Aleksiel

That he did, but the idea here is that this Taln in both end of WoK and WoR may not be the original Herald.

I agree with what you say about Eshonai and I'd like to add the fact Parshendi started the war trying to stop their gods from returning only to summon them in the end on their own. It was both ironic and unsettling. Something about it feels off, but I can't quite figure a way to put it into a coherent sentence. How did Venli find the kind of spren they used anyway and why didn't anyone bother to ask her any questions about these spren? Was it never explained or did I miss it?

Perhaps a better question would be if Taln really died as Jezrien told Kalak. Though there's WoB the Heralds would know a Desolations is upon because of his return, so probably Taln did die and return, but there's something even that long ago, I'm sure of it. Brandon have said it was indeed strange that in a such a terrible battle as Kalak described it only one Herald has dies. Perhaps someone can ask Brandon is something different (than in other cases he died) happened to Taln when he died in the previous Desolation.

I don't think the Skybreaker under Nin's command are actual surgebinders. Remember he is convinced they bring Desolation upon Roshar and is determined to find a crime in each surgebinders' past to execute them for.

From Truthless to Lifeless? Well, that'd be unlucky.

Mm, I strongly disagree with you here. Parshendi are an entirely different species with black/white and red skin, so there's nothing racist here be definition. If you are looking for dark-skinned peoples, I suggest you consider Azish, Emuli and Makabaki rather than look at another species. I am not sure who you refer to as 'Aryan'. Alethi just don't have the physical traits for this. Do you mean the Knights Radiant? Their skin color doesn't change; they start to glow when they infuse themselves, which is very different. Glowing=/=white. If you consider pale eye color racist, I think you are taking it too far. Kaladin has problem with (those who abuse) authority even though he still hasn't realized it and mistakes it for a matter of eye color. What's more, eye color sets different classes within the same ethnicity, so the issue is no way race orientated.

I agree with you. I myself felt at first that my expectations weren't met, but then I paused to think about Kal and realized how easily I had ignored all the pain he suppressed to try and lead Bridge Four to salvation. I suppose if Brandon had spend some time at the end of WoK to show more about Kal's inner struggle and fears starting anew, this wouldn't have happened. At first I had problem with Shallan as well. In WoK she seemed so naive and annoying that her quick growth and ability to fool the Ghostbloods felt forced. I suppose I should have given her more credit considering how well she'd done with getting to be Jasnah's ward, then stealing her fabrial considering she's never stepped outside home or controlled environment. Yet my expectations of her were different and I had to rethink her story in WoK to really make sense of her in WoR. In a way, this was a challenge to the readers: how well do you know this character and how realistic are your expectations.

Wow, this is really great! Szeth's is amazing, Taravangian's is my next favorite, then Kal. Perhaps change it to 'healed to train and protect' if you want to change anything that is.

Ah, Damnation! Both possibilities are so tempting... But if his Blade turns out to be... uh ok, not a highspren since highspren won't be happy with him killing Sadeas, but plot twist - honorspren! How do you like it now

Elhokar! Oh, wait, wrong series...

B-b-but, he can't change Blades like he changes girls! I believe he can be faithful! I believe in him. In fact I see it as an Ideal, an Oath to his Blade. Thus, it will be awakened (undie?) and they can happily kill together all Desolation long. A beautiful love story.

I don't think Honor would have needed to look for someone who was already immortal. The Heralds are immortal because of the high levels of investiture involved with them. I agree they might not be native to Roshar though.

B-b-but, Adolin and his Blade have something special! Windrunners, as far as I understood it, worked in groups made of one KR and his squires. The Honorblade won't make Adolin a squire, so it doesn't qualify in that matter. Hm, he didn't, but I believe the question implied it was about the Radiants of the past.

I should have used it as a verb instead of bother writing 'telling' after it

Ivory didn't even want to be mentioned, let alone seen. Running away from Syl hardly proves much. Unless we made some wild assumptions that it was foreshadowed they were stormspren by Adoling telling Kal he had a face that could scare away a storm. Joke aside, Elhokar's description was similar to Jasnah's experience in the prologue and SHallans drawings in WoK, so I'd say he was seeing the third shadesmar-ish spren - that of the Willshapers. Imo, Elhokar made a step back in WoR, so that might be part of the reason the spren disappeared; he just went further away from being a potential surgebinder and the spren withdrew. Or just shied away from Syl.

