#i loathe meridas amaram

[preservationandruin]

Oathbringer Liveblog, Part One. Chapters 20-24

In a perfect world I’d be doing these all day but, unfortunately, I have school, a job, and a novel, because November is designed to murder me. So sorry, again, about the snail-like rate of posts. Just picture me drowning in editorial work as my punishment, because that’s what’s literally happening. 

Kaladin bandages wounds, Shallan and Adolin talk about “Girl stuff,” I make a sound like a boiling tea kettle from sheer fury, we might have met a Dustbringer, and I don’t trust Taravangian. 

Kaladin, still with the Parshmen, is doing a Very Kaladin Thing--teaching them how to bandage a wound, while bandaging Khen’s. He’s learned all their names--names are important, men are important, we’ve had that since book one. Kal also has a conversation with Sah, pointing out that he doesn’t have to fight humans--but Sah (one of the Parshmen, the one he was talking to in earlier chapters) points out that given what humans did to him, why wouldn’t he fight them? Kaladin can’t really argue with that. 

Sah also makes the point that it’s all well and good that Kaladin is treating him like a person now, when Sah acts like him, but the humans should have been treating Parshmen like people the whole time. Fucking drag them, Sah. I’m loving the direction that this is taking, honestly. 

Syl notes that a highstorm is coming. Kal immediately starts trying to plan how to protect the parshmen, and then realizes again that these are going to be the enemy. The longer he stays with them, the more he sees their side--but can he afford that?  But he stays with them. Syl says to find a middle ground, but can he? 

Back over to Shallan. She slept through the entire morning due to her nighttime excursions as Veil, and Adolin’s there again. This time, he actually waits for her to say so until he comes in. No more bare-safehand awkward moments. 

“Shallan?” Adolin said. “Are you decent?”  “Depends,” she said, voice croaking, “on the context. I’m decent at sleeping.” 

Highkey relatable content here. Also, Adolin attempting to talk about periods. 

“Is it, um, girl stuff?”  “Girl stuff,” She said flatly.  “You know. When you...uh....”  “I’m aware of the biology, Adolin, thank you.”

This is so accurate to a dude trying to bring up a period I’m dying. Shallan is dealing with a hangover, too, because she didn’t have enough stormlight to fully heal herself from drinking Horneater liquor. Also Adolin remains more perceptive than people think him, but this time in a funnier context: 

“See, I don’t think men would blame your cycle nearly as much if you all didn’t do the same. I’ve courted my share of women, and I once kept track. Deeli was once sick for womanly reasons four times in the same month.”  “We’re very mysterious creatures.” 

Also Shallan attributes her menstrual cramps to “Mother Cultivation” like we would say “Mother Nature.” Adolin points out, again,  that they have the weirdest conversations--given that on their first date they talked about shitting in shardplate, this is not a suprise. Anyway, Adolin wants Shallan with him as moral support for talking to Ialai. 

Oh man, this is going to be a mess. Adolin murdered her husband, he’s nervous around her, she’s a piece of work on her own, and she’s smart. Moreover, we know she has a spy network, and both Adolin and Shallan have some secrets to hide. Does she know any of them? 

Palona and Sebarial are getting couples’ massages, again. I love how basically those two, no matter where they are, are the embodiments of “treat yo self.” Like, they know how to LIVE. Resettling an abandoned creepy tower during the beginning of an apocalypse? Yeah, sure, but get yourself a massage. You’re worth it. 

Shallan: Why am i sleeping on the floor when you have cots RIGHT THERE Sebarial: that sounds like a you problem

Shallan also teases Adolin for sounding like Dalinar, and Adolin is a little embarrassed and a little proud of himself. Although it does lead to a very interesting conversation: 

“Do you really think I’m like my father?” Adolin said softly as they walked. There was a worried sense to his voice. “You are,” she said, pulling his arm tight. “You’re just like him, Adolin. Moral, just, and capable.”  He frowned. “What?”  “Nothing.”  “You’re a terrible liar. You’re worried you can’t live up to his expectations, aren’t you?”  “Maybe.”  “Well you have, Adolin. You have lived up to them in every way. I’m certain Dalinar Kholin couldn’t hope for a better son, and...storms. That idea bothers you.”  “What? No!” 

She lets it go, but it’s pretty clear what Adolin’s thinking about. My father thinks I’m a better man than he is. Unfortunately for you, he’s wrong. 

Adolin, just tell her you killed Sadeas. She’s not going to judge you. Anyway, Sadeas’ area is significantly less well-kempt than Sebarial’s. Ialai runs it,  now, but she seems not to be doing much. Adolin points out the difference in the men: Dalinar used discipline to train his men, while Sadeas used competition, and because being well-kempt and clean was the mark of the Kholin troops, Sadeas’ men shunned it. Adolin knows his shit when it comes to how the military men work. Adolin knows his shit on a lot of topics, actually. 

Ialai was a short woman with thick lips and green eyes. She sat in a throne at the center of the room.  Standing beside her was Mraize, one of the leaders of the Ghostbloods. 

(I’ll stop using Liam O’Brian reaction images when they stop precisely conveying my mood) 

Anyway, Mraize is--for some reason--dressed in a Sadeas uniform. Now the question is--is he working with/for Ialai? Or does he have another motive? Does he know what Adolin did? I gotta keep reading to find out but my anxiety is making that hard, curse you sanderson for writing so well. 

HE HAS A FUCKING PARROT ON HIS SHOULDER. Or...something? A predatory yet all-green bird. So, in rosharan terms, a chicken. If it’s one of the birds from Sixth of the Dusk, I...uh...haven’t read that one yet. But given that it’s Mraize, I wouldn’t be surprised. Mraize isn’t indicating he knows Shallan--good--and I’d like to note that while he seems to be pretending to be a soldier, he color-coordinated his chicken/bird with his uniform. Iconic. 

Anyway, Ialai is highkey implying that she suspects Adolin; Adolin is walking into some of her verbal traps and Shallan is quietly dying in the corner. Anyway, Adolin fucking loses his shit: 

“it’s strange,” Adolin snapped. “My mother always said she thought you were clever. She admired you, and wished she had your wit. Yet here, I see no proof of that. Honestly, do you really think that my father would withstand Sadeas’s insults for years--weather his betrayal on the Plains, suffer that dueling fiasco--only to asssassinate him now? Once Sadeas was proven wrong about the Voidbringers, and my father’s position was secure? We both know that my father wasn’t behind your husband’s death. To claim otherwise is simple idiocy.” 

No, but she knows it looks really fucking bad for him. And I’m worried that Adolin will overreach himself in this--that he’ll implicate himself. And Ialai’s sharp enough to pick up on that, as are Mraize and probably Shallan. Adolin, you have no idea of the nest of vipers you’re in right now. Shallan’s on your side, but...still. 

Anyway, Ialai tells Shallan what to do, and she uses the opportunity to have a short conversation with Mraize--the Ghostbloods have an interest in Ialai, but she’s not a ghostblood--not because she’s morally reprehensible, but because she’s too much of a wild card. 

Anyway, Mraize tells Shallan to look into the wrongness in Urithiru. He tells her to secure it, and in response he’ll give her information on Helaran. Well, she can’t turn that one down. Anyway, Shallan got drinks--for herself and Adolin, not Ialai. And she just casually smiles at Ialai while drinking. 

Going out on a limb, here--the double-murders and the darkness in Urithiru are connected, and Shallan’s found herself in a horror subplot of this book. I mean, mystery duplicated murders, creepy hallways and non-euclidean buildings... yeah. 

Anyway, back to the actual topic under discussion, Ialai looks genuinely upset by Sadeas’ death--although Shallan points out that you could fake tears--and has the wonderful point that while Dalinar didn’t kill Sadeas, one of his men could have. (Like Adolin, although she doesn’t say that). 

And then Ialai mentions her own investigator and says a sentence that makes my blood boil: 

“I suppose,” Adolin said, standing. “Who is leading your investigation? I’ll send him my reports.”  “His name is Meridas Amaram. I believe you know him.” 

You know the sound a teakettle makes when it’s boiling? That’s the sound my throat just made. My emotional state at this moment: 

I just. I fucking. I hate Amaram so much could he have just not shown up for one fucking second could I know peace for once in my life.

Anyway, after that we learn that the highstorms are coming back! Which is good news, because it means more stormlight. 

Anyway, Kaladin is bluffing his way into getting shelter for the Parshmen during the highstorm. The Parshmen are thankful--one of them says that they’ll speak for Kaladin “when we reach the gathering.” Which is a very ominous and strange comment. 

Anyway, the yellow spren shows up, looking like a small woman (from Shinovar), and talks to Kaladin. 

“Why...why do you want me to see you?”  “So we can talk.” She started to stroll around him, and at each step, a spike of yellow stone shot up from the ground and met her bare foot. “Why are you still here, human?”  “Your parshmen took me captive.”  “Your mother teach you to lie like that?” She asked, sounding amused. “They’re less than a month old. Congratulations on fooling them.” She stopped and smiled at him. “I’m a tad older than a month.”  “The world is changing,” Kaladin said. “The country is in upheaval. I guess I want to see where this goes.” 

Anyway, she asks if he will fight for them, mentioning that her people are less likely to discriminate than his, but says she’s only a messenger. And she asks how he knew there would be a highstorm--and he dodges the question. Kaladin, you’re playing a very dangerous game. Also, I like her. 

And a note--she has stonelike effects, and Shinovar--which she looks like the people of--think stone is sacred. Interesting. 

Dalinar is starting to remember Evi. He remembers meetlng her and her brother, what she looked like, and that she and her brother fled their homeland with a set of Shardplate. Also, I’m having problems because when I type “evi” my hands think i’m typing “evil” and automatically complete the word. Oops. 

Anyway, Taravangian has shown up, which means I’m immediately on high alert. We also get that Taravangian’s “strange illness” was five years ago, and that marked the start of his reputation for mental incapacity--so that gives us a timeline for his deal with the Nightwalker. It seems to match with Gavilar’s death, I think. Anyway--if Lift and Dalinar’s deals are starting to come undone, will his, too? And, more importantly--will he notice? 

The new Radiant has shown up! Or, the supposed new Radiant. She has a shardblade, and gloves both hands--middle-aged, lighteyed, boyishly short hair. Malata of Jah Keved. I’m deeply torn between “please be good and a Dustbringer” and “if she’s evil just let me know soon, Sanderson.” 

I mean. She has a Blade. But is it an Honorblade or a Shardblade? Either way, it wouldn’t scream if a Radiant touched it, we know that. Taravangian as an origin makes her suspicious, but I’m desperate for another female Radiant. 

Why must you torment me like this, Sanderson. 

Dalinar thinks Taravangian is a “mild, congenial figurehead” and I am so uncomfortable right now. DALINAR, THE MAN NEXT TO YOU TRIED TO HAVE YOU ASSASSINATED. I’M WILLING TO BET THAT HE’LL TRY TO KILL YOU HERE, AND MANIPULATE IT SO HE BECOMES KING OF URITHIRU. 

For a moment, Taravangian has an emotional outburst--it is one of his compassionate days, then. He says that he doesn’t believe either of them--men of blood and sorrow--get an ending in the Tranquiline Halls. 

MALATA IS A DUSTBRINGER/RELEASER APPARENTLY @SANDERSON PLEASE DO NOT MAKE HER EVIL BECAUSE IF SHE IS NOT EVIL I WILL LOVE HER WITH MY ENTIRE HEART

Fortunately, Dalinar has considered that her Shardblade might be an Honorblade in disguise. Good, Dadlinar is on top of this. He’s getting back more memories, and Navani notes that in the three hundred cases she looked into, both boon and curse lasted until death. 

Something really is happening to the Old Magic. Is Cultivation okay? Anyway, Navani asks Dalinar to ask the Stormfather to confirm again that he’s not responsible for the change; Stormy is irritated that she wants another confirmation. 

Dalinar mentions the Shin, Taravangian immediately throws blame at them for Szeth’s killings. Wow, asshole. And Taravangian assumed that Dalinar would want to attack the other kingdoms, unite them through force. 

...wow, that sounds like the exact kind of strategy a certain Diagram is using, huh Taravangian. I...do not like him. We end with a very creepy Shallan drawing of horses. 

[pocketramblr]

How about Himiko Toga, Akkorokamui from kraken tales and Meridas Amaram?

... I think this Anon secretly loathes me. Hmm. Ok. Hmm. Ok.

Look, I'm gonna have to put Toga as my McDonald's Trainer, because I can at least quit my job into the shift and it counts. I would either be killed or commit a murder in either of the other two scenarios.

Ok now... Amaran can... Kinda read? Sorta. So I can't use that as an excuse to not partner with him in the lab. But, I kinda feel a bit gutsy. I kinda feel like my grades would be much much better if I had Akkorokamui as my lab partner- and it's safer to be a classmate with him than it is to be his student. And I would know that my professor and everyone else in the class would hate him at least as much as I do, which is cathartic. I don't think I could stand being in a room where everyone loved Amaran but I wanted to bury a pencil in his skull every day.

So that means I'd actually be in an elevator with Amaran all day. It would suck, but even with his ego it would be less crowded than with Akkorokamui, and even with his backstabbing tendencies I'd be safer than from Toga's knife. I think I would probably pretend to faint about half an hour into the wait, because Amaran cares about his image and would probably give me his coat as a pillow or blanket and then leave me alone to plot nefariously in his notebook.

Ask game

[preservationandruin]

Oathbringer Part One: Chapters 25-28

Onward! Shorter than usual in terms of chapter coverage, but I had a lot to say and don’t want these things to be essays. 

Shallan and Pattern see a play, this story takes another turn toward horror story,  the Thrill is still talked about as though it’s arousal, my rage hits a new upper limit, Someone Mentions The Greater Good And Casper Loses Their Goddamn Mind, I wax philosophical about the themes of the series, and Dalinar learns something about the Stormfather. 

The writer of Oathbringer--who I think but am not sure is Jasnah--talks about how they killed multiple people, including “someone who loved [them] dearly,” which is ominous and will probably be tragic. 

And we open with more of Urithiru being Very Creepy: 

The tower of Urithiru was a skeleton, and these strata beneath Shallan’s fingers were veins that wrapped the bones, dividing and spreading across the entire body. But what did those veins carry? Not blood. 

Yikes. Shallan is exploring, armed with a bunch of newly-charged spheres. As she’s a Radiant, I’m not worried about her getting lost--again, both she and Dalinar have noted confusion at how easily other people get lost. Apparently, some parts of the walls have emerald-colored strata, which even in Roshar is not a normal color for stone. 

She finds a stage and comments that as a child,  she wanted to be a player--someone who got to travel and who got to be someone other than herself. In a lot of ways, she’s turned into one, but the acts she plays go deeper than parts on a stage. Shallan plays out a small scene for Pattern with Stormlight.  

“There was a girl,” Shallan said. “This was before storms, before memories, and before legends--but there was still a girl. She wore a long scarf to blow in the wind.”  A vibrant red scarf grew around the girl’s neck, twin tails extending far behind her and flapping in a phantom wind. [...]

She goes on to people the other characters of the play with people from her life--Sebarial, Palona, Gaz. The girl asks a fruit seller with Kaladin’s face why there’s a wall, and doesn’t get an answer; she asks a mother with a child with Palona’s face, and gets no answer; a boy climbing a tree with Lopen’s face just says that’s how the sky looks over there. Everyone says if you go beyond it, you die. 

Shallan keeps going, telling this story of a girl who looked up and wondered why the wall was there. She uses her stormlight to make it all appear, to make a play for her and Pattern to watch. There’s something magical about this scene--I can see it in my head, Pattern and Shallan in this barren theater, images made of light moving around the stage. It feels like some melancholy music box tune should be playing over it, if it was in a movie. 

Creationspren appear around Shallan as she goes on. She gets onto the stage, realizing that this is a scene she hadn’t drawn recently--it’s one she drew as a child. The girl’s hair is white now, at this part of the story. Shallan can’t remember if it started that way. She climbed to the top; Shallan turns to face the audience and realizes she’s made a shadow audience of people from her memory, people she’d never drawn. And the girl saw steps on the other end of the wall. 

The wall did hide something evil and frightening. It hid the girl and her people. She goes and finds a perfect society, and steals stormlit spheres; Shallan’s illusion is breaking down. The story says that the storms are punishment for that theft. 

“Ah...” Pattern said, hovering beside her on now-dull stage. “So that’s how the storms first began?”  “Of course not,” Shallan said, feeling tired. “it’s a lie, Pattern. A story. It doesn’t mean anything.”  “Then why are you crying?��� 

But then--one of the shadows wasn’t one of her illusions, and she chases it, becoming Radiant so she can hold Pattern. She runs into the room and a dozen versions of her all rush forward and vanish; the room she goes into is empty. She worries, again, that her mind isn’t trustworthy. She looks into a small slot in the room--and sees a creature. A dark mass, like goo, but it has limbs; fingers that bend backwards, a distorted human face. 

Well, that’s horrifying. It’s heading to the market, apparently. Shallan hears a scream from the market--and she sees Rock, a large Horneater man, stabbed through the center of the hand. 

Just like she did to another large Horneater man just a few days ago. The person who stabbed Rock wore “a long coat and a hat”--just like Veil. And the woman Shallan saw before wants to join the Ghostbloods, and Shallan tells her to just forget about them and leaves. 

Well. This has taken one hell of a turn toward a horror story with that last bit. A shadow mimicking people and reenacting their crimes--that’s not great at ALL. 

