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This is my reaction blog for Wind and Truth. Beware of spoilers! Index post here. Title: Stuko Stem Um, why are we using those chess terms again when this is a Szeth chapter? Is there some analogy to the tactics being used in Azimir? Does Szeth play Towers? Icons: Tanat, Vav I’m really not sure. Maybe their inverses of not-dependable and not-healing will match the decline and moral abdication of the stone shamans? Very wild guess here. Epigraph: Sleepless say that the Heralds are rejected by their blades, which does in fact lend credence to the idea of new people being chosen to take up those blades in the future. The training camp is abandoned. Even more ominous than the empty homestead. I’m with Kaladin, though. “How does your society even function?” If all the people who perform violence are disaffected with society… well, I guess having eight(?) of the honorblades to ride herd on the mundane soldiers would allow for some very skewed power dynamics. The state would still have a monopoly on force in that case. Szeth does make a good point that the role of Shin soldiers is functionally the same as the Radiants (or as soldiers in any non-Alethi society) in terms of their contributions to the collective and the sacrifice required. Except, of course, for the fact that Shinovar ostracizes those people and constantly tells them to hate themselves. There are people here, they’re just hiding in the dark and silence because they are afraid of the GROUND EATING THEM? What!? That’s a very bad sign. And of course all the soldiers followed an Unmade’s voice north (or another primordial spren, counterpart to Wind, I expect). Um, can I please get a different voice actor? This sounds like Emperor Palpatine to me. Szeth’s response of “no, I definitely shouldn’t listen to Kaladin when he tells me not to slaughter hundreds of people” is eminently concerning. What is up with the Skybreakers and highspren? I wouldn’t have thought a lack of wind mattered at all, except with the primordial Wind speaking to Kaladin, it’s suddenly a very big red flag to have it excluded from a place it ought to naturally be. Okay, square this circle for me, because the ostracization of Shin soldiers makes even less sense now. Your society is tasked by the Heralds with the hidden secret truth that the apocalypse is coming, and on that day your people will be the ones who must fight and stand in the way of the destruction of the world. You must train and preserve traditions to this end. As such, you promptly…decide that violence is anathema and anyone who participates in it is a blasphemer. I’m sorry, what was that? I couldn’t hear you over the sound of complete and utter nonsense that just assaulted my ears. The title of Truthless for Szeth when he was cast out does take on a new connotation, if the Truth he was rejecting was the Truth of the Heralds about the enemy still being around. Except that Szeth told us the opposite in the previous books. He said he was vindicated by the Everstorm and the singers, so what the heck is even going on with this belief system? Fights to the death to claim an Honorblade in single combat… this is so weird. I can see hints of a logic but I’m going to need a lot more explanations. — Okay, so we’re into the more exciting section where we start alternating viewpoints. Being back with Adolin again, that means the chapter title does still refer to the battle tactics. Let’s see how badly this goes. Direform are about what I expected–big strong berserkers. I wonder what spren is involved? Good on the Azish troops for holding out! Adolin again showcases his mastery of the sword, and there’s a good bit of fighting and tactics. Important notes: Dousing Heavenly Ones with burning oil is a viable approach, and the archers could pull it off. Not all of the Fused are advertising their presence, and the combination of Adolin’s instincts and Maya’s attention is good at warning him of the danger. Maya can shapeshift!!! Not a ton yet, but she lengthened beyond her usual dimensions, and I expect her continued recovery will expand that ability even more. And now there’s a Fused out for revenge. I don’t remember him wounding this one, but I’m sure it wasn’t fun to be on the other end of his sword.

This is my reaction blog for Wind and Truth. Beware of spoilers! Index post here. Title: Between Two Realms Something funky is going to happen with the oathgate, or we’re going to get a metaphor for the no-man’s land that develops between the besieged armies. Icons: Chana and Jez Destruction and death, I’m betting, and Adolin is still trying to be in charge. Oh, I’m hoping that Chana isn’t here for her Spark essence, because that would mean they light the fires way too early. It’s actually more likely that she’s here for bravery, because my “Dustbringer/Releasers=Destruction” association is just from me, no the Alethi symbology. Epigraph: First of all, the Sleepless have again made mention of foretelling the future. That’s significant for a bunch of reasons. How are they doing so? Is it an aspect of a Shard or of their innate physiology and attunement to perception and thought across vast distances, which could mean they also dip into all three realms? Is that related to the Vorin taboo against telling/guessing/betting on the future? Second, if this is going to be the final confrontation of Honor and Odium, it feels pretty clear that Honor is going to lose the fight. We’ve got five whole books left, after all. Huh. Adolin thinking too much about a scar made it permanent in his spiritweb. It makes sense, but that’s a pretty short time period to own something like that. Hmm. Is Truthwatching making people nervous because of Renarin’s weirdness? Or because of the future sight taboo? Or something else? May (the ex not-quite-a-girlfriend) is flabbergasted at how much everyone likes Adolin and how his friendliness boosts morale, loyalty, and discipline. It’s cute in some ways, especially to see how much Adolin truly has the power of friendship (i.e. real Edgedance potential), but on the other hand, why were you dating him if you don’t appreciate that aspect of his personality? Okay, stupid question. He’s rich, heir to a powerful family, and a famously good fighter. There’s lots to recommend him. But still, glad he ended up with Shallan instead. May’s excitement to get armored up and start shooting things, and the glee of being in command of an archer squad, is also quite adorable. Adolin’s charisma continues to shine. Complimenting the women, remembering their names, giving them trust, and arranging to smooth out the chain of command. Good work, young Kholin. It’s intriguing to continue seeing the sharp divide between men’s and women’s roles in Alethi society, but have them so closely intertwined on the battlefield. Definitely a kingdom of warriors. Maya can see both sides at once and report on it to Adolin? That’s particularly convenient in this specific situation. It’s probably got good utility regardless, but when the enemy is invading from Shadesmar and staging their force there, it is absolutely a benefit. Maya reports that Adolin’s (dead) plate missed him and are perhaps somewhat bonded to him. I didn’t really expect them to have survived with enough identity to be revived even to that small degree. And Maya calls Adolin out on his need to be independent from Dalinar in his successes. She continues to be way chattier than I anticipated, and I love it. So the voidspren serving as scouts is a general tactic now. Hate it when the enemey is competent. This is going to go poorly for the Azish allies.

