I just finished up listening to a trilogy (well, the first three books in a series that came together on Audible, but I’m definitely not continuing) that was soooo sloppily written. Not gonna name-drop because it’s largely irrelevant, but it prompted me to go for a reread before Wind and Truth drops (I’ve read all Stormlight except the preview WaT chapters, I wanted it all to be fresh). We all know Sanderson is a magnificent writer, but one thing that I think goes unsaid in these circles is just how masterfully he drops tidbits in his worldbuilding that allow for theory-crafting… that often turns out to be correct! He has characters with limited knowledge picking up on things that are meaningless to them at the time, and we know more than they do but still not everything, and all of that comes together in the Sanderlanche (sometimes several books later or in another Cosmere story) to a conclusion that’s actually satisfying! I have yet to experience a plot twist that feels shoehorned, yet they’re often more than a bit of a blindside on the first read. Everything is so meticulously crafted that you can go back and see exactly where everything came from. The characters are active agents in the plot, even if/especially because they don’t have the whole picture and are acting according within the limitations of their abilities and knowledge. There are mysteries and not-yet-completed plot threads that fans speculate about and there’s enough information IN THE STORMING BOOKS that allow for some of us (not me so much yet, but here’s hoping 😂) to get pretty close to the mark.

Rant over, but basically I’m so glad to be back.

In Chapter 22 of RoW, Adolin reaches the bottom of the oathgate platform at Urithiru in Shadesmar. He remarks on a curious stone building:

"They made the last few rotations around the column before—at long last—arriving at sea level. There was a little stone building built up against the pillar underneath the ramp here, though scouts sent into Shadesmar had reported it empty. Adolin sent two men to search it anyway..."

Is this a guard house or toll booth? Is it something else entirely?

Perhaps this would prevent any unwanted intrusions via Shadesmar into the tower?

Reading through for the first time, just finished Oathbringer last week and am in the very early chapters of Rhythm of War. I have a probably dumb question. I know I am probably missing some stuff that I’ll pick up on later. After Words of Radiance what reason does Shallan have to keep working with the Ghost Bloods and why don’t the Ghost Bloods attempt to kill Jasnah again?

Currently very close to the end of words of radiance, on page 840. I’m In a long distance relationship at the moment, so for the holidays I have to travel to see my girlfriend to spend it with her. Shallan and Kaladin are stuck in the chasm and I’m just itching to read! I brought my book but I feel guilty if I read it when we’re visiting with each other (even though she says to go ahead, I just always feel guilty doing it when I have plenty of time to read when I’m back home.) So how do others circumvent their addictions to the cosmere when they aren’t able to read? I’ve been browsing this Reddit and looking at fanart lol, but after four days of being too busy to read I feel like I’m having drug withdrawals

Hello, friends. I need your assistance. I am writing a paper on Dalinar and how his journey in Oathbringer and the return of his memories can speak to the, real life action of unearthing repressed trauma. For part of this paper, I would like to illustrate who he was before we got to this point.So I need your help by picking out quotes or descriptions that describe the Dalinar that we thought existed versus who we see him as in the flashbacks. Please. Help. Lol

Going through Stormlight in preparation for WaT. Fabrials have been sticking with me on this reread. This time I noticed that pairing Fabrials. In Navani’s epigraph lecture and in the Ars Arcanum it notes that flamespren are used in rubies and amethysts - rubies make conjoiners and amethysts make reversers. These a polestones are opposite each other on the suregebinding chart. Also, I presume that flamespren are the Platespren for Dustbringers, the order associated with the ruby polestone. This leads me to ask what the effects are of paring a plate spren with their polestone and their opposite.

Does the quantum entanglement-ness of flamespren represent the unique pairing of their spren sub-species or is this something which could be replicated with any type of plate spren? Part of me things no. In RoW Rlain shows the coalition forces how to increase the rate at which plants grow through the use of an infused emerald and the appropriate rhythm. Lifespren were essential to this process. Could the opposite be true? Could lifespren suck the life out of plants if the correct rhythm were plaid in front of a topaz? What is the effect of specific gemstone used in a fabrial? Navani describes the uses of metals in the construction of cages but not the polestones them selves.

The Sibling gives a hint in saying the gemstones used to attract the spren have certain “flavors” but that only indicates that a given spren is more responsive to certain gemstones.

This is largely speculation. Would be interested in insight.

I know what you're thinking and you're absolutely right. Your bookmark isn't nearly invested enough. With these STLs inspired by u/darken1633 , you can fly through the story with as much style as Adolin Kholin.