Anyway, time for a Blackthorn chapter! 29 years ago. We get that Evi had the beliefs of Iri and Rira--she burned incense as well as glyphs in pairs, call Jezrien and Kalak Yaysi and Kellai--adding more to my collection of “alternate names for the Radiants”--and don’t talk about the Almighty but rather about the One. Which is interesting--which one of Roshar’s gods is that referring to? Probably Honor. Evi was also trying to get Dalinar’s temper to be softer, which he wasn’t as down for. She calls him near-husband, which must be a translation of the Iri term for betrothed. 

I love her. Anyway, past Dalinar is wondering exactly what it would take to earn the ardents’ displeasure--well, he’s certainly learned that in the present day. Maybe saying that God is dead? 

So Evi is interesting. Dalinar is heading off to battle. This is, apparently, the fight for the kingdom. He still doesn’t have Gallant yet, raising the question of when he gets him. Another all-black horse, for this edgy motherfucker. Sebarial was technically their ally then, but didn’t show up. For some reason, Gavilar calls Sebarial “your friend” to Dalinar, who clarifies that they’re not friends. 

We get a very interesting piece of information: the shardplate in Evi’s family belongs to Evi, not Toh. Why does the sister have the Shardplate? There’s something up with Evi. I love her. Dalinar, on the other hand, notes that he doesn’t yet. 

I would say that the man has no taste, but he does like Navani, so clearly he has some. 

Oh man--a herd of Ryshadium have shown up. Musicspren trail after them, which is weird. Why would musicspren be attracted to horses? Well, I say this like the fact that horses are on Roshar isn’t inherently weird. 

Gavilar tells Dalinar specifically to kill one of the opposing highprinces to end this; Dalinar agrees. He wonders, though, if Gavilar has been trying to ‘leash’ him. He summons Oathbringer, calling it the sword of a fallen king, but I can’t think of it as anything more than the sword of a fallen child. No, I am not letting that go, ever. 

Dalinar flat-up compares the Thrill to a narcotic, here, which is very fitting. it’s an addiction. It makes those who rely on it--Blackthorn Dalinar, Sadeas--feel like life isn’t worth living when they’re not feeling it. Both are implied to maybe have an alcohol problem when they’re not in situations where they can feel the thrill. That’s not good. 

Dalinar also supposes that stories of common men bringing down Shardbearers are just lies, which, well, Kaladin Stormblessed is proof that’s not true, although at this point in the story he’s not alive yet. Kadash was still on his team at this point, not yet an ardent, and saw Dalinar cut through hundreds of people on the battlefield. Also, a note that the thrill seems to have gotten more brutal in him--it used to be that he looked for an equal fight. Now it’s that he enjoys slaughtering masses. 

As a side note, it’s really uncomfortable seeing Dalinar--who we’re used to seeing as a stable, good moral figure--like this. I see why Sanderson held it off for two books, so we could get used to the Dalinar in the present before getting hit with this. it’s unsettling. Kalanor, by the way, had a Ryshadium; he dismounted it before fighting Dalinar. So he had to have been a person with some strength; Ryshadium only choose the worthy. Kalanor starts climbing a rock outcropping; Dalinar catches up to him at fifty feet. A much more dynamic duel, up at the top--winds, unsteady footing, a fall that would kill either of them. 

Dramatic. I love it. 

Dalinar sees that Kalanor also feels the thrill and is furious, because to him the thrill is “an intimate feeling,” which yet again makes the thrill sound like arousal. I’ll stop pointing that out when it stops being true. 

Anyway, Kalanor ends up dangling from the rock spire; he asks for mercy, and Dalinar says that this is mercy and stabs him through the face. Storms, Dalinar, why are you like this? 

And we get a moment where the Thrill almost makes Dalinar strike at Gavilar. he wants to keep the war going. He wants to have Navani--like she’s a thing that killing can just get him. And he almost does it, but Gavilar smiles at him, and Dalinar realizes--that’s his brother. That’s his brother. What was he doing?? 

And Gavilar calls for the men to cheer Dalinar, and Dalinar is just surrounded by crushing shame. He gives Gavilar the Plate and Blade, still close to panicking. And he promises himself, then, that he will never be king. He never can be king. 

Well, now he is. 

Over to Shallan. She’s sketching; Dalinar is talking with Taravangian and the highprinces and Elhokar. Pattern confirms that the thing Shallan saw was an ancient spren of Odium. Perhaps he mimics, then, killings done out of unbridled rage/hate? But Shallan’s wasn’t that. Does it feed off of violence? And why did it come to see the play? 

Iri apparently has flat-up joined the Voidbringers. Great. Apparently, in Kholinar, the spanreeds started working again--reporting armies gathering--and then, one by one, went dark. That’s alarming. Kaladin did manage to get them one communication--to be patient. Understandable, given his situation. That yellow spren who I am a little in love with is watching him, after all. Listen, if she’s really evil and we see proof of that, I will stop being in love with her. 

Anyway, it looks like the Voidbringers are making a play for the Oathgates. After all, if the Radiants can’t get anyone to them, they can’t use them for transportation. Shallan, though, as she sketches, notices that Sadeas and the other man killed were physically similar. The spren impersonates; a fitting opponent for Shallan, then. 

Anyway, Malata has come over to talk to Shallan! Please, Brandon, don’t let Malata be evil. She has very short-cut black hair and dresses like a Thaylen merchant. She speaks Veden, like Shallan--she’s from Jah Keved, so of course. She notes that she is not Taravangian’s--a good sign, if it’s true--and that her spren is named Spark. Shallan finds Malata annoying; Pattern notes that it will be worse “when she starts destroying things,” noting that the spren of the Dustbringers “like to break what is around them. They want to know what is inside.” 

And Ialai has arrived at the meeting. Welp, this is going to be interesting. She’s going to be interested in making a power play. 

AND MERIDAS FUCKING AMARAM IS WITH HER. 

If there was any justice in this world, LIGHTNING WOULD FALL FROM THE SKY at THIS VERY MINUTE and WIPE AMARAM FROM THE FACE OF THE EARTH, KILLING HIM INSTANTLY. 

But as we live in an unfair and unjust world that insists on tormenting me incessantly, he’s still here. And I must sit here, surrounded by the flames of my own anger, for the rest of the evening. 

At least Adolin has the same reaction that I do, which is glaring daggers at Amaram. Listen, Adolin, I know your last murder didn’t go so great, but think about it. You could lure this spren out with another one. Just one convenient murder to track the thing. There’s a prime target, honestly, right here. 

And. Ialai names Amaram. As. Head. Of. House. Sadeas. 

I thought this might happen, but I’m really pissed that it did. That fucking asshole didn’t need more power. Fuck. 

He murdered!!! Many people!!!!!! and sold the man who saved his life into slavery!!!!!!!! not that the laws care because fuck darkeyes am i right???? 

And then he pulls this bullshit: 

“I hope,” Amaram continued, “our recent...friction [translation: the fact that I tried to rob you and also was exposed as a murderer with no morals]  will not prevent us from working together for the [...] greater good of Roshar.”  “The greater good,” Dalinar said. “You think you are one to speak about what is good?”  “Everything I’ve done is for the greater good, Dalinar,” Amaram said,  his voice strained. “Everything. Please. I know you intend to pursue legal action against me. I will stand at trial, but let us postpone that until after Roshar has been saved.” 

Oh, shove it up your ass, you lying sack of shit. I hope someone stabs you in the back and they never catch the killer. At least Adolin knows what he’s fucking doing: 

“Highprince,” Dalinar finally said. “Highprince,” Amaram said back, tipping his head.  “Bastard,” Adolin said. 

That gets him sent out of the room, but COME ON, DALINAR. WHY ARE YOU BOOING HIM HE’S RIGHT. 

“Kaladin’s not going to like this,” Adolin said. “Amaram as a highprince? The two of us spent weeks in jail because of the things that man did.”  “I think Amaram killed my brother.”  Adolin wheeled around to stare at her. “What?” 

Great time to drop that bit of information.  And Adolin...Adolin tells her that Amaram got that blade from Kaladin, who actually killed the man. Oh no. Shallan is already repressing that information, which is not good. 

And Shallan finds drawings that she doesn’t remember doing. Disconnected lines. Another spiralling outward, turning into grotesques of horses. Pattern doesn’t remember her drawing them. She doesn’t remember drawing them. The last is a corridor. She and Pattern are both deeply unnerved by this. 

I love that a lot of Shallan’s guard call her Red. She gives them work, but fortunately, they can get drunk during it. Probably, it’s scouting the marketplace and waiting for tales of killings. 

Over to Dalinar. The more I’m reading, the more the writer of Oathbringer might be him, not Jasnah. He hasn’t seen Shadesmar yet, though, from what we know. 

The Azish are planning to seal their Oathgate completely off. They think it’s too much of a risk--and that’s fair. Shallan, at least, has told Dalinar and company about the spren she found. That’s good. They know a bit of what they’re dealing with. 

Here’s a question: has that thing been awake here this whole time, or did Adolin’s actions wake it up? I don’t like that question; I bet y’all don’t either. Dalinar is going to try to climb a wall with stormlight, which is, uh, probably not going to go well? 

On the other hand, he found a mink. But Queen Fen won’t join their alliance. She just can’t trust him, and if all I knew were the stories of his brutal pillage through Alethkar to unite it? I wouldn’t either. Anyway, Lyn the scout found him, explaining that Bridge Four apparently needed him. 

They found Oathbringer. Apparently, its spren doesn’t scream. It just...whimpers. God, this blade has seen two bloody conquests of Alethkar. What was it, first? What’s it’s actual name? Apparently, it only whimpers because it remembers the day Dalinar won it and the day he gave it up; it remembers “his oath.” It hates him less than it hates other people. 

Dalinar asks if they could save the spren. The Stormfather says he doesn’t know how. I still...I still want it to be possible. I want to save the spren. They didn’t deserve this. 

Anyway, Dalinar just gives the Blade back to Ialai--and, by extension, Amaram. Because he’s Dalinar, and he’s honorable,  and it belongs to him. 

God, I hope that sword doesn’t end up in his back. 

And Amaram--fucking Amaram--calls Dalinar a hypocrite. 

Amaram. Calls. Dalinar. A. Hypocrite. 

I am three seconds from throwing this computer out a window. God, I didn’t think I could fucking hate that man more. Is he right? Yeah, kind of. Dalinar has done terrible things. But at the other end of it--now--he is a person who has honestly changed. Amaram--Amaram hasn’t changed. His only regret about what he did was that he’d let Kaladin live. 

And of course, when Dalinar gets to his rooms, Taravangian is there. Because enoguh hasn’t happened today. Taravangian asks how Dalinar knows what is right, and Dalinar relates a story from the Way of Kings. Three men committed a murder; there are four possibilities, and all of them deny it. He asks Taravangian--what do you do? 

Yet again, that question. What do you do to prevent something terrible? What is a human life worth? 

Of course, Taravangian--with a look of great sorrow--says that you hang all four. You have to hang all four. To do your duty. 

Dalinar, now, says you should let them all go. 

“Yes...one innocent in four is too many for you. That makes sense too.  “No, any innocent is too many. “ 

Taravangian remains firm--he’d hang all four men, and weep every night for having done it. As he does now. He’s butchering his way through Roshar, and hating every moment of it, but the innocent don’t matter as much as the result. 

What is a human life worth? An innocent life? What do you weigh the greater good against? Do you sacrifice one innocent man for a tenement free of murderers? Do you sacrifice a squad of untrained children to win a battle? A squad of men who saved your life to win a Shardblade? An army, for your belief that Alethkar will be stronger? An inept king for a competent nation? The Parshendi, for your Heralds to return? Hundreds of people who trust you, for the world? 

I’m waxing philosophical, again, but these are important questions. They’re the questions the books hang on, I think. 

Anyway, Stormfather can show visions to people other than Dalinar. He just...didn’t mention this until now. Because he’s like that. Thanks, Stormy. And Dalinar has a realization--he can talk to the other monarchs through the visions. All he needs is a highstorm. 

I’ll cut this here, because wow, I talked a lot. That happens when Amaram shows up. 

[preservationandruin]

Oathbringer Prologue

As per usual, I’m assuming that there’s gonna be enough stuff to unpack in the prologue to warrant its own liveblog. Also, I have NaNo this month. Yes, I am also planning on liveblogging all of Oathbringer. Yes, a pokemon game I’m going to play comes out in a few days. Yes, I still have actual college on top of that. 

What can I say? I make bad decisions. We take yet another look at that feast that changed everything. 

We have a beautiful full-color map of Roshar which my nook app will not let me zoom in on, unfortunately, and then we get to the prologue--Eshonai’s viewpoint at the feast. This is gonna be good. 

She’d always imagined humans--as sung of in the songs--as dark, formless monsters.

That’s interesting, because that’s kind of how humans picture Voidbringers. It would be interesting to hear more of the Parshendi legends about humans. 

I love Eshonai’s mixed feelings about humanity. On the one hand, they’re wonderful and creative creatures she couldn’t even imagine before. On the other hand...they buy and sell Listeners--the Parshmen--as slaves. It’s also noted that the parshmen--the “little rhythmless ones”--want to be around the Parshendi, as though they can tell that there’s something wrong that they might be able to get back. 

Apparently the parshmen were expensive, and considered high-quality slaves. The listeners had been told this, as if it were supposed to make them proud. 

This is a wonderful set of sentences that exposes just how messed-up the system of slavery is from the outside. We also get that Eshonai always just...wanders off in the middle of jobs, because that’s who she is. We also get that she has a talent with languages, which allowed her to pick up Alethi quickly. We also get that even here, Eshonai is transfixed by human artwork--foreshadowing her later attempts to find an artform and push her warriors to make things, as well. 

And then she runs into Gavilar. Having a meeting with people including Amaram, which as we all know ratchets up my suspicion meter to approximately 50000%. Gavilar clears out the room--I’m assuming the meeting was for the “Sons of Honor”--and it turns out that he actually knows Eshonai’s name. 

Eshonai thinks that fabrials “feel lifeless,” which may have something to do with listener kinship with the spren and the fact that spren, when measured, stop moving entirely. Anyway, she doesn’t tell Gavilar that. 

“My officers feel so superior, as they think they have you figured out. They think you’re savages, but they’re so wrong. You’re not savages. You’re an enclave of memories. A window into the past.” 

Hey, uh, Gavilar? They’re actually a modern society just like yours?? They’re people, not a “window” or “enclave” of anything?? This actually reminds me of the way that white people in the US talk about Native nations all the time--that patronizing “they’re stuck in the past” narrative. It pretends to be honoring but is in fact dismissive. 

And so Gavilar says he’s found out how to bring their gods back. The last thing that the listeners want. We also get the interesting snippet that the parshmen used to be like the listeners, but somehow humans caught “an ancient, crucial spren” and robbed them of it--and he wants to reverse that process. Except the parshmen never forsook the gods. 

Gavilar what the fuck do you think you’re doing. 

He thinks--of course--that starting the war again will bring the Heralds out of hiding. Of course, several of the Heralds are actually at this dinner tonight, but he doesn’t know that. I don’t think he would even recognize them, because he’s expecting gods and he would get broken old soldiers. 

Also, more of Gavilar being patronizing: he speaks of the Parshendi in their current state as “as good as corpses.” And he pulls out the black-light sphere and tells Eshonai to give that to the Five and tell them to “remember what your people once were.” 

And Eshonai recognizes the black light--”the forms of power had been associated with a dark light, a light from the king of gods.” 

From Odium. 

Also, a slight interruption here? It’s really easy for Gavilar, who belongs to the race that got magic powers and cool weapons, to go “it would be so great for the gods to be back we could return to the old days of glory and vibrancy and light” but Eshonai’s people were brainwashed into committing atrocities. They have a very good reason not to want their gods back and Gavilar is completely ignoring that. 

Oh man, my distrust of the Sons of Honor only grows deeper by the minute. 

Also, we get that literally all of the assassination happened because Klade, one of the Five, happened to purchase Szeth when he went to go investigate the slave markets. That is one fucking coincidence my dudes. Eshonai is with the drummers, doing her best to forget what Gavilar said. 

Okay, more information--Klade said that “a voice, speaking to the rhythms” led him to Szeth. Who could speak to the rhythms like that? Was it a ploy by the Diagram or something? Was it one of the Unmade or one of the Heralds? Venli was apparently with him when it happened--which might point to it being one of the Unmade, as this series of events and the assassination does lead to the Parshendi-Alethi war on the Shattered Plains, and Venli becomes less and less trustworthy as time goes on. 

She resisted as the others pulled her away. She wept to leave the music behind. Wept for her people, who might be destroyed for tonight’s action. Wept for the world, which might never know what the listeners had done for it.

Wept for the king, whom she had consigned to death. 

Okay, some takeaways: 

-Gavilar had at least two of those darklight spheres, because he gave the other to Szeth. Gavilar was also getting Honor’s dreams, because he spoke about “uniting them.” 

-Gavilar didn’t suspect that the Parshendi were his assassins, meaning he still couldn’t grasp why they might not want their gods back. 

-Give Eshonai A Hug

-The assassination was a very last-minute decision on everyone’s part. 

-Something made sure the listeners had Szeth and we don’t know what it was, other than that it knew the rhythms. 

-Darklit spheres are becoming less likely to be cultivation-related, as I thought they’d be earlier; that said, it makes the fact that the Nightwatcher had one more interesting. Was she guarding it? How many of these darklit spheres are there--and does each contain a powerful old spren? That seems to be Gavilar’s implication. 