This is my reaction blog for Wind and Truth. Beware of spoilers! Index post here. Title: Those Who Subtract Szeth meets the raiders and their consequences, and likely has low self esteem. Icons: Ishar and Shash With the raider attack, this has got to be the blood and sinew essences. Not a good sign. Yeah, finding the heathen stonewalkers sitting on a stone and by the rock that your family semi-blasphemously moved is not going to make you immediately discount the idea of retributive fate. They’re eating Molli! Oh no! Good continuity that Szeth primarily notices the metal they carry: armor studs, steel helmets and swords. But I’m just as surprised as he is that they are Shin rather than Easterners. Oh, wait, he’s right? They’re actually the local guards and just behaving badly? I’m not sure I believe it yet, but it’s a valid possibility and arguably a more impactful experience to have for his growing worldview. Okay, first, props to Szeth for being brave (foolhardy) enough to speak up and argue with these soldiers. That takes a lot for a kid. Second, this whole “those who subtract” thing is way more broad in scope than I expected. Soldiers are responsible not only for fighting people but also for butchering animals and turning trees into lumber? That’s a wide range of skills and responsibilities, and a very liberal interpretation of what’s destructive when, as the soldier says, those very materials are immediately used to sustain life and construct buildings. It can’t possibly be an effect of Cultivation’s intent, since we know she has Ruinous aspects to her cycle of growth, so this is a uniquely Shin cultural idea. I’m waiting for some indication of how this actually allows society to function if they actively denigrate those tasks. How is harvesting crops different, I wonder? Uh oh. Who is speaking to “Sunken Eyes”? Is this an Unmade? A lowlier spren? Another Odious influence? Something else entirely? Nothing at all and he’s just got intrusively violent thoughts? Sure sounds like an outside influence. Hold up, Szeth almost bashed the guy’s head in with a rock? Specifically, a holy rock that he miraculously/unfortunately discovered? Eesh, that would have left a huge complex. “He would not do so today.” Trauma averted for… probably not very long, but good job resisting. Oops, spoke too soon. He’s getting attacked now and the red eyes mean there’s definitely some bad mojo going on. Ouch. So he kills a guy in self defence using a stone, he immediately hears a voice in his mind. I’m starting to think there’s more to the stone-spren connection than I credited before. But more importantly, I’m starting to think that the oathstone Szeth has been carrying around for years might be the murder weapon from that night, which would be all kinds of messed up. He certainly comes by his issues honestly.

This is my reaction blog for Wind and Truth. Beware of spoilers! Index post here. Title: People Who Build Well, that sounds like a culture clash explanation for Kaladin is incoming… except no, this is an Adolin chapter, not a Team Shinovar one. Do the Azish have anything like that? Or is Adolin just going to be musing about the construction of his newest battleground? I’m probably speculating way too much. Icons: Jez and Kak Kak for resolute defense, and possibly for the metal essence when they’ll be fighting under the giant brass dome? Jez for leading, since Adolin is going to be commanding the defence…sort of, except under the primary leadership of the Azish bureaucracy and local generals, so that’s probably a point of friction as well. Epigraph: What do you mean “impending events” in Iri? We know about the “plague” (which honestly remains a very disappointing WoB that it’s just the common cold not something more serious to live up to the ominous hints throughout the series so far), and that’s more of a past/current event than something that could be considered impending. Oh wait, was that limited to the Purelake? I had in mind that it was more widespread, but Iri is potentially further afield than the epidemic would have reached yet. Do we know of anything happening in Iri? I vaguely recall some deaths among noble families, but I could be misremembering. Sounds like something to pay attention to going forward. Regardless, “The age of transitions” sounds more encompassing than just a shift in what the Sleepless are up to. Nice to see Adolin being all diplomatic, and also kind of funny to recognize the culture clash even as he tries to be accommodating. Also, it still gets to me sometimes that Emperor Yanagawn is Gawx, the random thief kid who the Azish bureaucracy installed since nobody else wanted to be assassinated. He continues to exceed expectations for everyone involved. Turning everything into bronze is definitely a tactic I hadn’t thought of, even if it turns out to be nonviable. The enemy can soulcast too, though, right? How useful is this dome actually going to be? Battlefield control against Fused has got to be difficult. The Connection-based translation spell is doing a good job. I’d honestly forgotten that Dalinar put it in place. Maya’s still being talkative. I love it! Oh, I thought that Stems business was an Azish bureaucratic speech that Adolin had clued into via the Connection magic. Turns out it was chess openings. That’s neat, especially that it’s a continent-spanning game not just a local tradition. But at the same time shouting at the Emperor for not knowing how to play chess when he’s been cramming everything else about leadership is not the smoothest move, mister diplomat. Even if Yanagawn approves. Oh, Adolin. Your fashion obsession is adorable. Yes, of course everything admirable about you in this moment is down to the cape. Colot, rejected by the honorspren. Ouch. I wonder how that impacts his chances for a different order? Hanging out with Adolin could give him more opportunities, I suppose. (Maya might put in a good word for him?) Oh, Adolin’s ex is going to be his battle scribe. That won’t be awkward at all. “We never dated. Unless you ask her.” Yeah, that’s not a good sign, dude. I still ship you with Shallan of course, but it makes you sound like a bit of a playboy jerk. Regals in stormform and direform. Have we noted the latter yet? I don’t remember. Certainly doesn’t sound promising. Good news: May Aladar is being professional and nearly friendly about this, and is happy to contribute. Bad news: Maya is being judgy and Adolin just admitted to dating every young noblewoman at the Shattered Plains. Good news: their banter is great, and Maya is in a good mood. What is Adolin’s secret anti-thunderclast weapon? I ask because Chekhov needs to know what just got put up on his wall. And I am ever so excited to see whatever it is in action! I also note that horses were used to pull the cart it’s in. I wonder if that’s a common thing in the military, since Chull are so slow? I expect only high-priority carts get that sort of extravagance. I didn’t realize that all of Adolin’s troops were irregulars–either reactivated retirees or other veterans who haven’t seen combat in a while. That’s going to make things a bit trickier, not to mention the lack of Shards. Huh. There’s the title drop and it’s from Highprince Aladar being proud of Alethkar’s direction under Dalinar who is building alliances rather than perpetuating infighting. That’s not at all what I expected.

