The Way of Kings (Stormlight Archive #1)[August 16, 2024]

[Choko]

I can't stand Moash, but I see his motivation as valid. However, this is not an excuse to act stupid! His choices, when he is offered so much, bug the hell out of me!

[Timelord Iain, Tech Support]

Quinn wrote: "Timelord Iain wrote: "I've been talking about my hatred of Moash since early on in this BR, but the answers to things are mostly spoilers for book 3-4... he's fine in book 1-2... he's a minor chara..."

I can hate a character/story while appreciating what the author is doing/going for... I feel like I say things like that all the time in BRs, lately, because that type of storytelling keeps coming up and I read so much...

I contain multitudes ;)

[Timelord Iain, Tech Support]

Ann-Marie wrote: "Timelord Iain wrote: "I've been talking about my hatred of Moash since early on in this BR, but the answers to things are mostly spoilers for book 3-4... he's fine in book 1-2... he's a minor chara..."

I had a feeling you'd read enough by the time you asked/saw my response...

[Timelord Iain, Tech Support]

Tonari no Emily wrote: "Timelord Iain wrote: "I've been talking about my hatred of Moash since early on in this BR, but the answers to things are mostly spoilers for book 3-4... he's fine in book 1-2... he's a minor chara..."

probably... need to go back and check, but wouldn't be surprised I started mixing up my K-names with the active commenting yesterday...

[Timelord Iain, Tech Support]

Narilka wrote: "Iain's spoiler in message 337 is really confusing if you haven't at least read the original trilogy. Helps to have read parts of Era 2 also lol It also completely spoils the original trilogy's ending."

Yea... I didn't realize Felina was a Veronica when I wrote it... and it's mostly spoilery gibberish without knowing the plot of Era 1 in it's entirety...

Veronica = another lapsed group member that quit Mistborn after the first book because of Kelsier... the person that got me to come over to this group from GG&G...

[Felina]

I am a Veronica. I read spoilers and then never remember them when I actually read the books so it’s cool. Guess I need to get back to Mistborn. I also need to have a talking to with my husband. He loves Mistborn and has obviously read them all. He knows how I feel about Kelsior and he never told me. That’s high level betrayal.

On our second date I made him spoil what happened to Joffrey in Game of Thrones.

[Ann-Marie]

Timelord Iain wrote: "Ann-Marie wrote: "Timelord Iain wrote: "I've been talking about my hatred of Moash since early on in this BR, but the answers to things are mostly spoilers for book 3-4... he's fine in book 1-2... ..."

You know I don't mind spoilers! And the only question in my mind prior to that was is it too obvious that he was the one, it made sense but could have been a misdirect attempt :)

[Timelord Iain, Tech Support]

Felina wrote: "I am a Veronica. I read spoilers and then never remember them when I actually read the books so it’s cool. Guess I need to get back to Mistborn. I also need to have a talking to with my husband. He..."

I generally don't spoil as heavily as I did there when you said IDGAF... it's really hard to get people to give Mistborn a 2nd chance with relation to that, without megaspoilers...

[Ann-Marie]

I stopped after Mistborn #2 because I saw a spoiler on reddit by accident about the ending and got annoyed (view spoiler)[that they both died at the end but maybe I either read it wrong or the poster was wrong? Also no mention about Kelsier! So yeah, I'll be revisiting that I think... (hide spoiler)]

[Timelord Iain, Tech Support]

You should just continue all series you've abandoned that I finished ;)

[Ann-Marie]

Timelord Iain wrote: "You should just continue all series you've abandoned that I finished ;)"

I certainly hope you are not referring to Galand, I put that aside and you may think I chose to let the series beat me but I am okay with my decision lol

[Timelord Iain, Tech Support]

Well... I mean... technically... I haven't finished it :D

The Shattered Path came out in May and the eponymous finale The Cycle of Galand came out in July...

Also, before Shattered Path came out, you did finish Galand, you just didn't read Cycle of the Scour, but you also never started, so that doesn't count...

[Timelord Iain, Tech Support]

I just read the blurb for Shattered Path, and it seems to invent like a 5th new never-before-seen type of magic?... I've honestly lost track at this point...

And the blurb for the finale has multiple "mad plans" where Dante has to return to the afterlife from earlier in the series, to finish learning the new magic from the now dead mentor from book, while Blays and Gladdic go to "The Heart of the World"...

These blurbs sound ridiculous, and also kinda remind me of the recent World of Warcraft expansion plotlines...

[Ann-Marie]

Timelord Iain wrote: "I just read the blurb for Shattered Path, and it seems to invent like a 5th new never-before-seen type of magic?... I've honestly lost track at this point...

And the blurb for the finale has multi..."

I look forward to your thoughts if you finish lol

[Choko]

I didn't do The Cycle of the Scour either, but I am interested in finishing up The Cycle of Galand...

[Timelord Iain, Tech Support]

Choko wrote: "I didn't do The Cycle of the Scour either, but I am interested in finishing up The Cycle of Galand..."

We can think about it in December/January... maybe get them on Black Friday sale... shame JL never returned... after we buckled down and read everything...