The models themselves can be found here: Honorblade Bookmarks by WittyGingey - Thingiverse. Stock, they are the smaller versions to better fit the paperback editions. Scale the X and Y to 160% for the big boy book version.

Again, thanks darken1663 for permission to work on this. It was a blast. Reference artwork is the final image.

I’ve been trying to get my friend to read SA but she keeps saying she doesn’t like fantasy. I think she’ll be engrossed in the characters and story but how should I pitch it to her?

Finally decided to sit down and read Sixth of the Dusk before Wind and Truth because it’s the last cosmere story I haven’t read. Tell me why I’m just now realizing that Mraize’s “chicken” is an Aviar. I deadass just thought he had a pet parrot because he liked birds. This makes so much more sense now, and really is crazy how there’s so many Cosmere connections that I probably still don’t know.

I love Brandon Sanderson's work, I love how detailed his magic and science systems are and I think his world building is amazing, but there is something that will NOT stop bothering me in the Ars Arcanum of the Stormlight series. In the 2nd paragraph of the pairing fabrials section, in all the books I own, it says that "Conservation of force is maintained..." The problem is, it ISN'T. Force is NOT CONSERVED. I think what he means is energy, but it kills the immersion so hard.

I am in my second read through getting ready for the fifth book. In WoK a lighteye named Katarotam is mentioned. I cannot seem to recall if this character was mentored in the later books. Is my memory spotty or are we yet to learn more about this character.

I was wondering why she ordered the execution of all the Parshmen before the Ever Storm. If she was under the influence of one of the unmade they would want more of them in the city when they awoke because it would make it easier to take over.

One of my ideas was the Singers have some memories of their time as Parshmen and could have a lot of resentment against her.

Being exiled helped the the Voidbringers because killing all of the city's Parshmen would have costed them a lot of ground troops they needed for battle. Also it destabilized the leadership in the city making it easier to take.

Just finished reading all of the preview chapters and I want more! It’s going to be a wild ride. What percentage has been released so far? Obviously I know it’s 33 chapters, it’s hard for me to gauge how many more are left.

I've forgotten a decent amount since I read the last book and trying to get ready for the new one.

Was it any of you guys? Have we seen the character yet in the previews?

Sorry if this is out of place, but I have to share this before I forget! So last night, I had a dream where I was helping Kaladin fight Moash, who was wearing (and rocking) guyliner, and then I tried sparring with Dalinar, who basically chewed my ear off because I couldn’t and shouldn’t fight, despite me keeping up and almost besting him. I’m probably just excited about Wind and Truth like everyone else

So I think it was in words of radiance or in rhythms of war of but I might be mistaken. I wanted to ask what was the term used to describe the shapes the shattered planes took and what caused it.

Was just reading some WoK, and saw this on the back, sure it's been discussed before but was curious. Maybe it's nothing but was reading some WaT previews and I believe that Mraize or someone in the ghostbloods mentions going to where a God was killed, maybe this is that spot?

"Life before death, radiant."

I seem to recall that this exact line is actually said somewhere in the books and not just online, but for the life of me I can't find it. Is this true or am I being as stubborn as a stick who could be fire?

I am constantly in shock and awe of how he writes how soldiers joke with each other, and little tiny details about military attitudes towards people and duty is just amazing. As far as I know he didn’t serve. Obviously Sanderson is well researched. But, as someone who did serve, nothing here has felt cheesy or over the top or idealized. It’s just right in that sweet spot. Anyways I applaud him. Good shit.

I have a working theory on who will become the Big Bad guy in the back half of the Stormlight archive. I am not fully convinced by my own theory; however, I DO think that there is enough working here to ignore.

I think we have been getting hints that Ishar will become the big bad from the beginning, but definitely feel this way after my third read through of Rhythm of War. Don't get me wrong, Todium is still a major player, at least heading into Wind and Truth. But I don't believe he can or should carry it.

Taravangian is the scheming type, developing plans months and years in advance. Ishar is not the scheming type, but is the scholarly type who determines a goal and seeks it out.

Ishar has a connection to every major protagonist so far.

• Dalinar / Navani — Bondsmiths
• Shallan — crazy pants
• Adolin — doing weird, never seen before stuff with spren
• Kaladin — need of therapy

Ishar was the first Bondsmith, and is a bondsmith unbound now. We know that the humans destroyed Ashyn through surge binding. While we don't know WHO on Ashyn had access to surge binding (was it everyone, only a select few, just those who became Heralds?), we do know that Ishar was already a bond smith as he is the one who get everyone off world, forged the original oath pact, etc. Could Ishar have already destroyed one planet in the Rosharan system?

