The Stormlight Archive (epic fantasy series)

[Reza, The Curator]

A place for fans of The Stormlight Archive series to discuss the books, post theories, geek-out, or just seek shelter during a highstorm.

Spoilers up to book 2 (WoR) are allowed. If you have read TWoK but haven't read WoR, be warned.

[Reza, The Curator]

Paging those whom I know are following the series:
Jati, R.D., Idan, Cininta, and Bikka.

[Cininta]

present! let me finish WoR then i'll put my two cents in. my recent theories might be proven/disproven by the end of the book.

[Femmy]

I'm waiting for the paperback to come out, as usual. Don't want to shell out $20 something for a book.

[Reza, The Curator]

Ah, of course you're following this one too mbak Fem hehe. Do come back after u've read WoR!

[Cininta]

just wondering, what do you guys think about the adolin-kaladin banter? i like it, it's gives a funny touch to the book. they act like two little boys competing with each other who is best. when they are fighting like that the dialogues are very entertaining.

[R.D.]

okay, seek shelter here. :D

[Reza, The Curator]

@Cininta: it's like the opposite of frenemies. The can't stand each other but begrudgingly respect each other.

[Cininta]

@reza so they're enefrends

why doesn't stormlight heal kaladin's slave brand, i wonder?

[Cininta]

who else here just love lopen and his whole family?

[Bikka Mitya]

Just saw this thread. Ha! Finally! Reading your comments makes me wanna re-read both TWoK and WoR, which I don't have time for now *sigh*

@Femmy: Get the ebook version. It's so worth it.

@Cininta: Adolin-Kaladin banter reminds me that boys will be boys no matter how much of a war hero or a super-power wielder you are.

The Lopens! I love the Lopens! They crack me up so much. I hope they (or the Lopen himself) will not cause future problem with his newfound ability.

Ugh, still so long until the next book.

[Cininta]

soo, i was reading other discussions and found that a lot of people think shallan is annoying.
i personally like her. there's so many sides to her and, at least from the first book to the second book,there's a lot that we don't know about her. in the second book we get to know more about her, but i think there's more.
so what do y'all think? Shallan: annoying spoiled brat or intriguing woman?

[R.D.]

I don't think Shallan is annoying.
She's just ... normal, and intellegent.
and Jasnah is a lot more intriguing than her.

[Aryanti]

I'm only 30% through The Way of Kings and I just want to tell you guys to please be there when I'm done because I think I will flail a lot and will need friends to flail around with (or to restrain me instead).

So far, I really like Kaladin's relationship with Syl, and the father and son relationship between Dalinar and Adolin and, and, and so curious about all the characters' backgrounds and futures etc etc.

Sanderson leaks the mysteries in a very agonizingly slow pace, but being the masochist that I am I think I really enjoy this torture. so far.

(pardon the mindless blabber)

[Reza, The Curator]

@Yanti: It's the first of a planned ten-books-series, each almost guaranteed 1000+ pages. So it needs quite an investment in terms of worldbuilding, especially in the 1st book. Soldier on!

[Cininta]

Welcome to Roshar,yan. i hope you enjoy your stay.

Life before death, strength before weakness, journey before destination.

[Aryanti]

@reza: I'm soldiering on, definitely. It's not like I have a chance to back down now that I'm too absorbed in this new world, hahaha!

it's nice how the "worldbuilding" is done slowly, but soooo detailed. The retracting grass and responsive plants is one specific detail that I really like. So far (I'm almost 50% into the 1st book) I haven't found a significant role for the animated plants except that they act as such in response of the recurring highstorms, so the fact that Sanderson put such detail consistently since the start is such a plus plus plus point!

I don't know why I'm rambling about the grass , of all things. Huhuhu.

At first I was a bit overwhelmed with the whole bunch of new terminologies, wondering if these words are supposed to be English or are they coined by Sanderson? But as I read along, those jargons are subtly repeated and leisurely explained when we arrived in each appropriate setting, instead of having to read a bunch of explanation in the beginning...

It's the same with the characters building, and it's a very nice way to keep the reader's interest. I haven't read many fantasy books, so for me the way Sanderson infused the new world into his words makes me realize that, oh! this is the kind of story telling that I like!

@cininta: I so badly want to discuss a lot of things but I have to refrain, at least until I finish words of radiance, hahahah! (it's a long journey)

[Idan]

Aryanti wrote: "@reza: I'm soldiering on, definitely. It's not like I have a chance to back down now that I'm too absorbed in this new world, hahaha!

it's nice how the "worldbuilding" is done slowly, but soooo de..."

Aryanti wrote: "@reza: I'm soldiering on, definitely. It's not like I have a chance to back down now that I'm too absorbed in this new world, hahaha!

it's nice how the "worldbuilding" is done slowly, but soooo de..."

Just wondering, what kind of terminologies and jargons are you referring to?

Unlike other high fantasy authors (i'm looking specifically at you, Goodkind!) Sanderson does not indulge with technobabbles in excruciatingly painful ways, he instead spreads it out subtlely and evenly through out the book, so we as readers would not feel overwhelmed. At least that's the consistent impression that I got so far.

Anywat, have you finished WoR? What are your thoughts about it?

[Aryanti]

Idan wrote: Just wondering, what kind of terminologies and jargons are you referring to?