Mm, interesting. The death rattles were daid to have started around the time Gavilar made it to the Shattered Plains where he met the Parshendi, who killed him because he was trying to bring back their gods, so you might be right in saying the Unmade are related to voidspren. Though I don't see prove of the Unmade bringing back to Roshar voidspren. How did Eshonai sister provide those stormspren for her transformation? It could be related.

I think Pattern just made a good insult rather than reviled voidspren are seen in the mirror.

Mm, I think I might see where you are going with this, but I still don't find any contradictions here. Kal had a problem with his conscience, thus a problem with his bond appeared. Later on Kal refused to listen to his conscience and silenced it, which resulted in Syl's death/return to Shadesmar. That, and he broke his promise/second Ideal to protect by agreeing Elhokar to be assassinated. He conscientiously betrayed his oath, though Syl was still around for a while. That being said I still do not understand how exactly Kaladin killed her when he was trying to protect Dalinar and instead fell into the chasms, so there's more to this. I've read speculations it was due to him inhaling stormlight, but I'm not convinced. It was a moment he was acting according to his ideals, so it seems reasonable that he'd be able to surgebind, but that was not the case. Syl was kind of dying ever since Kaladin's first conversation with Moash about the king and in all honesty he violated his oaths by doing nothing more than getting a promise out of Moash to not try anything again. Still, this doesn't explain why in the moment on the bridge (the assassination attempt on Dalinar) when Kal was upholding his oaths the bond didn't fix itself and instead was the end of Syl. There are many unclear things to the nature of the bond for now.

Oh, thanks! Hm, I'm sure one of the Heralds had such a change in the name to make it more symetric. Chana may be? Or perhaps I'm confusing them with Nohadon.

Yeah, Kaladin has seasonal depression and Elhokar put him in prison with no windows away from light and storms for three weeks. It's impressive Kal didn't kill him himself. Edit: Now, I get what you're saying. But Kal was doing great at the beginning. He even confided with Dalinar about Amaram. But Dalinar seemed so indifferent, he didn't show Kal he was actually doing anything to really investigate Amaram. Storm it, he made him a KR! Of course Kaladin lost it. Still, he dealt with it in impressive manner. I was afraid he'd go for vengeance, instead all Kal wanted was justice and he tried to get it in the way he saw - challenging him to a duel. What more can you possible want from him?

Tarah is the mysterious woman Kaladin has thought about on several occasions in both WoK and WoR. They had some sort of relationship (he thinks how since Tarah he hasn't help a woman as close as he held Shallan during the highstorm in the chasms); they get close after Tien's death when he's exhausting himself training non-stop, but he fails her in a way that's different from his other failures, but is never described. It's speculated they had a romantic relationship for obvious reasons.

You've never been depressed I assume? One just can't be rational at such time. I find it refreshing to have this realism in Kal's story arc, but of course you have your own preferences. I thought it was nice to see someone dealing with serious inner issues and only conflicts from outside, even though I pulled my hair in frustration at times, but I enjoyed it anyway. 'So, he Elhokar put me in prison like any lighteyes I've ever hated would have done, he's the reason for my family's misfortunes, he didn't even stop to think I might have been right in my accusations, instead he almost executed me on a whim. But I have two blankets and my chamber pot is changed regularly, so I got this going on for me which is nice. So, I'm gonna protect him from my almost only friend who's been with me through Damnation itself.' Better?

You are right and I remember this, but one gets chosen to be highprince (unless there is an heir, but Davar's highprince had only a bastard son who can't really inherit anything), whereas the title of the king is passed down.

I totally agree, he's most likely In another thread Peter wrote that Brandon wanted even that 'Shshsh' printed in the lightest grey possible, almost unreadable. So I wonder if it's significant Dalinar hears even this much. Because, you know, it could have been just blank space every time someone mentioned his wife. I think all we know about her is that Adolin inherited his Plate from her side (but no talk about grandparents), she had blond hair (both her sons have blond locks), wasn't very clever (according to Navani, but she could be just holding a grudge) and died ten years ago. I'd say she wasn't killed, else it would have been mentioned, so either illness or accident. So far nothing that makes her seem important apart from marring a highprince. Is there anything else about her that I'm missing? And is the sound 'shshshs' really significant? I still don't think it indicates Shalash was Dalinar's wife, because that's her holy name; made up to be symmetric, but not her real one (not sure if really a spoiler, but tagging it anyway)

How does Valam being the highprince of house Davar house give Shallan's family any claim to the throne? Shallan is not blood related to him.