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Neep
Jan 2, 2003

Terrorist is Prohibited!!!

thecallahan posted:

In response to your first paragraph

I don't have the book in front of me so I'm going to totally ruin the spelling. I thought the king of Kharbdrumn (the place where Jasnah and Shallan are) was responsible for that. Didn't he tell Szeth that he's always been his master?

That's how I took it too. That the King of Khar-whatizit told him to kill Galivar. The question is, why do the Parshendi accept the blame? I can't buy Parshendi being totally evil dudes

I do like the hive-mind idea and that the lack of a queen gives the regular parshmen "no music."

I was also hoping that the pairs of Parshendi were something like husband/wife teams or master/apprentice. Though, I guess that will be explained later.

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NinjaDebugger
Apr 22, 2008


thecallahan posted:

In response to your first paragraph

I don't have the book in front of me so I'm going to totally ruin the spelling. I thought the king of Kharbdrumn (the place where Jasnah and Shallan are) was responsible for that. Didn't he tell Szeth that he's always been his master?

He may have actually been Szeth's master, but the Parshendi are the ones who willingly took responsibility for the assassination.

Karter705
Sep 20, 2004
I HAD TO SPEND $10 TO TELL THIS DUDE HIS IDEAS ABOUT DOG BREEDING ARE RETARDED BECAUSE ~*HUG ISLAND*~

thecallahan posted:

In response to your first paragraph

I don't have the book in front of me so I'm going to totally ruin the spelling. I thought the king of Kharbdrumn (the place where Jasnah and Shallan are) was responsible for that. Didn't he tell Szeth that he's always been his master?

I will have to read that section again. I was under the impression that he only became his master towards the end, after the bandit dude. The thing is, the king of Kharaband or whatever seemed to imply he was using Szeth to stabilize the world to prepare for the Desolation; this does not mesh with the assassination of Galivar. Then again, it doesn't mesh with his order to kill Dalinar, either.

Rianeva
Mar 8, 2009

Karter705 posted:

I will have to read that section again. I was under the impression that he only became his master towards the end, after the bandit dude. The thing is, the king of Kharaband or whatever seemed to imply he was using Szeth to stabilize the world to prepare for the Desolation; this does not mesh with the assassination of Galivar. Then again, it doesn't mesh with his order to kill Dalinar, either.

I'll check this again, but I'm pretty sure that the king of Kharbranth is trying to tear down every other seat of power in the area, so that he (or maybe someone else) can take control and build it all back stronger. Dalinar's a threat to his plan because he's going to try to unite the Alethi highprinces, making Alethkar even more powerful than it was when Gavilar died.

Karter705
Sep 20, 2004
I HAD TO SPEND $10 TO TELL THIS DUDE HIS IDEAS ABOUT DOG BREEDING ARE RETARDED BECAUSE ~*HUG ISLAND*~

Rianeva posted:

I'll check this again, but I'm pretty sure that the king of Kharbranth is trying to tear down every other seat of power in the area, so that he (or maybe someone else) can take control and build it all back stronger. Dalinar's a threat to his plan because he's going to try to unite the Alethi highprinces, making Alethkar even more powerful than it was when Gavilar died.

If that is his plan, it is beyond stupid. Just sayin'

DeepSpaceBeans
Nov 2, 2005

Let's build us a happy, little cloud that floats around the sky.

Dickeye posted:

I've gotta say this about the book: The audiobook version is awful. This isn't a thing that translates very well, especially early on when everything is very spelled out for the audience. The description of Lashing made me nuts.

But I started reading the actual book and it's loving awesome so there's that. Gonna read Mistborn once I'm done

I just finished the audiobook version of the book and while the example you gave above as well as the text at the beginning of most chapters irked me a bit, I found that the book was well done and very much enjoyed the listen for this past week and a bit.

But maybe that's because the audiobook I listened to before moving on to The Way of Kings was The Name of the Wind and the narrator sounded like Toby Maguire so almost anything would be a welcome improvement after that experience.

