About the ending... ( SPOILER)

[Unhinged]

Keep in mind, this is the same author of the Mistborn series. Characters will die. It's just going to take ten books to do it.

 

Agreed Brandon has stated that we're most likely going to get a book that has POV/flashbacks for a dead character although we don't know who. I doubt that we'll see as many deaths per book as in Mistborn. But we are going to see some, for now I think he's lulling us into a false sense of security with these resurrections/regeneration's. I would guess that we'll see our first death of a major character soon.

[Moogle]

Agreed Brandon has stated that we're most likely going to get a book that has POV/flashbacks for a dead character although we don't know who.

 

He's never said it would be likely, only that he could do it:

QUESTION

Are we going to find out in here, why Szeth and what the Truthless are all about?

BRANDON SANDERSON

That, you will have to wait for his flashback sequences in a future book. Each character gets a set of flashback sequences. I'm not going to promise that the characters live to the book where their flashback sequences are. You might have a character die and then get their flashbacks the next book to get more information on them. This will be Shallan's flashback, then the next book will be Szeth's flashback, then Eshonai, then Dalinar.

(source)

Edited November 28, 2014 by Ookla the Infinite

[Ickarium]

I didn't have a problem with most of the deaths, myself.  As others have said, with Jasnah: wait, we know that Stormlight heals tons of stuff, and we didn't find the body?  Of COURSE she was coming back.  As for Syl, much the same.  She's a concept.  Concepts don't die entirely, they can come back.  Eshonai ... well, we don't know for sure she's alive, but she fell off the chasm in Stormform.  It isn't exactly like a Windrunner, but I bet she can at least cushion her fall, and she's very tough in that form if not as tough as in Warform.

Now, Szeth annoyed me a bit, though I admit part of the reason is I absolutely -loathe- Szeth and thus will probably have issues with the next book.  But his return wasn't as foreshadowed or hinted at as the others.  Even if it was a Regrowth Fabrial.

[Lord Tavash Shar]

I'm remembering a WoB on the subject of Kaladin Killing Szeth that he actually wrote it and realized that he could not permanently remove szeth due to needing him for the rest of the story.

 

So there was a little Deus Ex Machina there to adjust everything back on track. (Once I find the quote I'm referring to I'll edit/link it in.)

For the rest I never thought Jasna was dead and thought Shallan's failure to recognise that after having become more familiar with her powers was odd. 

[Moogle]

I'm remembering a WoB on the subject of Kaladin Killing Szeth that he actually wrote it and realized that he could not permanently remove szeth due to needing him for the rest of the story.

 

So there was a little Deus Ex Machina there to adjust everything back on track. (Once I find the quote I'm referring to I'll edit/link it in.)

For the rest I never thought Jasna was dead and thought Shallan's failure to recognise that after having become more familiar with her powers was odd.

 

The only WoB I know of only says Brandon wishes he had left Szeth alive, not that he had left him dead:

Q:  What was the tweak you wanted to put in the end?

A:  At the end of the day, I kind of wish that I had had Kaladin decide not to kill Szeth.  But him killing Szeth is what the outline calls for and it's going to send the book in some interesting ways but I kinda wish I hand't done that.  Forcing him to live with what he'd done instead.  Taking his blade and forcing him to live with what he'd done, I'd kind of wish that's what I'd done.

(source)

[gjustice99]

I was never convinced she was dead. Same with Syl and Eshonai.  The only return to life in the book that really surprised me was Szeth.  Personally, I feel like four comic book deaths in one book is a little much, especially since the only real deaths (of named characters who weren't bad guys) were an interlude character, a bridgeman, and Adolin's horse.  However, there was so much awesomeness in that book that I am totally willing to overlook it.  

You forgot Sadeas in the actually dead characters

[Zas678]

Well, we'll see on that one. Let's see how the consequences come out. That attack was done really quickly, and there's time to do healing and then accusing , or to have him die and a mystery and thus ensuing guilt, or a myriad of things. We'll see how dead he stays.

[DanTheSeamonster]

I liked Jasnah's character, so I was pretty happy when she came back. I wasn't really sure she would come back, but I did not mind the resurrection.

 

As for Syl.....I just had a gut feeling that she wasn't dead. I just knew it, I'm sure most of you have been in that situation before.

 

I really liked Szeth during WoK, but I found him more and more annoying as WoR went on. So I was happy when he died, like, actually really happy. When he was brought back to life I was honestly disappointed. I mean we're already 2200 pages into the story and we haven't had a single MC death! *sigh* 

 

And finally, Eshonai was the same as Szeth for me, but on a lesser scale. *SPOILER* After she changes into Stormform she becomes a real jerk. I honestly don't care if she stays dead or not.  