[Timelord Iain, Tech Support]

Checked reddit AMAs, and there's only one more planned Cycle of Scour book, before the author plans to write a sequel to an unrelated co-authored book, and then start a new fantasy world he's been too busy to explore since 2015, apparently...

So if I read Galand 9-10 and Scour 4 when it comes out, I'll have read everything in the Galandverse...

[Ann-Marie]

Choko wrote: "I didn't do The Cycle of the Scour either, but I am interested in finishing up The Cycle of Galand..."

Save yourself!!!!!

[Quinn]

Chapter 11

(Reader beware, spoilers for the entire Stormlight Archive series/some Cosmere)
(view spoiler)[

In chapter 11, the header is composed of two sets of the Herald Jezrien, patron of the Order of Windrunners. He is the Herald of Kings and served as a leader among the Heralds and those they taught and protected during the Desolations. He is associated with the attributes Protecting and Leading. Kaladin is once again standing up for what’s right and protecting those that the world is beating down, the ideal that Jezrien represented.

The epigraph of this chapter is an odd one. We know what the first half means, but I don’t believe we definitively know what the second half means. “Three of sixteen ruled” of course means that the planet used to be ruled by Honor, Cultivation, and Odium. My theory is that the second half is Taravangian becoming the Vessel of Odium, as you can say Taravangian is somewhat of a Broken One, his mind being split into two distinct halves. It’s also fitting that this is the last death rattle in Part 1, as this is an immense moment in the Cosmere, unprecedented I would say.

This whole chapter is very well done and feels like an appropriate climax for the first part of the book. Also, Teft is here now, yay!

Concepts presented:
- Axehound: Axehounds are domesticated animals that are similar to how dogs are on Earth. Axehounds by themselves aren’t super interesting, but it’s a good representation of how animals work in modern Roshar. Every animal that is native to Roshar has evolved to have carapace and become crustacean-like. That means that every animal we read about that isn’t described as having carapace is an animal that was transported long ago from Ashyn, the planet humans were originally from before coming to Roshar. Chickens (birds) and horses are the most obvious examples.
- Shades: In this chapter, Kaladin thinks about how some people believe the “shades” of Radiants steal spheres during highstorms. Sanderson uses the term Shades for a separate magic system native to Threnody. I don’t believe they’re connected, but I thought it was interesting that he used that word, instead of, like, ghosts. Shades on Threnody are the spirits of dead Threnodites that can wither and blacken flesh at a mere touch. At the time of the Wax and Wayne quadrilogy, a type of Invested gun has been made that can fire Shades as projectiles, used by Nazrilof, a worldhopper that is hinted at later in the Stormlight Archive, as he is present during some events. I’ll have more to talk about with him eventually, I’m sure, but one thing of note is that by the time of Rhythm of War, he seems to have embedded himself in the Order of Stonewards, as in the Ars Arcanum of RoW, he includes annotations about the nature of Stoneshaping.
- Stormwardens: Scholars who specialize in predicting highstorms. In Vorin culture, predicting the future is considered taboo, but because Stormwardens are so useful to the common man, they are in a kind of gray area in Vorin culture. Rather than weird, mystical magics to predict the future, they simply use complex mathematics. Because modern scholars believe it’s a single highstorm that circles the planet repeatedly, they are able to judge when it will show up based on how fast and in what direction the highstorm typically travels. A hobbyist stormwarden can predict a storm right 80% of the time.

I’m ranking the Way of Kings chapters with a completely scientific system I’ve coined the W.I.T. Scale. You can find my rankings here: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/...

(hide spoiler)]

After one month, I've finished going through Part One: Above Silence. I've currently read up to Chapter 15, and not only have we started Words of Radiance, so far there still seems to be plenty to talk about in these upcoming chapters. I hope continuing in this discussion thread won't be tiring to y'all, as this will take a while.

[Timelord Iain, Tech Support]

Quinn wrote: "Chapter 11

(Reader beware, spoilers for the entire Stormlight Archive series/some Cosmere)


In chapter 11, the header is composed of two sets of the Herald Jezrien, patron of the Order of Windrun..."

This thread will move to the Archive folder at some point, but that's no reason to stop commenting... we'll keep visiting... happens all the time around here...

[Quinn]

Yes, don't forget me as cobwebs form around me when it's archived. I need someone to deliver food and water every couple days

[Choko]

Ann-Marie, I am going to task Iain with giving me a summary of that one! I am good with Galand, but I don't have the time for Scour, so I think I am safe:)))

[Choko]

Quinn, your posts are absolute must-read! I will not stop reading them for anything!!! :) I hope you don't give up on us!

[Narilka]

I'm looking forward to coming back here in December after I've finished Rhythm of War and open all those spoilers of yours Quinn.

[Quinn]

Chapter I-1 through I-3

(Reader beware, spoilers for the entire Stormlight Archive series/some Cosmere)
(view spoiler)[

In chapters I-1 and I-2, the header image is known as Ten Spears, and represents the ten Orders of Heralds, as they are ordered in the same way the circles as seen in Stormlight Archive promotional material. It’s generally used for miscellaneous POV’s that aren’t the main characters. The header image for I-3 is Szeth, since he is the POV character.

