Empty Author: Wind and Truth (2024, Doherty Associates, LLC, Tom)
English language
Published 2024 by Doherty Associates, LLC, Tom.
I guess I had been looking forward to the end of this first arc so much that I felt a little bit disappointed—although I can't really pinpoint what was missing. It definitely didn’t hit the same spots as Words of Radiance. All that said, I did enjoy the read. Looking forward to the next books :)
I finished Wind and Truth, the latest book in the Stormlight Archives by Brandon Sanderson. It finishes out the first arc of 5 books, resolving many of the plot points from the first 4 books while setting up the next saga. It is more clear than every that the Stormlight Archive is the central series in Sanderson's "Cosmere", the one that really ties them all together.
And on the whole, I love it. I love the direction that Kaladin takes, and I continue to enjoy Shalan, although I think her story was one of the weaker ones in this novel. Dalinar and Navany were also engaging, but the real stars, to me, were Szeth, Rhenarin, and above all the rest, Adolin. Yes, Adolin.
The book handles a lot of mental illness and neurodivergence, and even a fair bit of LGBTQ+. Sanderson has a long list of consultants he's used for …
I finished Wind and Truth, the latest book in the Stormlight Archives by Brandon Sanderson. It finishes out the first arc of 5 books, resolving many of the plot points from the first 4 books while setting up the next saga. It is more clear than every that the Stormlight Archive is the central series in Sanderson's "Cosmere", the one that really ties them all together.
And on the whole, I love it. I love the direction that Kaladin takes, and I continue to enjoy Shalan, although I think her story was one of the weaker ones in this novel. Dalinar and Navany were also engaging, but the real stars, to me, were Szeth, Rhenarin, and above all the rest, Adolin. Yes, Adolin.
The book handles a lot of mental illness and neurodivergence, and even a fair bit of LGBTQ+. Sanderson has a long list of consultants he's used for every one of these issues, but the results are sometimes a bit stilted, a bit too perfect. That being said, for all that those moments were sometimes a bit awkward, they never felt out of place. The main reason is that they were always plot relevant. It didn't feel like being "pulled aside" for a little lecture, or like something was forced in on a rewrite without changing anything else around it. However slightly awkward the moments, they were fully integrated, so they didn't leave much of a lingering bad taste in my mouth (not as much as I'd expected after reading warnings about them from other reviewers).
At this point I think it is clear that the Stormlight Archive has deep roots in Sanderson's own struggles with the Mormon church he (ostensibly?) belongs to. Given his increasingly vocal support for LGBTQ+ characters, I do wonder if he's still as welcome.
Anyways, Dalinar in particular might be, I think, Sanderson's self-insert character, and Dalinar's journey is all about reconciling reality with a faith he grew up in, and finding it lacking. (I'll say no more, lest spoilers).
But yeah, overall, I highly recommend the series to anyone with the time to read it.
Content warning Plot spoilers
A good ending to this arc of the Stormlight Archive. In classic Sanderson fashion, the end of the book moves at a million miles per hour, is amazing, and leaves you hyped for the next book in the Cosmere.
Some great character development from Szeth, Kaladin, and especially Renarin. Plenty of Cosmere-awareness thanks to Hoid. I love Sandersons effort to write authentic representations of characters struggling with mental health. There were a few very emotional moments in the Hoid -> Kaladin -> Szeth therapy arc which I adored.
I couldn't help the feeling that the book was just too long. I felt like Sando had so many characters to follow, and so many threads (some of which I'm not sure matter at the moment?) that it did feel less of a cohesive story and more a compilation of shorter stories woven together. I don't think I enjoyed that too much, but when they came together at the end it was great.
Dalinar is one of my favourite characters, and I was shattered by his choice at the end and what it did to Honor and the Stormfather. I'm glad he's still about, but there's no way he'll be the same. I don't think anything will top him opening Honor's perpendicularity in the last book, but this was close.
Disappointed with Jasnah - one of my other favourites - I think this book terribly underserved her, unless it's being set up to be "just as plannedTM" - there must be more to it. The debate with Odium seemed mishandled.
I think it's always going to be hard to connect the worlds of the Cosmere together so that the future books exist in the same time/space so I'll forgive any awkwardness that might be due to that.
Sanderson still blows my mind with the scope of what he's achieving with the Cosmere. Any criticism I have pales in comparison to the epic scale of this story.
“Welcome, Kaladin Stormblessed. Herald of Kings. Herald of the Wind. Herald of…” “Herald,” Kaladin said, “of Second Chances.”