Two other Heralds are confirmed as flashback characters for Stormlight 6-10. While their flashbacks could definitely be something to show the history of the Desolations and the fight with Odium, I think we have and will have already seen so much of this once Wind and Truth releases. You're talking 2.5 million words in the Stormlight Archive + novellas to lay this out. Wouldn't it be wild if their flashbacks were actually to their relationships with Ishar instead?

Ishar is able to summon his own perpendicularity, one that not even the Stormfather can trace.

The Rosharan Ghostbloods are seeking one Herald (Kelek) in their plan to get stormlight off world, and even Thaidakar is seeking Kelek's knowledge on cognitive shadows and their ability to travel beyond their given system. Who has experience of moving MASS amounts of people, plants, animals, and even soil off world? Ishar. Who is also a herald of the almighty with even more knowledge than Kelek, AND also has the ability to forge and break or even steal bonds? Ishar.

Speaking of stealing bonds, Ishar is able to steal the bonds of other radiants and even bond smiths with just a touch, including that of Dalinar and the storm father. In this exchange, he also mentions his desire to become a "God amongst Gods" while discussing the shard Odium. A desire that the shard itself has—to be the ONE remaining God, a God amongst Gods. What would it look like for the most powerful being on Roshar to pick up the shard of Odium, while sharing the exact same intent? We see that the shards and the vessels, most of the time, share similar intents at the beginning before the shard eventually takes over centuries down the road. How powerful would the shard of odium become if held by someone who ALREADY shares the exact same intent? This would immediately make him the second most invested being in the cosmere, behind Harmony.

I still think its possible for Dalinar to lose / die or some other major character to be sleeping with the disgusting crab things with seventeen legs by the end of Stormlight 5, but IF NOT, what a showdown it would be to have Dalinar, a bodnsmith, possibly with the shard of Honor, against Ishar, a bodnsmith, possibly with the shard of Odium.

There are still SOO many unknowns with Book 5 releasing in less than a week, but there are a lot of connections here that I couldn't ignore, even if I am WAY wrong.

On amazon, if you bought all the book on kindle as a set is costs $30.37. But if you buy each book individually each book is only $2.99, totalling to $11.96 for all 4. Is there a reason for this? Just seems odd that buying all 4 as a set costs almost 3x more...

"Read Warbreaker before wor, It's a quick read, It's just a Novelette" The "quickread" :

I can't be the only Sanderson nerd begging for a video game. I think it would be difficult to do with all of the Orders of Radiants and just the complexity of the lore. How would you go about the different Orders in a video game and how could they make it so that you could enjoy the game without reading the entire series. I think that they should have you just pick one or two orders at the start of each campaign that you complete a storyline with, similar to Hogwarts Legacy's house system. That way, you don't have to memorize the controls for 10 different orders at once. It would be hard though because groups like Truthwatchers, Edgedancers, and Bondsmiths don't do much fighting. What would you guys do?

I am currently doing a play through of the rom hack Pokemon Emerald Seaglass. I’ve nicknamed/built my team based on our favorite characters:

Swampert = Dalinar Skarmory = Kaladin Kecleon = Shallan Chimecho = Syl Arcanine = Adolin Gardevoir = Jahsna

Also have an Aipom named Lopen in my box lol.

Would love to hear what your Stormlight Pokemon team would be!

My honest reaction.

I mean, holy shit.

I’d heard about the Sanderlanche and I saw it first hand in mistborn era 1, Way of Kings.

Words of Radiance blew those out of the water. Literally cannot contain myself enough to explain how I felt reading the last 300 pages which is crazy to say considering that’s a short novel, but we’re used to it right?

No spoilers, but what Shallan was up to at the beginning of the book felt like it was 2 books ago but actually it was just first third of this book.

Sanderson is a crazy bastard and I could not be more thankful I found these books now rather than when I was younger.

Wouldn’t have been able to afford them all, nor have the time, and likely wouldn’t have even appreciated them anywhere near as much.

Onto Oathbringer…

Barely on Page 100 of The Way of Kings and there's so much to learn! I'm taking my time reading and trying to imagine the creatures, people, and places and it just a wonderful world. Even the currency Sanderson created is intriguing. I'm being pulled left and right and I'm enjoying every little thing. This is the first book that I don't mind the perspective I'm reading from changing because there's just so much and his writing style flows easy. I got the first 4 books on Kindle for $3.21 and I feel like I robbed the man because of how much I'm enjoying this series.