The entire exchange in the tent between Wit, Jasnah and Ruthar was my favorite part of RoW. So damn good, “you cancerous anal discharge” was masterful insultery.

Fight 1: Taln with his honorblade and Zahel with noghtblood

Fight 2: Two regular shardblades. No surges

Fight 3: no weapons. Just punching.

There is no way they didn’t know Jasnah was a radiant. Right?

With all the knowledge they manage it seems very unlikely that they really wanted to kill Jasnah. It seems like just a gaslight for Shallan to approach them because I’m pretty sure they know how to kill a radiant and that they have the resources to do it. Going and just stab Jasnah seems vague and intentional. Also it’s more obvious when you know how interested they are in shallan in particular

Am I tripping or this seems obvious

I just read some parts of Words of Radience again, and saw Shallans sketches again. Looking at it now, they seem kinda similar to a sc2 unit, the Zergling (especially the first picture). Do you think this is just a coincidence or maybe was inspired by it?

Also i dont think this is a spoiler by any means but i just wanted to be careful

https://preview.redd.it/m3fiq0qmwryc1.png?width=1375&format=png&auto=webp&s=2a06122837d8c3b5eb2b850be2071c60ebabd005

https://preview.redd.it/foqb4s9rwryc1.png?width=1100&format=png&auto=webp&s=47c108f7c7c9a58f531eb013e3722c8bd48a6300

Basically I want to know if there is any evidence that shows us that Chana is NOT Shallan’s mom. I really don’t want it to be true, because if it is then that means that Shallan’s character arc for WaT will be largely already figured out. And I love the element of surprise too much.

I saw a comment somewhere that said that if Chana was Shallan’s mom (who was presumably mad and looking to eliminate budding Radiants), why would the Cryptics bond her young daughter and have her progress all the way to at least the 3rd ideal? Unless Testament was a scientist, interested in studying the Nahel bond.

Anyways! What do you guys think

This is my first time being apart of a new book release and I was wondering what edition Stormlight 5 would release in. Did SA 1-4 initially release in hardcovers? I recently got those Tor hardcovers, with the nice cover art, so I'd hope it will fit the collection.

Like many of you all I am relistening to the books to prepare for WaT. I’m near the end of WoR and Pattern just told Shallan it is “inevitable” that Shallan will kill him and he talks about how many spren were lost during the recreance.

I think there is going to be another recreance at the end of book 5. Something fundamental about surgebinding will change as a result. I think Sigzil’s relationship with Auxillary. I think spren are going to become some sort of lifeless machine maybe?

That’s what I think the big twist will be. That way all the main characters can survive for the second half of the story but we still get a massive loss at the halfway point.

Who is Mraize? Who are the ghost bloods? I’ve done 2 read throughs and I don’t know if my brain just tuned their parts out or it’s never explained but I’m so lost. I can only assume there is some outer cosmere influence but I am genuinely so confused.

I have 400 pages left of Rhythm of War and I still don’t fully understand many of the Knight orders and their abilities besides the windrunners, the edgedancers, and the lightweavers (and there probably still more detail to those that I don’t fully grasp)

Not including shards and Wit. Who do you think is the most powerful ful on the planet?

This series has taught me that. I would get recommended TWOK, but I was put off by how long it was and the cover art. I was on TikTok and TWOK was recommended nonstop and I decided to try a sample on my Apple Books. Within the first 30 pages of the sample I was hooked. I ended up finishing TWOK in a week and am currently waiting on WoR.

Hi,

I don't remember if this was mentioned in the series, but Kaladin, Jasnah, and Shallan, and maybe more I don't remember (Lift?) started forming nahel bonds only shortly before the true desolation. Yet i can't recall any mention that one of them caused the other.

Is the reason given as to why the nahel bonds with spren started only some years before the true desolation?

Thanks you!

I finished Words of Radiance and began to read Oathbringer and reached Chapter 21, where Mraize has appeared again. However, I am still not completely sure on the Ghostbloods, in all honesty, I didn’t find Shallan’s chapters with them in WoR particularly interesting. I get their general gidt but just wanted to ensure I have a good understanding of them.

Who are they? What do they want? Is there anything specific about Mraize that I need to know? Is Shallan on good terms or bad terms with them?

For those who listen on audiobooks, how soon after the book comes out in print has the audiobook followed? I looked on google and it depends on the author or publisher so I was curious what the wait has been for SLA books.

And frankly that terrifies me, he knows we love these books and it makes me worry about why he thinks we won't like them.

I've been clinging to every kaladin lives theory and now I'm almost convinced he dies.

He said he was nervous about it during a panel at C2E2, why do we think he'd feel this way? Because it's the end of the first arc or because of decisions he's made with the characters?