The first Interlude is an extremely important chapter for the Cosmere. It hints at an organization that we know almost nothing about, Seventeenth Shard. We know some of their agents, and we know that they don’t trust Hoid and are opposed to the Ghostbloods. They will seemingly become insanely important later in the Cosmere, though, as the Sanderson fan site, 17thShard, is named after them.

The second and third Interludes aren’t as important Cosmere-wide, but it lets us see more into Shallan and Szeth’s life respectively. We get more hints into Shallan’s backstory and Szeth’s character as a person before Words of Radiance reveals all. I kinda wish we saw more of Shallan’s family going forward, but they kinda get pushed into the background since Shallan focuses more on work than being with her family later in the series.

Concepts presented:
- Epoch Kingdoms: The Epoch Kingdoms are the nations brought together by the Knights Radiants to fight the Voidbringers during the Desolations. They were separated into groups to focus on one aspect of war. For example, Alethela, which would become Herdaz, Jah Keved, Alethkar, and parts of the Unclaimed Hills, was focused on preserving the arts of war and training soldiers for such a practice for when the Desolations occur. Each Epoch Kingdom being separated into segments of warcraft is likely why modern Alethkar is so much more warlike than other nations, as those traditions got passed down generation after generation. Each kingdom has a perfectly palindromic name (by sound). The nations were: Iri, Aimia, Alethela, Shin Kak Nish, Makabakam, Natanatan, Sela Tales, Valhav, Thalath, and Rishir.
- The three men: Not exactly a concept, but the men Blunt, Grump, and Thinker are all characters we have seen in other books. Blunt is Baon, a guard for Khrissalla from White Sand. Grump is Galladon, Raoden’s confidant and friend from Elantris. Thinker is Demoux, a general of Vin and Elend’s army and Atium Misting from Mistborn. They are all a part of Seventeenth Shard and were looking from Hoid, AKA Wit, but 2 years after this interlude they would give up and leave Roshar.
- Truthless: The lowest class of people in Shinovar. They are a slave to anyone holding their Oathstone. Rather than a form of magic that binds them to follow all commands, it’s solely due to the Truthless’ sense of honor that holds them to it. It seems to be possible to revoke Truthless status if their claims turn out to be true later on, as Szeth will later think himself as never having been Truthless once the Voidbringers and Knights Radiants come back.
- Dustmother: The Dustmother, or Chemoarish, is one of the Unmade, a group of nine ancient and twisted Spren comprising the Splinters of Odium. Little is known about her, but in-world she seems to be conflated with the Nightwatcher in stories and myths, though it’s most likely that they aren’t one and the same, unless Cultivation un-twisted the Dustmother at some point.
- Bavland: Bavland is a mining region residing within the nation of Jah Keved. The region is rich in ore, thus making mining central to its economy. Likely because of this, Bavland seems to use metal coins instead of spheres as currency.
- Nightwatcher: The Nightwatcher, like the Stormfather with Honor, is a splinter of Cultivation. Through the use of the Old Magic, a form of investiture that is tied to Cultivation, she grants boons and curses to mortals that seek her out. She was created to be untied to humans, to grow naturally apart from them. This has led her to seemingly being unaffected from their perception of her. While the Nightwatcher sometimes grants boons and curses to those that visit her, Cultivation has a few times intervened to directly grant the boon and curse herself.

I’m ranking the Way of Kings chapters with a completely scientific system I’ve coined the W.I.T. Scale. You can find my rankings here: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/...

(hide spoiler)]

[Choko]

Another awesome analysis, Quinn! I actually learned something completely new to me about the Dust mother!

[Nirkatze]

Oooh, nice lore analyses!

[Ryan]

I don't really have anything to add as I haven't read the book in a while, but I hope Quinn's summaries continue. Sorry I can't help with food delivery...

[Choko]

Same:) I hope Quinn is doing well:)

[Quinn]

I went radio silent, so here's a bit of an update. Hasn't been the greatest few months mental health wise, but I've been slowly plugging away at Way of Kings. I decided to finish the book, then do the summaries all in one batch after Act 1. I'm currently in the middle of Act 3, about 30 chapters from the end. I will attempt to focus and read multiple chapters a day rather than the one I do during lunch that I've been doing. That way, I can finish up the summaries before discussion on the new book ends.

Thank ya'll for being patient and enjoying the summaries.

[Choko]

Quinn, I hear you and I have been feeling as you have and have been missing in action too... Isn't it wonderful that this place is here for us when we are ready to return though?!

[Nyssa]

My daughter and I started this yesterday and are also following the Quill to Live reading order, except we had already read Mistborn Era 2 before discovering the site.

So our experience so far has been Mistborn Eras 1 & 2, Elantris, and now The Way of Kings.

[Choko]

You guys have to get Warbreaker here too!!!! Maybe after you finish this one. It was my second Sanderson, after Elantris, but it still has a very dear place in my heart! Plus, a certain sword from there comes to visit on Roshar...

[Nyssa]

Choko wrote: "You guys have to get Warbreaker here too!!!! Maybe after you finish this one. It was my second Sanderson after Elantris, but it still has a very dear place in my heart! Plus, a certain sword from ..."

