Series: Stormlight Archive by Brandon Sanderson ("Way of Kings")

[Allison, Fairy Mod-mother]

Mason wrote: "Allison wrote: "Ruth wrote: "Finished Oathbringer wahoo!
Probably my least favourite of the series so far tbh, but still really good. The slow reveal of Dalinar’s past is very effective."

Yay! Wel..."

Congrats! I am curious how his story is your favorite but the book your least favorite! How did that work out, then? What "lost points" with you?

[Mason]

Allison wrote: "Mason wrote: "Allison wrote: "Ruth wrote: "Finished Oathbringer wahoo!
Probably my least favourite of the series so far tbh, but still really good. The slow reveal of Dalinar’s past is very effecti..."

Comments behind (view spoiler)[

For me the books are broken up into two parts: The main story and the backstory of a specific character.

So this time around the main story fell short from the first two and Dalinar’s backstory was a big hit.

What lost points for me was the little love triangle that floated around for a minute. Which I am very glad it didn’t go the way I thought it was going. Shallan was also a bit of a miss for me this time around. I really enjoyed her in WoR with how she broke out of her shell and her path to radiant but I found her annoying in parts of this one.

Shallan was my favorite backstory until Dalinar’s. I loved how he started as a younger warlord being driven by ‘The Thrill’ then ended up bonding the Stormfather being an honorable man. I was expecting a twist with his wife but nothing close to what actually happened.

And I also want to say that I’m really glad I read Edgedancer before Oathbringer. It gave a nice insight to the characters that carried over from it.

Hopefully I answered your question?

(hide spoiler)]

[Ruth]

Mason wrote: "Allison wrote: "Mason wrote: "Allison wrote: "Ruth wrote: "Finished Oathbringer wahoo!
Probably my least favourite of the series so far tbh, but still really good. The slow reveal of Dalinar’s past..."

I agree with your assessment re main story vs Dalinar's back story and losing points with the love triangle. I would also have liked to see more of Kaladin and Renarin.

[Allison, Fairy Mod-mother]

Yes, Mason! I can totally see that and agree with you about the character progression :)

[Travis]

I'm through Oathbringer Part 2 and the following Interludes, which means I think there're at least a couple of spoiler comments I can go back to unlock when I have some time tomorrow. Looking forward to hearing all of your thoughts!

[Travis]

I'm almost to the end of Part 3. I want to and will go back through the thread, but if Part 2 was the uphill climb, Part 3 is where the downhill begins to gradually accelerate ---- and whenever I look at my computer for anything other than work, Oathbringer lures me in.

[Allison, Fairy Mod-mother]

yessss yessss let it consume you.

I mean...you're doing well! If you don't have time for any reason whatsoever where you can't go back, I'd still love to hear your thoughts/suspicions/unabashed glee as you go!

[Travis]

Well I just read the chapter 82 where (view spoiler)[Wit provides not only comfort but actual talk therapy to Shallan, and it made all of the hard-to-deal-with parts of her character make sense. I loved that Wit got off of his art-for-arts-sake plane for long enough to provide some real, concrete help. (hide spoiler)]

[Allison, Fairy Mod-mother]

Travis wrote: "Well I just read the chapter 82 where [spoilers removed]"

Yeah, I think they both shine in that scene.

[Travis]

P.S. My two cents: If Lift's literary inspiration is Pippi Longstocking, Wit's is Oscar Wilde.

[Allison, Fairy Mod-mother]

Travis wrote: "P.S. My two cents: If Lift's literary inspiration is Pippi Longstocking, Wit's is Oscar Wilde."

Interesting! The man or how he writes his err...wits?

I imagine him like Gandalf, when Gandalf was still young.

[Jasiel]

So, I finally finished Oathbringer! (view spoiler)[Did Wit really just BOND a cryptic by saying the words?? (hide spoiler)]

Also, What do you guys think truly happened when Dalinar (view spoiler)[united the Physical, Cognitive, and Spiritual realms, and called himself Unity? Did this new found ability somehow make him ascend into some sort of divinity? (hide spoiler)]

One more question.. (view spoiler)[Do you guys think that other Heralds beside Nalan will also decide to follow Odium? (hide spoiler)]

[Allison, Fairy Mod-mother]

whoa! can you please put spoiler tags?

[Francisca]

Jasiel, spoiler tags, please!

Though I suppose I got what I deserved by ghosting on here while waiting for my copy..... :D

[Jasiel]

Allison wrote: "whoa! can you please put spoiler tags?"I am so sorry!!

[Jasiel]

Francisca wrote: "Jasiel, spoiler tags, please!