[preservationandruin]

Words of Radiance Part Five Part Two

HELL YEAH HELL YEAH HELL YEAH, END OF BOOK 2. 

Adolin loses a friend, Cloud Yells at Old Man, Shallan finds a circle, Renarin kills a rock, Shallan teleports shit, Kaladin fights in the sky, Szeth is upset he’s alive, “What are you going to do, stab me?” is said by man stabbed, Old Man Yells at Cloud, and Hoid meets a friend of ours. 

Anyway, Adolin has just been given the order to attack the Parshendi. Sureblood hates the song, and also the fact that there are red light on the Parshendi’s arms. He’s right to worry (I say that about Adolin a lot)--that’s lightning. Also Adolin asks if the bridge four people want to come, as Kaladin doesn’t want them to fight against Parshendi...

Drehy: They’re not Parshendi anymore Adolin: nice

Aaaand LIGHTNING. 

They electrocuted Sureblood. Adolin immediately isn’t a trained warrior--he’s a youth on a battlefield, unsure of what to do, having just lost one of his greatest friends. 

Fortunately, Stormform lightning behaves like real lightning and is a bitch and a half to aim. Also, turns out Shardplate absorbs it--makes sense, it was designed to fight Voidbringers. You’d have to be able to resist lightning. All it does is vibrate, and the helm darkens in response to the lightning to stop it from being blinding. Also, these Parshendi release the red lightning-shaped spren when they die. 

Over to Shallan, desperately mapping. She notes that the wind is weird, almost like the wind before a highstorm. Or an everstorm. Hurry up!!

Also, Renarin is there to protect the scholars. He’s just...lurking in the back. Also, the other scholars think Patterns is a Voidbringer, and Pattern is HURT, he is OFFENDED, he has dedicated his LIFE to the RADIANTS and THIS is the thanks he gets????

Also, Renarin is fascinated by Pattern--probably because he’s like oh hey, another spren bonded to a person. Pattern has learned how to diss people. And Shallan gets the information that one of the plateaus--

It breaks the pattern. 

That’s where you look for the Oathgate. 

Also apparently Renarin can look awkward in shardplate. 

Also, Navani’s got her new devices up and running, and is ready to start them going to back Roion. 

And then Dalinar hears the voice he calls the Almighty, in his ears. I’m sorry you hvae to die this way. 

Over to Kaladin. The Diagram bit says that all of the evil spren they are tracking “have some relevance to precognition” which doubly makes me suspect who they’re from. All we know about Cultivation is that she’s good at precognition...

And Kaladin is trying to get to Elhokar. There are no guards at the doors--that’s a problem. And one nice thing is that he doesn’t feel suddenly certain--he’s still confused, uncertain, but he’s trying. 

That’s what we can do, I guess. You don’t always get the world telling you what you did was right. Sometimes all you can do is just what lets you sleep at night. And Kaladin notices that the guards--they’re not bridge four, but they’re in bridge four uniforms. That’s just wrong. Get your grubby hands off of those uniforms, you didn’t earn those. 

Kaladin, while injured with a bum leg, manages to knock out two men. This is why you don’t fuck with Kaladin Stormblessed. He’ll be half-dead and still fucking kick your ass, you fake-ass Bridge Four wannabes. 

And we get the moment of worry where Elhokar is on the couch unmoving. Surprise he’s fucking wasted, Kaladin. 

Back to Adolin. Navani is countering the darkness with huge fabrials that project white light--sure, Radiant technology is specially to counter voidbringers, but good old engineering and ingenuity is useful too! The Parshendi are trying to bring Adolin down with ropes now, but it doesn’t work. Adolin also realizes they’re just stalling him--they want to keep him away from the singers, not actually fight him. If they wanted to fight him, they’d send Eshonai. 

Also, Adolin decides to climb to the singer’s plateau on his own--and he doesn’t feel the Thrill. 

Oh, that’s interesting. Is this a psychological tool? Do Alethi not feel the thrill when they fight Voidbringers, as a way to disconcert and unnerve them? Or is it something else? 

We don’t know. Also, Adolin remembers Shallan talking about the inner plateaus and how they’re symmetrical, so he can do his attack. 

Back to Dalinar, yelling at the voice he thinks is the Almighty. 

“I am sorry. You have striven hard. But I can do nothing. [...] I am the one left behind. I am the sliver of Him that remains. I saw His corpse, saw Him die when Odium murdered Him. And I...I fled. To continue as I always have. The piece of God left in this world, the winds that men must feel.” 

And that’s what you’re still doing, Stormfather. God, even the Stormfather is broken. Run. Hide. I’m sorry I can’t help you, Eshonai, I’m sorry I can’t help you, Dalinar--but also, urging the honorspren not to go. Be like him. Run. Hide. Stay as you are. 

Pattern mentioned that spren are static and unchanging without the help of humans. But the Stormfather--he’s not trying to connect. He’s just trying to Hide. 

I think bonding Dalinar will be good for him. 

And Dalinar goes for Navani to help him. “Navani! I need a miracle!” 

Well, she’s going to deliver. First, rain attractors to free up their archers despite the rain. It draws away Parshendi, and Roion has good archers. And then he goes into battle. 

Anyway back to wasted Elhokar. Kaladin is just like. What in all hell and fuck are you doing. 

So we have one fucking wasted guy and one guy with a bad leg and they’re trying to move quickly. God, all this needs is Yakety Sax playing over it. Aaaand Elhokar gets knifed. He thinks he’s dead, and Kaladin is just like FUCKING GOD PUT PRESSURE ON THAT, YOU’LL LIVE. 

Also, Kaladin ripped his sutures out defending Elhokar, and Elhokar’s like, we’re both dead. And Kaladin has a realization. 

“Fleet kept running,” Kaladin growled, getting back under Elhokar’s arm. “What?”  “He couldn’t win, but he kept running. And when the storm caught him, it didn’t matter that he’d died, because he’d run for all he had. We all die in the end, you see. So I guess what truly matters is just how well you’ve run. And Elhokar, you’ve kept running since your father was killed, even if you screw up all the storming time.” 

There it is. This is why I’m fond of Elhokar. Because yeah he’s a fuckup and not a great person but...he tries. 

Aaaaand then Moash shows up, with Graves. 

Over to Shallan, of course. Renarin doesn’t have his glasses on, and Shallan realizes that the regularity of the circle of this plateau is because the whole thing is the Oathgate. Renarin is starting to have flashbacks about his visions, which Shallan discards ( ‘Great. He was creepy and whiny.”) 

I gotta say, I love Shallan but...her interactions with Renarin here rub me the wrong way. Maybe it’s becasue Renarin’s eventual breakdown here is far too similar to my own panic attacks, and Shallan’s dismissiveness and attitude remind me too much of people who are dismissive of my own panic. I get why she does it but...still. 

Also Rock calling Shallan ‘cousin’ because of the hair (and the fact that they do share ancestry) is great. Shallan asks Renarin to kill the rock. 

Over to Adolin, as he cuts through a hollow mound to attack the Parshendi singers from behind. They don’t come out of the song easily, which makes Adolin’s job very easy here. Again, he feels no Thrill, and is horrified by this even as he realizes that it’s necessary. 

Why isn’t Adolin feeling the Thrill? The previous reason for not having the Thrill has always been Radianthood, but I’m not discarding the previous psychological warfare option. He finally is just too nauseated and drops his blade--and then Eshonai happens. 

He can do this, though--this is an honest fight, and he pulls his sword out of mist again and thanks, mentally, either it or Eshonai as he starts to fight. 

Over to Dalinar again, as he got taken out of the battle by a spear. He’s getting old, he thinks. Also: 

“Storms,” The surgeon said. “Highprince, you’re all scars under here. How many times have you been wounded in the shoulder?”  “Can’t remember.”  “How can you still use your arm?”  “Training and practice.”  “That’s not how it works...I mean....storms...” 

Someone might have been using stormlight more than he thought, especially if he’s been getting the visions for a while. Either that or Dalinar is just completely inhumanly good at what he does. Also, Roion is fucking panicking. 

Also, back to Cloud Yells At Old Man, as the Stormfather apologizes again and fucks off to nowhere, just saying he’ll send a Highstorm at them. Dalinar calls him out for abandoning them, and we get this: 

“I AM CALLED. I MUST GO. A DAUGHTER DISOBEYS. YOU WILL SEE NO FURTHER VISIONS, CHILD OF HONOR. THIS IS THE END.” 

Dalinar: oh fuck me: SYLPHRENA!!!

Anyway, back to Kaladin. Moash is like wtf are you doing and Kal’s like, unlike some people, I have a conscience. Moash asks if Kal would attack a member of Bridge Four, and Kaladin is like, you aren’t one anymore--and neither am I, but I’m trying to change that. 

“But Moash, we’re not going to be this kind of men. Murders in dark corridors, killing a drunk man because we find him distasteful, telling ourselves it’s for the good of the kingdom. If I kill a man, I’m going to do it in the sunlight, and I’m going to do it only because there is no other way.” 

THERE’S the Captain Kaladin we know and love. 

Back to Shallan! Renarin noticably sighs in complete relief when he can dismiss his blade--maybe because THE SCREAMING. Renarin remains the most lowkey badass person in the books. Pattern starts pointing out that the Highstorm and the Everstorm will collide right on top of them. 

Again, Renarin winces at summoning his Blade, and the metal resists it (wonder if it’s aluminum?). Renarin’s Blade doesn’t open the key, though. 

Because it’s dead, but Shallan doesn’t know it yet. 

Anyway, Adolin v Eshonai in the middle of a storm, which is badass as FUCK. And Adolin notices that Eshonai is experiencing the Thrill. That’s alarming. Also, he sees the building Everstorm and is like. Fuck. 

Adolin has lost one gauntlet, unfortunately. He reads Eshonai well, though--the Thrill is making her reckless. Her recklessness makes her ignore her surroundings. 

He makes her pitch into the chasm. Fuckin’ checkmate. Don’t duel Adolin Kholin, even in Stormform, even in full Plate and Blade, even in the middle of two brewing hurricanes, in your home turf. You will lose. 

Also he nearly falls in himself and the two bridgemen with him are like, fuck no, get back here dude and the pair of them singlehandedly hold him out of the chasm while he’s in full Plate. Others help get him up, but damn. Do not underestimate Bridge Four. 

He turned to the bridgemen, Skar and Drehy. “I guess,” Adolin said, “I don’t need to wonder if you two can keep up with me or not.”  “This was nothing,” Skar said. “Yeah,” Drehy added. “Lifting fat lighteyes is easy. You should try a bridge sometime.” 

I like how Adolin has gone from resenting the bridgemen guards to, now, appreciating them and realizing that yeah, they’re here because they’re damn good at their jobs. 

And then he just happens to grab Szeth’s arm as he’s going through the camp and whOOPS. 

Back to Kaladin. Moash doesn’t bring out his blade--he just punches Kaladin with the plate Kaladin gave him, causing ribs to splinter and him to cough blood. Those are some fucking shitty internal injuries, Kaladin. 

And, as Moash and Graves plan how to kill Elhokar and make it look like Szeth, Kaladin hears Syl on the wind. And he remembers the Ideal--I will protect those who cannot protect themselves--and pushes himself to his knees in front of Elhokar. 

And somehow he manages to stand up. Holy fuck Kal. Moash is mildly horrified, and is about to actually kill him, but hesitates. 

Hesitates enough for Kaladin to listen to Syl, and say the Words. I will protect even those I hate, so long as it is right. 

And Syl flies in, turns into mist--silver mist--it grows--and then there she is, a glowing blue Shardblade. Every single Stormlight lamp in the hall blinks out. And then Kaladin explodes in light. All the shutters slam open and let the wind in, as frost coalesces behind him into the shape of wings. 

Don’t fuck with Kaladin Stormblessed. 

Graves starts yelling about the Diagram, which, fuck that--and Graves says one thing too much, about separating Kaladin from Dalinar. 

Whoops. 

Back to Dalinar. Aladar has won his plateau--god bless. And then Adolin crashes through the tend, missing armor, with a nosebleed, and then Dalinar sees it--Szeth. 

Renarin is having his Breakdown, writing out all zeroes--the last moment of the countdown. 

Dalinar is preparing to die. He tells Adolin to remain uncorrupt, and then looks up at Szeth. He notices that Szeth is mad. 

Thank you for extending my agony by not dying easily. God, Szeth has been shattered. 

Back to Adolin, who is not doing well. And Adolin sees Dalinar fighting--and Dalinar fights beautifully. 

Dalinar did not fight for his life. His life hadn’t been his own for years. He fought for Gavilar. He fought as he wished he had all those years ago, for the chance he had missed. In that moment between storms--when the rain stilled and the winds drew in their breaths to blow--he danced with the slayer of kings, and somehow held his own. 

God, I hope Gavilar actually is the kind of person who deserves that dedication. Dalinar doesn’t win--he couldn’t, really. He realizes, in this moment, that even if he was awake, even if he was sober--he couldn’t have beaten Szeth. He never could have saved Gavilar. And--that brings him peace. He sets down the guilt of six years. 

And as Szeth stalks toward Dalinar, Roion--the coward--tackles him. God, these men were loyal to Dalinar, at the end. Roion gets fucking catapulted up into the air, screaming. Adolin tries to fight, but...no, he can’t. Szeth has nothing to lose and is an exceptional fighter with literal magical powers. 

Roion falls from the sky, and Adolin finds himself fighting alongside Bridge Four, who fear neither god nor man. 

And then Szeth catapults Dalinar into the sky. To his credit, Dalinar doesn’t scream. Adolin chases after Szeth, crying, but Szeth disarms him so quickly that Adolin’s wrist breaks. He’s stuck kneeling as Szeth moves to kill him, still seeming mad. 

And then he sees something glowing in the air, drifting like a leaf. But it’s a person. It’s Dalinar, streaming Stormlight. And Szeth loses his shit--because if Taravangian was telling the truth, and Kaladin had a Honorblade with Regrowth--

--there’s no way he could have the Gravitation to stop Dalinar’s ascent. 

Sorry, Taravangian, you fucked up. 

And then, like a falling star, a blazing fireball of light and motion shot down in front of Dalinar. It crashed into the ground, sending out a ring of Stormlight like white smoke. At the center, a figure in blue crouched with one hand on the stones, the other clutching a glowing Shardblade. 

His eyes afire with a light that somehow made the assassin’s seem dull by comparison, he wore the uniform of a bridgeman, and bore the glyphs of slavery on his forehead.

HEY FAKE WINDRUNNER, TIME TO SEE WHAT A REAL WINDRUNNER CAN DO. 

And of course, Bridge Four has plenty of Stormlight on them, and Teft has a special command for “give Kaladin stormlight.” God bless Bridge Four. 

Renarin is still breaking down, and Shallan is still unsympathetic, looking at the Oathgate--and realizing that what they have there is a fabrial. Back to Dalinar, watching Kaladin streak up into the air chasing Szeth. 

Adolin, of course, takes a moment to say I told you so. It wouldn’t be a book climax without Adolin saying I told you so! It’s a tradition at this point. And Sebarial is still a gift to all Roshar: 

Sebarial raised a cup of wine toward Dalinar. “Hope you don’t mind,” Sebarial said. “We liberated your stores. They were blowing past at the time, headed for certain doom.”  Dalinar stared at them. Palona even had a novel out and was reading. 

And on top of this they organized Roion’s army and got them moving again. I fucking love Sebarial and Palona. 

Kaladin shoots up, following Szeth. Syl is back--Syl is alive--and Kaladin is ecstatic. Syl also explains the highstorm: 

“My father,” Syl said, voice growing solemn. “He brought the storm, rushing it’s pace. He’s...broken, Kaladin. He doesn’t think any of this should be happening. He wants to end it all, wash everyone away, try and hide from the future.” 

Yeah, I really think partnering with Dalinar will work well for the Stormfather. Looks like both of them are broken. God, Honor’s death shattered everything. Cultivation and the Stormfather are both just completely apathetic afterward.

And Sylphrena turns into a spear, giving the final proof that Kaladin can’t have stolen an Honorblade. 

Back to Shallan, quickly infusing all of the lanterns to make the room-fabrial work. Adolin shows up and is like jesus fuck is EVERYONE a Radiant now. 

The fight between Szeth and Kaladin is just cinematically amazing. Two flying people with huge weapons fighting above two crashing hurricanes. Both people are glowing. And Shallan has a revelation. 

“There is something wrong with your Blade, and with all Blades. All but mine. Pattern!” 

And Szeth tries to get to Dalinar--but oops. The army vanished. 

And meanwhile, the rest of the armies are in Urithiru, because the ENTIRE PLATEAU was the portal. The radiants didn’t half-ass things. 

Back in the Windfight, Szeth and Kaladin are fighting, and the windspren show up to help light Kaladin’s way. Szeth realizes that Kaladin is a Radiant. He was never Truthless--and Kaladin points out that he never had to kill. And Kaladin gets the Honorblade. 

And Kaladin genuinely smiles. 

Anyway, the Shattered Plains have been re-shattered, and Kaladin can’t find Szeth’s body. And Bridge Four shows up! They’re here for their boss. 

AND KALADIN LEARNS RLAIN IS BACK! Teft also notes that it looked like some of Bridge Four were glowing themselves--squires. Kaladin is giving people some powers. Also Kaladin learns that his eyes are pale blue and is like FUCK. 