Karter705
Sep 20, 2004
I HAD TO SPEND $10 TO TELL THIS DUDE HIS IDEAS ABOUT DOG BREEDING ARE RETARDED BECAUSE ~*HUG ISLAND*~
I just re-read the last Szeth chapter and I am still not sure if it is implied that King Taravangian was responsible for the assassination of Gavilar. Szeth just says "You were always him, my unseen master," and when he asks why, Taravangian says that it wasn't for vengeance and some of his good friends were on the list. To me, this implies that Taravangian was always the unseen master behind the list (even though his name was on it), but it doesn't necessarily mean he was responsible for Gavilar's death, because the Parshendi were Szeth's masters before he had even an unseen master. I could see it going either way, especially since Taravangian wants to kill Dalinar to prevent him from seizing control of the Alethi.

Bah, I am rambling. I just don't think that Taravangian is working with the Parshendi, so it doesn't make sense for the Parshendi to take credit for Gavilar's assassination if Taravangian were behind it. I guess we will see in three years :(

Fellwenner
Oct 21, 2005
Don't make me kill you.

Karter705 posted:

I just re-read the last Szeth chapter and I am still not sure if it is implied that King Taravangian was responsible for the assassination of Gavilar. Szeth just says "You were always him, my unseen master," and when he asks why, Taravangian says that it wasn't for vengeance and some of his good friends were on the list. To me, this implies that Taravangian was always the unseen master behind the list (even though his name was on it), but it doesn't necessarily mean he was responsible for Gavilar's death, because the Parshendi were Szeth's masters before he had even an unseen master. I could see it going either way, especially since Taravangian wants to kill Dalinar to prevent him from seizing control of the Alethi.

Bah, I am rambling. I just don't think that Taravangian is working with the Parshendi, so it doesn't make sense for the Parshendi to take credit for Gavilar's assassination if Taravangian were behind it. I guess we will see in three years :(


I agree. I don't think the King was behind Gavilar's death. At the beginning the justification is put as having come from the Parshendi in order to prevent the world from speaking Alendi, or whatever the nation in questions name is.

Cartoon Man
Jan 31, 2004


Szeth is the most bad-rear end charecter I've read in a while. I hope he gets to be a main point of view in book two.

Wit was freaking hilarious and I love his reveal as Hoid. Brandon has said that Hoid will probably get his own book/s at some point in the future, for now we will occasionally get teased.

The best scene of the book (in terms of how it was written/described) for me has to be when Kaladin rides out the storm. The imagery of this giant evil face driving the storm across the lands was pretty cool. There was a tease at some point that Kaladin may be able to ride these storms across the land... His first bridge run is a close second.

Dalinar initially was boring to me, but drat did he get redeemed in the last half of the book.

I still don't know how I feel about Shalan or Jasnah. Gonna have to wait till book 2 on that.

Brandon is only going to get better from here on out. His work on WOT is making him a much better writer, you can see it over the course of all his books.

Neep
Jan 2, 2003

Terrorist is Prohibited!!!
Brandon Sanderson interview with some notes about book 2:

B-Dog posted:

SANDERSON: Good. The tentative title was originally Highprince of War. I’m not decided on that yet, because it might be Shallan’s book, not Dalinar’s book. It depends on whose flashbacks I decide to tell, and which ones will complement the events of the next book. Though I have an expansive outline for the series, I really have to sit down and get a more detailed outline for the second book before I decide which title I want. If it’s Dalinar’s book, it will be Highprince of War. If it’s Shallan’s book it will not be. Tentative release date? I’m going to start on A Memory of Light January first, and it will be published probably about three months after I finish it. (Knowing how Tor’s publishing my books these days.) It will just depend on how long that takes to write. Then I will start on The Stormlight Archive 2 after that. I don’t anticipate that book being as hard to write as A Memory of Light, which is going to take a lot of time and a lot of work. Best case is that I finish A Memory of Light in August of next year, it gets published in November, and I write the sequel to The Way of Kings starting immediately after that and finish it in the middle of the next year so it can be published November 2012. That’s the best-case scenario. But it’s what I hope to be able to do; we’ll see.

http://booktionary.blogspot.com/2010/09/brandon-sanderson-interview-stompingmad.html

That's a lot longer than I'd like to wait. Oh well.

treeboy
Nov 13, 2004

James T. Kirk was a great man, but that was another life.

Neep posted:

Brandon Sanderson interview with some notes about book 2:


http://booktionary.blogspot.com/2010/09/brandon-sanderson-interview-stompingmad.html

That's a lot longer than I'd like to wait. Oh well.