No spoilers for wider cosmere as I've not quite finished it yet.

I just finished TSM, and my mind can't comprehend the geography of the mountains. This is mid-late TSM so spoilers coming.

So they decide to go over the mountain range to the south to avoid being persecuted by the Cinder King. But as soon as they go over the mountain range, which depleats all of their water fuel, they decide they need to go back for the sunhearts and they clash with Union again. And later they clash again in search for the Refuge.

So my mind can't comprehend. The mountains were supposed to be insurmountable, and I even think that they said they can't go around them. Wouldn't they need to cross them again for the sunhearts and Refuge? How could they do that with fewer resources than they started with? Am I missing something obvious?

1. I think Sanderson has been setting us up for a beautiful death with Kaladin but also so painful. Beyond our own love for Kal, the bridge crews pain is gonna hurt us more. Everytime Kal got into a pickle, the bridge crew was always firm in their beliefs. Surviving the high storm, fell into a chasm, trapped in Shadesmar. The crew always had faith… but when he’s truly dead I can imagine the crew still saying “don’t worry abt our Kal, he’s as tough as a chasmfields shell”.

2. End of mistborn look at the characters who die…

3. End of Wax & Wayne look who dies.

4. I do suspect a significant character to die, ik there’s multiple theories of who will. But I think dalinar takes Honor’s shard.

Please build on this or break it down. (I don’t want kal to die I promise 😭😭) but also drop some evidence if you think someone else will die (hopefully shallan, I would j feel bad for Adolin)

Spoilers for the whole series basically.

I finished the series a couple of weeks ago. And am wondering about the deal made between Odium and Dalinar at the end of RoW. So Odium agrees that if Danilar wins, he will “end hostilities” so basically the war on Roshar will end either way.

But Odium said that he cannot send the fused back to Braize, because the Oathpact is basically defunct.

My question is this: With Odium saying he will end hostilities, is there even a need to send the fused back to Braize as well? Do you think they will listen to Odium if he commands them to stop fighting? Or do you still see the need for the Oathpact to be reinstated so they can be sent away as well?

Here’s my fear that I’ve had for a while, I’d like to know if there is any basis to it: I am afraid that with Kaladin being sent to help the Herald who created the Oathpact, he will see the need for it to be reinstated, and agree to help withhold it himself. In my mind, it would fit with his character to act as a Herald in a way, as he already organizes, inspires, and educates wherever he goes. It’s just the kind of thing he would do, in my opinion, if he felt that it would save people. But with the war being ended, there should be no more desolations right? (Although the fused will never truly leave, they’ll always be reborn again) So is there any need anymore? I guess Dalinar could end up losing, the war would still end but maybe it would help slow Odium’s greater plans for the Cosmere if the fused were contained to Braize again?

I dunno, I have only read completely through once, but have gone back over the books daily since I finished them…..let me know if this is a silly fear to have please! It would help ease my dread for Stormlight 5.

I’m having trouble continuing on my journey through the books and I’m not sure how to motivate or talk myself into picking up that next book.

I finished WoR in the middle of April and picked up OB and RoW, then read the first 4 chapters of OB a few weeks back and haven’t read again since. I love the books so far, and it’s my first high fantasy series. And trust me, I want to read. But I find myself feeling lethargic when I pull it off the shelf and not wanting to RAFO.

As I’m sure plenty of others have had this experience, does anyone have advice on how to get myself back into it?

I finished RoW this evening and I thought it was honestly great. The stakes were raised and it felt like the whole time the book was piling on tension.

The good bits :

• Navani is so much more fleshed out, I loved her interactions with Rabonial

• Kaladin’s story was a bit slower in this book but i liked the fights with the pursuer and I feel that the emotional pay off was quite good and I’m glad that he isn’t just ‘fixed’ (the Dog and Dragon story is the closest I have gotten to crying at a book… until I got to the conversation with Tien and actually cried)

• Shallan’s reveal and finally allowing herself to remember her past was great, she has had the most consistently strong story imo - not always number 1 but always atleast 2nd

• Taravngian continues to be my favourite character aside from the main 3 and is just as interesting if not more in this book

• The epilogue is by far the best of all the books, seeing Wit be outsmarted was genuinely slightly disturbing

Bits I think could’ve been better : • Dalinar took a bit of a backseat this book, I understand there is a lot of characters to juggle but I feel like he didn’t do much but I expect he will get a bigger focus in WaT

• I honestly didn’t care as much for Venli as I feel like I SHOULD have with how much screen time she got

• probably the weakest flashback chapters of the series I feel like not much ‘new’ was added but the Eshonai send off was nice

I’d probably have it as my 3rd favourite of the 4 but they’re all close in that regard and I can’t wait for Winds of Truth

From WOBS, Social Media, Etc

So I was wondering we know each of the silver kingdoms were set up for a purpose during the desolations like Alethela being where they trained their army what did the other kingdoms get set up to do. I have a few guesses Makaoakam law and order Thalath trade and shipping Valhav possibility religion Aimia scholarship Shinkaknish food/crafts Iri Selatales Rishir Natanatan we know nothing about these

I was just looking at this chart, and I must say that chanaras atributes really match up to her being shallans mother.