Back to Shallan, trying to understand Urithiru. Pattern explains that Shallan has to speak Truths to progress. Elhokar is put “somewhere safe.” and Kaladin fucking grins about it--and then. The absolutely stellar scene of Elhokar getting bossed around by LOPEN’S MOM. 

I fucking love this. It’s also what Elhokar needs. A good wholesome ego-crushing session. Lopen knows her rant so well that he can mouth along to it. And Lopen starts growing an arm. 

Over to Moash, sulking and realizing he was totally played. Yeah...yeah. 

Over to Shallan, exploring Urithiru... and getting a note from the Ghostbloods with her actual name in it. Whoops. Also, we get that Helaran sought out the Skybreakers. Now that’s an interesting note. What the fuck were you doing, Helaran? 

Also, Shallan refuses to let things get awkward with Adolin now that she’s a Radiant. Pattern also picked a room for Shallan--and it’s one with a similar layout to her father’s study. Pattern points out that they need her. They need her with her truths. And subconsciously, she lightweaves the room into that room. 

“Why did she try to kill me, Pattern?” Shallan whispered. 

Shallan confronting exactly how fucking broken her childhood was hurts. She manifested powers as a child...and her mother and her mother’s lover tried to murder her. Her mother’s lover holding her father down as Shallan’s mother came for her with the knife, and Shallan killed both of them. 

Shallan killed them, her father took the blame, and that destroyed him, and then their entire family. 

“I hate you,” She whispered, staring into her mother’s dead eyes.  “I know,” Pattern buzzed softly. “Eventually, you will kill me, and you will have your revenge.”  “I don’t want revenge. I want my family.” 

I’d like to note that, in my mind, this doesn’t excuse what Shallan’s father did. Yes, he went through something traumatic--being held down while his child daughter is nearly murdered, then seeing her murder his wife and her lover, and then taking the blame for it. That is awful and not something that he should have dealt with. 

He beat his second wife to death. He repeatedly abused people in front of Shallan to keep her terrified and under control. He ordered his son assassinated. He would have let Jushu be dragged off by debt collectors. He traumatized his children time and again--look at Balat. He dressed Shallan up like a doll. He would have beaten both Balat and Eylita to death had Shallan not poisoned him. 

That’s unforgivable, just as what Shallan’s mother did was unforgivable. Shallan, at least, only acted to save her own life or her brother’s. 

Anyway, we’re over to Amaram. He’s writing to Restares and going ON and ON about ~bringing back the Heralds~ and ~return the dominance of the church~ BITCH GOD IS DEAD. THE HERALDS ARE LITERALLY RUNNING AROUND AND MOST OF THEM GIVE NO SHITS. THE ONLY PEOPLE WHO CAN SAVE YOU ARE OTHER HUMANS LIKE YOU, BUT WITH MORE HONOR. 

Also, Amaram felt like he was being watched at one point, which is probably relevant. God, I hope someone saw him. I hope someone fucking stabs him in the back. 

“Dalinar thought him a murderer.” ASSHOLE YOU ARE ONE. 

The thing that kills me. The thing that kills me is that Amaram does have regrets. But what are they?  That he’s not friends with Dalinar anymore and that he didn’t kill Kaladin when he had the chance. 

Kaladin. One of the Radiants. One of the few chances they have left against the Voidbringers. And Amaram wishes he killed him, just so that Amaram himself hadn’t lost power. 

I fucking loathe this man. He’s the scum of the earth, Wit was right. Amaram can’t even fucking believe that Taln is actually darkeyed. 

Iyatil tries to assassinate Amaram, but fails. Dammit, you almost had him. 

Szeth wakes up and is immediately furious that he isn’t dead. Nale is there, having brought him back to life--and deemed him worthy of being a Skybreaker. 

Which is pretty damn hypocritical of the dude who thinks making new Radiants will bring the Desolation, but WHATEVER. Anyway, Szeth gets Nightblood! Hello, Would you like to destroy some evil today? 

VERY interesting Diagram piece. “The parshendi/one of them/yes/they are the missing piece/push for the alethi to destroy them outright/before this one obtains their power/it will form a bridge” 

I really hope this is about Radiant Eshonai. 

Dalinar is having a weird flashback to his childhood, including the fact that he had a bunch of wooden swords carved like shardblades. Aaaand he wakes up. 

Over to Adolin. He’s trying to figure out what he is anymore, in this weird world with Radiants and shit. He goes down a hallway...and happens to run into Sadeas. 

Also, Adolin sees a painting of mythological creatures, one of which sounds like a lion. 

Adolin realizes that Sadeas is going to pretend this is all a show--all some game Dalinar is playing. As though everything is all still a game to him. And Sadeas makes a real mistake, telling all this to Adolin. 

Because Adolin has literally waited two 1000-page books to murder him. 

“My father,” Adolin said with a grunt, sweat from his nose dripping down onto the blade of the knife, “thinks I’m a better man than he is.” He strained, and felt Sadeas’ grip weaked. “Unfortunately for you, he’s wrong.” 

Honestly, what did Sadeas expect, telling Adolin this shit? An “oooOOOO wow you’re playing this game so well???” This isn’t a game anymore--and Sadeas just couldn’t fucking see that. Adolin dumps his Blade out a window and leaves, hiding that he was there. 

And Dalinar ascends, to the very top of the city. Also, apparently Urithiru has fabrial elevators. Fuck yeah. And then Dalinar just yells at the sky some. Of course, Taravangian “listened” to Dalinar. Fuck that guy. 

So Dalinar fucking bonds the Stormfather. Also, Dalinar might now be able to interpret thunder. And he knows the second oath, without having been told. Stormfather is like FUCKING FINE, BONDSMITH, YOU’RE DOOMED BUT FUCK THIS. 

And Renarin outs himself as a Truthwatcher. Renarin is terrified, and Dalinar is very proud of him. 

And then Hoid runs into Jasnah. God, I want part of Oathbringer to be Hoid and Jasnah Shitty Road Trip Across Apocalyptic Roshar. Also, we get that Tanavast bought Hoid drinks once. 

And that’s book two! Edgedancer will be...later. Definitely not at 2am. Hope you all enjoyed this! 

[preservationandruin]

Words of Radiance Part Four Part Two

Alright, let’s keep this moving!

Kaladin Is Still In Prison, Adolin Was Also In Prison, Kaladin gets out of prison and makes a bad decision, I yell at Amaram a lot, Wit also yells at Amaram, Dalinar’s visions are leaked to the public, Shallan and Kaladin go on a Chasms Road Trip, Shallan remembers a fateful day, I yell at Amaram more, and Dalinar is ready for his big trip. 

WARNING: Shallan’s flashback includes physical and emotional abuse, as well as attempted and successful murder. 

Kaladin is still in prison. He’s noting that his thoughts are starting to distort the truth--again, That Mentally Ill Feel. He knows Dalinar will get him out, he believes Dalinar will get him out--but his mind twists it until he starts thinking Dalinar might have lied. He also starts beating himself up for being a bad guard, despite having gone toe-to-toe with the Assassin in White and lived, driving him off. 

He thinks bridge four is happy to be rid of him oh my god that is the most painful sentence I have ever read. 

Fortunately, he’s being let out. He promises that nobody will ever do this to him again, regardless of station. Aaaaaaand he runs into Adolin. Who is also in a cell. Because of course. And not only did Adolin lock himself up, he ordered that Bridge Four be there when Kaladin was released. 

Adolin Kholin is a good man. 

“Didn’t seem right, you in here,” Adolin said, eyes forward.  “I ruined your chance to duel Sadeas.”  “I’d be crippled or dead without you,” Adolin said. “So I wouldn’t have had the chance to fight Sadeas anyway.” The prince stopped in the hallway and looked at Kaladin. “Besides. You saved Renarin.”  “It’s my job,” Kaladin said. “Then we need to pay you more, bridgeboy. Because I don’t know if I’ve ever met another man who would jump, unarmored, into a fight among six Shardbearers.” 

And then they start bonding over Kaladin being incredulous about Adolin’s cologne and Adolin being mock-offended and even making fun of himself, and Adolin apologizing for ruining the plan, and Adolin pointing out that technically, Elhokar ruined it. 

Adolin also wholeheartedly believes Kaladin about Amaram--points out that you never hear about Amaram doing anything wrong, whereas even Dalinar--the best man Adolin knows--makes mistakes, loses his temper, and has a checkered history. Amaram doesn’t, which is pretty fucking suspicious. 

Yet again, Adolin’s intuition is scarily sharp. Right about Sadeas, right about Kaladin, right about Amaram. If he actually puts some more work into it, he could get really good at reading people. 

I love Adolin Kholin so much as a character like yeah, he can be a fuckup, but he is a genuinely good person. 

Also Bridge Four in unison salutes the moment that they see Kaladin and then just start cheering. Renarin is there in uniform, stimming but cheerfully talking with Adolin; Rock makes fun of Kaladin’s new beard. 

BRIDGE FOUR IS BACK TOGETHER. 

Also Adolin now apparently owns two shardblades and three sets of plate, the Kholin family owns a quarter of the Shards in all of Alethkar (actually more if Shallan marries into the family and I also know they’re not counting Jasnah, even though Ivory can become a Shardblade) and also Adolin is dueling champion now, as well he should be. 

And Adolin offers the plate to Kaladin...who gives them to Moash. Kaladin is purposely testing Adolin and actually flinches as Adolin grabs his shoulder--to ask if he’s sure. 

Because Adolin, unlike Amaram, is ACTUALLY A DECENT FUCKING HUMAN BEING. Kaladin also makes the cryptic comment that he’d be more useful against the Assassin in White without Shards. 

Moash’s new shard has a heliodor in the pommel, as a note. I wonder if that’s why his eyes go tan--is it just a lightening of the original color of the person’s eyes, or is it correspondant to the color of the stone powering the Blade? Kaladin’s eyes going blue near the end there imply it’s the power of the Blade making the eyes turn, so it probably corresponds to color? Although that doesn’t answer for why Lighteyes’ eyes don’t change. 

Rambling aside, Rock decides this shardplate shit is taking way too long and that they should be having a party. GREAT CAPTAIN KALADIN, STORMBLESSED AND DWELLER IN PRISONS, YOU WILL EAT MY STEW NOW. 

God I love Bridge Four. 

Also they were debating whether or not to break Kaladin out I fucking love them so much. my BOYS. Also they’re all willing to kick the shit out of Amaram. Same. Absolute Same. 

Aaaand Kaladin says that Moash’s friends are right about Elhokar. KAL NO. 

Over to Dalinar. Dalinar also basically says Kaladin reminds him of him when he was younger--although I have to note that Kaladin had a more level head. Also Navani is being an Engineer and Dalinar is trying to follow along. Mixed success. Also, Navani has figured out that the gemstones in Shards are not what originally powered them. 

Navani is still mourning Jasnah. “What happened to my little girl, so full of questions?” Ouch. 

Navani Deserves Better. 

Also we get another implication that Navani didn’t really care for Gavilar. Something was up with their marriage. 

Anyway, Dalinar’s trying to convince people to join his attempt to do a massive attack against the Parshendi. He’s noted that the Parshendi have stopped trying to go after gemhearts--which would be because their tactics have drastically shifted in a way that the Alethi cannot possibly be prepared for.

Also, Wit’s back. And Sadeas is purposely undermining Dalinar because he’s a shithead. I fucking hate Sadeas. 

“You always assume it’s me,” Sadeas said.  “That’s because any time I think it isn’t you, I’m wrong.” 

Yeah, Sadeas, Dalinar isn’t going to be that easy to fool this time. Easy to stymie, though, because for all Dalinar’s skills he is shit at political intrigue.

AND SPEAKING OF PEOPLE I FUCKING HATE, AMARAM IS HERE!

“Why, Brightlord Amaram!” Wit cried. “I was hoping I’d be able to see you tonight. I’ve spent my life learning to make others feel miserable, and so it’s a true joy to meet someone so innately talented in that very skill as you are.”  [...] “Do I know you?” Amaram asked.  “No,” Wit said lightly, “but fortunately, you can add it to the list of many, many things of which you are ignorant.”  “But now I’ve met you,” Amaram said, holding out a hand. “So the list is one smaller.”  “Please,” Wit said, refusing the hand. “I wouldn’t want it to rub off on me.”  “It?”  “Whatever you’ve been using to make your hands look clean, Brightlord Amaram. It must be powerful stuff indeed.”  Dalinar hurried over.

THIS EXCHANGE ADDS FIVE YEARS TO MY LIFESPAN, CLEARS MY SKIN, CURES MY ANXIETY, AND REPLENISHES MY BANK ACCOUNT WIT DRAGGING AMARAM IS EVERYTHING I LOVE IN THIS WORLD.

Also how he fucking precision-hits things that Amaram would be insecure about--his knowledge, where we know he thinks he knows fucking everything and has an inflated sense of his own importance, and his image, where Wit is basically like bitch I see you and I know you’re fake as hell. 

And then Dalinar runs over to do damage control because he can’t have Amaram getting too suspicious yet, I imagine. Throughout the whole conversation, Wit keeps dissing Amaram and I remain the most alive I have been in months. 

“I mean, I wouldn’t want to call Amaram an imbecile...because then I’d have to explain to him what the word means, and I’m not certain any of us have the requisite time.” 

I know it’s petty but I’m petty and thus I take great joy in all of this. 

“Lord Amaram,” Wit called, standing to bow, his voice growing solemn. “I salute you. You are what lesser cretins like Sadeas can only aspire to be.” 

That one still gets me because it’s not even a jibe or a joke. It’s just a statement of fact and you can tell that Wit is dead-serious with that. Amaram also is like “lmao Dalinar I understand your visions better than you! The Almighty isn’t actually dead!!111!! he’s talking in metaphors u dingus!!11!!!!!!” 

Shut the fuck up Amaram, you know jack shit about Honor, don’t talk like you know Honor better than Dalinar. That’s just fucking laughable. 

He also refers to Kaladin only as “the slave.” And says he’d like to hear an apology from Kaladin. “Not for my own ego” Bull. Shit. 

Fucking asshole. 

Also Navani bitchslaps Wit with a handful of papers, and is furious that they edited the papers to make it seem like Navani is ridiculing Dalinar. She’s also ready to eviscerate whoever did this. RIP whoever the fuck leaked this. 

“As I fear not a child with a weapon he cannot lift, I will never fear the mind of a man who does not think.” 

Yeah it’s from the Way of Kings but in context it’s a sick-ass burn. 

So Dalinar just stands on a fucking table and is like “yeah these are the visions I’ve been having, come at me, you already made me a spectacle so honestly fuck you guys for thinking i’d actually be upset by this bullshit.” 

“If you must laugh, do it while looking me in the eyes.” 

Fuck yeah you tell ‘em dad. 

Also, Dalinar notes that Adolin seems very fond of Shallan, and Dalinar wants to encourage that--as long as he can get actual answers out of Jah Keved about her family. Which he won’t be able to because Jah Keved is a fucking mess. 

Dalinar asks if Wit is a Herald--he’s amused, but says no, and also denies being a Radiant. And we get Wit’s chilling line-- “If I have to watch this world crumble and burn to get what I need, I will do so. With tears, yes, but I would let it happen.” 

Also Wit basically says that he has to stop Odium from finding him in order to not die, basically. I still wonder about that WOB that says that Hoid and Rayse were once friends. That seems...quite interesting. 

Over to Kaladin. He’s still having problems inhaling Stormlight--he’s killing Syl, and with her the Nahel bond that gives him his powers. Kaladin you dingus. Syl is acting like a windspren again. 

“You want too much of me,” he snapped at her as he reached the other side of the chasm. “I’m not some glorious knight of ancient days. I’m a broken man. Do you hear me, Syl? I’m broken.”  She zipped up to him and whispered, “That’s what they all were, silly.” 

Bridge Four is still bringing their bridge on this scouting expedition, because Kaladin is a paranoid fuck (for good reason). Rock says that it’s gotten lighter because they defeated Sadeas. Nobody else understands him. 

Also, Renarin is starting to fit in with Bridge Four and joke around with them--and also that he hasn’t summoned his shardblade since the fight. 

For good reason, although neither Kaladin nor Dalinar knows that. Also, this: 

“Sir,” Kaladin said. “If I may say so, your son seems like kind of a misfit. Out of place. Awkward, alone.”  Dalinar nodded.  “Then, I can say with confidence that Bridge Four is probably the best place he could find himself.” 

I LOVE KALADIN’S RAGTAG BAND OF WEIRD MISFITS AND THAT THEY’RE ACCEPTING RENARIN AS ONE OF THEM. 

Also Adolin is now just occasionally making casual conversation with Kaladin. Kaladin also realizes that he’s made two conflicting oaths, and that’s why his powers are going away and Syl is losing sentience. She tells him to find the words, and soon. 

Shallan is geeking out over the bridge. Kaladin notices that he recognizes one of the carpenters, and is confused by it. Moash has stopped coming over for stew nights as often. 

Ouch. 

Kaladin points out that the plains are the worst place for Szeth to attack them, because they have three hundred archers with them and he just sorta. Flies. in the air. 

Adolin asks Kaladin for girl advice. Kaladin is like. my dude. you are asking the wrong person. Too busy trying not to die to date really. Kaladin is just like dude just tell her you really want this relationship to work also why the fuck are you asking me this. 

Also Adolin trying to be nonchalant about getting information about Kaladin. 