We will.

Right now, we are about halfway through The Way of Kings, and Shallan's actions (Chapter 42 ~ (view spoiler)[ searching Jasnah's room in the hopes of blaming the maid (hide spoiler)]) are causing me great anxiety. Worse yet, I have no idea what I want to happen. I was hoping she would confide in Jesnah before committing any acts she couldn't take back - now, though... *shrug*

[Quinn]

Chapter 12

(Reader beware, spoilers for the entire Stormlight Archive series/some Cosmere)
(view spoiler)[

In chapter 12, the header is composed of a set of Hoid portraits and a set of Jezrien portraits. Jezrien is the Patron of the Order of Windrunners and the Herald of Kings. That in itself ties together with Dalinar being so closely tied to royalty. Jezrien also has a few interesting points that he shares with Dalinar. He becomes a drunk beggar after the Desolations, succumbing to his madness. According to Oathbringer, these two were occasional drinking buddies as well, when Dalinar also succumbed to alcoholism before the death of Gavilar. Dalinar was also at the feast when this event happened

The epigraphs in the chapters of this act are part of a letter that Hoid, AKA Wit, writes to a character called Frost. We know next to nothing about Frost, but they were originally featured in the unpublished Dragonsteel Prime, Sanderson’s 7th novel and written for his honors thesis. It’s very likely they will appear later in the cosmere. We won’t talk about the epigraphs yet, not until the end of the act when we will combine them all and see what it says in full.

Sanderson plans to rewrite Dragonsteel Prime after completion of the Stormlight Archive, but you can download the ebook for free on the DragonSteelBooks website.

We get a hint at Elhokar being a pre-First Oath Lightweaver, as he's seeing Crypticspren at this point. It's also mentioned near the end of the book that he sees figures with twisting heads.

Concepts presented:
- Blackthorn: We know a lot about Dalinar due to Oathbringer basically telling us everything we need to know about his past as the Blackthorn. Since I haven’t reread Oathbringer, I don’t remember if it was laid out how he got the nickname. The moniker was given to him after the archer Teleb shot him with multiple large, black arrows. That visual of the arrows sticking out of Dalinar as he recruited Teleb marked the moment when he became a legend.
- The Thrill: The term is referred to the effect the Unmade Nergaoul has on people when near them. When a person is dying in the presence of Nergaoul, they sometimes spout out a Death Rattle, seemingly seeing past events and events yet to come. It seems Nergaoul can travel across Roshar very quickly, as it was seen in both The Shattered Plains and Kharbranth around the same time. Kaladin is the only person to be completely immune to the Thrill, but others have been able to resist it’s effects. Between Oathbringer and Rhythm of War, Nergaoul was locked in an aluminum box and sunk in a random spot of the ocean.
- Gloryspren: In the Physical realm, they appear as golden orbs of light. In the Cognitive realm, they appear as avian-like creatures with the golden orbs of light for a head. Singers can seemingly see them as they appear in the Cognitive Realm. During the Perpendicularity event of Oathbringer, an enormous amount of Gloryspren were summoned, but Dalinar has not been able to replicate their summoning.
- Rhyshadium: Rhyshadium are a subspecies or breed of horses that can create a bond with spren. This possibly is the reason they are more sapient than other creatures, able to understand their riders and actively choosing who are allowed to ride them.
- Ten fools: Culturally the antithesis of the Heralds, it is unknown if they are based on real historical individuals. Each Fool showcases a lesson that people should. There are only 3 known at this time: Cabine acts like a child though he is an adult, Eshu speaks of things he doesn’t understand in front of others who do, and Dilid ran up a sandy hillside to the Tranquiline Halls, but kept slipping down, running up the hill for eternity.
- The Origin: The Origin of the Storms has never been documented, but many legends have been created throughout history. Because Roshar has only one large landmass, it’s seemingly possible to reach The Origin going east or west away from the landmass. It seems to have a tied with some of the major spren, namely the Stormfather and Cusicesh. Dalinar can feel the Stormfather’s energy in that direction, and Cusicesh, when manifesting, faces toward The Origin.

I’m ranking the Way of Kings chapters with a completely scientific system I’ve coined the W.I.T. Scale. You can find my rankings here: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/...

(hide spoiler)]

[Quinn]

Chapter 13

(Reader beware, spoilers for the entire Stormlight Archive series/some Cosmere)
(view spoiler)[

In chapter 13, the header is composed of sets of Jezrien and Chanarach. Jezrien is here for the same reasons as last chapter, but Chanarach I’m not sure about. I was looking at her wiki and got some apparent spoilers for Wind and Truth. She seems to be connected to braveness, obedience, and protectiveness, which Dalinar shows when saving Elhokar and helping defeat the Chasmfiend. But truthfully, I don’t think we know all that much about her, even with whatever happens in Wind and Truth.