Yeah I was at a signing for TWoK here in Virginia. Someone asked if Stormlight 2 would be coming out soon and he stated he wanted to finish Wheel of Time before returning to his own work. The only way he would write Stormlight 2 before finishing WoT would be "if my publisher, editor, wife, *and* Harriet all begged me to do it and finish Memory later"

That being said Brandon is awesome and a total nerd. He brought his cards and played Magic with fans after the signing.

fordan
Mar 9, 2009

Clue: Zero

treeboy posted:

That being said Brandon is awesome and a total nerd. He brought his cards and played Magic with fans after the signing.

He seriously is. I think I mentioned this in the WoT thread, but at Dragoncon this year I hung out in the WoT track room playing games (not Magic) and chatting with people until late. When I left at 3am to get some sleep, Brandon was still going strong playing Magic with people.

I just finally finished listening to the 45 hour audiobook of WoK last night. Overall, I liked it a lot. I thought it started a bit slow and stereotypically fantasy, but got a lot better as details got fleshed onto the framework showing why this is this way or that is that way.

Although if he doesn't come up with a cool answer for why there are safehands other than fashion/mores I will be irked.

Graphics
Jun 9, 2003

Neep posted:

The one I hope is wrong: I hope the Parshendi aren't Voidbrjngers or as evil as they're made to sound in the histories. They seem just like another people trying to survive

Hmm, I didn't read it as the Parshendi were Voidbringers. I read it that the Parshmen were and it's been noted many times there are differences between the two (both physically and in how they act). The way the Parshendi start to revere Kaladin at the end when they realize what he is also tells me they are probably not the bad guys, but simply misunderstood and/or framed to be the bad guys by whoever is pulling the strings. The way the Voidbringers were described was also MUCH more hardcore and unstoppable then the way the Parsehndi are (even though they are very badass). There is also the fact that Parshendi have Shardbearers, which are weapons that were created to defeat Voidbringers...

My hunch is that the war with the Parshendi has been setup and/or caused by one of these secret groups who are behind the real evil. In fact we never actually lean anything about the Parshendi taking the blame for the assassination, it's simply said a few times. We don't visit the moment it happened in a flashback, it's simply used as a way to make us think it's the end all be all explanation. It's not like they have television, and they speak an entirely different language that no one in the series seems to understand, so how did they go about taking credit for the assassination? So many holes there.

Graphics fucked around with this message at 06:49 on Oct 2, 2010

Superstring
Jul 22, 2007

I thought I was going insane for a second.

Just finished reading this the other day. I enjoyed it while I was reading it, but it wasn't until I finished it that I realized that it was pretty loving awesome. The wait for the next part's going to be horrible.

On the Voidbringers:On the surface there's no reason to doubt Jasnah's conclusions right now. But I'm skeptical if only for the fact that I know Brandon has to have a lot more curveballs up his sleeve. For the secret of the Voidbringers to be revealed so early, it can't stick. I also have no doubt that they're not as evil as they seem. Dalinar and Kaladin repeatedly mention how they respect the Parshendi.

Argas
Jan 13, 2008
SRW Fanatic




Superstring posted:

Just finished reading this the other day. I enjoyed it while I was reading it, but it wasn't until I finished it that I realized that it was pretty loving awesome. The wait for the next part's going to be horrible.

On the Voidbringers:On the surface there's no reason to doubt Jasnah's conclusions right now. But I'm skeptical if only for the fact that I know Brandon has to have a lot more curveballs up his sleeve. For the secret of the Voidbringers to be revealed so early, it can't stick. I also have no doubt that they're not as evil as they seem. Dalinar and Kaladin repeatedly mention how they respect the Parshendi.

More or less my thoughts exactly. It wouldn't be Sanderson if there wasn't more to an early plot point.

treeboy
Nov 13, 2004

James T. Kirk was a great man, but that was another life.

Argas posted:

More or less my thoughts exactly. It wouldn't be Sanderson if there wasn't more to an early plot point.

Brandon usually has at least two twists per book, one of which you don't typically see coming. With something like a 10 book series he could very well be setting up huge twists 5 years down the road.

Neep
Jan 2, 2003

Terrorist is Prohibited!!!
I just finished the first Mistborn book which really grabbed me. Though, by the end, I felt everything was just finished and wasn't really inspired to read the next book. I know there were a few things that weren't answered yet but it didn't bother me. I went on wikipedia and spoiled myself on the rest of the trilogy and don't have a desire to finish them really. I also felt: That the death of the Lord Ruler was a bit too easy after all that build up about how super-powerful he was. I really did enjoy the whole man vs god aspect and how impossible it seemed. The summaries of the last two books didn't feel right compared to that.