“You won’t have a Shardblade, but won’t need one, because of...you know.”  “I know?” Kaladin felt a spike of alarm.  “Yeah...you know.” Adolin glanced away and shrugged, as if trying to act nonchalant. “That thing.”  “What thing?”  “That thing...with the...um, stuff?” 

Kaladin actually manages to smile at how shitty Adolin is at this and just says “I don’t think you have any idea what you’re talking about” which is completely true. 

Also the conversation about how Adolin would pay to see Kaladin happy. That conversation is still lowkey gay and nobody can convince me otherwise. 

Neither of them get why Shallan is so excited about stuff like moss. And bugs. Adolin is trying to make jokes. Badly. 

“You’re good at military thinking, for a bridgeboy,” Adolin said. “Coincidentally,” Kaladin said, “you’re good at not being unobnoxious, for a prince.”  “Thanks,” Adolin said. “That was an insult, dear,” Shallan said. 

God I love all of these losers. 

Anyway, Shallan and Kaladin aren’t getting along well at all. High time for a bonding friendship trip into the caverns!!!! Kaladin notices, just at the right moment, that the man he recognized with the carpenters was one of Sadeas’ lumbermen. Of course, everything happens at once, and the bridge collapses--and down go Kaladin and Shallan. 

And Syl uses the last of their bond to save Kaladin. And the Stormfather fucking yells at him for killing Syl. Both Shallan and Kaladin assume they subconsciously saved the other. 

And so they try to survive. And also not kill each other. Kaladin points out that Shallan is complicit in the class inequality--which she really is, I mean, look at the boots scene--and Shallan responds with something like “oh wow big surprise people with power are abusive” which makes sense given her background but also is not the right response. 

He also does directly use the boots scene as proof she is complicit, which she admits. He also does say she’s better than most of the others. 

Aaaand then their shouting match attracts a chasmfiend and they have to bolt. BRILLIANT, GUYS. 

Also Kaladin notices that Shallan is incredibly unwinded from all this running--wow, I wonder if she’s infusing stormlight on instinct (the answer is yes). Shallan also uses her abilities to hide them and goes to try to see the chasmfiend. Kaladin notes that they look “wrong” and “almost intelligent;” Shallan notes that the spren that follow them also follow skyeels. 

I just had a bad thought. If Parshendi change when the everstorm comes, could the chasmfiends change too? If so, what the FUCK do they turn into? 

I hope I’m wrong. 

Shallan also calls Kaladin “Kaladin Longlegs.” Also she tries to throw some chull jerky at him when he’s not looking and he just catches it. 

Listen, when these two become friends, they will be the Best Sassfriends. 

And yeah, they have a sass contest, which actually amuses both of them. They’re good at it. 

God, I hope they end up as friends instead of part of some unholy twisted love triangle scenario. I fucking hate love triangles and i feel like it would only serve to drive everyone involved apart--which is awful, because I like having two male leads (Adolin and Kaladin) who actually get along half of the fucking time, and robbing me of that is just not fair, Brandon. 

Another powerfully sad moment of miscommunication: 

“All right,” Kaladin said. “Here it is. I can imagine how the world must appear to someone like you. Growing up pampered, with everything you want. To someone like you, life is wonderful and sunny and worth laughing over. That’s not your fault, and I shouldn’t blame you. You haven’t had to deal with pain or death like I have. Sorrow is not your companion.”  Silence. Shallan didn’t reply. How could she reply to that?  “What?” Kaladin finally asked.  “I’m trying to decide how to react,” Shallan said. “You see, you just said something very, very funny.”  “Then why aren’t you laughing?”  “Well, it isn’t that kind of funny.” 

They both understand so little about each other. They are seeing what they expect to see and not what’s underneath--which is two deeply broken people trying to move forward with their lives as best they can. 

Bridge Four is trying to figure out how Kaladin could have survived--Sigzil is grilling Teft about what he knows about the Radiants. Dalinar is trying to convince them not to keep watch for Kaladin, but good fucking luck with that. They’re Bridge Four. They know their captain. Dalinar is just like. You guys make sure you’re actually eating, right? 

He’s such a Dad. 

Anyway, Shallan is making a map, and Kaladin realizes how incredible her skill with drawing and memory is. Also, Shallan is talking to Pattern--and Kaladin realizes it’s like him talking to Syl. 

And Kaladin says that in a dream, he saw that the chasms were symmetrical--and Shallan realizes she can figure out where the parshendi are, and where the oathgate is. 

Shallan tries to point out that Kaladin can’t blame himself about everything. Kaladin immediately proves her wrong. And there’s another heartbreaking moment, this time of connection. 

“Oh, all people understand pain,” Kaladin said. “That’s not what I’m talking about. It’s...”  “The sorrow,” Shallan said softly, “of watching a life crumble? Of struggling to grab it and hold on, but feeling hope become stringy sinew and blood beneath your fingers as everything collapses?”  “Yes.”  “The sensation--it’s not sorrow, but something deeper--of being broken. Of being crushed so often, and so hatefully, that emotion becomes something you can only wish for. If only you could cry, because then you’d feel something. Instead, you feel nothing. Just...haze and smoke inside. Like you’re already dead.” He stopped in the chasm. She turned and looked to him. “The crushing guilt,” She said, “of being powerless. Of wishing they’d hurt you instead of those around you. Of screaming and scrambling and hating as those you love are ruined, popped like a boil. And you have to watch their joy seeping away while you can’t do anything. They break the ones you love, and not you. And you plead. Can’t you just beat me instead?”  “Yes, he whispered. Shallan nodded, holding his eyes. “Yes. It would be nice if nobody knew of those things, Kaladin Stormblessed. I agree. With everything I have.” 

God, that section rips my heart out. Shallan represses it, Kaladin has PTSD (well, they both probably do) and they both just wish they could have helped other people. 

These are good kids. 

And immediately they just start joking with each other. Aaand then the puns happen. And then a chasmfiend happens, and they get chased into a fissure. Kaladin wants to go chase it off so that they both can live, and Shallan panics at the thought of being left alone. And so she gives him her shardblade. 

Kaladin is like what the fuck. 

Also, the blade--which is Pattern--actually glows a garnet color. That’s because it’s alive. Also, it doesn’t scream--which Kaladin attributes to him having lost his bond with Syl, but that’s not right. And Kaladin also assumes two things in one sentence: 

“At least this told him one thing--Shallan wasn’t likely to be a Surgebinder. Otherwise, he suspected she’d hate this Blade as much as he did.” 

First, she is a Surgebinder.

Second, she does hate that Blade. 

Anyway, working together--with Pattern, Shallan’s illusions,and Kaladin’s fighting prowess--they kill a Chasmfiend. Also Kaladin’s leg gets Fucked Up. 

Kaladin ends up half in a chasmfiend’s mouth and the first thing he says is fucking ow. 

Anyway, they use the Blade to cut out a cubbyhole to weather the storm in. Shallan is having to train her mind not to blank at the mention or thought of the Shardblade--and she also can make it shrink. 

That’s not normal. 

Anyway, as Kaladin climbs into the cubbyhole and the stormwall hits, we get a Shallan flashback. She’s wearing her father’s necklace and a nice Vorin-style dress, and reporting that nobody has been able to find Helaran. 

For some reason, their father summoned Eylita to their house. This has got to be it--this is when Shallan kills her father to save Balat. Shallan finds Malise’s dead body--Father found out about the plan, sent for Eylita, and then murdered his own wife as a punishment. 

Shallan pours wine as her brother and father fight each other. This says a lot about how utterly Shallan had managed to subsume herself in other personas--she is outwardly calm even with this, with having seen a dead body of her own stepmother, with her brother and father trying to kill each other. 

And she pours wine and gives it to him. He drinks it, and then reaches for the poker--and severely injures Balat by slamming against his leg as Shalan screams. 

And as the rain pounds outside, her father starts to lose control of his fine motor skills. Shallan is cold--it’s her when she’s at rock-bottom. When she lost her mother, now, when she kills Tyn--when Shallan is at rock-bottom she is a stone-cold killer. 

Which is good, because it keeps her brothers and herself alive. 

But the poison only paralyzed him, and so--Shallan asks her brothers to finish the job, but none of them can. Jushu and Wikim back up. Balat isn’t conscious. So Shallan strangles him with the necklace he gave her, while singing the lullaby that he sung to her. 

Fuck, this scene is chilling and horrible. Shallan had to do it--her father would have murdered them all, one day, and probably only avoided her because he knew that she had a Shardblade and was scared--but god, that’s so brutal. 

Back to Kaladin. He gets in the cavern as Shallan uses her sphere to pull him up; they both see what looks like a screaming face in the storm. Kaladin sees something that looks like a giant, inhuman form glowing in the storm, completely alien, striding in it. 

Cool.

Anyway, Kaladin tells her his story--everything, including Amaram. Why not? They were about to die anyway. And she tells him that she killed her father, and about her own breaking; Kaladin realizes how lucky he was that his family loved him. 

Shallan was not that lucky. 

And Kaladin also realizes that he must have killed Helaran, which hurts. Anyway, Kaladin has a vision of the Stormfather in the storm and gets chewed the fuck out for killing Syl. 

Back to Dalinar. Amaram is trying to get him to make an agreement with Sadeas of some sort. Bull fucking shit. Shut the fuck up, Amaram. And then they get the message that Kaladin came out of the chasms. 

Dalinar runs the entire way there. 

He’s such a good dad. 

Aaaand he finds it hard to get through because so much of Bridge Four is already there. They know their Captain. And Kaladin fucking brought back the gemheart as well, of course. 

“Yeah, we took care of that for you, sir.” fuckin hell Kaladin. 

Shallan lies and says it was already dead, Kaladin agrees, Dalinar notes that Kaladin is a shit liar. 

And Navani has warmed up to Shallan enough to run over to her and mother hen her hardcore. I don’t think she wanted to lose another young scholar. 

Anyway, Dalinar asks if Kaladin was what he was looking for, and Kaladin denies it--he says he might have been, but not now. Dalinar also notes that Kaladin is a hero again. 

Also wow, looks like Amaram just vanished, what a surprise, looks like he can’t stand the sight of a certain slave being a hero, huge surprise there, i’m shocked

Also Pattern eavesdropped on Dalinar and Navani and offers to reproduce the sound of them kissing and Shallan is like. You know what. no. no thanks pattern. maybe not. 

Also Adolin shows up and just hugs Shallan a lot, and then she kisses him. Nice. He also said that he would protect her and not let anything bad happen to her--which causes her to freeze up. 

Last person who did that was her father. Don’t try to hide her away, Adolin, she murdered the last man who did that. 

And Shallan also convinces them not to take the parshment with them, which was A Good Call because the parshendi are calling down the everstorm and all those parshmen would go stormform. 

Aaaand that ends Part Four! 

[preservationandruin]

Words of Radiance Part Four Part One

Sorry for the hiatus, gang! A combination of finals, a summer road trip into Canada, generally being busy, trying to write a novel this summer, and dreading reading through the downward spiral Kaladin’s story arc takes contributed to this taking far too long, but I’m back now! I realized that if I want to get this and Edgedancer done before the next book comes out, I should put some work into it--especially with school starting up for me again soon!

Kaladin is in jail, Shallan is working through her illusions and memories, Kaladin is still in jail, Shallan has flashbacks and works with the ghostbloods, and Kaladin is still in jail. 

WARNING: Shallan’s flashback section includes mention of intense emotional abuse and animal cruelty, as well as physical abuse. 

Part Four is “The Approach,” and our perspectives are Kaladin, Shallan, and Dalinar--we’re back to Dalinar now that he’s already bonded that shardblade that he will later use to completely one-up Amaram. We’re away from Adolin so that we can preserve the suspense of Adolin having fucking thrown himself in jail why is he like this. 

Anyway, we open with a bit of Frost’s letter to Hoid, pointing out the fact that Frost has no fucking idea what Hoid is calling himself right now, which, fair. Meanwhile, Kaladin is in jail.  Also, he’s missing the wind, which is sad. GIVE MY BOY THE SKY BACK. 

“On the third day of his imprisonment, he heard a disturbance from farther inside the prison, beyond his chamber. [...’ What was that shouting? It echoed in from the hallway.” 

HI ADOLIN. Knowing what that is makes this segment much funnier. Also Kaladin imagines for a moment that it’s Bridge Four coming to try to break him out, which I’m honestly surprised that they didn’t do. Also, Syl would be down for helping Kaladin break out if it was what Kaladin wanted to do and what was right--she clarifies that she’s not like a highspren, who cares about laws. I’d be interested in meeting some highspren at some point; I’m sure it’ll happen eventually. 

Kaladin snaps and says that Dalinar is the same as all the others and Syl calls him the fuck out for it, getting him to admit that Dalinar is good--and now we’re getting his hatred for Elhokar and realization that Elhokar is a bad leader coming to the fore, and Syl is getting more and more bothered and scared. 

Aaaaand Wit shows up. He may have literally pulled a bench in with him. The guards may or may not know he’s there. I love him. He also comments that now he has perfect pitch--something he got on Nalthis, I assume. Also he forgets what on earth Roshar’s biology is like and starts talking about “a rabbit and a chick” and confuses the hell out of Kaladin. 

And we get the story of Fleet and the race. He ran from the storm. He could even outrun the Herald Chanarach. But he couldn’t outrun the storm. Kaladin’s prompts in this story are heartbreaking: “You can never stay ahead. Not for long.” Talking about Fleet, or himself? That’s the point, isn’t it. Also, Wit drops that Shin is “not a place for [storms]”--another highlight of the fact that it’s the only place in Roshar safe from the storms. 

For glory lit, and life alive, for goals unreached and aims to strive. All men must try, the wind did see. It is the test, it is the dream.

 So in that land of dirt and soil, our hero stopped the storm itself. And while the rain came down like tears, our Fleet refused to end this race. His body dead, but not his will, within those winds his soul did rise. 

It flew upon the day’s last song, to win the race and claim the dawn. Past the sea and past the waves, our Fleet no longer lost his breath. Forever strong, forever fast, forever free to race the wind.”

Fuck, this story still gets me. I love it--the fact that the storm catches everyone, and the fact that it’s left open-ended. I see it as another “Journey before Destination” motif, as well as a story about how you react to adversity--the storm will catch you. Do you have the will to rise afterward, and stop the storm with the force of your will? 

I mean, I dunno. That’s what I read into it. 

Anyway, Shallan. Notably, she thinks “bastard” the moment she thinks about Amaram, which is The Most Relateable. Pattern is confused as to why Shallan is being irrational (Shallan is doing scholarship). She’s doing it in bed, too, which is a Big College Mood. Navani is still giving her the cold shoulder, though--and she’s also noting that Navani was caring for Dalinar, who “had come down with a sickness.” 

Also Shallan references “What Adolin had decided to do last week” and also “his preoccupation” which sounds like she’s talking about the duel and something else, but in fact means he fucking put himself in prison, why is he like this. 

Pattern is trying to tell dirty jokes and it’s hilarious because a) he doesn’t get the delivery and b) he explains the joke immediately. He also mentions that Shallan used to know how to make her illusions make sound and Shallan immediately blanks on it. She moves on and Pattern is disturbed. Also, she notes that Amaram was trying to return the Voidbringers. 

Shallan also notes that all the scholars are missing something--the Shattered Plains haven’t always been shattered. We keep getting references to the fact that something shattered it. I’m betting money that the death of Honor shattered the Plains. Pattern accuses her of trying to shut things out, and we get this painful admission: 

“Would you have me unable to laugh?” she demanded, suddenly holding back tears. “Would you have me crippled? That is what those memories would do to me. I can be what I am because I cut them off.” 

This is also when she lightweaves an image of herself as she would be had she not repressed all her memories--a broken, abused child, unable to laugh, unable to cry, unable to really live. 

SOMEONE HUG SHALLAN. 

In any case, she does practice giving it sound. Pattern learns how to be sarcastic by accident. She also figures out how to get the illusion to move, which is good. 

And another heartbreaking Shallan flashback. We get that Shallan learned that if she misbehaved, her father would beat others and say it was her fault--which is some fucked-up emotional abuse. She would drop the mask of a perfect daughter only when alone with her brothers, and took on the emotional labor of keeping their family together. Also, their father was furious when Nan Balat wanted to marry the woman he loved, and stared directly at him while talking about how it was terrible that his new axehound pups all had to be put down. Balat nearly fights with him, and the pups are all killed. 

I hate Shallan’s father so fucking much. None of these kids deserved that. Shallan overhears her father ordering Helaran’s assassination. I hate him. Anyway, Malise--the stepmother--speaks up against him, which I can’t imagine goes well. 

Back to Kaladin in Prison. He’s really suffering from the lack of access to the sky. He also manages to see what seem to be imprisonmentspren, or whatever they’re called. Also Syl mentions she saw “a cryptic” (Pattern) at the fight. Anyway, Dalinar visits him. And the pair of them are still having decent banter: 

“How are your accommodations?” Dalinar asked. 

“Sir? I’m in storming prison.” 

A smile cracked Dalinar’s face. “So I see. Calm yourself, soldier. If I’d ordered you to guard a room for a week, would you have done it?” 

“Yes.”  “Then consider this your duty. Guard this room.”  “I’ll make sure nobody unauthorized runs off with the chamberpot, sir.” 

And Kaladin learns that Roshone was the person who was Elhokar’s friend, who led to the death of the people Moash knows. Dalinar, why did you have to mention that name. Also, we get that Dalinar was “away” when Elhokar was organizing the kingdom and Gavilar was working on the Plains. Was that when he went to the Nightwalker? 