Removed

This is my reaction blog for Wind and Truth. Beware of spoilers! Index post here. NOTE: Okay I think it's pretty telling that I stopped for months after I got to a Szeth flashback chapter, and then didn't find the motivation to pick it up again. Which is sad because prior to picking up this book I was really looking forward to getting his backstory and learning about the Shin society in particular. Unfortunately I'm really not feeling it. Hopefully I'll get over that. Also despite successfully avoiding nearly all spoilers in the many months it's been since the book came out, I have heard several complaints about Kaladin and Szeth’s arcs in particular. As I'm not super enthusiastic about them at the moment, that lack of a sense of something to look forward to in this aspect of the story is impacting my eagerness to read. With that said, I recently reread a particular fanfiction* that got me excited about the cosmere again so I'm hoping that I last a little longer in finding time to make it through wind and Truth and to continue making these blog posts. Alright, on with the chapter. Chapter 36 Title: Correct Answers Icons: Betab and Ishar – heralds of wisdom and piety, or maybe guidance in the case of Ishar I remain confused about the geology of Roshar, and especially Shinovar. It makes very little sense to me that small stones and pebbles would be lacking lower down on the slopes of the mountains while being present up above. Even lacking the highstorms, normal weather patterns and rain ought to cause small rocks like that to make their way downhill. Szeth is remarkably self-aware for a young child, to realize that he wanted to be put to work. I will say I'd practically forgotten about the rarity of metal on the planet. The lack of knives is a good reminder of its value and scarcity. I kind of like the way that The Farmer is capitalized as a reminder of hierarchy in Shin culture. Normally, The Cook is also capitalized. I'll keep my eyes out for more positions with apparent honorifics. The measuring ladle is a fun idea. Having a multipurpose tool like that to handle each specific recipe adds some interesting color to the world. Oh, but actually cooking is a matter of taste. Surprise. Understandable how a child like that could be shocked at altering the recipe. “Colors-nimi” feels a little too much of a direct translation. Like, if someone were to belabor the specific character meanings of a name or title translated from Chinese into English. It would serve to make it feel foreign and exotic, rather than convey the feel of the address. Contrast it with Brightness from the Vorin speakers. I could see “Colors-nimi” being used when an outsider to Shinovar is the POV character, but when it’s a native speaker of the language… I don’t know. I'm probably being hypercritical. The Farmer criticizing the extra pepper is the perfect outro to that semi-philosophical conversation. Made me laugh. Molli the sheep is missing! Oh no! The question is, will Szeth run off on his own to look for her, leaving him away from his village when the raiders attack, or will the favorite sheep die? (I mean, both is always an option, but that feels a little like overkill at this point. It's not like the rest of his life is lacking in trauma.) Ah, yup. He's looking for the sheep. * The fanfiction is Life Ore Death by Obloquy, which I believe I've mentioned before. It's a crossover where a feruchemist character gets sent to Earth in the Young Justice universe, derailing a number of things there. I love the character, the writing, and the magical theorizing.

All updated to this point!

This is my reaction blog for Wind and Truth. Beware of spoilers! Index post here. Title: Memories like wine I have fond recollections of “Dandelion Wine” by Ray Bradbury, and that’s what this calls to mind. This feels like a different metaphor, though. Bradbury’s book was about preserving and distilling (pleasant) memories for later. The vibe I’m getting here is more like… Szeth has been gone a long time, so his memories have aged and become more potent with time? Or you can be drunk on memories and fail to see clearly in the now? Or… Icons: Jez and Nan We’ve got a windrunner and a skybreaker on a roadtrip. Epigraph: Oh. Ooooh! It’s the sleepless. Referencing the Dawnshard and its passing makes it obvious, but the stewardship they mentioned in the last chapter—is it for Roshar as a whole? Specific items and locations they needed to guard? I’m guessing the broader meaning. Szeth getting lost trying to navigate his childhood neighborhood is very relatable. I have that same problem, and my home hasn’t been abandoned. I’m not sure I quite buy the progression of “no metal available-->weapons are ineffective-->develop pacifist society-->Build moral system that compels violent people to remove themselves”. I mean, it’s a neat culture for a fantasy story, and maybe if you have the honorblades backing up your central authority that’s enough monopoly on violence to force the rest of the world to follow your lead? But it feels like it’s skipping some steps, and a lack of metal ore doesn’t seem like a sufficient obstacle to weapons development. There’s certainly no shortage of perfectly effective wood/shell/stone weapons on Earth. Yes, Szeth makes a good point about the power imbalance when facing other countries, but that doesn’t really seem to have been a deciding factor in Shinovar’s recent history. Doesn’t really matter, though. The point is that Szeth is wrestling with accountability for his actions and starting to ponder the validity of his Truthless status. Yay introspection. Szeth addressing his bonded highspren as “Spren” is such a cold contrast to basically every other character we know. Syl, Wyndle, Mayalaran, Pattern, and all the rest that we’ve met have a much closer personal relationship with their humans. Even Sibling and Stormfather, despite their sometimes antagonistic interactions, are more…involved? Invested? Can’t find the right word, but none of them so far have been quite this distant. It does make sense for the law-bound highspren to set arbitrary rules about when you are permitted to use surges, rather than relying on the strength of the bond to simply provide the powers. And here’s a useful clue that Division (which apparently can set atmospheres alight) was directly related to the fall of Ashyn. Szeth being nauseated by fakely over-friendly Kaladin: also relatable. Kaladin says, “Let’s work on your guilt complex.” The highspren’s advice: “don’t have emotions.” Yes, that will definitely keep him away from Odium’s side, exactly like the rest of the Skybreaker order… Oh, wait! That’s right, they all switched sides because Nale’s “logic” told him Honor wasn’t worth serving anymore. So maybe take your advice and shove it, Mr. Spren. Also, Szeth’s