I started Warbreaker, which isn't bad so far, but I really do see now how Sanderson is in LOVE with magic systems. Especially, comparing Mistborn/Warbreaker/Way of Kings I can see it.

The story in Way of Kings does still have me interested and I do want to read more of it, but the geeking out on these systems and finding out X secret aspects can be a little repetitive.

Kreeblah
May 17, 2004

INSERT QUACK TO CONTINUE


Taco Defender

Neep posted:

That the death of the Lord Ruler was a bit too easy after all that build up about how super-powerful he was.

I agree, in that it does seem weird after the first book, but it makes a lot more sense if you read the other two. Besides, the Lord Ruler becomes a significantly more interesting character in the other books, even though he's already dead.

Neep posted:

I started Warbreaker, which isn't bad so far, but I really do see now how Sanderson is in LOVE with magic systems. Especially, comparing Mistborn/Warbreaker/Way of Kings I can see it.

The story in Way of Kings does still have me interested and I do want to read more of it, but the geeking out on these systems and finding out X secret aspects can be a little repetitive.

I'm not sure about the Alcatraz series, but for the rest of them, there has been at least one magic system created or investigated with each book. Aons for Elantris, Allomancy, feruchemy, and hemalurgy for the Mistborn books, BioChromatic Breath for Warbreaker, and the Stormlight stuff for the Way of Kings. This is a little more interesting, though, when you find out that (multi-series spoiler) all of these settings are linked. There's a character, Hoid, that shows up in each of those books (not just a similar character, but the same actual guy) who's apparently going to get his own book at some point to explain what he's doing. I imagine he'll probably also go into what happened with Adonalsium (the dead god whose fragments are creating all these magic systems), since that's the other big meta-plot thing right now.

Cartoon Man
Jan 31, 2004


Kreeblah posted:

I'm not sure about the Alcatraz series...

Alcatraz has two main things that the good guys can do. The first is the ability to use glass lenses to do different things. One lens can shoot a stream of fire, the other can create a blast of wind, while a third might be used to track and identify somebody's trail. (Its kinda like in Zelda twilight princess how you could follow scent trails in wolf form). There are more, but you get the idea. The second thing is that every member of the Smedry family (the main protaginist) has a talent that on paper sounds useless but in actuality works great. Just in case, I'll spoiler:
Alcatraz can break stuff. Sometimes when he opens a door, the doorknob falls off. Or he might start using a microwave and it starts shortcircuiting and causes a fire. Eventually he learns to channel this ability and use it to destroy guns, create holes in the floor, or bring down entire buildings.

His grandfather arrives late to everything. Whether its a meeting or a critical rescue, he always shows up late. If you shoot a gun a gun at him, he will arrive late to the bullet and it will miss. If you torture him, he will arrive late to the pain and not feel it. Though later on he has to slowly arrive at the pain a little bit at a time in order to not be overwhelmed by it.

These talents don't really get explained untill the second book, but they are similar to other "Sanderson Magic Systems" in that they are actually structured and organized.


I've read the first two books and didn't start to enjoy them untill about midway through book 2. The honest truth is that most people will find these books stupid and pointless. But if you enjoy random siliness they can be quite entertaining. Brandon's humor is on full display and it really starts to shine throughout the second book. But keep in mind these are written for middle school students. Unless you've become a hardcore Sanderson fan, you probably won't like them. Though your kids probably will. He also makes fun of Harry Potter at the end of the first book.

Cartoon Man fucked around with this message at 12:41 on Oct 6, 2010

Kreeblah
May 17, 2004

INSERT QUACK TO CONTINUE


Taco Defender
Uh, bad news, guys. It looks like the Sanderson writing machine is going to be slowing down for the foreseeable future. :(

mcable
Apr 21, 2010

https://i.imgur.com/kCXRcxe.jpg

Kreeblah posted:

Uh, bad news, guys. It looks like the Sanderson writing machine is going to be slowing down for the foreseeable future. :(

Releasing three books in the next two-three years in slowing down? It's pretty much what I predicted up-thread (except for the slight delay for Scribbler):

mcable posted:

AMOL will come first. And last I checked, BS was a bit pessimistic that AMOL would come out a year after Towers. So that's probably more like a Spring 2012 release. If I had to guess, Stormlight 2 will either come out in the Fall of 2012 or Spring 2013.