Concepts presented:
- There are a lot of Pronouns that we hear for the first time in this chapter, but they don’t have much interesting information to them that we don’t learn in this book. The words we learn are Oathbringer, Sunraiser (both shardblades), Sureblood, Gallant, Vengeance (All 3 Rhyshadium), and Weeping.
- Greatshell: There are 5 different animals within the Greatshell family that we know of. Chasmfiends, Lanceryn, Tai-na, Yu-nerig, and Santhids. Lanceryn and Tai-na are particularly special. Lanceryn are ancient Greatshells who were guarding the Dawnshard that Rysn would later claim, but they died off and the Sleepless took over. Tai-na are the largest Greatshell, large enough to hold Reshi villages. The Reshi worship them and their spren as Gods. Axies the Collector believes they are special in some way to allow them to grow to such a size.

I’m ranking the Way of Kings chapters with a completely scientific system I’ve coined the W.I.T. Scale. You can find my rankings here: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/...

(hide spoiler)]

[Quinn]

Chapter 14-15

(Reader beware, spoilers for the entire Stormlight Archive series/some Cosmere)
(view spoiler)[

In chapter 14, the header is composed of sets of Jezrien and Kalak. Jezrien, because he is finally standing up and putting himself in a position to lead the bridgemen. Kalak isn’t as directly obvious. Kalak has a tie to the Honorspren in RoW, and seems to grapple with indecision sometimes, like Kaladin.

In Chapter 15, the head is composed of sets of Jezrien and Chanarach, mostly for the same reasons as chapter 13. At this point, it’s pretty safe to say Header Jezrien is shorthand for leadership most of the time.

A common thing that seems to happen to me with Stormlight Archive is picturing characters differently than how they’re actually described. To me, Moash is a burly kind of figure, but he’s described more as hawkish. Sadeas is described as a bit bulbous, but I always pictured him as twig-thin.

First time reading, Adolin didn’t really vibe with me. After reading the whole book, though, I love his arc of trusting in the changes Dalinar is going through, and believing in the differences he wants to make in Alethkar. Adolin quickly shot up the ranks of my favorite characters in WoR, however. Loved him ever since.

Concepts presented:
Laughterspren: Other than what we learn in this chapter, nothing else is known about them. They appear as small, silver minnow
Heraldic Forces: The Heraldic Forces, according to Vorinism, are the souls of the dead with Callings who go on the fight against the Voidbringers. Farmers would be able to grow fields instantly, warriors would be unparalleled, etc. Both Kaladin and I believe Dalinar both question the use the Heraldic Forces and whether they are true, especially since some people aren’t given the chance to have a Calling, like the bridgemen.
Tranquiline Halls: The Tranquiline Halls, according to Vorinism, is the original home of Humans until the Voidbringers attacked and claimed it for themselves, sending the Humans to Roshar. The concept of the Tranquiline Halls come from the history of humankind leaving the planet Ashyn. They were initially welcomed by Honor and Cultivation and the Dawnsingers, but after wanting more land, they invaded and attacked the Dawnsingers. In a way, the humans were the real voidbringers.
Angerspren: Angerspren appear as boiling puddles of blood under the feet of the person who is angry. In the cognitive realm, however, the puddle is merely the saliva of the true form of the spren. While they are described as dangerous and nasty, their true appearance isn’t told. Interestingly, Listeners see the angerspren as bolts of lightning erupting from under the angry person.
The Way of Kings: Written by Nohadon, a monarch and surgebinder, possibly a Bondsmith. The book was written as an excerpt and guide on how kings and leaders should lead by example. One of the more important lessons is the fact that leaders shouldn’t ask their subjects to do something they themselves wouldn’t.

I’m ranking the Way of Kings chapters with a completely scientific system I’ve coined the W.I.T. Scale. You can find my rankings here: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/...

(hide spoiler)]

[Nirkatze]

Excited to see more summaries from you Quinn! Thank you for all your hard work. Your spreadsheet is a work of true dedication.

[Quinn]

Chapter 16-17

(Reader beware, spoilers for the entire Stormlight Archive series/some Cosmere)
(view spoiler)[

In chapter 16, the header is composed of sets of Talenel and Vedel. The Herald of War and the Herald that trained surgeons before Desolations. This is a way of suggesting young Kaladin’s inner turmoil between becoming a soldier and becoming a surgeon.

In chapter 17, the header is once again composed of sets of Vedel and Talenel. Rather than the personification of Kaladin’s struggle of deciding who he wants to be, it’s the personification of his struggle of being both. He has to be both a soldier and medic for his Bridgemen crew just to survive another day.

Previously I had a theory that Kaladin might be ace, but that might not be the case, as he seems to have some kind of feelings, sexual or otherwise, with other girls from his village.

I also have a new theory that has only one piece of evidence. I think Lirin might be a worldhopper, as he mentions the Spiritual Realm in accordance with the afterlife. While it’s possible he’s just not a religious man, since it seems the Spiritual Realm is actually known in scholarly fields, I’m not certain if a surgeon would know about it. In cosmere books, though, someone knowing about Realms and realmatic theory is a generally good indicator of them being cosmere-aware. Even if he wasn’t a worldhopper, maybe he’s cosmere-aware?

Also, on a sidenote, the idea of the potion the medicine peddler is selling is so gross.