The two attributes match with shallan, she was very obedient in her childhood and she is also very brave.

In addition she goes on and on about her mom’s soak and ain’t it ironic Chana’s body focus is the soul.

Ok but the BEST part of fire. Would it be ironic if Chana’s soulcasting this was about fire. After all that stick nonsense. Come on.

Anyway I am a firm believer in this theory and I can not wait for the reveal in book 5 when we can shout told ya so!

I’m ready for shallan to go to her home where ba ado mishear was hidden and find her mother there. Gosh I can’t wait for the next book.

Additional space for spoiler protection

So, this just hit me while listening to RoW. The parshendi wear white when they challenged for a city. Is this why Szeth does when he does what he does?

Edit: Sorry, this is my 4th or 5th reread.

If Shallan doesn’t tell Jasnah everything about the Ghostbloods in the next 2 chapters then I take back everything I said about her being badass. Like just tell her you need to wait to make a move until your brothers arrive safely, and then spring the trap at the deal. It could all be so storming simple if she’d just let it be.

No spoilers please

I'm currently listening to the Graphic Audio versions of the books for the first time, and I tend to follow along with the book here and there to see what's been altered or changed. Doing this made me come up with a theory/realization. Major spoilers ahead. I will spoil tag anything beyond WoR, but anything that occurs in WoR will not be spoiler tagged.

In chapter 60, titled "Veil Walks," Shallan is practicing her light weaving, and once again Pattern brings up her ability to make sounds with her illusions and tells her she needs to learn again how to do it. All of these implications lead up to the next chapter, titled "Obedience," which is a flashback scene.

In this chapter Balat confronts his father and mentions that he met with Helaran. I don't think Balat met with Helaran. Spoilers ahead:

!I believe that Shallan created an illusion of Helaran, with sound, to meet with Balat. She was probably trying to encourage him to be more like Helaran and inspire him. While she can't remember it now, we know she had previously bonded a spren, and as Pattern has consistently implied, she's done this before.!<

So, I love this series, I just finished Words of Raindance, and it's been a blast. Discovering, halfway through, that's it's a part of a much larger universe whose works are connected to each other and that what I thought were plot threads were, in-fact, references to other books Sanderson's written and hints toward whatever storyline he's building between them...less so.

Don't get me wrong, I still love this series (I have Edgedancer on the way to me right now) but I feel kind of deflated and like I have to worry that whether something's just a reference to the wider Cosmere or will have importance later in the book.

Take Wit, for instance. Throughout all of book 1 and half of book 2, Wit was a very interesting person that I figured would end up playing a huge role in the story. By the end of book 1, I actually thought he might be a Herald himself or one of the original Raidants, based on him knowing so much that he shouldn't. One trip down Tv Tropes later, and I accidentally discover that he's actually someone that travels between worlds and features in a lot of Sanderson books. So now I'm stuck wondering if he even matters or if he's just there as an easter egg and for some laughs.

I also accidentally found out that the Ghostbloods are apparently a multi-world organization as well, leaving me to wonder if that entire subplot will ultimately just not matter. Szeth's new sword is also apparently from another book, but I don't think that matters as much.

I know this shouldn't bother me as much as it does, but it does. I feel like now, whenever something appears that doesn't fit with the established rules of the setting, I don't know if it'll actually matter or if completely inconsequential for the story I'm reading and only matters for the Cosmere as a whole.

I just finished Oathbringer, I’ll admit there were a couple of times I fell asleep to it on Audible and not sure I didn’t skip a chapter in various places on accident but was the Szeth return really rushed?

I feel like it was all just immediate and assumed to be “normal”. I don’t even remember him talking to Dalinar before his Skybreaker training. So him and Kaladin don’t even interact at all before him just becoming Dalinar’s main body guard?

I’m either confused/missed something or this was really forced. If I did miss something can someone point out some chapters to go back to?

Anyway, Oathbringer was an incredible book, just so much more to process than the others in my opinion.

The Stormlight Archive is one of the greatest fantasy series ever made and the universe is so deep and well constructed. I was wondering though for big fans of the series what other franchises and fictional universes do you enjoy and invest time into?