Also, we get this exchange: 

“You don’t want to know what I think, sir.”  “Perhaps I don’t. I probably need to hear it anyway.” 

That is absolutely why Dalinar is a good leader. He knows that sometimes he’ll hear things he doesn’t like, and listens anyway. Also, of course Roshone was trusted by Sadeas. Like attracts like.��

Also, Kaladin has started to be unable to see Syl, only hear her. Yike. And Kaladin decides Elhokar should die. 

Fuck this. 

Back to Shallan! She’s having to talk to Adolin on spanreed because he’s in fucking prison and apparently he’s bored. Of course he is. I hate him. I also love him. Why is he like this. 

Also apparently Adolin is surprised that Shallan isn’t the jealous type, and she thinks to herself that the idea of acting like that reminds her too much of her father for it to be palatable. Anyway, the pair of them are bantering, which is really cute to read. They can both lowkey snark at each other (Shallan is more proficient, but Adolin can be quite good on his own). 

Also Adolin says that he got permission for Shallan to come along on a scouting mission on the plateaus--setting the scene for the moment where Kaladin and Shallan fall into the chasms. Anyway, Shallan is waiting for an information drop from the Ghostbloods, and Iyatil is watching to see how Shallan retrieves the information. 

Anyway, she’s figured out how to do animated sequences with her illusions. She also manages to catch and impress Iyatil, and gets her job--to investigate “a new arrival” into Dalinar’s camp--Taln--and basically recruits Iyatil to help her with the job. 

I love Iyatil. She’s Scadrian, which is another reason I love her (listen, I’m biased, I love Scadrial).  Her conversation with Shallan is interesting as well--asking if Shallan is hunter or quarry (Shallan says neither) and pointing out that everyone is one or the other). 

She also manages to get in by claiming that Iyatil is her sister who is going mad. I love this. “Going to feign sickness?” Iyatil asks, unknowing the ridiculousness that is Shallan’s true plan. 

Iyatil is So Done With This Bullshit. 

Anyway, Taln. Pattern interprets “mad” as “like a spren who has lost his bond.” Also, Shallan assumes that Talenel is lying about being Talenelat’elin, which...no. It’s actually him. He also sees lightweaving and recognizes Shallan as “One of Ishar’s Knights” and she summons her shardblade on instinct. And then sees it and promptly dissociates, thinking that it’s her mother’s soul. 

And then Amaram heads toward that room. 

Kaladin can feel himself slipping back into the wretch, which isn’t good. He’s also having problems drawing in stormlight--a sign his bond with Syl is getting dangerously weak. Syl is also getting more distractable--more like a windspren again. This hurts. 

Anyway, Shallan lightweaves darkness around herself and hides in the dark room. Also Shallan remains relateable: 

“She felt like she knew so little. Though Amaram was still a bastard, of course.” 

THERE WILL NEVER BE A DAY I DO NOT LOATHE MERIDAS AMARAM. 

Amaram also says “Gavilar, we have done it”--meaning that they successfully brought back the Heralds, I assume. Except they really only brought back one of them. And were trying to condemn--even unknowingly--the Parshendi to a lifetime of mental captivity as the Voidbringers. 

WAIT. Shallan mentioned that Amaram was trying to meet up with Parshendi to talk about bringing the Voidbringers back. Is he responsible or did he encourage Eshonai’s sister to investigate that more? Fuck. I hate this. Fuck Amaram. 

Also, Iyatil asks who she really is, and Shallan is proud of having impressed them--and also identifies herself as “I seek the truth. Wherever it may be, whoever may hold it. That’s who I am.” 

She’s a Ravenclaw. One day I’ll full-on do an analysis of all our main characters, but Shallan is such a Ravenclaw with some Slytherin thrown in for flavor. 

Anyway, she needs to get a tattoo--she’ll just lightweave it on--and is officially one of the Ghostbloods now. Fuck yeah. 

Another flashback. Also, Jasnah having a very interesting perspective on opinions of women in Roshar--she points out that ideally, there shouldn’t be a “place” for women but rather the ability to choose a role, each woman for herself. Shallan, reading it, thinks it’s laughable to think that every woman even has a choice. She tries to go in and see Malise, to see if she’s still alive--she is--and then goes to her father. She makes his favorite wine for him, trying to calm him down. 

He remains an abusive shithead. Shallan leaves, saying that Balat should run and leave, taking Malise with him, because their father can’t control himself. She points out that he ordered Helaran’s assassination. Shallan also is trying to make a plan with Balat so he, Malise, and Eylita--the woman he wants to marry--can escape. 

God, Shallan did so much for everyone in that house. She shouldn’t have had to. None of them should have had to. She also goes into the room--her father’s study--and nearly dissociates, but brings stuff to Malise, whose left arm is broken. Also, as a note--Malise knows what actually happened, or some of it. She mentions that Shallan is “the one who actually deserves [being hit].” 

Shallan doesn’t deny it. 

Cutting this here.

[preservationandruin]

Words of Radiance Part Five Part One

We’re in the home stretch! Let’s do this thing!

Dalinar sets off on his expedition, Amaram gets FUCKING OWNED, I proceed to go off on a fucking rant because Amaram talked about honor one time too many, Shallan outs herself and Jasnah as Radiants, Rlain comes back, Elhokar’s Incompetence Rant pt.1, the Parshendi start singing a very ominous song, I’m gay for Radiants ,and Kaladin has a revelation. 

This part is titled Winds Alight and we have the points of view of basically everyone--Kaladin, Shallan, Dalinar, Adolin, and Wit. Let’s get this show on the road, gang!

Our epigraphs here are from the Diagram, which is interesting.

Kaladin is beating himself up for killing Syl, which, good. He deserves that. He also is getting toward the Weeping, which is awful for him--it’s when his Seasonal Affective Disorder kicks in hardcore. He gets Lopen and they go to watch the army leave. Lopen suggests that to get Syl back he buy her something nice, which is just so...Lopen. I love him.

Kaladin also realizes Dalinar’s force is what he always dreamed of following into battle. It’s the army he fantasized about as a child. And Sebarial, of all people, has joined Dalinar into the fight.

Hell. Yes.

And ooooooh loooook, Amaram is coming in his fancy gold knight radiant cloak with his fancy shardblade and fancy armor and yes I am still and will always be bitter as fuck about Amaram in general. Amaram is like oooOOOOOOooooo we should SEND SEBARIAL AWAY he’s UNTRUSTWORTHY and wow pot, kettle, black??

And of course, Aladar comes too. Meanwhile, Ialai points out that she and Sadeas could have a coup. Sadeas literally would--he would kill Elhokar just for fucking power. He just doesn’t think he has to.

God, he’s a waste of investiture.

Also, Ialai is the one who had an assassin with the bridges--it’s her fault that Kaladin and Shallan pitched into the chasm. Which let Shallan figure out where the Oathgate was.

NICE GOING IALAI.

Anyway, Aladar was one of Sadeas’ biggest supporters. And he finally can’t convince himself to support Sadeas when Dalinar is out there doing the right thing. Aladar and Dalinar even have a moment where Aladar is like listen, you know I’m not some shining knight, I have blood on your hands, and Dalinar’s like, well, I’m not either, but we’re what we’ve got.

Amaram is like ooOOOOoooOOOO it would be SO COOL if we could WIN THIS ALL ON OUR OWN we shoudn’t WORK TOGETHER DAL and Dalinar’s like, that’s bullshit. And then he sees Kaladin and asks Amaram to come with him.

God, the first time I read this I was entirely made out of anxiety.

Anyway, Kaladin is seeing the men off, and they’re yelling at him for walking around on a badly injured leg.

“I thought,” Kaladin noted, “That I was your commander.” “Nah, can’t be,” Teft said, “because our commander would be smart enough to stay in bed.” “And eat much stew,” Rock said. “I left you stew to eat while I am gone.”

I LOVE BRIDGE FOUR

Also they see Dalinar coming and Rock is like wow now you’re definitely screwed. Also I would like to note that all of bridge four doesn’t trust Amaram.

Also, Moash was left to guard the King, and Kaladin nearly dies upon realizing that. And then we get the exchange that causes my soul to ascend from this mortal plain.

“Amaram,” Dalinar said, waving for the highlord to step up. “You told me that you’d never seen this man before arriving here on the Shattered Plains. Is that true?” Kaladin met the eyes of a murderer. “Yes,” Amaram said. “What of his claim that you took his Blade and Plate from him?” Dalinar asked. “Brightlord,” Amaram said, taking Dalinar by the arm, “[insert bullshit sanctimony that I don’t want to type out] But his allegations regarding me are obviously preposterous.” Dalinar nodded to himself, as if this were all expected. “I believe an apology is due.” Kaladin struggled to remain upright, his leg feeling weak. So this would be his final punishment. Apologizing to Amaram in public. A humiliation beyond all others. “I--” Kaladin began.” “Not you, son,” Dalinar said softly.

Not you, son. Not you, son. Not you, son.

Not you, son.

I shit you not, the first time I read that I yelled aloud in the middle of class. This is the single most evocative sentence in the book for me--and it’s three words. But it flips your perception of what Dalinar’s been doing on it’s head, cuts through the building anxiety like a knife, and fuCKS UP AMARAM ROYALLY.

Dalinar had been laying an intricate trap for Amaram that required him to be a cheating, lying backstabbing son of a bitch--and Amaram, being a cheating lying backstabbing son of a bitch, fell for it completely. Dalinar is trusting.

That doesn’t mean he’s stupid.

“Sometimes good men must die so that greater goals must be accomplished.” THAT’S THE BULLSHIT THAT YOU ALL ARE PULLING, ISN’T IT, AMARAM. SONS OF HONOR MY FUCKING ASS. YOU DON’T KNOW HONOR FROM YOUR OWN SHIT. STOP SPITTING SANCTIMONY, YOU MURDERER. YOU DON’T EVEN FUCKING REGRET IT. YOU THINK YOU’RE THE SECOND COMING OF SOME FUCKING HERO WHEN YOU’RE JUST A CRAVEN, POWER-GRUBBING BASTARD WHO CAN’T POSSIBLY COMPREHEND THAT A SLAVE MIGHT BE MORE IMPORTANT IN THE SCHEME OF THINGS THAN YOU ARE. I WANT CULTIVATION TO LEARN THAT YOU’RE USING THE NAME OF HER DEAD PARTNER TO CONDONE CRAVEN, DISHONORABLE, CORRUPT BULLSHIT AND I WANT HER TO TEAR YOU APART. BETTER YET, I WANT YOU TO DIE KNOWING FOREVER THAT KALADIN IS MORE CRUCIAL TO THE SALVATION OF ROSHAR THAN YOU ARE, AND THAT THE HERALDS ABANDONED YOU. HONOR IS DEAD, AMARAM. HONOR IS DEAD AND YOU DO NOTHING.

SOMEONE WHO KNEW WHAT HONOR WAS WOULDN’T HAVE KILLED KALADIN’S MEN. SOMEONE WHO KNEW WHAT HONOR WAS WOULDN’T HAVE LIED. SOMEONE WHO KNEW WHAT HONOR WAS WOULDN’T HAVE WATCHED WHILE SADEAS TRIED TO CRIPPLE ADOLIN AND RENARIN. SOMEONE WHO KNEW WHAT HONOR WAS WOULDN’T STEAL AND KILL FOR HIS OWN PERSONAL POWER.

YOU CAN’T SAY SHIT ABOUT HONOR, MERIDAS AMARAM. YOU AREN’T WORTHY TO EVEN TALK ABOUT IT BECAUSE CLEARLY, YOU HAVE NO IDEA WHAT IT MEANS.

um. anyway. the plot. that thing. I should probably get back to it.

“Thank you,” Kaladin said to Dalinar, “For believing me.” “I do listen sometimes, soldier,” Dalinar said. “Now go back to camp and get some rest.”

GOOD DAD, BEST DAD.

Also, Dalinar notes that holding a Shardblade feels wrong to him. Those Radiant Senses are tingling.

The Diagram notes that Szeth could possibly put extra strain on people who are exploring the Nahel bond, and lead to them becoming Radiants sooner. Which kind of happens, but not in the exact way they think--it’s keeping Kaladin away from Dalinar--and near Elhokar--that causes the problem.

Whoops.

Shallan and Adolin are flirting, by which I mean Adolin is teasing her for having a slow horse and she’s threatening to remove his toes.

There are further hints of a burgeoning love triangle that I am deliberately ignoring because I refuse to even think about that happening. No. Don’t you dare, Brandon. And Shallan finally actually gets a copy of Words of Radiance.

Also it mentions “women who could melt a stone with a touch” and a) DUSTBRINGERS PLEASE TELL ME MORE and b) I’m. gay.

Also Navani offers to help Shallan with her work, realizing that she should have offered much sooner. Also we get a wonderful line from Navani: “My little Jasnah, insufferable and wonderful.”

Shallan also tells Navani that Jasnah was a Surgebinder.

Kaladin is dealing with the Weeping. And Moash, in this chilling moment:

“Sometimes lives must be spent for the greater good,” Kaladin said. “Yes, exactly!” “That’s what Amaram said. In regards to my friends, whom he murdered to cover up his secrets.” “Well, that’s different, obviously. He’s a lighteyes.” Kaladin looked to Moash, whose eyes had turned as light a tan as those of any Brightlord. Same color as Amaram’s, actually. “So are you.”

Fuck, that’s a powerful Not So Different moment. Although Moash brushes it off and then leaves.

The diagram has an interesting fragment: “We must find one [honorblade] Can we make to use a truthless can we craft a weapon” So the diagram may have been behind Szeth being called Truthless. Yikes. He’s not going to like that.

Anyway, Shallan likes the Weeping, and is drawing Jasnah in one of her last moments--tired, terrified, in the cabin of the ship.

And Shallan tells Dalinar that she’s a radiant. By making a small image of Jasnah. This is just a deeply important moment. Dalinar then thinks to make Shallan lead them, and Shallan is like. hell no. nope. not me.

Dalinar just lead them yourself.

Dalinar stopped in place, and stared at her in surprise. Then he grunted, his face barely visible. “I see Jasnah in you.” Rarely had Shallan been given such a compliment.

And then they find a Parshendi body with red eyes. Yikes. And also, Rlain comes back! Well, Shen, but he’s Rlain, and he’s Bridge Four. Fuck yeah.

“Yes. [Eshonai] was my commander. But now...Sir, I have reason to believe that everyone I know...everyone I loved...has been destroyed, monsters left in their place. The listeners, the Parshendi, may be no more. I have nothing left...” “Yes you do,” Skar said from outside the ring of guards. “You’re Bridge Four.” Rlain looked at him. “I’m a traitor.” “Ha!” Rock said. “Is little problem. Can be fixed.”

I LOVE BRIDGE FOUR SO MUCH.

Also Shallan is doing scouting and apparently Dalinar was just like “Get Shallan to come back and if she doesn’t tell her that I’ll send Adolin to cart her back over his shoulder” and Shallan is like “nice sounds hot anyway, science”

Anyway, Shallan finding the Oathgate is the only real retreat plan that the army has, so like, no pressure.

Kaladin is dealing with the Weeping and his injury, and getting through the training ground while limping. Also, when he gets back, Elhokar is there, waiting for him--aaaaand Elhokar is drunk.

Wonderful. Also I love how every time they describe Elhokar they point out that he has a big nose.

So we get Elhokar Inadequacy Rant no.1. Elhokar is sharp--he notices that there is a pattern of heroism around Kaladin, and he also knows that he himself doesn’t have any success--he gives himself a brutal smackdown of his own flaws:

“When I try to be strong, I make a fool of myself. When I try to be merciful, people walk all over me. When I try to listen to counsel, it turns out I’ve picked the wrong men! When I try to do everything on my own, Dalinar has to take over lest I ruin the kingdom. How do people know what to do? Why don’t I know what to do? I was born to this office, given the throne by the Almighty himself! Why would he give me the title, but not the capacity?”

Like, he’s going about this wrong, but god, this shit is fucking relateable. Elhokar does not have the personality of a good leader. But he can’t exactly not lead, becuase the kingdom still holds to the divine right of kings. So he grasps at straws, too uncertain of himself to make a solid choice one way or the other, too proud to admit his mistakes, craving flattery because it reassures him he’s not useless but knowing at the same time in his heart that it’s all a fucking lie.

Anyway, Kaladin refuses to teach him, and says he’s a bad king. Elhokar did ask. Also, Elhokar notes that when Kaladin came, the “shadows”--what Elhokar saw in mirrors and the corners of his eyes--left. Interesting. Very interesting.

The Diagram here mentions the Unmade and the fact that some of them can probably think.

With Dalinar, they’re about to actually join in battle with the Parshendi. Aladar freaks out because holy shit, Voidbringers, and Dalinar basically gives him a “get ahold of yourself” speech to get him to actually lead.

Okay, here’s a main difference between Dalinar’s viewpoint and Amaram’s. Dalinar is willing to sacrifice his army to stop the voidbringers, true. But he is only doing that because he is taking the same risk. He will lead that army because he wouldn’t ask them to go if he wasn’t at the lead, taking the same risk.

I’m going out on a fucking limb and saying that Amaram isn’t willing to go through what he put Kaladin through. Or what he did to Kaladin’s men. He thinks he’s too important to risk himself, and that’s why he’s such a sanctimonious ass.