Concepts presented:
Tien’s powers: Not exactly a full concept, but before he died, Tien bonded with a spren. I wonder if his ability to see the nature of the rocks he picks up is an ability of his as a Lightweaver.
Rall Elorim: A city we know very little about. It’s known as the City of Shadows for reasons we don’t know, Lift grew up there, and it was taken over by Odium’s forces during the True Desolation.
Kurth: Another city we know little about. It’s known as the City of Lightning, and was also taken over by Odium’s forces.
Spiritual Realm: I thought this would be a relatively simple thing to explore, but there’s so many concepts and theories within the wiki that it’s hard to condense it. It’ll have to be a part of a big Realmatic Theory post, if I ever get to it.
Decayspren: They appear as barnacles around items that are lost or abandoned. Due to the name, it’s possible it’s only with items that are capable of rot, but the explanation makes me think it can surround other kinds of objects.
Branzah: A plant that lives within cracks in stone. After highstorms, they extend their claw-like branches outwards.
The Death Rattle: I don’t remember if this is the first time this was given a name, but we talked about this concept earlier as it’s connected with The Thrill and Nergaoul.


I’m ranking the Way of Kings chapters with a completely scientific system I’ve coined the W.I.T. Scale. You can find my rankings here: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/...

(hide spoiler)]

[Starkun ⭐️⚡️]

Hi everyone! I'm happy to find this buddy read! I'm currently on chapter 12!

[Nirkatze]

Welcome!

[Quinn]

Chapter 18-20

(Reader beware, spoilers for the entire Stormlight Archive series/some Cosmere)
(view spoiler)[

In chapter 18, the header is composed of 2 sets of Battar, Patron of the Elsecallers. I can’t quite tell why Battar is the header, but perhaps Dalinar’s questioning of the Vengeance Pact is a part of The Diagram?

In chapter 19, the header is composed of Vedel and Jezrien. Once again, I don’t understand why Vedel is part of the header. Perhaps one of the Knight Radiants are an Edgecaller. I believe we know one is a Windrunner, but we probably don’t get a definitive answer for what Order the other belongs to.

In chapter 20, the header is composed of 2 sets of Vedel. Finally, we get a straight forward one. Vedel taught surgeons in between Desolations, and this whole chapter is about the struggles of surgery and the hurt of wanting to save someone but not always being able to. I think this also ties into the aspects she is known for, Loving and Healing.

In chapter 19, Dalinar says he can feel the Thrill while in a vision. I have a couple theories about this. Either he can still feel it because the Thrill is tied to the physical realm and his body is still present in that realm during a vision, or the Thrill is situated in the Spiritual Realm, in which case he would be able to experience everything the visions shows him. I tend to lend credence to the 2nd theory, as, to put it very simply, the Spiritual Realm is a concept that exists beyond time and space, and is closely tied to the soul. It makes sense to me that Dalinar would be able to tap into any time period and location that is given to him by an invested figure.

Chapter 20 had nothing special to it, so I decided to list every cameo Hoid makes in every cosmere relevant book.
Elantris: A beggar that Sarene hires to move weapons.
The Emperor’s Soul: Mentioned as the Imperial Fool.
The First Empire: A Beggar that Kelsier gets information from.
Well of Ascension: An old man Elend speaks to briefly about the attack on Terris.
Hero of Ages: Named under Cett’s contacts, and later seen as a beggar that Vin chooses not to speak to as she has a gut feeling about him.
Alloy of Law: A beggar talking to the married couple at a reception early in the book.
Shadows of Self: Taking up the role as one of Wax’s coach drivers.
Bands of Mourning: A beggar outside the party in New Seran. Gives Wax an important clue for his case.
Mistborn: Secret History: Beats up Kelsier to get allomantic powers
Warbreaker: The storyteller that Lightsong has give exposition to Siri.
Stormlight Archive: I dunno, I don’t think he’s in these books.

Concepts presented:
- Weapon stances: There are 10 weapon stances, each corresponding to one of the Ten Essences. Windstance - Flowing, sweeping broad strokes. Best for use against multiple opponents and favors mobility. Smokestance - A fluid, thrust-based style that relies on always constant motion. Firestance - Aggressive, constant attacks. Favored by shorter blades but prone to disarmament. Vinestance - Defensive style based on footwork and flexibility with sudden, quick lunges. Bloodstance - A reckless stance used when the warrior doesn’t care about getting hit. Likely involves rushing the opponent. Ironstance - A two-handed grip style with strong, overhead swings. Stonestance - With a focus on raw power, requires the user to stand unmoveable and focusing on parrying while on defense. Each swing focuses on delivering as much momentum as possible. Mostly impractical with shardblades. There are 3 other stances we don’t know about, the essences being oil, quartz/crystal, and meat/flesh.
- Urithiru: The physical manifestation of The Sibling bondsmith spren. It came to be known as the headquarters for the Knights Radiants and the center for the Silver Kingdoms. Urithiru was also the Oathgate hub for each of the kingdoms, but they were eventually locked and lost to time, until the events of WoR.
- Ten Deaths: The Ten Deaths are an unknown force that would attack humanity in between Desolations. The Ten Deaths are NOT the Unmade, but instead a wholly unrelated force. The only one we know about is the Midnight Essence.
- Midnight Essence: The Midnight Essence seems to be a form of invested figures called Aethers, specifically made up of Midnight Aethers. The Unmade Re-Shephir is able to control a version of the Midnight Essence, but it’s hinted that it is not the same Midnight Essence we see in Dalinar’s vision. We see another version of the Essence in Tress of the Emerald Sea with the Sorceress’ minions being a form of Midnight Essence.

