Colby Jack

Amaram killed Kaladin's friends to cover up his thief of the shards. He didn't want people to know he stole them. Yes, Kaladin would have just handed him the shards, but he had to make sure no one talks. Unless the second book throws a curve ball at us, I think we've all decided that the lie will the blown sooner or later. Which makes their death completely meaningless.

Betrayal can never really be justified, but there are circumstances where a sacrifice must be made for the sake of the whole. In this case, what Amaram did was evil, simple as that, but if he had made something of their deaths, if he could somehow balance out their deaths with life, then his actions are for the greater good. But that didn't/won't happen, so that's why we all hate him. That's the fine line you walk when you're the anti-hero.

Nah, Kaladin didn't want the shards. When he had an opportunity to pick it up, he walked away, which attracted Sly's interest/favor. Whether Amaram betrayed Kaladin or not, it seems he was destined to be a KR. I suppose his time as a slave have humbled him a bit, but it also made him prejudice against lighteyes. I would call him a racist now... only in this case, it's not skin color, but eye color. I initially stated if the decision was between Amaram and Kaladin, but when I thought more about it, Kaladin also does not follow the Ideas completely. Neither does Dalinar, the Blackthorn. They've both deviated from them on occasions, so I decided to change the wording a bit. As I said, the Ideals of the KR is nice, but if you try to apply it to every situation, then that would make you a zealot, and the ideals no more than just another set of dogma. EDIT: A leader cannot afford to trust too easily. Look at Dalinar, and what happened when he trusted Sadeas. Or in a more relatable event, not even Kaladin trust his own men when he told Sly to spy on them after they have stolen some spheres. He just want to make it appear as if he trust them completely, but he has a sound mind in his head. He knows that loyalty is a fickle, it can change as suddenly as the wind.

Honor is what you want in a friend, someone you can confine in and know that they can be trusted. A leader is someone entirely different, a person who won't let sentimentals affect his decisions and can be trusted to make the hard decisions when necessary. An honorable person cares about the one, while a true leader's ultimate priority is the whole. You don't have to like a leader, but you can trust him with the fate of the world, and still sleep soundly at night and know that there will be a tomorrow. The Ideals of the KR is noble creed and ought to be respected, but sometimes, that won't work. If you cannot sacrificed one innocent to save ten, then could you sacrifice one to save a hundred? A thousand? A million? Most people will choose to sacrifice the one for the million at least, KR or not. But what of a hundred to a thousand? A million to a billion? Here's another example. Would you sacrifice an entire army just for the slim chance that everyone on your side can survive? Or would you splinter off a thousand to hold off the enemy and buy precious time for the rest of the nine to reach safety? Know this. This is your only army. If you lose it, you lose the war. What is your decision? I don't like Amaram, but that's mainly because I know that his decision is wrong. He killed Kaladin's squad and doomed Kaladin himself to slavery to keep his thief of the shards a secret. He justify that their sacrifice will help him save the greater whole, but I know that's not true. Kaladin is a KR, which means he would be more likely to save more people than Amaram ever would, who is just a shardbearer. In fact, in WoK alone, he saved over a thousand lives, over three thousand if you count Dalinar's army. In one way or another, the truth that Amaram tried so hard to cover up will be revealed, which would render the sacrifice of Kaladin's men ultimately meaingless. Things would have likely been better if Amaram never stole the shards in the first place and accepted Kaladin's decision. I have no problem Amaram as a character. I think I am the type of person who would kill an innocent man to save ten, but Amaram here killed innocents in hopes that he would go on to save a thousand later, which I know won't happen. I also know that no matter how many people Amaram saves, Kaladin will always have him beat by a large margin. That's where all my hate comes from. You could say I have some innate prejudice against him as a reader. But if Amaram is revealed to be the true protagonist of the story and the ultimate savior of the world, if it turns out that his thief of the shards aided him to that task, then his actions would make sense and all my hate will just... disappear. My point is this, if it came down to a choice between Amaram's leadership and someone who blindly follows the ideals of KR, I'm with Amaram all the way.

I think I'm a beta reader. What are the chances they'll send me a copy just to test out this theory. I mean, I may have it within me to be the most powerful beta reader in history!

That's a really neat idea, but I really hope that won't come to pass. Mainly because I'm so tired of the man vs nature scenarios in the fantasy genre.

I doubt Amaram will blackmail Kaladin with his parents unless they are in the immediate vicinity, like if they were a part of his entourage or whatever. Even if that happens, I don't think he has it in him to do that either. Look, I hate him as much as anyone here, but I still think he's a good person with good intentions who made some bad decisions for the greater good. It's too early to tell, but there's a chance that his story could very well turn into one of redemption, that he'll be offered another choice between the moral choice or a logical one but he will stick to his conscience this time. Maybe save Dalinar or Kaladin in the process. But who knows? This is just wistful thinking on my part. Amaram could very well be just another blue-blooded douche who will be painfully killed off when he proves to be just another obstacle for our heroes. Gosh, I want t0 read the second book so much. The flashback sequence all happened five years ago. Kaladin was only in the military for four years, and I think recruitment last about four years in Amaram's army. So maybe he didn't planned to avoid his parents forever, just until enough time have passed for him to move on from Tien's death. I also don't think Amaram will use the bridgemen against him, though it would be neat to see the story come a full circle and have Kaladin kill Amaram in defense of his new comrades and vengeance for his old. I'm partly pleased to find out that his parents are alive, but because of my overactive imagination, I'm also kind of horrified. Unless they are really that bad as parents and Kaladin's flashback was a lie, there are only so many scenarios why they broke off contact with their son(s) the moment they joined the military. Hearthstone still stinks as badly as it ever did.