[Ickarium]

I think that was the point, with the whole 'screaming inside her' thing going on.  When she went Stormform, the 'real' Eshonai became a victim, trapped her own body as something 'else' controls it, something that is like her, but not her.  Much like say, a Whedon-esque vampire except the victim is actually still around inside.  Really horrific.  I kind of felt sorry for her.

 

I didn't, however, with Szeth.  While he got a raw deal, unlike Eshonai he /chose/.  Yes, his culture said he had to follow the orders, but everyone has free will.  There was no more than natural mind control going on.  He chose to hide behind his culture and commit atrocities.  Like Kaladin said.  Szeth was simply a coward.

[Blaze1616]

I didn't, however, with Szeth.  While he got a raw deal, unlike Eshonai he /chose/.  Yes, his culture said he had to follow the orders, but everyone has free will.  There was no more than natural mind control going on.  He chose to hide behind his culture and commit atrocities.  Like Kaladin said.  Szeth was simply a coward.

 

I think you're being a little harsh. We do not currently know the types of cultural pressures that the Shin place on Truthless. It being a cultural issue, I do not think any of us Earthlings, having grown up in human society, will ever truly understand Szeth's "willingness" to oblige the controller of his stone. I'm sure there are practices in different human cultures that you do not understand either. I'm not saying you should agree with Szeth's obedience, nor am I saying you should not be appalled at his actions because of it, but I do think it's unfair to label him as Kaladin does, making such quick judgement without fully understanding the situation.

[vietnamabc]

So Szeth will be the new TenSoon? Raised in the society that indoctrinate its people to follow blindly, secluded from t but ultimahe worldtely those policies will be their undoing?

[Carcinios]

Personally I thought both Jasnah and Szeth were dead and was pleased to discover that neither of them were. Syl I was afraid was dead but had a feeling she would come back. Again I was extremely pleased that she returned.

 

Given that WOR was the second book of a 5 book arc in a 10 book series I think it is a positive sign that we aren't losing characters early on. It means that Brandon has chosen his main characters with care and they all have stories to tell that they need to be alive for. Killing them at this point would only really serve for shock value which has been done to death with GOT and is no longer very shocking.

 

I remember one Writing Excuses episode where they talked about making stakes higher than just whether the character lives or dies. WOR has at least four characters who are walking a fine line between light and darkness and any of them could fall. All of them are highly significant to the way the plot develops so I am happy that they haven't been killed of so we can feel a moment of sadness.

[AerionBFII]

I love Jasnah, im glad she came back!

I still think she has a lot to offer to the series  

[vicsmith1412]

Personally I thought both Jasnah and Szeth were dead and was pleased to discover that neither of them were. Syl I was afraid was dead but had a feeling she would come back. Again I was extremely pleased that she returned.

 

Given that WOR was the second book of a 5 book arc in a 10 book series I think it is a positive sign that we aren't losing characters early on. It means that Brandon has chosen his main characters with care and they all have stories to tell that they need to be alive for. Killing them at this point would only really serve for shock value which has been done to death with GOT and is no longer very shocking.

 

I remember one Writing Excuses episode where they talked about making stakes higher than just whether the character lives or dies. WOR has at least four characters who are walking a fine line between light and darkness and any of them could fall. All of them are highly significant to the way the plot develops so I am happy that they haven't been killed of so we can feel a moment of sadness.

 

Like a lot of people, I thought Jasnah and Syl were alive but didn't quite expect Szeth. It was suspect that his body was just left there, but then I didn't like him much either. While I understand cultural pressures, I'm also the type of person who just hates that excuse for someone doing awful things.

 

You have some fantastic points, though. We've seen a lot of side character death in the series already, and at this point, with the series as long as it is, killing off a main character would almost amount to them losing their status as a main character. With the amount of characters in each book, killing one off would leave the death feeling slightly like it's cut a story in half. I do love GoT, but honestly it's way too much for me, and having a series where killing off main characters isn't the main way to provide shock or make character's lives awful is nice. It means we get to explore them, not wait for their inevitable loss.

[Left]

I thought that Szeths death and revival was a little cheap, but it didn't bother me too much. I would have preferred if he hasn't died at all really. Jasnah and Syl were fine as well. Eshonai....I want her to be dead really. I don't really like the idea of her getting a redemption story arc, and so far she doesn't make a very interesting villain either in my opinion.

[soulcastJam]

Personally I will shocked if Eshonai is dead. She fell in full shard plate and we've already seen someone dive headfirst into the ground and sustain no injury. With the increased height I wouldn't be surprised if she was injured or disoriented, but dead seems unlikely to me.

[CabbageHead]

Eshonai....I want her to be dead really. I don't really like the idea of her getting a redemption story arc, and so far she doesn't make a very interesting villain either in my opinion.