And lest you think Brandon is slacking, he'll be coming out with a young adult novel in the fall of 2011, called Scribbler. Scribbler seems to be a big favorite on Brandon's fan forum, so that might be worth checking out as well.

Brandon is prolific and punctual but he's only human. Though I don't totally buy his buffer modesty, since he's still planning on writing both AMOL and SA2 in about a year and a half. I'm still putting money on Brandon being done with all 10 books of the Stormlight Archive before GRRM releases The Winds of Winter (since A Dance with Dragons may finally be close to being done).

Argas
Jan 13, 2008
SRW Fanatic




Kreeblah posted:

Uh, bad news, guys. It looks like the Sanderson writing machine is going to be slowing down for the foreseeable future. :(

At least I can expect him to get something out eventually, he's not GRRM after all.

j3rkstore
Jan 28, 2009

L'esprit d'escalier
Not to mention he's planning another epic series after the Stormlight Archive :circlefap:

fordan
Mar 9, 2009

Clue: Zero

Argas posted:

At least I can expect him to get something out eventually, he's not GRRM after all.

Maybe I spend too much time reading the bad thread, but I can't help reading this:

quote:

I do believe that as a writer who has begun series, it is my responsibility to see that the other pieces of the story are written in a timely manner.
as a shot at the GRRM.

Anyways, Brandon's always been up front about timing; WoK was done relatively quickly because he had a draft of it already complete. At Jordancon this past year before WoK was out, he was saying WoK out in the summer, Towers probably November, maybe slipping to spring 2011 since publishers don't like putting out major books in the holidays, the final Wheel of Time probably Nov 2011 or Spring 2012. The next Stormlight wasn't likely before 2012 anyways, so I don't really see much of a schedule slip so far.

Both Stormlight and Wheel of Time likely have common audiences, so I'm not sire how bad the wait really is.

Che Delilas
Nov 23, 2009
FREE TIBET WEED

fordan posted:

Maybe I spend too much time reading the bad thread, but I can't help reading this:
as a shot at the GRRM.

Both Stormlight and Wheel of Time likely have common audiences, so I'm not sire how bad the wait really is.

I don't think it was a shot at GRRM, rather I think Sanderson is aware of that particular situation and what kind of fear a slowdown on his part might instill in the community. It sounds like he's just trying to reassure his readers, because he knows we been burned in the past.

I just finished TWoK, and I have to say that my biggest fear is that he'll burn out partway through the series. He has just about the most ambitious plans for his writing that I've ever seen (Two more Elantris, another Warbreaker, another whole trilogy for Mistborn, NINE MORE STORMLIGHT ARCHIVES HOLY poo poo, not to mention trilogies for new stories whose details remain unknown), and it would be tragic if he just broke down trying to get it all on paper. My fear of this has been somewhat mitigated by his post. As eager as I am to continue reading the Stormlight Archives, I take news of an impending publishing slowdown as a good thing, especially one as mild as this; four books in three years, especially ones this massive in both size and content, is pretty drat good.

As for TWoK itself, I enjoyed the hell out of it. Yes, the flashbacks were less interesting than the rest, especially the one about Tien's death, how mundane it was and how much there was written about it before it was actually shown. Still, Sanderson managed to introduce a fairly large cast of characters without going overboard and becoming too confusing, while keeping events moving at a good clip and just teasing us with all the mysteries that still need to be solved. I cannot begin to imagine what events could unfold that will fill nine more books of this size, but I have faith that Sanderson will come through with something amazing. He continues to impress me with both his ambition and storytelling ability.

Unoriginal Name
Aug 1, 2006

by sebmojo
Am I the only one who thinks that the order of the flashbacks of Tien's death and Kaladin killing the Shardbearer and subsequent betrayal should have been switched in order? Tien's death was pretty telegraphed and not especially dramatic, whereas willingly foregoing the Shardplate and being betrayed by a lighteyes feels much more defining for Kaladin. It's the penultimate moment of his hatred of lighteyes to me. It would have played especially well after the Battle for the Tower or perhaps just after Saedas leaves.

fordan
Mar 9, 2009

Clue: Zero

Unoriginal Name posted:

Am I the only one who thinks that the order of the flashbacks

I think they needed the lighteyes betrayal shown early to show Kaladin's progression. You know he hates lighteyes, but that needed to peak before showing his path towards trusting one. Tien's death is meaningful mostly to understand the flashbacks and why Kaladin sometimes acts like he does, not really for character growth.