selective translation is what miscommunication is made of. “My spren agrees with you” indeed. Oh, never mind. Szeth is trying to translate more of the intent after all. Shouldn’t have assumed that was the end of the conversation. However, “I should be a sociopath when killing people” probably won’t endear him to the resident windrunner. There’s the skybreaker disconnect: “You chose to follow the law. It’s not like it’s the only option.” “Um, yes it is. Duh.” Ooo, Nightblood getting in on this self-reflection business. “Taravangian was nice and old, but I killed him.” Szeth and Kal in unison: “No, he was evil.” It gets better. “I almost killed you, Szeth, but you’re not evil.” “…” Valid points about judging good and evil, though. If I don’t stop I’m just going to quote this whole nightblood section. She’s hilarious. “I haven’t seen Yesteel for a few weeks at least.” Disappointing that none of them ID’d Vivenna as Azure here. But, “You’d like her because you’re super grumpy too! Syl says you need a girlfriend.” That’s probably the best part of the whole chapter. I’mma stake a claim here that nothing else will beat it out. (Even so, “I want a sword that can talk” is a great origin story for sword-nimi.) --- As ominous statements go, that one’s a banger. Oh, nicely followed up with a foreboding premonition of “the end of all spren.” Good indication of where a bad outcome could lead. (Not sure if that would be a consequence of Odium or of gluttonous Nightblood, though. Obviously the first option is the intended implication, but…) This whole conversation between Syl and Kaladin has the shape of something that should be meaningful, but it’s really not landing for me. Maybe it’s because the “I’m not worthy of you, should we break up?” bit feels shallow for these two people. There’s no chance of it actually happening, so the stakes are absent, maybe? There’s the title drop. Memories are like wine because they ferment when bottled up, which builds pressure in the vessel until it explodes. Gotta say, that’s not nearly as poetic a metaphor as I expected. Szeth knows Kaladin is the villain, and he’s not going to fall for that old line. Oh, disappointing. Szeth doesn’t give a direct answer, even in summary. Just says “Next flashback chapter will explain it.”

This is my reaction blog for Wind and Truth. Beware of spoilers! Index post here. Title: For the good of all Roshar. Um, maybe Adolin is gonna give a speech? Icons: Jez and Taln Leadership and stalwart determination, perhaps? This is gonna be a slog for Adolin and his troops. Also, the arch bearing the icons is definitely crumbling. Epigraph: Time to start a new series of bad guesses for who’s talking and when. Ending of a stewardship makes me immediately think of the Heralds abdicating, either now or in the past. My instinct for found documents would push for a historical work, but I made that mistake last time. I’m going to guess it’s a current author. The oathgate spren’s equanimity to being converted is disconcerting. “We’re helping you now, but we’ll stop soon.” No insistence on switching sides now, when they could refuse to help, but also a certain eagerness to being transformed. Colot is a former Windrunner squire in the Cobalt Guard. I didn’t expect squires would quit, even when spren are in short supply. I guess it makes sense, though. They find that they can serve better elsewhere, or their ideals are not as compatible as they thought they were. I wonder if squires ever shop around between orders? Oh! Well, if I knew this before, I’d clearly forgotten. The entire oathgate platform transfers when moving between physical locations, but going to or from Shadesmar only transfers the control room. That is way different than I was expecting, though I vaguely remember that being a plot point now that Adolin brings up the escape from Kholinar. I forgot that there were other people who didn’t traverse with them. Well, the upshot is that this whole defense of the oathgate is suddenly a whole lot more feasible. If the enemy can only pass through that small room, there really is a chokepoint after all. Maya! She’s talking! The tower apparently helped revive her a ton more than she had already achieved, and she is growing fast. Talking! And she can see through Adolin’s eyes, plus their bond is strengthening. Nice. Can’t wait to see what not-Radiant bond they land on. Bonus points if it takes inspiration from the Rhyshadium. Yeah, that tactical breakdown makes sense. Singers are tougher, so you want formations on your side. And that’s ignoring any Regals or Fused they bring along. Good to know that the fire is a losing strategy, too. It was one of the first things I thought of, so I’m glad Adolin addressed it from the start. Nice that Colot is convinced so quickly of Adolin’s conclusions. We’ll see how the Azish respond, since Adolin is here as support not a commander. Of course he’s wearing a cape. One that flutters fashionably in the wind. Because what else would you expect of him? Shallan’s sketch, suggesting he’d like it if she got one, makes even more sense than before. Aww, and Maya likes it too! If she watches through his eyes, does she read fashion folios with him? Woah. All their bronze armor is soulcast? I mean, obviously, if I’d thought about it I’d have realized they don’t really have the option to smelt metal ore, but it’s a very different take on natural resources than I’m used to thinking of. The Azish use bronze in everything because they have a soulcaster that specializes in that material. Kattari are sidearms, apparently. Makes sense. Not surprising that empire and civilization took root in the west before making its way to Alethkar. The more potent highstorms have got to have an impact on your ability to establish permanent settlements and high population centers. Another mention of the Sunmaker. Still don’t know much about him. New fact: he conquered Azir but couldn’t keep it. Kushkam isn’t happy about the Alethi, and I can’t blame him. Of course he isn’t impressed by Adolin’s “for the good of all Roshar” line, but to his credit he can immediately tell that Adolin means it. The whole thing is surrounded by residential apartments full of civilians. That can’t possibly help the situation. Yeah, Adolin is having flashbacks to all the people who weren’t able to escape Kholinar with him. Lotta guilt going on here. I definitely should have remembered that part of Oathbreaker. I feel bad that it didn’t make that much of an impact on me when it’s clearly a big deal. And he’s thinking of his mom! We have so little about her. Hard to tell if this recollection is genuine or overly rose-tinted, but she sounds like a very kind woman. Hopefully this tendency to seek advice from her memory is a habit and we’ll see more of it as the days proceed.