Also, Dalinar gives impassioned speeches to Roion and Aladar, and then Sebarial is like where’s mine and Dalinar’s like you...can just go into the command tent and Sebarial is like Nice.

Time for another Good Dalinar Battle Speech: Yes, those are Voidbringers. Yes, we’re going to fight them. I don’t know what they can do. I don’t know why they’ve returned. But we came here to stop them.

I know you’re scared, but you have heard of my visions in the highstorms. In the warcamps, the lighteyes mocked me and dismissed what I’d seen as delusions. Well out there, you see proof that my visions were true! Out there, you see what I have been told would come!

I have been sent by the Almighty himself to save this land from another Desolation. I have seen what those things can do; I have lived lives broken by the Voidbringers. I’ve seen kingdoms shattered, peoples ruined, technology forgotten. I’ve seen civilization itself brought to the trembling edge of collapse.

We will prevent this! Today you fight not for the weath of a lighteyes, or even for the honor of your king. Today, you fight for the good of all men. You will not fight alone! Trust in what I have seen, trust in my words. If those things have returned, then so must the forces that once defeated them. We will see miracles before this day is out, men! We merely have to be strong enough to deserve them.

And then the Parshendi start singing, and it’s a completely new song that is more frenetic, and Rlain is freaking the fuck out. He says that Dalinar has to stop the song at all costs.

Back over to Kaladin. He’s wading through the training ground, which is now a small lake. He goes to seek out Zahel, who has strung up a hammock on lightning rods because he fears neither god nor man. As well he should--I mean, it’s Vasher. 

His metaphors remain hilarious. 

“Excellent deduction. Like fresh blue paint on a wall.” 

Anyway, Zahel asks what Kaladin wants. 

“Have you ever had to choose between two equally distasteful choices?”  “Every day I choose to keep breathing.”  “I worry something awful is going to happen. I can prevent it, but the awful thing...it might be best for everyone if it does happen.”  “Huh.”  “No advice?”  “Choose the option that makes it easiest for you to sleep at night. That’s what I wish I’d done.” 

This turns out to be the exact advice Kaladin needs to hear, tbh. He grabs a spear and goes to try to practice. He also starts literally yelling at the storm. And he realizes the rationale he’s using--”It’s right to remove the wounded limb. This is what we have to do, to stay alive” is the rationale that was used to kill Tien. 

And Kaladin realizes that for Dalinar, Elhokar is Tien. 

[preservationandruin]

Words of Radiance Part 1 Part 2

This is a long part, okay? It’s gonna take a few chunks to get through, especially if I keep going through things with the detail I have been. There’s just so much interesting stuff in these books, you guys.

Shallan turns a boat to water but not a stick to fire, Kaladin experiments with windrunning, and I have a fucking conniption because I forgot how early a certain antagonist shows up. 

The epigraph is Navani mentioning that they didn’t think there might be Parshendi spies among the Parshmen, which is foreshadowing for the fact that Shen is one of those spies who, mostly through luck, ended up placed in an incredibly fortuitous place. Anyway, we’re back to Shallan.

She’s observing Pattern more--he’s started talking to her. She asks what he remembers, and he says being with her with many plants, reminding her of seeing him in her father’s gardens, causing her to have a brief moment of panic and shut the thought down. Also, she apparently turned the deck green for a moment--probably a shock of uncontrolled lightweaving. Pattern is also showing the beginning of his fascination with lies.

Shallan reads some about the Nightwatcher, who is definitely a spren of some sort and definitely female (and in all likelihood linked to Cultivation, perhaps in the same way that the Stormfather is to Honor, which raises the question of if a Bondsmith could create a Nahel bond with her). Shallan is thinking that her life is coming together, which of course means that something horrible is about to happen, because none of these protagonists have calm lives where everything has come together. Like, if the main character of a book, at the beginning of a book, thinks “She had stumbled into the perfect life, and it was everything she’d wished for,” some shit’s about to go down.

Also, the spheres in her pocket were dun, probably due to aforementioned uncontrolled lightweaving. Jasnah looks haggard and tired, and is actually giving off exhaustionspren and hiding a fearspren. She accurately guesses that Shallan accidentally used the surge of illumination. Shallan also gets the book The Words of Radiance, although she never gets the chance to read it if I remember right.

So then there’s the attack on the boat. Jasnah is stabbed in the chest--I’m not sure how she survived that, but she’s tenacious and we don’t know everything she can do as an Elsecaller--Pattern suggests “sword”--the Shardblade--but Shallan refuses, and manages to use illumination with help from Pattern to distract the men. This may actually have been when Jasnah escaped as well.

And here we get one of the moments where Shallan, her back to the wall, turns out to have an iron spine. She reminds herself that nothing is worse than what she had to do the night her father died, puts her grief aside, and starts thinking about what she can do. Pattern, it should be noted, sees people killing and (much like Syl seeing betrayal) doesn’t understand it. And so she decides to soulcast the ship to save the sailors, which works because the Wind’s Pleasure wants to save its people.

Give it up for that ship, people. It wanted to stay a ship, but it didn’t want its people to die. It wanted to serve them.

And we’re back to Dalinar, on a plateau run. I’m getting a bit antsy, because I know that at some point near the beginning of this book, Szeth tries to assassinate Dalinar. Pretty sure it happens in the camp, though, so not now. Anyway, Dalinar is trying to get other Highprinces on his side while Adolin leads the charge. Also the Ryshadium horses have so much personality. I love them. Also, Dalinar is making it very clear that the highprinces have to toe the line--he invokes the name of a guy who refused to accept the unification of Alethkar, and who Gavilar had Sadeas duel and kill.

Dalinar sees Eshonai again, although he keeps assuming she’s a dude. Also--and unfortunately--the other highprince, Aladar, flat-up says that he won’t follow Dalinar willingly, because he’ll never trust the other highprinces enough. I guess we’ll see if the impending apocalypse changes that--god knows it didn’t for Sadeas. Also, a mention of “an old friend” who was going to arrive soon at the Shattered Plains, and which I know means Amaram, and I don’t like it.

Also, Kaladin’s back down in the chasms, to practice--and to train the new recruits. God, the rest of Dalinar’s army must think they’re weird as hell, but they learned how to fight in the chasms. It makes sense that’s where they teach as well. Syl also mentions that she likes the idea of re-forming the Knights Radiant, and that she’s seen “spren like red lightning” who are dangerous. Syl also gets indignant at the idea she would lie, asking if Kaladin thinks she’s “a Cryptic” before realizing she has no idea what that means. Syl does know she was the only honorspren that came--none of the others must have disobeyed the Stormfather.

We get a flashback--Shallan was eleven when she killed her mother is the overall upshot. Meaning she started surgebinding younger than eleven--she’s been doing this for a long time. We also get the lullaby and serious hints that Shallan killed her mother and the other person there. Cut to her waking up on the beach, saved by the santhid. A good friend. And like Jasnah, Shallan’s mind goes to academia first and then to the personal tragedy.

The infamous scene where Shallan tries to soulcast a stick to turn it into fire. I’m not sure there’s anything I can say here other than literally everything everyone else has said, so I’m just going to leave off this paragraph with “It remains a stick.”

But she does find the slaver camp and collapses. And then just decides to act as Jasnah would and just fucking says she will allow them to accompany her. I love this whole section. Back to Kaladin, and the spear motif of the chapters about him’s headings make me think how weirdly ubiquitous spears are as a symbol in the cosmere. I mean, it’s a common weapon, it makes sense, but what with them being a Survivorist thing on Scadrial I feel like i have a tendency to overthink their appearance. Anyway, Kaladin is practicing binding things together now. It’s interesting, the symbolic applications of the surges--I’ve talked about how Shallan changes and illuminates by drawing better versions of people and inspiring them to be them, but Kaladin also binds things and brings them upward--like with Bridge Four. Dalinar brings things together and whatever the other surge is?

Right, Tension. Which, uh, according to the ars arcanum, is “Soft Axial Interconnection.” I got nothing. I am not a physics person.

Anyway, Rock can see spren, which is implied to be a Horneater thing. His term is alaii’iku. Also both Rock and Lopen think chull head is the best part to eat and Kaladin is perplexed. He has Rock, Lopen, and Sigzil all try to attack him, culminating in Rock somehow swinging an entire log at him.

Okay fun fact here I saw the beginning of the sentence, said to Kaladin, “A hero has come to the Shattered Plains! He’s going to meet with Brightlord Kholin, perhaps--”

And, I shit you not, my blood ran cold and I said, out loud, deeply confusing my hapless roommate, “oH NO OH NO OH SHIT OH GOD OH FUCK” because I don’t have to turn this fucking page to know that Meridas Amaram is about to come into this book and I am about to turn into a seething pit of rage.

This series is very much in my interests because, much like the people in it, I consider betrayal to be an uncrossable line, and also, I just loathe Amaram with every fiber of my being.

Anyway, Kaladin also fucking loses it, nearly dropping his spear and just taking off toward Dalinar’s camp.

And then I read slightly further and we get this exchange: “Old friend,” [the newcomer] said. “It’s been too long.” “Too long by far,” Dalinar agreed. “I’m glad you finally made your way here, after years of promises. I heard you’ve even found yourself a Shardblade!” “Yes,” The newcomer said, pulling back and holding his hand to the side. “Taken from an assassin who dared try to kill me on the field of battle.” UH HUH. YEAH, YOU IN NO WAY SLAUGHTERED AN ENTIRE TROOP OF MEN WHO RISKED THEIR LIFE FOR YOUR WORTHLESS LIFE, YOU WASTE OF INVESTITURE.

Look, I know he ends up getting comeuppance, but I still hate him so fucking much, you guys.

ANYWAY, that’s the end of part one, of course, because that’s the kind of dramatic moment you have to end something on. I’m gonna end this liveblog segment on it, because I like trying to have these follow the book’s separation some. 

[preservationandruin]

Words of Radiance: Part 3

The spread here is Shallan and Kaladin, as usual, with Adolin and Navani rounding out the four. 

Shallan arrives at the plains and meets some new friends, Kaladin learns about lowkey regicide plans, and Adolin fights more. 

I feel like in part we’re staying out of Dalinar’s head because Brandon wants us to keep thinking he dismissed Kaladin’s complaints about Amaram, and to keep us in the dark as to what Dalinar is planning. I can’t complain, when the payoff will be so glorious. The epigraphs, now, are from the book Words of Radiance--for this first one, we get a bit on how the surges are divided among Orders. 

Adolin point of view--he’s distracted and rattled, thanks to Szeth’s attack. He’s also grumpy about Kaladin, still--he doesn’t understand Kal as well as Dalinar does, and is reading him as more insubordinate than he is. Doesn’t help that Kaladin has no reason to like him and thus Adolin hasn’t seen many of his redeeming features. Adolin is also lowkey classist/racist (hard precisely what to term the prejudice against darkeyes) in this, judging the bridgemen just for being darkeyed. Also, we get that Soulcasters--not Radiant ones, but human ones--look less and less human the more they work. Their eyes look like gemstones and their skin like stone. I wonder if the Alethi really know what they’re doing here, because this might be just a side effect, or they could be doing the classic “playing with things man was not meant to know” type thing. Also, they chant when they soulcast. Interesting. 

Anyway, over to Navani, working on fabrials to make things fly. We also get a hilarious description of Dalinar: 

“The man was a dear, but he was a touch overprotective. In the way a highstorm was a touch windy.” 

Well, he and the Stormfather should get along well, then. Also, Adolin awkwardly asks if Navani “encouraged” Dalinar’s “advances” and Navani has to break it to him that she basically seduced Dalinar. Adolin is Very Uncomfortable but hey, he started the conversation about his dad’s love life. 

Get a bit on the Releasers--god, I want to see them in action--and a Shallan chapter. She’s arrived at the Alethi warcamps, and gets herself taken to see Dalinar. Aaaaaaand immediately runs into Kaladin. Gaz basically tries to hide behind Shallan, Shallan and Kaladin start bickering, and everything is off to a great start, guys.

“I’m just doing my job.”  “Your job is to be offensive and asinine?”  “No, I’m offensive and asinine on my own time, too.” 

Shallan makes some nasty quips about Kaladin not knowing who his parents are, which is just...Shallan, he had a happier family life than you did. Which is a really low bar, I understand, but geez. 

Adolin point of view. He’s goading people into duels--he gets one, betting all of his shards. One on one, though. And then Adolin runs into Sadeas, and only Amaram stops him from punching him. Have I mentioned that I hate Amaram. Amaram tries to lecture Adolin, who gets distracted by a pretty girl--actually, Shallan. it’s the red hair. Anyway, I too would pay attention to any pretty girl in the area instead of Amaram. 

And then he realizes That’s his fiancee. 

Anyway, Shallan has to tell Navani how Jasnah died, and lies and says she set the boat on fire to escape. Navani...doesn’t take it well, although god, who would? Shallan gets momentarily distracted because Adolin’s smile is cute. Also, Shallan’s been playing so many different roles she doesn’t answer to her own name immediately. They’re both awkward as hell--Shallan’s opener is “I like to walk, um, your hair is nice” and so that’s happening too. Shallan also bullshits her way into Sebarial’s camp through astute people-reading and a desire not to get tied up in Kholin politics, which is smart. 

Also, Dalinar and Sadeas spend the entire argument between Highprinces staring at each other. Shallan also manages to endear herself to Sebarial immediately by being a little irreverent and a lot witty. Dalinar just randomly stands up and starts quoting the Way of Kings. General reaction is “Dalinar what the fuck.” Highprince discussions are a time. 

Sadeas remains five inches from Adolin strangling him at all times, Renarin pulls Adolin back down into his seat, and everything’s a mess. Also, this:

 “I need to choose some new Shardbearers.” “New Shardbearers?” “I will soon come into the possession of more Shards.” “And are we allowed to know the source of this amazing trove?” “Why, Adolin is going to win them from all of you.”

 I love the Kholins. Back to Shallan’s past, we get one of her father’s feasts. Her father was announcing his remarriage. Shallan gets her necklace, and someone with heterochromia--the king of Vedenar’s son? yeah--comes in. Shallan had frozen again due to her mom being mentioned. Shallan also manages to cheer up her brothers through awful puns. The children are all too terrified to give testimony against their father. Back to the present. Shallan realizes how canny Sebarial is, how he’s turned a profit because he was the only one who saw that the warcamps were permanent. I love Sebarial and Palona: 

“Ah, the bane of my existence. Please try to hold your laughter until we separate. My frail, aging ego can no longer handle the mockery.” “Please tell me you didn’t kidnap her, Turi.” 

Also Sebarial admits the only reason he brought Shallan home is because it would irritate the highprinces. He also lurks just inside the door so he can pretend to be uninterested in the conversation but also argue with Palona. Palona gets her set up in the house and admits that Sebarial brings home strays often, and implies that she was one as well. And Shallan finally gets to sleep. 

Apparently one group of Radiants didn’t want to lay down their Blades and flee--no idea what came of that, though. It would make sense for it to be the Stonewardens? Anyway, Kaladin. He’s fretting about not knowing where all the bridgemen are at all times, and also training new recruits in the chasms. 

Lopen uses the expression “flick my sparks” and Kaladin still can’t figure out walking on walls initially, although he does make it work after some going at it. Figures out how to manipulate gravity better. For a moment, it seems almost like he sees the Cognitive Realm? 

For a moment, Kaladin thought he saw shadows of a world that was not, shadows of another place. And in that place, a distant sky with a sun enclosed, almost as if by a corridor of clouds.

Also, Kaladin admits that although he feels that Dalinar is a good man, it will take being certain for him to tell Dalinar what he can do--and that he wants to kill Amaram, which still worries Syl. With good reason. 

Also, Renarin’s there! He’s come to try to join bridge four because Renarin is precious and I love him. He’s also doing the same rocking-back-and-forth stim that I do all the time and have I mentioned how nice it is to see someone stimming in fiction without judgement being attached to it? It’s really nice. Also, the conversation about Renarin’s epilepsy, which ends in the great: 

“How do you know these things? Aren’t you a soldier?”  “I know some field medicine.”  “Field medicine...for epilepsy?”  Kaladin coughed into his hand. 

REAL GOOD AT BEING SUBTLE THERE KALADIN. Also, Renarin’s just so goddamned earnest. Kal also notices that Renarin was terrified of doing this but did it anyway and honestly, could he ask anything else of a recruit? Also, the first thing Kaladin does is assign Renarin to washing duty, and Renarin just fucking goes with it. Moash says that Renarin “doesn’t act right” which, okay Moash, shut up. Kaladin is also suspecting that Moash was involved in the plot to kill the king, and Moash is trying to help Kaladin with Amaram. 

Back to Shallan, who finally also gets good food, and then finds Tyn’s spanreed going off again--she doesn’t catch the communication in time, but it starts her planning an identity with which to infiltrate the Ghostbloods, and so the drawing that becomes Veil is born. She does eventually make contact, and gets that the meeting is going to be very, very soon. 

Shallan also is learning how useful it is to be unseen--nobody notices Veil. She also notices that when she doesn’t want to do something, her mind seizes on anything nearby as a distraction--which is what happens when she tries to think about when her mother died. She also accidentally overpays for something because she forgets darkeyes aren’t filthy rich. Still gotta work on that, Shallan. 

