Before recently, I thought that either Odium winning or the Radiants winning, at least in a way that forestalled the next conflict, was possible. But now, I think that while the Radiants may buy time, Odium will be victorious in the conflict.

Why? Well, for one very simple reason, based more on the themes of the story than anything else. It's because it would be the ultimate challenge to the thesis, to the bright center of the Stormlight Archive--the belief in Journey Before Destination.

The Radiants will lose because they are so good, because they fight with such high morals, with such goodness. They will be at a disadvantage because they will fight with honor, an honor that Odium will not possesses. They will be so intent on the Journey that they may fail and jeopardize the future of the world, or even have their failures allow the premature endings of tens of thousands, or millions of lives and their journeys.

In tWoK, there is a Death Rattle that I believe foreshadows this.

"And so, the night reigns--for the choice of honor is life."

I am… destroyed. I can’t even process everything that just happened. My emotions are broken. I want to both cry from sadness and joy.

I started this journey in August and it has been the most beautiful 3 months of reading in my entire life. Thank you.

It means humans, listeners, singers and spren right? Venli, Renarian, Rhythm of War it all points to united humanoids. Or maybe I'm just dumb.

Szeth is going to be the new vessel for Honor.

Reading the preview chapters, with Dalinar so determined to find Honor's power and Ascend... It can't be him. No in-world explanation, but just from a storytelling perspective. Things can't go that smoothly.

Kaladin is the next most obvious choice. Honorable guy, Syl being important, son of Tanavast and all that. I think the biggest issue I see there is that he would still feel like he has to take sides and FIGHT. It's one of the reasons I like Stormfather Kaladin as a theory. Let him be the storm. He soars freely, is a gentler storm, helps and protects his friends with Stormlight, but doesn't have to actually kill anyone.

But why Szeth?

First, in a Szeth Oathbringer chapter, it talks about Szeth being close to the Spiritual realm, which is why he hears the voices so much. Those voices were before his near-death. So he's got some kind of Connection to the Spiritual realm for some reason. What's in the Spiritual realm? Honor's power.

But can Szeth actually become the vessel? Does he have the Connection?

Honor's Shard is all about oaths and bonds. Szeth followed his oath(stone) to a fault.

He tried to follow the Law. But we see on his Purelake chapter that he has some doubts. They knew the warden was bad, but waited until he did something that was technically a crime. But at that point the warden had already violated his oath to take care of the prisoners.

So he switches from the Law to following Dalinar, a pretty Honorable guy.

Now it's time for his Cleansing of Shinovar. Why? Justice? I'm sure they followed the laws when they named him Thruthless.

It's because the people of Shinovar made him swear an oath that they knew was false. He showed them that Radiants were returning, they told him he was Truthless and cast him out.

How did he show them Radiants were returning? Because Szeth was on his way to becoming a Windrunner.

Again, in the Purelake chapter, he talks about hearing a voice when he was young. This chapter is right next to a Kaladin Shadesmar chapter where Syl talks about her initial transfer to the Physical realm.

Syl transferred over, sensing someone who could he a Windrunner. She initially was with Szeth, someone who took his oaths and worship very seriously. But Szeth was named Truthless and he rejected the bond. Without a bond in the Physical realm, Syl wandered around until another Honorable person showed up. As Szeth continues telling Kaladin about his past, I expect they'll have that revelation.

So Szeth was always meant to be a Windrunner and close to Honor.

Bonus points, they're traveling together to find a Herald who has shown he can open a perpendicularity. Sounds like a great way to get Dalinar, Kaladin, Szeth, and Syl all into the Spiritual realm at the same time?

…that Elhokar died heroically. They just relate the news with the bare minimum detail. You’d think that when they broke the news to Navani and Dalinar especially that they would have mentioned, “Hey, you should know that he died while bravely leading an assault on the palace. He died fighting. A worthy death for a king.” He basically got no eulogy whatsoever.

I just think it feels more neutral

So I am on my reread before WaT (only have to listen to 2.5 hours a day at 1.1x speed to finish in time), and I picked up on Kaladin remarking about the walls of Kholinar in Oathbringer Chapter 61:

Those strata, he thought, remind me of the tunnels in Urithiru

Later on in Chapter 69, Kaladin gets an illusion over his brands from Shallan, but this is broken by the time the Wall Guard approach him, which happens fairly quickly. I search the internet and most people are suggesting it is an Identity thing, same reason he cannot heal the brands, but there is a fair amount of pushback since her other illusions on him didn't fail and no one mentioned the problem to him. Curious, I back up to the point he gets the illusion, and nothing really happens in the brief time after except this:

He strolled to the foot of the nearby city wall, counting guard posts on top, looking at the large lower portion that was a natural part of the local rock. He rested his hand on the smooth, strata-lined formation of stone.

"Hey!" a voice called. "Hey, you!"