ART: A Study of the Oathgate Dome of Azimir Hold up. Who even drew this? It’s not Shallan’s sketchbook or handwriting. I’m on a plane right now and can’t compare, but I’m maybe it’s Nazh? P.robably not. He usually just collects this stuff rather than drawing it out himself. This whole structure is enormous. Far larger than I was imagining. But that only makes it less defensible. I do not see this battle going well at all. Yes, you can set up a killing field and ambushes and such, but your ability to maneuver is hugely limited by the teleportation area, and the distances are large enough that this really can’t qualify as a choke-point. Regular armies would be bad enough, but when you’ve got Fused who can pass through solid objects and reshape stone, there’s no way that dome is going to last long. I am not really a weaponry and armor buff, so I don’t have anything intelligent to say about the Azish infantry and archers, but they look very neat. The Kattar blade is curious, particularly in that the light infantryman who is holding it also has a longer sword belted at his waist. Versatility, and probably a fascinating fighting style. The extra tall helmet on the heavy infantryman is odd. I would expect that to be a liability. Oh wait, he’s got a Kattar sheathed at his side, too. Must be a general-purpose stabbing implement in Azir.

This is my reaction blog for Wind and Truth. Beware of spoilers! Index post here. Title: The Wrong Lesson Not sure who will be the one learning the wrong lesson in this chapter, but I suspect the Fused. Or maybe Cultivation. Icon: Double Vav. Loving/Healing, for the passionate part of himself? Maybe it’s Vargo himself who decides he learned the wrong lesson from caring about people. For the character icon, same as last time, this is the double-sided frowning sword version of Mr. T. Oof. Bringing order to the galaxy cosmere through the power of the dark side pure rage. Not really hitting heroic notes here, Vargo. Hm. Cutlivation is being manipulative, as per usual, but I’m going to accept her words themselves at face value. She wants each Shard to garden their own plot of the universe, wants to convince Odium not to eat or murderize everyone. T isn’t convinced, still thinks he should be in charge of it all. Title drop: C wants him to learn “the right lesson” from Rayse’s mistakes. Smart money says that they will continue to strongly disagree about what that lesson should be. Intriguing that apparently all three of the Rosharan gods are problem children that the rest of the Shards wanted to keep locked away. That’s the first indication we’ve had that Roshar as a system is problematic, not just Odium himself. Two of the Sixteen are hidden. Odium thinks Valor’s absence is the most notable. Little (infuriating) breadcrumb to generate RAFO questions. I don’t know about this solution. Whereas Sazed’s multiple aspects have deadlocked him into inaction, Teravangian wants to instead let his kindness and cruelty take turns. That kind of vacillation will allow for a lot more activity, but it’s arguable how much would ever be accomplished when you work at cross purposes with yourself. Part of me wonders if that unpredictability is what Cultivation is hoping for, rather than her “preferred” peaceful outcome.

This is my reaction blog for Wind and Truth. Beware of spoilers! Index post here. El. Time to check in with our creepiest of creepy dudes. Icons: Jez and Nalan. Gonna guess this has to do with ruling (El is presumably in charge of a bunch of stuff now) and suffering. Um, there are clear split priorities here. El hopes for the guards he’s about to betray to not lose their careers when he steals from the vault. Why would his actions that are (presumably) on Odium’s orders/behalf be breaking with the rule of the Fused, who are (presumably) on a pretty tight leash given Odium’s countdown to the champion fight? Something is very interestingly askew. Oh, apparently the Nine were expected to have issued a warning not to obey El, so this is a long-standing difference of opinions. The plot thickens. El choosing to treasure his emotions internally without releasing them into the rhythms is an interesting take on valuing Passion. Weird perspective to think that sharing/manifesting your feelings lessens them. El is pretty critical of the Fused-created social structure hypocritically rewarding and punishing passion in different contexts. Which, fair, it’s absolutely an abuse of the system and departing from their professed utopian values. But at the same time, that’s kind of what happens when ideologies start interacting with the real world and people have competing interests. Stealing Jez? Bold move. Wait, no. Murdering Jez with anti-light? My first thought was “Woah!” but after only a second of reflection I have to wonder why this is something he has to sneak to do. Pretty sure Raboniel was planning on finding a way to inflict perma-death on the radiant spren and the Heralds, and I doubt the rest of the Fused would have been opposed. Why isn’t this something the Nine already did? Does killing him open up a gap in the Oathpact that someone else can fill? Does it unravel the oathpact and set dominoes tumbling on any of the later oaths, upending the foundation for the Fused’s permanence? I’m probably speculating way too much when El is going to tell us in a sentence or two. Chills! And questions! I suddenly want to know more about El and all these millennia-old relationships. There’s a reason I chose “old friend” for my profile tag. Such a rich trope throughout so many stories. Ha! I love it. He’s got jokes. I really got caught up in this convo with the “new Odium”—quite compelling. Not a ton to say about it yet, beyond curiosity about the job El is about to get. Notably, El really has been stripped of rhythms. From the wording so far in this chapter I thought it was a personal choice, and previous to that I thought it was something forbidden to him, not fundamentally removed. I definitely need some clarity on this. Why is Natanatan so important? I presume that’s the prize that Odium needs and his goal for wanting the Shattered Plains. Hm. First of all, HYPE for Dai-gonarthis. We need more info on these unmade, and as bad of news as this is for the good guys, I am excited to see the Black Fisher. Especially because of the mention of an Elsegate, which sounds Except, wasn’t Dai-Gonarthis responsible for the death rattles too? Am I remembering wrong? Because fast travel and portal generation seems like an odd match to wringing out prophetic death visions. I can see a way to square that relationship, but want to know if I’m right about them belonging to the same entity before I do too much theory crafting. Very curious that El posits the only alternative to an Elsegate is a corrupted Elsecaller or an Honorblade. I assume he means corrupted as in “spren enlightened by Sja-anat” rather than just “defected to our side.” Either way, though, it suggests that this is an application of surges that isn’t available to Regals or Fused. Why would that be? They aren’t missing any of the Elsecaller surges, and even if a Fused is limited to a single surge rather than the pair that radiants get, wouldn’t “Transportation” be sufficient for getting where you want to go? Uh, that’s not good. They’re headed to the perpendicularity in the Horneater Peaks, which is bad news for the Unkalaki. If I recall, Odium’s people already controlled that area, but using it as a staging ground for a massive assault is another matter. Also, “I will pay her price later” doesn’t suggest that Odium is flush with funds. Maybe you shouldn’t go into debt to the Black Fisher to get your miracle door. Just saying, this sounds like something that could backfire. El’s fascination with humanity is making me very nervous. It seems like a good thing for him to not desire their annihilation, but he’s bent on “helping them realize their passions,” which…I mean, we already had the Thrill driving Alethi war-mad for generations, and humanity is pretty good at overcoming inhibitions to cater to their own desires. This reminds me of the “Lady of Wishes” reputation that preceded Raboniel. She didn’t really live up to the horror, tempered as she was by Navani and her reasonableness, but I have a feeling that El might.

