy proof that he has powers and capabilities that are of the Radiants. 1. Something has to keep him from summoning Syl as a shard blade. Preventing him from demonstrating that his blade has far more capability then a standard shardblade.(Preventing a change of eye color.) 2. Stop him from coming into range of any infused spheres thus preventing him from demonstrating/using his surgebinding powers directly. (Also preventing a change of eyecolor.) I can vaguely see number two happening but I can't imagine what would be able to keep him from summoning Syl as a shard blade/spear/shield/ladle. In addition the towns people can think whatever they want about Kaladin but they aren't going to particularly bother anyone who is carrying around a shard weapon of any kind. A lot of this depends on the precise circumstances when he finally gets to Hearthstone. As for putting him in charge I think that is a non-starter. Kaladin isn't coming to take charge of the town. He is just coming to try to ensure the towns safety. Once he has done that and had a heart to heart with his parents I expect he will be moving on. I believe Dalinar was hoping he would head to Kholinar after he ensured Hearthstones safety.