At this point I am thinking there might be aluminum in the stone, so I check the coppermind page for Aluminum, and found this reference to ralkalest, another name for aluminum, which was sourced in Rhythm of War Chapter 37:

"The ancient protections have not been maintained," the scout said. "I can feel that the ralkalest has fallen from the walls of the tunnel below. How could they allow this oversight?"

We could still be dealing with an unreliable narrator from the scout, in that the protection from the aluminum is a side effect of using the aluminum for fabrial purposes or they are natural, but here are the two theories I am going with:

1. Kaladin's illusion was broken by Aluminum in the natural wall formation
2. Kholinar, as well as the other cities with strata (most likely the ones with oathgates) have this aluminum protection. I cannot decide if it is more likely a purposeful defense against Investiture attacks, or if the aluminum is used for some sort of giant fabrial, like perhaps the oathgates.

EDIT: Tagging this for spoilers up to the current books.

When OB was being ordered, I happened upon a pre-order site that let me have one line of personalization along with the signing. I simply asked that Brandon would write what he considered the soul of the book as a phrase. Oathbringer's was "My Glory and My Shame". It definitely made for a fantastic read keeping that in mind.

What does this community think about the other books? Are there any phrases that stand out as THE quote of the book, basically describing what the book is about?

I think WoK is "Life before Death", but I'd love to hear more.

Also, I hope this isn't in bad taste, but I'd love to hear u/mistborn chime in if he has time! Maybe we could get a phrase for WaT??

Not enough people hate Sekeir.

He’s the most dishonorable honorspren we’ve ever had the displeasure of knowing. How he treated Maya was horrible and made WE CHOSE hit even harder.

Notum is the REAL honorspren

Honor is not dead so long as he lives in the hearts of men

Okay so I have a question about Wind and Truth. I've been reading the Stormlight Archive (I'm about halfway through Way of Kings, I know I have a long way to go). I started reading the Stormlight Archive because I thought the series was ending soon, but then I heard that Brandon Sanderson is just taking a break, and he's gonna continue the series later down the line. So is it gonna be like ten years before he finishes the series, or is a Mistborn situation where there's an original series and then a later continuation?

P.S (No spoilers but if anything happens to my boy Kaladin I will never recover)

I don't think I've even been this emotional reading a book before.

Between Teft and Phendorana and how much we get to see him grow before. . . Well fuck Moash.

And the last time I read thus book I wasn't a parent so Raboniel's arc with her daughter hit extra hard this time.

Well I'm writing this instead of listening to Moash finish the job so, journey before destination and all that I'm going to get back to it, and likely cry my eyes out.

Life before death radiants!

Ok on my first read of Oathbringer

I got to the part last night where Dalinar realizes he can meet with the monarchs via super rad Stormfather visions

THIS SERIES IS SO COOL. I was just like 🫨🫨🫨🤯

so far words or radiance is my fave book but can't wait to see what happens next !!!

After discovering Sanderson thanks to Reddit suggestions a few months ago I’ve become addicted to his work and the Cosmere. I started with Mistborn era 1 which immediately hooked me, I then ordered Elantris, Warbreaker, and Arcanum Unbounded. I absolutely loved Warbreaker, and despite Elantris being one of his “weaker” novels and I must admit in the beginning I wasn’t as hooked as Mistborn had me, it shaped up to be such an amazing book. After visiting Scadrial, Sel, and just finishing up on Nalthis, I’m so beyond excited to start my adventure on Roshar!!

More specifically, what do we know about all their whereabouts?

Over the course of the different prologues it is stated that Kalak, Nale, Jezrien and possibly Shalash all were present at the feast on the day of Gavilar's assassination. We also see some of what these four were doing over the course of the story. Nale with the Skybreakers, Kalak in Lasting Integrity as High Judge, Shalash destroying depictions of her and then being in Dalinar's camp and Jezrien getting assassinated by Vyre via a Raysium dagger.

Talenel reappears at the end of Way of Kings when he returns from Braize and is now under protection of our protagonists.

Taravangian states that Dova is Battar, another one of the Heralds.

Ishar later in the books is revealed to be the leader of Tukar.

That leaves Vedel, Chanarach, and Pailiah. Where are they and what have they been doing?

Chanarach: As far as I recall, we haven't seen her in the story. Still there is the theory that she is Shallan's mother and Shallan in killing her sent her back to Braize, where after a few years Chana broke, which resulted in Taln coming back too and starting the Desolation. Sure, there is still to argue about how much of an impact that all would have had, because Odium constructed a way around Desolations with the Everstorm somehow, but I'm sure we will learn much about it in Wind and Truth. Still, the whole theory doesn't sound that impossible.

Pailiah: We haven't seen much about Pailiah either. There is one passage in Way of Kings where Shallan sees an Ardent crossing her way and thinks something along the lines like how it looks like a Herald. Also, in a WoB, Brandon said that this Ardent indeed was Pailiah, which he later wasn't so clear about anymore. I guess, if she was it or not is up to interpretation and apart of that I think we haven't seen her in the story so far.