This is my reaction blog for Wind and Truth. Beware of spoilers! Index post here. Title: The Conflux of All Darkness and Sorrow Just gonna say that sounds a little melodramatic as a title. We’ve got some emo or chuuni influences here. Lots of edginess in that superlative. It is ominous with regard to what their Spiritual Realm journey might have connected them to, but if it really matches the description of the title, that feels like a bit too fast of an escalation to me. Icons: Ishar and Jester. We got bondsmith shenanigans and worldhopping, especially if the vision of Ashynn’s exodus is still on the itinerary. Epigraph: “May you have the courage someday to walk away.” This feels like it should have thematically gone with a Kaladin/Szeth chapter, but maybe it will tie in to Dalinar’s probable rejection of divinity by the end of the book? Lift. I forgot she was hiding in the vents. Did she get sucked into the vortex? The perpendicularity shows her an alternate self who didn’t lose her mom and isn’t afraid of growing up. Sounds like a version that couldn’t have existed with the war and everything, but teasing her with seeing her mom again is fairly cruel. I’m suddenly wondering what pieces we’re still missing about Lift’s encounter with Cultivation. Are there more portions of herself that are payment for what she received at the goddess’ hand? I remember this being debated some in the fandom, but I’m pretty sure there’s still room for secrets and reveals. Hm. Lift recognizes that the vision is a reflection of her desires, not of an actual lost possibility. And what?! Her mom’s not dead? What the heck? So she’s been lying to herself and everyone else, and mom just left rather than succumbing to a wasting disease like we thought. Is this more secret society stuff? Because good grief we’ve got so many complicated intersecting plots already. Not to say that I’m opposed to more complications, but it feels like it would be more fair to Lift’s emotional journey if she has to confront a mundane abandonment or dead-beat mom rather than a dramatic tie-in to cosmere-spanning schemes. But my heart! Lift’s fear of aging is tied to wanting to be recognized if her mom ever does come back. ;o; And now Gav is following her around in the air vents. Great. Looks like the babysitting adventure is taking a detour by way of dimensional displacement. Lift recognizes a sleepless watching her (and everyone else) in the vent, and still has the audacity to wonder what it tastes like. And she’s been low-key trying to catch one and find out ever since meeting what’s-his-name during Edgedancer. That is based. The whirlpool of the collapsing singularity sweeps them up… and Lift loses her grip on Gav. I need to adjust my expectations here, because this babysitting trip just became substantially different than the duo adventure I thought we were about to get. Wit saves the day! “You both owe me” so he grabbed her and Gav, right? Right? Nooo! He was talking about Lift and Wyndle, so Gav is lost in space the spiritual realm. The rescue mission keeps gaining extra steps! The sleepless didn’t get pulled in, even in part. Nor did the Malwish corpse from Shadesmar. Did it lose its investiture upon death enough that the vortex had no hold on it? Curious. Lift stealing off-world curses is perfect for her. Also, literally the opposite of all her Edgedancer listening jazz. Plus, she calls him out right after. Wit is not in any position to criticize someone for confusing other people. They’re going to lie about Dalinar disappearing, and Wit immediately starts glowing? Really demanding disguise coming up. Wit trying to impersonate Dalinar legitimately rather than as a caricature is interesting, and Lift and Wit working together to run the country has a whole lot of potential hilarity. {NOTE: This is the point where I’m now picking the book back up again after. <checks> 8 months? I’m not even sure if I can call myself a Sanderfan at this point. This is a pathetic pace. I’ll probably ramble about this off and on going forward, but I don’t really have a good excuse for taking so long aside from the process of notetaking feeling more daunting than just reading something else. Apologies to anyone who is actually following this.} Kaladin being terrible at cooking is somehow super funny to me. His whole spiraling depression after that, not so much, and I know I shouldn’t be but I’m rather annoyed at Syl’s pick-me-up speech here. It simultaneously trivializes things and misses the point. I dunno, maybe I’m falling into the melodrama trap because it’s been so very long since I read the lead-up sections and now the emotional beats just aren’t landing for me. But for him to feel like he’s completely lost talking to Szeth, and Syl respond by prompting him with “how about you be a therapist full time? That could be your calling, right?” It doesn’t seem like Kal should respond super positively to that suggestion. It could be that I’m just not invested in the Kal/Szeth plotline right now? It wasn’t the reason by any stretch, but it definitely was a contributing factor to me not feeling motivated to continue the liveblog project when I was choosing between reading more Wind and Truth versus something else on my list. Regardless, kicking the stupid non-moving grass because it won’t get out of his way is a good image and really conveys his thought process well. Very illuminating thing for Szeth to admit here, both in that his audience is a Windrunner who can’t imagine not helping people, and because of what it says about Szeth’s progression towards the Skybreaker ideals. (I wonder if Nightblood is even paying attention.) Also super critical of me, but it feels like maybe music shouldn’t really call to the super-ancient spren. It humanizes it too much, for something that has basically ignored humanity for four books and however long before that. Sure, woodwind instruments have that association, but there’s a pretty big divide between natural gusts of wind and a person’s breath. Oh, well, I guess Wind is about to just trash my whole argument: So I guess it’s Mr. T’s ascension that makes the difference here, and it’s not just