Though I suppose I got what I deserved by ghosting on here while waiting for my copy..... :D"
Omg I am so sorry! D:

[Francisca]

That's alright, I'm not too bothered. I have a terrible habit of skipping to the end when things look rough to see who survives... but I know other people are better behaved. :P

[Allison, Fairy Mod-mother]

I promise it's still plenty mysterious, Francisca! Thanks for updating, Jasiel.

[Allison, Fairy Mod-mother]

Jasiel: In response to your questions (spoilers for the end of the book)--

(view spoiler)[Can Hoid really bond anything? He's sort of a god himself, no? I'm curious to see where it will go, and what this means for the cosmere overall if Hoid descides to declare himself tied to Roshar for hte foreseeable future.

I'm wondering if Dalinar's Unity was like the ultimate manifestation of the power of the bondsmith? Like, we see that Kaladin can stop storms, basically, and Shallan can create whole armies that can fight and bleed (possibly not her "final form" either!) Or maybe it's something else? I really don't know and I'm dying that it's gonna be so long until we know! What are your thoughts?

And your last question...I think there's gonna be an epic battle!!!! (hide spoiler)]

[Jasiel]

Thanks for your response Allison!

When it comes to Dalinar, (view spoiler)[ what's making me question this is the fact that Odium responds to Dalinar's ability to be able to unite all of these worlds by saying "We killed you!" If Dalinar was just using some sort of Surge I don't see why Odium would respond this way, and I don't see why he would need to flee the scene (hide spoiler)]

[Allison, Fairy Mod-mother]

Yeah, true. (view spoiler)[There are a ton of interpretations! At the time I saw it as something related still to the presence of these surges (like, could they not happen before because Honor died?) but now I'm wondering... (hide spoiler)]

[Travis]

Finished Oathbringer! Loved it!

In totally random order, some observations and questions about what's to come....

(view spoiler)[

I am reading through all the spoilers I'd been avoiding and am nodding along to all of the comments in this tread so far.

So good that the love triangle was broached only to be set aside.

Oh, Elhokar, RIP.

On the other hand, though, long live Drehy! (I was afraid for a bit that he was a goner.) May he and Dru live happily ever after.

There were a couple of moments when the writing failed, such as when Dalinar told Odium that he hurt "so much," a phrase that seemed too imprecise for the moment and not quite fitting with Dalinar's character. But that's a tiny quibble.

I also thought this novel wore its message a bit heavy at times, but mostly I really loved how owning your own pain became part of the series' honor system.

The way Dalinar's backstory prepared us and him for his confrontation with Odium was just plain perfect. I could not breathe during the scene, and I loved the repetition of the phrase, "you cannot have my pain."

Rob, your insight that Azure is Vivenna from Warbreaker is so intriguing. Is that a book you recommend Stormlight fans read during our wait for Book 4?

I loved that Sveth joined with Dalinar and can't wait for more on his character.

Will Kaladin get his 4th Ideal in the next book? I really, really hope so. Also, will he get a love interest? Is it possible for his and Syl's bond to become romantic? Or would that be akin to something like incest? Can spren become corporeal without occupying the body of a human?

Will the next volume belong to Jasnah? She seems like the character we know the least, she's now the queen, and she surely has a huge backstory to fill in. (If so, I hope we still get a very healthy dose of Kaladin.)

Will Moash have a Darth Vader moment? Or is he with Odium to the end?

I would have been right alongside you, Rob, pitchfork in hand, if Renarin had become a villain.

Allison, loved your questions about how oppression works in the series. I'll admit there was a moment I almost threw the book across the room, where it seemed that the series was going to describe the Parshmen's struggle for freedom in the same way that Southern slaveholders described the Haitian Revolution, treating slave rebellion as the work of evil agents instead of the heroic agency of people seeking freedom. But the characterization of Venli quickly worked to undo that parallel, and the revelation that humans are the real Voidbringers/imperialists was crucial! I'm really loving how the novel describes historical forgetting as vital to slavery and imperialism and how members of Bridge 4 are faced with a huge moral crisis now that that forgetting is no longer possible. I also love that it seems we may get human/parshendi collaboration in books to come.


(hide spoiler)]

[Rob]

Yeah, If you haven't read Warbringer, I'd definitely recommend it.

Especially while the details of Words of Radiance and Oathbringer are still fresh in your mind.

I read it after Words came out on the recommendation of people who had read both. I recommend it even more after reading Oathbringer.

[Elena]

Ugh, am I the last one left who hasn't finished yet? Not that I'm worried to be the last lol. I admit to having been utterly sidetracked by a) real life events, b) this month's group read Red Sister, which I finished and absolutely loved.