Dramatika
Aug 1, 2002

THE BANK IS OPEN
I'm curious to see how loving huge this book is going to be in paperback. It was 1008 pages hardcover, so it's entirely possible this could end up being a 1300 page paperback.

And I really can't wait for the next one to come out. This is the first epic fantasy series I've really gotten into on the ground floor, I wonder how many years of my life I'm going to be waiting for these books to come out. I'm really hoping for a fall 2012 release date for the next one.

Superstring
Jul 22, 2007

I thought I was going insane for a second.

Something that I've been wondering, in Dalinar's last Stormdream we find out that all his visions have been "pre-recorded" so to speak. Yet, when he seems to be able to interact with people back in time. So is only the voice of the Almighty prerecorded? Is Dalinar actually traveling through time somehow? Something doesn't add up.

Che Delilas
Nov 23, 2009
FREE TIBET WEED

Superstring posted:

Something that I've been wondering, in Dalinar's last Stormdream we find out that all his visions have been "pre-recorded" so to speak. Yet, when he seems to be able to interact with people back in time. So is only the voice of the Almighty prerecorded? Is Dalinar actually traveling through time somehow? Something doesn't add up.

It seems to be that he's possessing someone in each dream sequence so he can experience things from a first-person perspective, while the Almighty's voice narrates over top of things in a non-interactive fashion. We don't know if he's actually astral projecting back in time, or if he's just participating in a 'copy' of events that occurred (so he wouldn't be able to pollute the timeline). I'm guessing and hoping for the latter, plots with time travel in them can feel like cheating.

Synastren
Nov 8, 2005

Bad at Starcraft 2.
Better at psychology.
Psychology Megathread




Che Delilas posted:

It seems to be that he's possessing someone in each dream sequence so he can experience things from a first-person perspective, while the Almighty's voice narrates over top of things in a non-interactive fashion. We don't know if he's actually astral projecting back in time, or if he's just participating in a 'copy' of events that occurred (so he wouldn't be able to pollute the timeline). I'm guessing and hoping for the latter, plots with time travel in them can feel like cheating.

What about the spontaneous training some of those characters show, though? If it were all just from the perspective of those characters, it makes no sense for a farmer to have the skill in battle that a member of a warlike aristocracy would have.

Che Delilas
Nov 23, 2009
FREE TIBET WEED

Synastren posted:

What about the spontaneous training some of those characters show, though? If it were all just from the perspective of those characters, it makes no sense for a farmer to have the skill in battle that a member of a warlike aristocracy would have.

Rargh. The narration seems pre-recorded, his possession of the random farmer and participation in events is interactive. He controls the body of the person he's in, obviously.

Streebs
Dec 6, 2003

RIP
I finished The Way of Kings last night and it was really good. It was a great opening book for the series. The thing I like the most is that Sanderson left so many questions unanswered but still did a good job introducing us to the characters and telling a coherent story.

What are the Parshendi? Saying they are voidbringers seems wrong to me. Who is the Almighty from Dalinar's visions? What is Odium and what are these "rules" he has to play by? What are the spren, why do they not appear in Shin and why are they constrained when humans measure them? What is the deal with the heralds? Where did they go between desolations and where did they go after they left? Why did the Radiants abandon humankind? Where do the storms come from and why do they grant things/people power? What is up with the safe hand thing? Why are people with bright eyes nobility? Hoid said at the end that there was a good reason for it. And speaking of Hoid, I hope he has a central role to the storyline and we get some answers on him, although I doubt this will happen. And finally, holy poo poo I can't wait for the inevitable Szeth vs Adolin/Kaladin showdown.

Sorry for the huge spoiler block, I'm just impressed with how many storyline threads Sanderson has created. I love the setting too, theres a ton of poo poo going on.

edit: Oh I forgot another question, what did Dalinar ask the Old Magic to give him and why did it delete his wife from his memory? I can't wait for the rest of the series to be completed.

Streebs fucked around with this message at 15:41 on Oct 18, 2010

soru
Apr 27, 2003

The Red God has his due, sweet girl, and only death may pay for life.