Wind that’s being affected but a whole class of spren. Sure, I’ll accept that reasoning. Nice that Wind is trying to warn them about Odium having a new vessel, even if Kaladin doesn’t understand. Wind saying that it’s up to them and Kal to somehow preserve a shred of Honor hits harder when just a few pages ago Wit predicted that Dalinar failing to appear for the cage match with Odium would destroy the rest of Honor that Dalinar is standing in for. Okay, that cliffhanger cutting off with Ishar’s sudden appearance is pretty steep. Well done. — Lopen’s spren Rua is a shortie? Huh. Can’t say I expected physical differences that extreme. Oh, he looks like a kid? That’s even less expected. Nice to see that Lopen is being competent. Oh! And now Rua turned one arm crystalline, to match Lopen’s thought process. That’s way more physical mutability than I expected on this side. I figured the physical realm was fair game, but that in the cognitive realm their forms were pretty fixed. Okay, it looks like I misremembered something. I had thought that Navani got pulled through the perpendicularity too, but apparently not. She’s still running the tower. Wait, no. That’s definitely Wit in disguise! Love it. I thought he’d be impersonating Dalinar, but it makes sense he’d be able to pull off an administrator better than a warlord. (And enjoy the outfits more.) — This description of Ishar as the prototype for the ardentia is spot on, except apparently I forgot that they aren’t drab brown. He’s wearing blue robes with gold trim? I’ll have to go back and read other descriptions from earlier books, but my imagination of ardents seems to have been infected with fantasy depictions of ascetic monks. Ishar thought Kaladin was insignificant after the events of the first four books? How? I guess that confirms at least that he isn’t in contact with the sleepless cabal, since they’ve been watching our main characters this whole time. He considers Szeth his servant? Hm. That’s a thinker. An important piece, probably. Interesting that his moment of lucidity at the end of the last book apparently killed the Tezim persona permanently. But also worrisome that he still thinks he’s ascended to the Almighty. Even more concerning? His claim to take the other heralds’ pain is disturbingly similar to Odium’s relationship with his Fused and Vyre. That kind of parallelism could be a useful contrast, but is more likely to be a weakness. Also, jerk move to help the rest of the heralds but not share Taln’s pain when the dude has been suffering for you ever since you tried to break the oathpact. Not cool, Ishar. However, Kaladin’s repeated “Let’s talk about your feelings” feels incredibly inept. Surely you don’t just walk up to someone and say “I know you’re cray-cray, can I try to invent therapy on you now?” Some sort of small talk wouldn’t go amiss, you know? And that's the end of Day 2. Time for some interludes to see how everything is about to get worse. El and Odium? Sweet!

This is my reaction blog for Wind and Truth. Beware of spoilers! Index post here. Title: Cords of Light Pretty obviously the anchoring ropes of power Dalinar and Navani are using for their experience, but I'm also holding out hope that Cord (Rock’s daughter, guarding Ryan) will show up too. Icons: Ishar and Jezrien Bondsmithy things and Stormfather visions is a safe bet, but if we're peeking in at the migration, I'm rather suspecting both of those proto-heralds to appear personally. Epigraph: This sounds like garbage. A king leaving his people with the “gift of his absence” so they can grow? That's not how government works. Abdication isn't like letting your kids grow up, Nohadon. These excuses are detracting from the rest of your parable. Yay! Navani's sense for the rhythms makes her the one to guide Dalinar here. — Oh, I was wrong; the guards really were the ghostbloods, and not just some random agents but actually Mraize and company. How did Mraize see her looking, though? Oh, wait. I was slightly confused in the last chapter, thinking they were talking about the guards Dalinar posted outside the room, not the ones Shallan brought with her. It makes a bit more sense now how they got in position. Woah, Radiant can step out of Shallan fully? As a solid lightweaving? That’s pretty awesome. Too bad this came after Veil reintegrated, because I would have loved to see an actual face-to-face between her aspects. It’s a decent force-multiplier in a fight, regardless. Also too bad that Radiant can’t wrestle well enough to keep hold of Iyatil. Pattern’s reaction to the fight is kind of hilarious. Testament I can understand, and I’m actually encouraged to see that she has enough of her self present to shy away from violence and hide, but Pattern’s “oh goodness, me” pose is supremely unhelpful. Shallan grabbing the anti-Light knife and thinking she’s won, only to immediately take a dart to the eye. Iyatil must be thinking “brought a knife to a blowgun fight, did you?” Lieke died? Doesn’t have a spren or healing? I wasn’t expecting that. But the windrunners immediately get diverted because of hostages. Typical and disappointing. Iyatil is taking way too much pleasure in manipulating them like that. It makes me wonder quite a bit about what she’s been up to off screen in the time since Shallan first met her. It’s a dramatic scene, and it kind of drives home the reminder that Iyatil is the babsk and Mraize the trainee, but I’m not sure why Iyatil advertises the fact that Mraize still has his dagger. Was it simply gloating, or was she bringing it up as a way of prompting him to attack the singularity the way he does? I’m guessing the latter, though it could also just be a writing convention to make the villains more engaging. Trapping Dalinar and Navani in the Spiritual Realm without a tether on what should have been their brief test run does make this much more exciting, though. I’m betting that the “power, wind, and screams” coming toward them is the onrushing vision, but it also makes me wonder who else might have gotten dragged along (presumably all of the people still in the room with Shallan) and if they all ended up in the same place.