So we’re meeting the Ghostbloods. Mraize apparently reminds Shallan of Wit--they’re both worldhoppers, that might be it--and she can’t place his accent. Probably also because of that. But violet eyes mean he might be a Rosharan native. We also see Iyatil--I’m so glad we know where she’s from now! Gotta love Southern Scadrial--and Shallan assumes she’s a dude initially because of the uncovered safehand. We also get some trophies, some of which are from other worlds--pale sand (Taldain), Hairpins (metalminds??), golden hair (Nalthis???), the branch of a tree (I’ve heard that’s from Yolen), silver knife (Threnody?), a flower (Nalthis??). A chunk of pale crystal that’s delicate that we don’t know about. 

Also, he mentions that he is currently hunting Amaram, so I gotta like him, just a little. He also gives her the nickname “little knife” here, and tells her not to harm Amaram because “his life belongs to another.” I don’t know who. Maybe me. I want to kill Amaram. Anyway. Also, Iyatil tails her, and Pattern catches it, and she disguises herself as a wall. 

Back to Kaladin, at the lighteyed training grounds. Zahel yet again tries for metaphor and lands squarely in shitpost: “Boy, you’ve got red on your ears like I’ve never seen” (he means they’re spoiling for a fight). Moash again shows how much he wants a shardblade by grabbing for one that Zahel puts in front of them. Kaladin passes up holding it, partially because of Syl, but also meaning we prolong the revelation of oh god screaming for a more dramatic moment. And Shallan has just. Shown up on the grounds. Of course. Adolin assumes that Shallan came to watch him only for her to completely ignore him to go talk to the radiants. Kaladin can’t resist teasing Adolin about that one. Shallan claims she didn’t see Adolin there, which is a lie, but is still hilarious. 

“Look,” Adolin said, turning to Shallan. “I can see what you’re up to.”  “Five foot six inches,” Shallan said. “I suspect that is all I will ever be up to, unfortunately.” 

Adolin just has no real idea how to deal with her, which is great. Adolin actually likes it, though, and Kaladin is just confused. Moash admits that the king ended up behind the death of his family--his grandparents. He admits to trying to kill Elhokar--roundabout--and gets Kaladin to agree to meet with some “others” who were involved. Syl is alarmed, although she only heard part of it--and I think here is where the oaths start clashing. 

Shallan flashback--she sees something that looks like a parrot, although--of course--it’s called a chicken. Why is Roshar like this. Anyway, Shallah slipped away from her father at a fair, and is trying to arrange it so that her brother gets with the girl he likes. Balat asks Shallan for dating advice and Shallan points out that she’s fourteen. When she returns, her father is meeting with someone else--Wit--and when he sees Shallan he nearly spills his cup. Can he see investiture? We see him pouring dust into his own drink, hinting that he may have used his lerasium bead on himself at this point. Also, her father declares Helaran disinherited. Shallan is trying to make her brothers happy--she translated months and months of equations into glyphs for Wikim, set Balat up on a date, and wants to get Jushu away from drinking and gambling. Wikim says she wasted her time, which of course devastates her.

And then she runs into Hoid, who asks if spren talk to her--Shallan lies and says no because thinking about them makes her go blank. We do get the great discussion of beauty--beauty is relative. If all you know is pain, the times the pain are less is beauty. She says that to her, the most beautiful thing is her in the garden with her mother. Helaran never left. “the people her mother new...Dreder...” never showed up, and her mother loves her. That’s heartbreaking. Clearly, Hoid might be trying to provoke her into surgebinding right now. He was--but he gets that she doesn’t understand enough yet. 

Kaladin again. The number of Herdazians in bridge four is exponentially expanding. Kaladin also asked Dalinar if he could arm Shen, got an okay, and gives Shen a spear, promising he’s going to be trained, and for a moment it seems like Shen was going to admit to being Parshendi, but Moash interrupts to drag Kaladin out for a night on the town. Apparently people bet they could outdrink Rock. 

“Tonight,” Lopen said, finger to the air, “I will be victorious. It is said you should never bet against the one-armed Herdazian in a drinking contest!”  “It is?” Moash asked. “It will be said,” Loped continued, “you should never bet against the one-armed Herdazian in a drinking contest!”  “You weigh about as much as a starved axehound, Lopen,” Moash said skeptically.  “Ah, but I have focus.” 

Have I mentioned I love bridge four because holy hell do i love bridge four. Rock keeps hoping for Horneater lager only to be reminded it melts things like non-Horneater teeth, and cups. We also get the Unalaki origin story, which is long and I’m not gonna write out fully, but is really interesting! Also, Rock encountered Lunu’anaki, the god of travel and mischief, who I am pretty damn sure is Hoid (interestingly, this implies the Horneater Waters of Life are a shardpool Wouldn’t surprise me with how Rock describes them--water on top, something else beneath, swim in it and you can see the place of the gods). Also, apparently “every man knows” that Lunu’anaki is forbidden to hurt men. Horneater mythology has a lot of things spot-on. 

Kaladin is unfortunately starting to think in terms of “he can bring justice to the world” by murder, which is the kind of thing that Windrunners are not supposed to do. Rock has finished seven drinks and is not tipsy. And we’re meeting Moash’s “friends.” Danlan is associated with them. These assholes follow the Diagram, if I remember right, although Moash doesn’t know much of that. Kaladin refuses to do it and tells Moash to stop meeting with them, but that conversation is going to stick with him.  I’ll cut this here. 

[preservationandruin]

Words of Radiance Part 2

Viewpoints here are a weirder spread--Shallan, Kaladin, Adolin, and Sadeas. Not sure how long this will take me to get through or how many sub-parts the liveblog is gonna be, so bear with me!

Shallan takes control, Kaladin tries to work with what he has and meets a worldhopper, Renarin jumps off a roof, and people talk way too much about Amaram for either my or Kaladin’s liking. 

Epigraphs here are snippets of the Listener songs, which is probably why we had to get the Eshonai chapters first--so we could tell what they were talking about. In any case, Shallan is travelling with Tvklav’s crew--who I’m pretty sure are coincidentally the slavers who sold Kaladin. Because sometimes I feel like Sanderson’s world operates on the Dickensian premise of “everyone knows each other by coincidence.” Shallan is curious about the Frostlands’ natural vegetation. She also tries having conversation, but it doesn’t really work, in party because (rightly, given the situation) people don’t trust her.

We also learn that Jasnah kept, in her personal trunk, a drawing that Shallan had done of her. Shallan ends up mourning both Jasnah and the fact that all of her sketchpads--something she dismisses, but essentially her life’s work--are gone as well. 

More sketches--this time of various fighting stances. Nazh has written that he had to steal the scroll these were on and that the bottom half was eaten by an axehound. Nazh leads an interesting and fraught life. 

Cut to Adolin talking to his blade, something I still think might be significant. At the very least, I hope that spren can hear him and takes some comfort from having a human talk to them and trust them? We also get the story that nobody took Adolin seriously and that the guy he won the Blade from wanted to duel Adolin to embarrass Dalinar. Didn’t quite work that way. The Plate Adolin got from his mom’s side. Also, Adolin refusing to name his Blade is also important. Also, this: “I appreciate what you’ve done for me. I know you’d do it for anyone who held you, but I still appreciate it. I...I want you to know: I believe in Father. I believe he’s right...” 

Okay, I know I’ve gone on about Edgedancer Adolin before, but one of the things for the Edgedancers definitely seems to be paying attention to the people and things people take for granted. Like, say, the fact that your shardblade fights with you. 

Anyway, immediately after that we get the fact that Adolin can’t fucking read, not even glyphs. Navani voice: please get married so that I stop worrying about you not being able to fucking read. Also, Adolin is worried because they haven’t heard anything from Jasnah’s ship--WITH GOOD REASON. Also, Adolin insists that breaking up with Danlan wasn’t his fault--apparently she’d been saying something to her friends--but given that it’s Adolin it’s kind of hard to tell. 

Also, Renarin and Adolin run through Adolin’s list of good-luck charms for duels---talk to the sword, eat chicken before you duel, wear mother’s chain--and Navani is skeptical and the boys are Highly Indignant that Navani is skeptical. Also also, Adolin likes pissing off the guards because he doesn’t like Kaladin--thinks something is “off” about Kaladin. As always, he’s not wrong. But he is being petty. 

And then Adolin just crushes the other dude because he’s Adolin Kholin. He beats him so badly that the judge tries to stop them, but Adolin points out he didn’t break any rules. On the other hand, this probably didn’t endear Adolin to people--meaning that they were more likely to let slide that fucking 4-on-1 that Sadeas attempts later. Renarin thinks it was awesome, and Adolin gives him the blade. Which, uh, I mean, from Adolin’s point of view it was the best thing to do, but reading this again a) Renarin is notably hesitant to take the blade (Glys talking to him?) and also grimaces when he takes it and holds it (it’s screaming). But, unlike Dalinar or Kaladin later, he keeps holding it. 

Also, Adolin’s brutality here wasn’t planned, it was just something that happened and that he’s confused about later, feeling drained. He did get the Thrill. I’m not sure what’s going on there, but it might not be good. 

Back to Shallan, where she’s using Pattern to spy on the slavers to try to figure out how to deal with them. She also notes that these people don’t treat her like a real person, but instead as a means to an end, much like Kabsal, and she loses a bit of her temper and also mildly terrifies Tvklav. She realizes that Tvklav and the others don’t know she’s a timid rural lighteyes, and she also realizes that she can make them see her in certain ways, not just by copying Jasnah. 

Honestly, this entire trip to the Shattered Plains does a lot more for Shallan’s lightweaving than studying with Jasnah, I think. Nothing like being thrown into a fire to teach you to deal with it? Anyway, the deserters show up, and we cut over to Kaladin. The lighteyes sparring grounds is somewhat disappointing to the bridgemen, who expected something cooler. 

Also, Kaladin is plotting to kill Amaram already, which is THE MOST RELATEABLE but also not good for his oaths i guess. Anyway, Kaladin and the gang with him are supposed to be protecting the Kholin bros while they’re training, they get some backsass from Ardents, Kaladin backsasses back, and it works out. Kaladin is also left standing with Moash, which...okay, knowing where Moash’s character arc goes, I’m just going to be side-eyeing him the whole book, I apologize. We get a note that the numbers are still appearing--honestly Dalinar tell Kaladin it’s probably someone in there already so he stops panicking over intruders--and Kaladin starts getting irritated about Dalinar and Amaram again and Syl makes him admit that he does know that Dalinar, at least, is honorable. Amaram just has him fooled. 

Also, Kaladin is backsassing Adolin, and uses “Brightlord” for him--the title used for people he doesn’t respect as much. Adolin says that the only reason he hasn’t thrown Kaladin through a window is because he owes Kaladin his life. Renarin is just standing there, being awkward, holding his Blade--he had to hold that thing for five days. Yikes. 

Anyway, Syl doesn’t like the brothers, but only because they carry Shards (I hope. They’re good boys Brent). And we run into Vasher--I mean, Zahel, but it’s Vasher. Also, Adolin waited to bring Renarin until he knew Zahel was there so he could pressure Zahel into taking Renarin under his wing, and Syl drops the fact that she’s a tiny piece of a god, although it’s unclear how seriously Kaladin takes that. Back to Shallan, who is covering anxiety about the deserters with scholarship. She also sketches Bluth here--first a more true to life version, and then an idealized one with him in a proper uniform with a good weapon. Pattern asks about why people shit and Shallan does not want to be having that conversation. Pattern also says that Shallan--and presumably this is a Lightweaver thing--lives lies to make herself strong, but must speak truths to progress. 

Back to Kaladin, who’s talking with Lopen. Also, Kaladin uses the word “greenvines” to mean new recruits. And there’s another highstorm coming--meaning Kaladin is paranoid about the numbers again. Also they watch Adolin training, and we get this absolutely amazing exchange: 

“I’ve seen him summon that weapon before.”  “Yeah, gancho, on the battlefield, when we saved his sorry ass from Sadeas.”  I LOVE LOPEN. Also, Renarin’s training is beginning--he hasn’t been trained to fight, so there aren’t any bad habits for him to unlearn. And also this is the part where Zahel just tells Renarin to jump off the roof a bunch of times and also uses idioms that make absolutely no sense translated literally in Rosharan. Example: “I’m old, son. Repeating myself makes me eat the wrong flower.” I’m sorry Zahel that literally just sounds like a shitpost. 

And then Kaladin and Zahel have a conversation while, in the background, Renarin is throwing himself off a building again and again. Fun digression story, this part reminds me of a story from my mom’s family? She had 8 brothers and little to no parental supervision so some hijinks went down including the boys, at one point, deciding to play “who can jump off the highest object” which ended in the youngest jumping off the shed and breaking his leg. Don’t do these things unless you’re in Shardplate, kids. Kaladin discredits how well Renarin will do, but Zahel’s got a better idea of it. 

And also Zahel starts berating Kaladin for some of his nonchalance--like assuming he knows how to fight Shardbearers just because he got lucky against two. It’s turning into Sparring Bantertime. And then Adolin makes the mistake of further antagonizing Kaladin, they get in a fight, and Zahel calls Adolin the fuck out for challenging someone without shardplate when Adolin is in Shardplate because what the actual fuck, you could kill people. Zahel also says that Kaladin reminds him of Adolin, to which Kaladin Is Very Offended, and Zahel starts laughing at him. Kaladin also notes that the stormlight drained from him, and Syl points out that he wasn’t protecting anyone. 

Shallan flashback time--we get the fact that when Shallan thinks about her mother her brain shuts down. She also hasn’t spoken for five months, apparently--since her mother was killed. Helaran gives Shallan a drawing pad and charcoals and says that he needs her to come back because he’s going to be gone for a few years, and he’s worried about the others. And of course what Shallan automatically draws is the murder scene, which worries Helaran as well and he tells her to draw safe things instead of dwelling on the past. Shallan spoke for the first time in months to stop Helaran from killing their father. And Shallan sees her father in a furious rage, but he stops himself before he hurts her. I still wonder--did he just care about her more, or was he scared of her abilities and didn’t want to provoke them? Well, there’s not much way to know now. 

Shallan, again. The listener song quoted here does mention artform as a thing that exists. Anyway, we’ve just run into Shallan taking control of her caravan and leading them down to help another group against the bandits, because we’ve hit another moment where Shallan’s back’s against the wall and she becomes certain--and flat-up offers the deserters redemption if they help her help the other people. The leader doesn’t listen, but the others--including Gaz, everyone runs into everyone else out on the Shattered Plains, huh--do. Another new Listener form is mentioned--meditationform, meant for teaching and consolation, used by the gods for lies and desolation. 

Also, we meet Tyn here. Also, the leader of the deserters--Vathah--attempts to threaten Shallan, and Pattern spooks the living shit out of him by saying “you should let her go” while Shallan pretends to hear nothing. Also, Shallan frees Tvklav’s slaves, including using the line “I saved your life, you oily little man.” And Shallan also sees that the caravan survivors burned a prayer of thanks for the deserters who saved their lives, which is great. 

Back to Kaladin. Also, the listener song mentions stormform here, including the phrases “beware its powers” and “beware its end.” And it also says it “brings the gods their night.” So we’re getting heavy hints that stormform is really bad news. Also, Kaladin sees a red light out in the highstorm and thinks it looks like eyes. Creepy. Adolin is looking at fashions, Renarin is stimming, Elhokar is fretting. Kaladin is trying to unobtrusively be nosy. 

Also, Renarin geeks out about fabrials to Kaladin, and Kaladin wonders why Adolin is looking at fashion and Adolin gets defensive. No numbers appear--probably because Renarin is in a room with other people the whole time. Adolin mentions that the only Shardbearer in Sadeas’ camp other than Sadeas is Amaram, Dalinar jokingly comments that Adolin won’t be dueling him, certainly, while I am in the background yelling “KICK HIS ASS, ADOLIN! KICK HIS MISERABLE ASS!” 

Anyway now they’re talking more about Amaram. Can we stop talking about Amaram. You’re not going to get him to secede from Sadeas’s side. He’s a piece of shit. Kaladin also notices that when people mention Amaram, he gets upset and tense, UNDERSTANDABLY. 

And so Kaladin goes to tell Dalinar about Amaram, and Dalinar points out that Kaladin doesn’t have any proof. Syl is optimistic, saying that Dalinar listened--and she’s actually right in the end, Syl is always right, she’s the best--but Kaladin says that he didn’t. Syl is also very upset at the thought of Kaladin “finding his own justice,” as he puts it, and points out that this is not what he’s supposed to be like as a Windrunner. 

Also, Shen confronts Kaladin--which is an early sign that Shen is not a normal Parshman--and says that he isn’t really treated as Bridge Four, and that he’s basically still a slave, and Kaladin can’t argue with that and hates it. And then one of the palace guards runs in, panicking, and I’m pretty sure this is the Szeth attack. 

Listener song talking about “Nightform” which apparently predicts the future--there is the whole “Voidbringers see the future” thing. In any case, the “attack” was someone sabotaging the railing and balcony where Elhokar stands. Kaladin points out that whoever tried it was an idiot--or, more precisely, a coward, if they’re the same person who was behind the drained stormlight in the Plate. They want to make Elhokar’s death look like an accident, but they tipped their hand here--because the only tool that could have cut away at the balcony like that was a Shardblade. Kaladin also swears, here, that Dalinar can trust him--one half of the conflicting oaths that tear him apart in this book. Dalinar also assumes that bridgemen have no part in warcamp politics, which is...a bit naive. Kaladin does, as does Moash--lighteyes can engender deep antagonism in darkeyes without realizing. 

I’ll cut this here and get the rest of Part Two in another post.