Ahaha, pardon, I don't think I've read many fantasy/ high fantasy novels, so my kind of "overwhelmed" is probably different than yours :D

From those little amount of fantasy stories I've read, I am used to reading fictional worlds that are somehow connected with our current universe, so the authors usually will explain new words/ terms in relations with our known world... In the case of Way of Kings, everything is so new, and even in the first few chapters, for me there are a lot of new words (simple stuff like names of races, places, animals, etc etc).

I totally agree with you about how Sanderson explained them evenly throughout the book, if you read my previous comment again you'll find that I stated similar thing (maybe my only so-so English is too jumbled so it causes misinterpretation hahaha)

I've finished WoR! :D to avoid repeating a long comment, here's a link to my rambling about it hahaha:
my review

[Zhugenaut]

The author is evil, simply evil. I kind of having love-hate relationship with this book... Only evil author can get you that after finishing the first book. I want to read more of the series but I feel overloaded already. Am I up to the task reading second book and enjoying it to its fullness?

[Idan]

Aryanti wrote: "Idan wrote: Just wondering, what kind of terminologies and jargons are you referring to?

Ahaha, pardon, I don't think I've read many fantasy/ high fantasy novels, so my kind of "overwhelmed" is pr..."

No, no, no, I totally get that. I just wanted to express my utmost contentment to Sanderson on the topic of worldbuilding while jabbing other authors (Robert Jordan and Terry Goodkind, specifically) who tend to infodump and blabber incoherently for a hundred pages for the sake of worldbuilding.

I've read your review, it's nice you gave WoR five stars. That practically makes us literary siblings :D

[Idan]

Zhugenaut wrote: "The author is evil, simply evil. I kind of having love-hate relationship with this book... Only evil author can get you that after finishing the first book. I want to read more of the series but I ..."

Can you elaborate more on how The Way of Kings made you feel that way? I'm curious.

I personally think you need to give the next book a try, WoR is awesome! But then again, you shouldn't trust me, I have an altar made of Brandon Sanderson's books at home ;)

[Oon]

Any info on when the third book will be published? And can we cast Emma Stone as Shallan Davar already, please?

[Reza, The Curator]

Interesting cast choice there, Oon. And I thought the movie rights is sold to an animation company?

[Reza, The Curator]

Interesting cast choice there, Oon. And I thought the movie rights is sold to an animation company?

[Femmy]

Finally, I'm finished with the book. I ended up buying the paperback edition. The ebook is too expensive it's ridiculous!

Anyway... I love this book! There are so many awesome scenes and twists. Let me list some of it here.

The spectacular duel! I didn't see the twist coming and I hung on to every word to see how Adolin would get through the challenge.

I cheered for Shallan when she (view spoiler)[summoned a Shardblade and killed (hide spoiler)] the con-woman.

Shallan and Kaladin's journey through the chasms. Something's definitely starting here.

I was so sad when Syl (view spoiler)[died (hide spoiler)], more than when I read what happened to Jasnah.

All the different groups with their mysterious purposes are a little confusing. I hope we'll see what they're about soon in the next books.

[Zhugenaut]

Idan wrote: "Can you elaborate more on how The Way of Kings made you feel that way? I'm curious.

I personally think you need to give the next book a try, WoR is awesome! But then again, you shouldn't trust me, I have an altar made of Brandon Sanderson's books at home ;)"

Felt like reading books by Neal Stephenson, way over my head but couldn't put it down and want for more. Whenever I put it down when feeling my head was about to explode, I picked it up several hours later. I don't retain memory all that well, so I needed to double back my reading many many times whenever I needed to refresh my memory. Without search function, I practically crushed the paperback after I was done. Those two first books are thick and heavy, now in heavily battered condition.

[Nailil]

I got to know Sanderson through Elantris and decided to get all of his books. His epic fantasy are masterpieces but the ones with modern settings don't work quite well for me. maybe it's just my preference.

Now... about this series... First book is a solid five stars. It rambles a bit but I think it's necessary for the world building. Book 2 though... It's so great so epic so intense but then ...... the author uses the same trope three times! (view spoiler)[ bringing Jasnah, Syl, and the assassin back from the dead (hide spoiler)] it was very not well done of him to do that. First for Jasnah, I was like hell yeah whoohoooo awesome..... and then Syl.... what? really? Yes!!! Thank God Almighty! and then Szeth's turn I was like what? again? dude... you're overdoing it.... Not to say that WoR is a bad book, not at all. it's just that I'm very bothered by this particular thing.

[Primo]

God, this series is so good (that's not saying much with the fact that it contains only two books for now, but still, for me, WoR is the best Cosmere book)

I love how Hoid/Wit had more screen time (page time?) than in the other books.

Although when I read WoK I really hate Shallan, that definitely changed after I finished WoR.

To me though, the best thing from this series is when (beware major Cosmere spoilers) (view spoiler)[ I realized that Zahel is Vasher from Warbreaker, and his sword Nightblood is in Szeth's possession, I'm assuming Vasher/Zahel is there to get him back somehow, and now, since Brandon had said that Nightblood was made by Vasher with Nalthis's magic after he hopped to Roshar and saw Shardblades, things are becoming VERY interesting, check this> http://www.theoryland.com/intvsresult... , oh and also, that moment when Adolin murdered Sadeas, that's so satisfying (hide spoiler)].

Since my favorite character is Dalinar, now the only thing for me to do is getting more and more hyped waiting for Oathbringer's release in 2017, damn, I know Brandon writes a lot of books, but I'm still hoping that he'll release it next year, because flashback Dalinar is a scary guy (check this out if you haven't> http://www.tor.com/2015/10/23/brandon...)