Now back to my Stormlight darlings and soon to all the hidden discussions!

[Rob]

Oh and I hope (view spoiler)[Jansah is the focus of the next book too. I'd really love her backstory (hide spoiler)]

[Rob]

Elena wrote: "Ugh, am I the last one left who hasn't finished yet? Not that I'm worried to be the last lol. I admit to having been utterly sidetracked by a) real life events, b) this month's group read Red Siste..."

You just have to wait the least amount of time for the next book!

[Travis]

Rob wrote: "Oh and I hope [spoilers removed]"


(view spoiler)[If he maintains the backstory structure throughout the series, then am I right there will have to be a new focus character for each book? Can a character have more than one backstory? I'm also wondering if we got so much of Renarin's and Adolin's backstory when getting Dalinar's that they won't ever be focus characters... (hide spoiler)]

[Mason]

Travis wrote: "Rob wrote: "Oh and I hope [spoilers removed]"
[spoilers removed]"

A lot of talks out there saying (view spoiler)[ that Szeth will be the next focus. Hopefully, it is one of the two. I agree that we learned too much about Renarin and Adolin for them to have a whole book dedicated to their background. Maybe split it between the two of them? (hide spoiler)]

[Rob]

Mason wrote: "Travis wrote: "Rob wrote: "Oh and I hope [spoilers removed]"
[spoilers removed]"

A lot of talks out there saying [spoilers removed]"

I'd be OK with that too

[Travis]

Rob wrote: "Mason wrote: "Travis wrote: "Rob wrote: "Oh and I hope [spoilers removed]"
[spoilers removed]"

A lot of talks out there saying [spoilers removed]"

I'd be OK with that too"

Oh, yeah. Me too!

[AndrewP]

I'm saving Oathbringer for the week I have off between Christmas and New Year. Only problem is that I need to finish another monster, At the Sign of Triumph first:)

[Allison, Fairy Mod-mother]

AndrewP wrote: "I'm saving Oathbringer for the week I have off between Christmas and New Year. Only problem is that I need to finish another monster, At the Sign of Triumph first:)"

Oo! Tell us what you think (of both!) when you get to Oathbringer. We have a bunch of milestone posts that you should feel free to review and respond to (or just add your own thoughts) in spoiler tags as you get to them.

[Travis]

I just listened to the latest podcast from Cosmere Conversations. If, like me, you can't get enough Oathbringer, it's great. And they're promising many more...

[Mason]

That’s awesome. Thanks for the heads up.

[Eric]

I flew through Way of Kings and Words of Radiance (in the way one flies from Los Angeles to Sydney... it's a LONG flight :-)

Perhaps a quarter through Oathbringer, I find myself bogged down. I'm not sure if it's my frame of mind or if the story really is losing its shine.

Are others enjoying the third book as much as the first two?

[Allison, Fairy Mod-mother]

Such a long flight. I read so many books on my way to and from Taiwan this year! You chose well.

It seems that most folks have found this one the "weakest" of the three. It definitely takes some stamina. Travel fatigue plus marathoning the books plus holiday stuff may mean you're burning out. The last 10% of it though is really riveting stuff.

I personally think it was my second favorite, but there were a few slow spots, no doubt.

[Eric]

Thanks for the encouragement to keep moving through it! I'll let it rest until after Christmas then pick it up with renewed vigor.

[Travis]

Allison wrote: "Such a long flight. I read so many books on my way to and from Taiwan this year! You chose well.

It seems that most folks have found this one the "weakest" of the three. It definitely takes some ..."

Agreeing with everything Allison says, including second-favorite-of-the-series.

[Lowell]

I'm a little late to the party on this, but I have decided to take a full re-read in order to remember what's going on for oathbringer.

I started in on the Audible version of The Way of Kings yesterday, and I can say that I really like this narrator.

I'm a bit of the way through chapter 2. The prelude to the series has me really wanting to understand more of what's going on with the 10 than I remember from the rest of the series at large.

One thing I'm definitely remembering is that the structure of the beginning felt a little off-putting at first, given the massive jumps in time between the prelude, the prologue, and chapter 1.

Kaladin remains an utter badass as a character - Though what I find interesting is that in several ways he's a strong analog to some of the characters from The Book of Mormon - specifically Ammon. I remember being reminded of that when I first read The Way of Kings several years ago. This isn't surprising, since Sanderson is a Mormon himself, but I find it interesting how it comes out in his writing. I remember being reminded of that a few times, during this book, but I don't exactly remember when. I'll have to point those times out when they come up...