This is my reaction blog for Wind and Truth. Beware of spoilers! Index post here. {NOTE: Big delay, many apologies. I dropped off reading the book in the middle of Ch 33 and am only picking it up again now.} Title: Experiment Dalinar’s gonna make a door. Icons: Battar and Jester Jester might be for Wit’s presence and influence, since he is playing a major part in this endeavor, but it could equally be indicative of the attempt to cross to the Spiritual Realm, which abuts to all the various Shardworlds, not just to Roshar. Battar, patron of Elsecallers, is appropriate here even though we’re relying more on bondsmithery to cross between realms. Epigraph: Again, I feel like we’ve belabored the point a bit. The acknowledgement of domestic violence as a situation to justify escape is a slightly unexpected inclusion on the list, anchored as we are in the feeling of parable and Nohadon’s pre-modern sensibilities, but it’s a good touch. Again, Shallan’s instincts don’t quite match my own. She sends a messenger to Dalinar, but immediately goes herself into Shadesmar. I would have thought that planning together in the physical realm was the better first step. Aren’t the Shattered Plains far enough away that they don’t expect Mraize to arrive for some time? It’s adorable how Shallan is so overwhelmed by the artistic beauty of the Tower in the spiritual realm that she can’t even function–she immediately trades off with Radiant so that she can gush internally as rapturously as she wants while Radiant actually gets stuff done. Radiant simply acknowledging “hey, it’s pretty” before moving on is such a contrast. Wait, Isasik joined the windrunners? That’s crazy! Oh, it’s not the same guy. Isasik the cartographer just shares a name with Isasik the Windrunner. No wonder there are so many variations of Isaac throughout the cosmere. It’s just a super common name. Hmm. All of Teft’s former squires have apparently sworn vengeance on Moash. Not that I disagree, but the narrative weight is such that if they do go after him they’re all gonna die. I’m concerned about their choice. Ooo, the uniforms are changing! Props for picking something not associated with any Alethi or Veden nations, but white and gold is a bold choice for several reasons. Keeping a white uniform clean and presentable has got to be a terribly difficult task. Not to mention that the white and gold color scheme has already been associated with Odium (not that most people will know that). Hmm. Autonomy’s “men of red and gold” are obviously different, but I wonder if the gold has any sort of connection beyond coincidence? The beads following her call her “Other Shallan” when she’s Radiant? That’s hilarious to me, and adorable. You’ve got some good armor there, Miss Davar-Kholin. Oh, Shallan suspects that Mraize and Iyatil will arrive via oathgate. That explains her rush. I was imagining them using some sort of fast travel technique on the Shadesmar side that would get them here quickly, but not instantly. I’m not quite sure what it is that Renarin is showing understanding for here. I do like that Radiant is reevaluating her opinion of him, but I feel like I missed some subtext to this conversation. Good on Rlain for calling this out. He’s more assertive than he ever has been before, and it’s a good talking point. I feel bad that inside I’m undermining the seriousness of the discussion by waiting for Pattern or Testament to chime in about pattern identification. Huh. So in the cognitive realm Glys is overlaying Renarin as a pre-cog style afterimage, but possibly only when using his Truthwatcher intuition? That’s got interesting parallels to Szeth’s wounded soul and to the Rhyshadium music spren overlap, while still being pretty distinct from both. I wonder what it says about the altered nature of the bond to “enlightened” spren. — Not gonna lie, I'm quite jealous of Navani’s “don't get tired” super stamina coming from the Sibling. She leads them through a swarm of gloryspren, which really highlights how many otherwise rare spren are flocking to the tower. It partly makes me wonder if all of these spren are manifesting physically, or if Navani's companions might not all see the gloryspren as fully as she does. Well, that answers that question: Gav is leery of the gloryspren and won't talk until they back off. He's traumatized by spren in general? I won't say that's unreasonable, but I'd expect his trauma to manifest more towards specific features or types of spren. Kids can easily become Phobic towards dogs, for example, but I don't think it's common for dog attack victims to be afraid of all animals. More to the point, though, what of the tower did he see? Just earlier in the conversation with Lift, she specifically mentioned that the little column of light that the Sibling manifested would be invisible to other humans. Was she wrong? Does Gav have greater than normal sensitivity to the cognitive realm? Nice try, Navani. We may still need to add a slight bit of nuance to this worldview. It's interesting to see Navani's mental distinction between God who is the power behind Shards and is worth revering, and the Vessel who is dead and/or fallible. Wit wants to start with viewing Ashyn, and probably the Exodus to Roshar? Jumping right into the deep end I see. Not really a fan of incremental experimentation. Finally, an explanation for Stone Shamanism, though I guess we can't complain too much about the wait since we haven't seen anything of the religion itself yet. And Wit successfully distracted them from follow-up questions by casually dropping the fact he was present for that migration. Then refuses to comment further on that. Classic Wit. Navani would much prefer to have Khriss as magical advisor. It makes me think of another story I love where a character who has studied magic her whole life has to work with one who is naturally talented but knows none of the theory or limitations. To quote her, “Save me from instinctive ritualists!” The moment with Wit describing his connection to the Spiritual Realm is surprisingly tender and sincere. I'm proud of Navani for drawing that out of him so gently, and of Wit for letting down his masks for a moment. “The deity who insisted he was not” is a good descriptor for Wit, Navani. Good job. — Shallan has determined her life goal, once this apocalypse thing is dealt with: she wants to do a thorough study of human-spren symbiosis (probably expanded to include the other races of Roshar as well, though she hasn't thought that far yet). “A grand illustrated tome explaining the intricate details of the bond”--is this what it sounds like? A giant art book of spren lore that will be published between this and the back five Stormlight books?! Yes please!! Sign me up. Renarin needs to consult Shallan about Mishram and his vision? As usual I'm so about these dances of identity, but I'm not sure why she would be the expert in this instance. — Renarin is so overwhelmed by everything, and I feel sorry for him, but his descriptions of the spren ecosystem all around the tower are fascinating and I need more! It's reminding me that everything on Roshar is basically a tide pool, with accompanying aesthetics. So awesome. Oh, so that's why Shallan grabbed Renarin; she thought he'd be able to see people bonded to Sja-anat’s children. She needs to work on her tactful terminology though. Oh wait, Renarin called her on that being a deflection. What's the real reason? She thinks enlightened spren can lead to Mishram’s prison, and she wants Renarin to help her race Mraize there. Yay Glys! Reducing sensory overload isn't an application I’d have thought of for a truthwatcher spren but it makes sense and is a valuable quality of life aid for Renarin. Harsh, but not wrong. Oh, he keeps going. This critique is great. Two extra souls in the walls. Gav and the governess? Maybe Lift? Wait, any spren can learn to hide inside their host, even on the Shadesmar side? That changes my expectations significantly. Yes, Lift is in the ducts. Shallan thinks the guards are ghostbloods in disguise? I won't say that's impossible, but it feels like a red herring.