Streebs posted:

edit: Oh I forgot another question, what did Dalinar ask the Old Magic to give him and why did it delete his wife from his memory?

I think that's what he asked for. The question is: what was the price?

Superstring
Jul 22, 2007

I thought I was going insane for a second.

Streebs posted:

What are the Parshendi? Saying they are voidbringers seems wrong to me. Who is the Almighty from Dalinar's visions? What is Odium and what are these "rules" he has to play by? What are the spren, why do they not appear in Shin and why are they constrained when humans measure them? What is the deal with the heralds? Where did they go between desolations and where did they go after they left? Why did the Radiants abandon humankind? Where do the storms come from and why do they grant things/people power? What is up with the safe hand thing? Why are people with bright eyes nobility? Hoid said at the end that there was a good reason for it. And speaking of Hoid, I hope he has a central role to the storyline and we get some answers on him, although I doubt this will happen.

Just from what I've been able to glean myself online and in the book.

Not sure what the Parshendi are. They seem human-like except in the ways they're not (skin, armor growing, hive mind?) If Brandon Sanderson's previous stories are any indication, there's probably something to do with one of the magical systems that make them that way.

I'm pretty sure the Almighty was one of the Shards, god-like beings that pop up in other Sanderson fantasy books. They tie his stories together in a shared universe. Odium is probably another one.

I think the Radiants either found out the truth of the Voidbringers or got fed up with mankind's warring ways. But that's just my guess.

The storms are definitely the source of magic on Roshar, which means they're caused/set in motion by a Shard. And I think Spren don't show up in Shin precisely because Shin doesn't get storms. They're blocked by a mountain range.

The safehands I interpreted as just something cultural. Like how in some Muslim cultures, women are supposed to cover up their hair.

As for the bright eyes thing, I took it as saying it was as good an excuse as any other humans invent to rule over other humans.

And yeah, Hoid's a mystery. Apparently, Brandon's said he's saving Hoid's story for his own book. Some people have speculated that he travels from planet to planet through Shadesmar which is supposed to be connected to all the worlds in Brandon's books.

Che Delilas
Nov 23, 2009
FREE TIBET WEED

soru posted:

I think that's what he asked for. The question is: what was the price?

The price was apparently permanent and persistent memory loss about his wife. I thought the question was: for what did he need the old magic (was this one answered in the book?).

soru
Apr 27, 2003

The Red God has his due, sweet girl, and only death may pay for life.

Che Delilas posted:

The price was apparently permanent and persistent memory loss about his wife. I thought the question was: for what did he need the old magic (was this one answered in the book?).

I understand that and my point was that it could be backwards from what you've assumed.

Synastren
Nov 8, 2005

Bad at Starcraft 2.
Better at psychology.
Psychology Megathread




Che Delilas posted:

The price was apparently permanent and persistent memory loss about his wife. I thought the question was: for what did he need the old magic (was this one answered in the book?).

If I were to guess, I'd say it's something cliche like he wished for her to live or something of that sort, and that was his price.

Also, the eyes thing:
I would assume it has something to do with legends of using Stormlight to cast magic. As we found out with Kaladin, their eyes (and whole bodies, for that matter) glow when the use it. Stormlight is divine in nature, due to religion, and their eyes glow; therefore, people with bright eyes are closer to stormlight, and are therefore better.

Streebs
Dec 6, 2003

RIP

Superstring posted:

Just from what I've been able to glean myself online and in the book.


As for the bright eyes thing, I took it as saying it was as good an excuse as any other humans invent to rule over other humans.


Hoid's thoughts at the end,

quote:

That crazy man happened to have blue eyes, which let him get away with all kinds of trouble. Perhaps Wit should have been bemused by the stock these people put in something as simple as eye color, but he had been many places and seen many methods of rule. This didn't seem any more ridiculous than most others.

And, of course, there was a reason the people did what they did. Well, there was usually a reason. In this case, it just happened to be a good one.

It seems to me that he's implying something more.

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Superstring
Jul 22, 2007

I thought I was going insane for a second.

Oh right. Forgot about that part. Well, another mystery onto the pile.

Also, does anyone else feel like whatever mysteries that have been set up so far could probably be solved in one or two more books? The fact that there are NINE more probably means Sanderson's holding a lot out on us.

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