 

 

I don't think she makes a great villain either, but I do like the idea of a redemption story. She has always (until being voidified) striven for the protection of her people. And if she does survives and somehow gain a bond with a non-voidish intelligent spren, we may see the revival of the Dawnsingers.

[Left]

I'd personally prefer her staying evil at this point in the game so that we at least have a familiar pov for void binding. I'm really rooting for Rlain to become the Listener radiant, I'm a huge fan of his.

[EvilNuff]

I'd personally prefer her staying evil at this point in the game so that we at least have a familiar pov for void binding. I'm really rooting for Rlain to become the Listener radiant, I'm a huge fan of his.

 

I do not believe Listeners can or will become Radiants.  My personal speculation is that spren bonding with humans, forming the Radiants allowed Odium to bond void spren with Listeners and form more varieties of Voidbringers.  I believe the recreance was the Knights intentionally breaking their oaths, with their spren in agreement, in order to stop Odium's voidbringers from being as powerful/numerous.  Incidentally I also would not be surprised if 1 of the 10 orders kept their oaths (in Shinovar perhaps?) and that is what allowed the Listeners to retain the ability to bond to spren for the forms they did have, albeit in reduced numbers.

 

Just speculation on my part of course.

[The Honor Spren]

I don't think she makes a great villain either, but I do like the idea of a redemption story. She has always (until being voidified) striven for the protection of her people. And if she does survives and somehow gain a bond with a non-voidish intelligent spren, we may see the revival of the Dawnsingers.

Pretty much ditto, what CabbageHead said.

Eshonai wasn't a great villain, but she was a great character. When I read her POVs, she felt real to me. I would love to see her come back, if she wasn't Odiumized any more.

[Unhinged]

I do not believe Listeners can or will become Radiants. 

 

There's a WOB that confirms that it is possible but it's not something that the spren have been willing to do also there's this.

 

"But it is not impossible to blend Their surges to ours in then end. It has been promised and it can come. Or do we understand the sum? We question not if they can have us then, But if we dare to have them again".WOR chapter 33

 

Also if anyone hasn't heard yet brandon released an updated version of WOR. As I understand it for the most part it was mostly just to fix a bunch of spelling errors but it also contained a revised version of Kaladin's and Szeth's fight. 

 

http://www.17thshard.com/forum/topic/30233-changed-scene-at-the-end-of-words-of-radiance/

Edited July 28, 2015 by Unhinged

[maxal]

Personally I will shocked if Eshonai is dead. She fell in full shard plate and we've already seen someone dive headfirst into the ground and sustain no injury. With the increased height I wouldn't be surprised if she was injured or disoriented, but dead seems unlikely to me.

 

Considering the fact Eshonai never wanted to be villain and was framed to agree to be possesed by an evil entity, I would not call her potential story arc, a redemption arc. 

 

She wanted to make peace with the Kholins, not further antagonise them. I would not call her evil or a villain: it was not her choice.

[ParadoxicalZen]

I do not believe Listeners can or will become Radiants.  My personal speculation is that spren bonding with humans, forming the Radiants allowed Odium to bond void spren with Listeners and form more varieties of Voidbringers.  I believe the recreance was the Knights intentionally breaking their oaths, with their spren in agreement, in order to stop Odium's voidbringers from being as powerful/numerous.  Incidentally I also would not be surprised if 1 of the 10 orders kept their oaths (in Shinovar perhaps?) and that is what allowed the Listeners to retain the ability to bond to spren for the forms they did have, albeit in reduced numbers.

 

Just speculation on my part of course.

 

My thoughts exactly, although perhaps for different reasons than those stated. This just niggles at me so much

[Stormsinger]

I don't believe Eshonai should be killed off. She has a whole story and still more to be told! I mean, she's part of the Council of Five! We should get a little bit more background on here, and anyway we will be with a focusing flashback on her in the future instalments.

But I also believe that Jasnah dying would be a pretty good twist. It would lead to the point where, all that Shallan had been trained for and informed on by and with Jasnah, she would need to get along with the happenings of Roshar, which would be awesome.

[Carcinios]

Plots become tropes too easily these days. Two authors doing something similar shouldn't make that idea a trope when compared with certain plots which have used literally hundreds of times. I offer the comparison of two books have character arcs which involve disability (not a trope) And the plot which involves an orphan farm boy becoming king/hero (very much a trope)

 

If fantasy heroes are there to inspire people then it makes sense that they come from every walk of life. I think there is a lot of potential is exploring heroism through disability and I would in fact like to see it go beyond the loss of hand and explore even more extensive injuries. That said I don't mind Kaladin healing himself in this case. His character has been set up with a different burden, that of trust.