To talk a little more about the Midnight Essence and Aethers in general, this, to me, seems like another incredibly important detail about the Cosmere that will become more prominent with the Space Age. The Aethers were likely around at least as far back as Adonalsium itself, so getting to know more about their history will tell us more about the Cosmere as a whole.

I’m ranking the Way of Kings chapters with a completely scientific system I’ve coined the W.I.T. Scale. You can find my rankings here: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/...

(hide spoiler)]

[Nirkatze]

@Quinn--I'm assuming that your (view spoiler)[ Stormlight Archive: I dunno, I don't think he's in these books (hide spoiler)] is sarcasm? I'm not always good at telling if something is sarcasm so I am asking before I jump in and answer a question that you're not actually asking. If it is sarcasm then I will laugh with you.

Also add in: (view spoiler)[
Tress of the Emerald Sea--cabin boy
Yumi and the Nightmare Painter--coat rack
Those aren't quite cameos though.

I don't remember him in the shorts--Sixth of the Dusk or Shadows For Silence in the Forest of Hell, or in White Sand so far... Also not in The Sunlit Man, (I think) just mentioned. (hide spoiler)]

[Narilka]

I really need to go back and reread all of Quinn's notes.

[Nirkatze]

Yeah, they're a serious goldmine.

[Quinn]

Nirkatze wrote: "@Quinn--I'm assuming that your
Stormlight Archive: I dunno, I don't think he's in these books
is sarcasm? I'm not always good at telling if something is sarcasm so I am asking before I jump in ..."

Haha, it was sarcasm. Also, I forgot the recent books so thanks for noting those! (view spoiler)[ I believe Brando Sando confirmed that Hoid isn't in either 6th or Shadows. (hide spoiler)]

[Nirkatze]

That is good to know--on both counts, lol!

[Quinn]

Chapter 21-24

(Reader beware, spoilers for the entire Stormlight Archive series/some Cosmere)
(view spoiler)[

In chapter 21, the header is composed of sets of Talenel and Vedel. Vedel because of medicine and healing, and Talenel because Kaladin continues his rigorous training, as well as dealing with the idea of giving up, something Talenel would have faced many times over.

Chapter 22 has sets of Hoid and Kalak. It’s possible Kalak is here because his attributes are Resolute and Builder, traits Dalinar is trying to manage through his mission to unite the highprinces.

Chapter 23 has sets of Ishar and Vedel. Kaladin sure does keep getting Vedel in his chapters. At this point, just like Jezrien with Dalinar and Adolin, Vedel in Kaladin’s chapters have become shorthand for him using his surgical skills. Ishar on the other hand, was a sort of leader of the Heralds, so him being part of the header could be a nod toward the beginning of Rock and Teft accepting him as the leader of Bridge Four.

Chapter 24 has sets of Jezrien and Chanarach for the header. Once again, Chanarach remains a mystery to me. I speculated for a second whether it could imply protection of some kind, but that doesn’t seem to be the case for this chapter.

Concepts presented:
- Mafah’liki: Unkalaki for spren. The root word “liki” apparently means Cognitive.
- Alaii’iku: Unkalaki for “Sighted”, being able to see spren even when invisible to others.
- Nuatoma: The Unkalaki version of royalty, akin to lighteyes for the Alethi.
- The Tower: I thought that the oathgate in WoR was located on The Tower, but it seems like I misremembered. This plateau seems to be just a normal, though oddly-shaped, plateau.
- The Arguments: A book detailing doctrine from Vorinism. Seems like an in-universe equivalent to the Bible, but whether it’s that extensive is questionable. We haven’t seen that much of it, since as the series continues, Vorinism seems to be less and less important.

While these chapters aren’t bad - in fact, I like them well enough - they feel more like set-up for what comes later more than anything. This leads me to not have much to comment on other than the sparse piece of new proper nouns we get.

I’m ranking the Way of Kings chapters with a completely scientific system I’ve coined the W.I.T. Scale. You can find my rankings here: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/...

(hide spoiler)]

[Quinn]

Chapter 25-28

(Reader beware, spoilers for the entire Stormlight Archive series/some Cosmere)
(view spoiler)[

In chapter 25, the header is composed of sets of Battar and Nale. I don’t see why these two are the header, but perhaps Nale being the Herald of Justice alludes to Roshone’s twisted sense of justice against Lirin?

Chapter 26 has Jezrien and Talenel. Jezrien because of royalty and Talenel as the Herald of War, as Dalinar inches closer to his displeasure with fighting and killing. He’s now starting to reject and become resistant to The Thrill.

Chapter 27 has Vedel and Talenel. Kaladin collects more sap and helps bring the bridgemen together a bit more, Vedel. He also learns how the Parshendi fight and demonstrates his own ability with the spear, Talenel.