Vedel: We also haven't gotten a clear hint where Vedel currently is. We know that she might be or have been a healer, as patron of the Truthwatchers. There are two suspicious scenes, in two different books, where there is talk of a woman scribbling gibberish on the walls with her own feces. Considering that every Herald seems to suffer from a certain insanity, it could be assumed that this woman is Vedel, because that whole feces thing would be opposite to what she once was, a Healer.

What will their roles be in the future?

I'm sure some of the Heralds will have a somewhat important role in the upcoming book.

Ishar on the forefront with the means to teach Dalinar what he has to know about being a Bondsmith. Kaladin and Szeth involved in recovering his sane self out of Shinovar.

Nale as a somewhat antagonist with the Skybreakers siding with Odium.

Kalak trying to get off planet because he fears what is about to come.

I also could see Taln being important as the warrior he is, at least if Dalinar manages to learn how to give the Heralds their before insanity clarity.

Also, with a lot of things concerning Spren and the Surges to be rediscovered and newly discoveries maybe scholarly educated Heralds like Vedel and Pailiah might have something in store for the upcoming storyline.

Chanarach, if the theory about her being Shallan's mum turns out to be true, might also turn up again. Although I'm not sure what her role could be. However, It doesn't necessarily have to be something impactful.

Generally I think a lot of the heralds won't have that big of a role in Wind and Truth. I guess it would make sense for Ash or Talenel to be more important in the second part of Stormlight. Also, as a few Heralds seemingly haven't been present in the story at all until now might not get a important part in the fifth book.

I think that's everything we know so far and/or can assume, but please feel free to comment if you happened over other possible Herald candiates or mentions that I might have forgotten about or share your own theories.

On a reread of Oathbringer - in one of the flashback chapters, Evi mentions that sometimes she sees something terrible sometimes in Dalinar's eyes, something that seems to feed on souls and pain. Do you think this her glimpsing Odium's influence on Dalinar at the time, or just a way of describing Dalinar's own guilt about what he's done, or a mix of both?

When jasnah was fighting on the front lines, she mentioned going to shadesmar in an emergency, she was wearing her plate at that point. I know that dead plate can't transfer since adolin tried bringing his through the oathgates, but what would happen to living plate?

Going back to re-read things/make sure I got it right doesn’t really work with audiobooks..

What word in our language is replaced by storms in all it's variations?

Does this mean Ash weaseled her way into the feast and did what she normally does to these artistic depictions (I'm writing in this manner to avoid as much spoilers, as possible)?

"I once had a splinter. Then it got out of hand" - Shallan. I might have paraphrased a little bit as I listen to the audio book. I laughed so hard in the car at this one haha

I based my theory on the fact that Brandon likes happy endings, and in ALL of his cosmere works I can only think of ONE kind of sad (more than sad I would say ominous) and that is Sixth of the Dusk. Even TSM has a pretty heartwarming ending.

It will be a bittersweet ending, so probably someone will die BUT I don't think Dalinar will become Odium's champion, that would be too sad for Roshar and his arch.

I think there will be seeds of unity with the listeners and humans, and it will be a hopeful ending. I think it makes more sense that Dalinar DIES and saves Roshar rather than him becoming Odium's champion.

It's a weak theory and I only have the empirical knowledge of Sanderson's writing tendencies, BUT I am pretty sure of it.

This is not a fully formed theory, but it popped in my head last night and I wondered what everyone else might think. There’s been much talk of the Way of Kings excerpts in Wind and Truth hinting that Tanavast stepped down from being a shard at some point. Most people seem to suggest Nohadon, but what if somehow stepped down and took the place a Taln? In terms of ‘honorable’ things to do, would that not be the ultimate?

I’m not sure whether this would be Tanavast inhabiting Taln’s body like a Fused or whether it would be a straight swap (in which case would the stormfather be Taln’s cognitive shadow? What effect would Taln’s return have on the Stormfather? What effect would Tanavast’s presence have on Taln’s mind?)

Ideas that might fit:

There’s a death rattle that seems to have Taln crying out for help from the Almighty: what if that’s there because Honor heard and answered?

We see Taln as the ultimate sufferer, but what if it’s Tanavast? Kaladin in his sufferings could be poetically the son of Tanavast, the sufferer.

There’s a possibility the Stormfather isn’t who we think he is- this might explain it. His shame might be leaving Tanavast to suffer and never swapping back?

The god bearing the suffering for his people is a massive idea in Christianity and Brandon’s Mormonism- it’s a classic idea that Brandon could have used.

I’m probably totally off here, but who knows it might spark off some related ideas?

SPOILER ALERT- Do these other books that I haven’t read explain more of the lore as to the origins of where the shards came from, or who Honor, Odium and why the universe is the way it is? I keep hearing things like “the shattering of adonalisum” and I can’t recall anything of that nature being explained in the first 4 books, but I may very well have just missed that point.

What happened to listeners who escaped after they were imprisoned because they refused to join in the first ever storm?

did they just get caught up in the storm anyway and turn like the rest of the listeners