[Mason]

I listened to all the Stormlight books on audible and really, really enjoyed Kate Reading and Michael Kramer. They seem to stand out from other narrators I’ve heard - though that could be from listening to them for 100+ hours. Both are very clear and are fantastic at differentiating characters.

Since I can’t seem to get enough of Sanderson, I jumped straight into listening to Mistborn (also read by Michael Kramer). Again, he is great but I kept thinking Sadeas somehow jumped into Scadrial.

[Hank]

I am listening to Oathbringer and I do like the narrators but I really, really don't like how she voices Pattern. I get this creepy gollum vibe from her voice and I imaged Pattern as more like Data from Star Trek

[Eric]

Pattern is a bit creepy, but the voicing does work for me. A dispassionate "Data" voice would be too analytical and sci-fi for my taste. The way it's voiced, it conveys how very non-human Pattern is. I get otherworldly from it, but not plotting or menacing as Gollum is.

[Hank]

I will revive a semi-dead thread. Just finished Oathbreaker! It was just ok for me, I think partly because the first two were awesome. It was a bit long wasn't it?

I agree with Rob in that I liked the Warbreaker connections and am very glad (view spoiler)[ That it doesn't look like a love triange is in our future (hide spoiler)]!

I love epilogues and this one had a pre-epilogue and then an epilogue so yay!

I am tired and wouldn't want to read another Stormlight in the near future so good thing we won't get one for 2 years minimum.,

[Allison, Fairy Mod-mother]

Interesting, Hank!

What was the "just ok" part for you? Do you think burnout from reading so much Stormlight was part of it? It was long.

And I am also extremely glad (view spoiler)[that the will they/won't they farce is behind us. (hide spoiler)].

[Eric]

I actually took a break from Oathbreaker. It didn't pull me in like the previous two. Reading other things for a while then will return to it.

[Hank]

Burnout is definitely part of it, I essentially went from WOR to Oathbring with only a couple of others in between.

I did think the book suffered from too much writing in the early parts (view spoiler)[ Kaladin's journey to see his parents and empathize with the Parshmen could have been done far quicker (hide spoiler)]

And honestly the last battle didn't have a tension filled run up for me, it was sort of bang! there it is and bang! there it goes. It was awesome but lacking somehow.

I also think Sanderson gave us too much backstory (view spoiler)[ I thoroughly enjoyed/cringed at Dalinar's assault on the Rift city but was unimpressed with the drawn out drinking and mulitple examples of combat might (hide spoiler)]

It is a great story and series and I probably should have rated this higher, I am just leery of how long this is going to take for a final resolution #burnedbyWheelOfTime #burnedbyGameOf thrones. 7 more books, really? Maybe we should start talking aobut who takes over this series if it doesn't get finished but that writer probably isn't born yet ;)

[Allison, Fairy Mod-mother]

Eric wrote: "I actually took a break from Oathbreaker. It didn't pull me in like the previous two. Reading other things for a while then will return to it."

I remember you saying! I do agree this one didn't space out its action as well as the first two did. A little slow in the beginning. But I think I could listen to stories about Kaladin putting on a sock puppet show and I'd be content so I'm always curious about what real humans with things like impartiality have to say ;-)

[Allison, Fairy Mod-mother]

Hank wrote: "Burnout is definitely part of it, I essentially went from WOR to Oathbring with only a couple of others in between.

I did think the book suffered from too much writing in the early parts [spoiler..."

No, I think that's astute. It had some elements that I tend to give extra credit for, which then likely ruins the "curve" I grade it on. I did feel that (view spoiler)[the part where Kal goes home was really odd. I wondered what had happened to him that he'd act the way he did, and I'm not sure what it really added, except as a way to get the parshmen in there. And then yeah. Several weeks with them felt...un-Kal as well. (hide spoiler)] But it was indeed more interesting than sock puppets, so I was okay with it.

I'm sorry about the end! That was harrowing for me. However, I was also sleep deprived and basically fiending for more so I'm hazy on the specifics...

I have faith in him! He has a plan and a track record of finishing things!

But my God, if they keep getting longer, I think even my iPad is going to revolt.

[Hank]

And of course the real summary is that if anyone asks if they should start this series, for me, it is an unqualified yes.

[Travis]

Allison wrote: "But I think I could listen to stories about Kaladin putting on a sock puppet show"

Totally! I love the action scenes in fantasy, but I also really love the in-between scenes (love, court life, camps, drinking, inns, finding food, preparing food, etc.), and this novel delivered those in abundance -- which is in part why I liked it so much.