Chapter 28 has Pailiah and Jezrian. There might be a couple reasons why this chapter has Pailiah in the header. First, he puts everything he learns from the Way of Kings into practice by helping to cut out the ditch. He also talks with Jasnah about her research, and gives her some answers that she was looking for. Pailiah was likely a scholar before being a Herald, and the traits she is associated with are Learned and Giving.

Chapter 27 is one of my favorite chapters in this book, simply due to the scene of Kaladin wielding the spear and demonstrating his kata. The line “You should not be shocked when you hand Kaladin Stormblessed a spear and he knows how to use it.” also goes unbelievably hard.

Concepts presented:
- Takama: A takama is a long, straight, calf-length skirt. It originates from the Silver Kingdom era, likely as a military uniform for freedom of movement with the legs. It started to die down in popularity, but it’s sometimes seen worn by nobility. The first time we see this clothing is worn by Roshone, a character we know has little to no military experience. It’s very possible those in modern-era Roshar that still wear a takama are those who want to appear more regal and “tough”.
- Oldblood: Lighteyes that descend from a former royal dynasty. They wear blue tattoos on their cheek to acknowledge their history, but they aren’t seen as a threat to the throne. They claim to also descend from the Knights Radiants, but before the events of the Stormlight Archive series, this wouldn’t have been discussed often due to the Vorin outlook on the Radiants. The only named Oldblood we know of is Teleb, the man who shot Dalinar, which gave him the moniker of Blackthorn.
- There are other proper nouns we get in these chapters, but they either have little information outside of what we get in this book or nothing at all. These concepts were: Landed, Breakneck, Unseen, Marat, Impossible Falls, and Alil’tiki’i.

I’m ranking the Way of Kings chapters with a completely scientific system I’ve coined the W.I.T. Scale. You can find my rankings here: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/...

(hide spoiler)]

[Quinn]

Chapter I-4 - I-6

(Reader beware, spoilers for the entire Stormlight Archive series/some Cosmere)
(view spoiler)[

The header for chapter I-4 has 2 sets of the Herald Battar. She is associated with the attributes Wise and Careful. The reason she is in this header is possibly because Rysn’s mentor is teaching her how to be a wise merchant. She was also working with Taravangian on the Diagram. Perhaps she was part of the Diagram before Taravangian burned it, thinking it finished?
I-5’s header has the Herald Pailiah, associated with Learned and Giving. Possibly in reference to Axies’ quest to catalogue every type of spren, but we won’t know more until Sanderson gives us more to work with on Pailiah.

I-6’s header has the Herald Nale, associated with Just and Confident. Perhaps a bit of foreshadowing with how Szeth later comes to know Nale, or perhaps it’s Szeth’s hope for justice by having someone stop his assassinations before succumbing to despair, much like Nale has prior to the events of Edgedancer. Szeth is a bit similar to Nale, not a surprise since they are both Skybreakers. Both searching for their own sense of justice and coming to different conclusions.

Brandon Sanderson has mentioned before that one character we have seen before (other than Rysn and Hoid) holds a Dawnshard. I thought it could be Axies the Collector, since he mentions a curse, much like how Hoid has the curse of pacifism with his own Dawnshard. Much like the other theories I have with this book, it’s based on only that one piece of evidence. I think he’s super interesting though, so if he became more important I would not mind in the slightest.

Concepts presented:
- Alespren: Soren that appear as small, brown bubbles around those extremely intoxicated. It doesn’t have one name that people refer to them as. They are also known as intoxicationspren, sudpren, and winespren.
- Cusicesh: A large, unique spren on Roshar that resides in the bay of Kasitor in Iri. While it is made up of more investiture than normal spren, it’s not on the level of the Stormfather or Nightwatcher, and it is not possible to create a Radiant bond with it. Those who witness it as it surfaces the bay leaves feeling a little drained, as if it’s taking investiture from the people, perhaps.
- Captivityspren: A spren theorized to appear around those in captivity, though Axies the Collector has never seen them. However, Kaladin, in WoR, saw strange spren that appeared as taut wires while he was in captivity. They have been confirmed by Brandon to be captivityspren, so it’s likely they only appear around people who FEEL trapped, rather than the action of being trapped. Since Axies only saw captivity as an opportunity for research, that is probably the reason he has never seen them.
- Stone Shamanism: The only known religion in Shinovar, the leading group known as the Shamanate have a lot of power within Shinovar, being able to name others Truthless and banish them. Shamans are thought to communicate with spirits in stone, but the religion also extends to other natural occurrences, such as the sun and stars. The sun is, as well, considered the God of Gods. Because they worship the stone and the spren within the stone, stepping on or mining of stone is considered a sin, so they only accept Soulcast metal. Stormlight and investiture in general are holy to them, and therefore Urithiru is considered a holy site, allowing the Shin people to walk among the location if they wished.
- Kukori: A Shin word Szeth uses to refer to his next owner. Szeth says “You speak like a kukori,” in a conversation when his next owner talks of the greatness in Szeth’s ability to kill. We can infer from this that it is a negative term, possibly associated with someone who speaks nonsense.

I’m ranking the Way of Kings chapters with a completely scientific system I’ve coined the W.I.T. Scale. You can find my rankings here: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/...

(hide spoiler)]