Since Shardblades are near weightless to their wielders, I say you can handle as many huge swords as you'd like. You're just limited by availability and preference.

If you want swords that also have a secondary function as a range damage dealer, then you can do no better than the chained blades from the God of War game series. Those are sexy.

Based on the early chapters, I would say that Kaladin have a very respectable reputation in the army. No one who knows him would believe that he is a coward. I also feel that the way Amaram dealt with Kaladin and the story he concocted was too messy. Unless he plans to off his own men too, I wouldn't be surprised if there are already rumors of the truth. That Amaram is a filthy traitor and he deserves the slave brand on Kaladin's head more than the current wearer. If so, I hope it follows him all the way to the Shattered Plains. It would be more appropriate if Dalinar found out the truth on his own, rather than from Kaladin. If Kaladin have to approach him and ask for help, then it would weaken the gesture when Dalinar provides it. It could go a long way of helping him mend his trauma. Kaladin should take back what is rightfully his. If this ends in a challenge, all the more better. Amaram is easy meat.

None. He's more machine than man. I don't think he even have a heartbeat.

It was that last line that really stuck me as weird. It implies more that they could reply to him if they wanted to, not that he cut off all contacts. They did it, and we don't know why. Kaladin likely only have to pay that much because he has to use scribes of a highlord so I don't think spheres is a factor here. His mother can read and write. At the very least, she could entrust her letter to another boy who's headed for Amaram's army and tell him to hand it to him. I hate Amaram so much for what he did to Kaladin, but I honestly don't think he's that bad. In a way, his actions made a twisted kind of sense. Amaram's last conversation with Kaladin seems to say that he was influenced into his decision by Restares. So he could very well be a good man who made the wrong choices for the right reasons. He does have a reputation as a fair and just lighteye that must have some truth to it. The few must be sacrificed for the grand lie, only he left one loose thread who'll certainly come back to bite him squarely in the rear later. He may be a lighteye, but he stole a shardblade and a shardplate. Even by Alethi standards, that's a big no-no. My guess is that this rivalry between him and Kaladin will be settled by the end of the second book. Maybe third. Haha, if Kaladin had went to Kharbranth as his father planned, he would most likely have found out what Taravangian is doing with his patients and been killed for it. I think his recruitment into the military saved his life. But I prefer the idea of a teary reunion over the one I have in mind, really.

Kaladin can't, but Dalinar certainly can. With his instatement as Highprince of War, every soldier is now his... And the possibilities makes me so giddy. I will settle for nothing less than his head on a silver platter.

Have Lirin and Hesina even tried to contact Kaladin after he joined the military? In his own PoV, I think it's implied that neither have for some time, perhaps never in his entire military career, but in his earliest flashbacks, it is obvious that they both loved him very much. In fact, before Kaladin and Tien were recruited, his mother basically told him that he didn't have to follow his father's path and choose another career if that's what made him happy. Sure, Kaladin may have disobeyed his father's wishes and disrupted his plans, but he is still as much their son as Tien is. No parent ever wants to see their kids die before them, not when your last conversation ended with bitter and angry words. So whatever the reason for their silence, Tien's death should be more than the incentive they needed to contact him, even if it's just to mourn his death together through letters. Unless they got real busy and popped out another one in the past five or six years, he is their last son. Plenty of men have joined the army and survived. He's also done very well for himself before the Amaram incident, youngest squadleader and all. There's no reason for them to completely ignore him as they did... ...Unless Tien's and Kaladin's recruitment into the military was not Roshone's final stroke. As weak as Roshone is, he is still a brightlord, a cousin to a Shardbearer. What little power he has, he can still use to inflict a lot of damage if he wanted to do so. And the loss of his only son could be the last push he needed to dish out the hurt. Kaladin have suffered so much, and it chills my bones just to think of it, but could something have happened to his parents that prevented them from something as simple as responding to their son's letters? And if so, what does this mean for Kaladin as a character? A part of me thinks that they're both alive and well, that Amaram decided to take it upon himself to protect/provide for them after the way he stabbed their son in the back, but this whole situation at Hearthstone stinks if you ask me.

So you want to turn Kaladin Stormblessed into Illidan Stormrage? As cool as that sounds, I don't think Blizzard will just sit back and not file a lawsuit or two. Anyways, back to the main topic... If the blades each needs to be separately summoned, then I think only the one that's knocked out of the hand will disappear. But yeah... I really love the "one shard, two blade" idea or just some variety in general. Roshar is a huge world. Not everyone have the required skills to use a sword. Some may not have even seen a sword before. If the KR are all restricted to use swords alone, then they'll encounter the same problem as the Jedi from Star Wars(some species don't even have fingers!).

Hey, you just gave me a thought. I don't remember the book saying anywhere that Tarah's a young lady around Kaladin's age. I mean, coaxed can have a different meaning here. She could very well just be some old lady who became the maternal figure in his life after his parents stop talking to him. Tarah: Feeling down? I baked you some cookies. Now don't eat it all at once. You'll get fat! Yeah, who knows? It could happen!

To be honest, I'm kind of fine with any romance with Kaladin, really... Provided that his main love interest doesn't suddenly become completely obsessed over some other stupid villain that the author introduced in the final book, side against him despite everything they've been through, and render the past TWELVE books worth of emotional investment completely wort... *Cough* Sorry about that. Fresh off another series. Still fuming over the way it ended. So yeah, Kaladin has a lot of potential. BS can really do whatever he likes with his romance... He could even throw Laral back in the mix and give him a little spice to shake up his life. If he could do it well, I'm all for it.

Knowing Kaladin's luck, she's probably some gorgeous woman who's married to some fart old enough to be her grandpa.

Any idea what the "NO. I WILL NOT ACCEPT THIS" is referring to? Five bucks say Dalinar dies.