Brandon Sanderson's Cosmere Book • Page 67

The Dog and the Dragon

 

The Wit chapters never do it for me honestly. They’re framed in a way that signals to me I should care about them but there’s no real feeling from me that he earned telling a story in a story.

I do however like the one Wit tells Kal about the king bc it comes up and in integrated to decision making, etc.
I’m probably in the minority who isn’t fond of Brandon’s stand-in character though.

 

I actually like Wit a lot. It feels like there's always Cosmere related easter eggs coming out when he talks. I had to rewind a couple times when he first talks to Kaladin in WaT.

 

Forgot to post when I finished Words of Radiance, but I loved it.

Going back through the rest of Arcanum Unbounded (I already read the Mistborn parts) now and Emperor’s Soul is so great.

 

Basically couldn't put Oathbringer down from part 3 on to the end. That first half is sloooow though.

 

I finally got around to starting this and man, the change in her voice was jarring.

 

About 75% of the way through wind and truth and it’s easily the worst Sanderson I’ve read so far. I feel as the world and conflict expands, the books become way more convoluted and less interesting.

I’m sure part of it is I’ve read so much Sanderson the last year to catch up (all of stormlight, mistborn trilogy, warbreaker) and I’m burned out on it. But just casually glancing around the internet it seems like a lot of people do not enjoy wind and truth as much as the other books. Definitely going to take a long Sanderson break after I finally finish this book.

 

Loved Wind and Truth myself and have only grown to love it more as time bas gone on. Wish I could do a reread but the TBR is really long

 

I really feel like so much between days 3 through like 9 could have been cut

Adolin carries the book hard imo

 

Finished Rhythm of War over the weekend. Probably my least favorite of the Stormlight Archive so far, but it's not without some good stuff. It's generally better paced than Oathbringer even if the finale isn't nearly as explosive, and I liked spending a lot of time with Navani. Liked the Kaladin's character arc a fair bit in this one too. The big problem is that I don't care about Venli at all and the flashbacks really felt like an afterthought.

Taking a short break to read Piranesi then starting Wind and Truth, which I'm still pretty excited about.

 

I'm in a good flow with Wind and Truth. Just started Day 8 last night and really don't have any complaints, though I'm pretty easy to please when it comes to Stormlight.

 

Got my pass for Dragonsteel Nexus today let's goooooo.

 

Seeing this bumped just makes me angry at how much I dislike wind and truth lol.

 

That's tough, buddy. Meanwhile I'm over here just thinking about how it's so cool that Nightblood made friends with a bunch of the honor blades and learned their powers. Love that book so much though I was expecting a mid-story victory for the bad guys ala Empire Strikes Back which most people were not and really disliked.

 

My BIL is going through every Sanderson book and he started Tress and said it's the most fun Sanderson book he's read so far out of the like 15 he's finished

 

I read wind and truth a few months ago and could not tell you what happened. I think I should have taken a break until I was in a better mindset instead of powering through

 

Isles of the Emberdark is shipping in like a week... so excited

 

I didn’t expect the digitals to ship today when it’s public on the 10th

 

Happy Isles of the Emberdark release date! Nothing like a new Cosmere book.

 

WaT chapter 117 spoilers Why is Naturo the best father in this series? He's always incredibly comforting to Szeth and doesn't think twice when supporting him (maybe he's not the best husband...). The scene where Szeth becomes son son Vallano is heartbreaking.

 

Holy shit Isles of the Emberdark is good. Brandon has done it again. Screaming, crying, laughing. So many emotions. What a story.

 

Finished Well of Ascension finally. It was fine. Looking forward to the conclusion of this story arc, as I hear Hero of Ages is great!

I’m definitely glad I read Stormlight first, as I may have never given that a chance if I had read Mistborn first. Just isn’t hitting the same for me yet.

 

So hyped. Waiting for the physical to read is torture though haha

 

Well, I'm done. This is a funny thing to read in hindsight, haha.

Spoilers for WaT totally. I have a hard time criticizing books honestly. If I had fun while reading it, then it's a win for me. Same with movies. I was enthralled for almost the entire back third of the book, which is like, what, 400 pages? That's a win for me.

Dalinar: I liked his "ending". I thought I was being led to think he would be Odium's champion, especially with the references of him acting more like the Blackthorn lately, and being a bully to everyone like he used to do. So I am glad that was an expectation with a twist. Picking up Honor, then the vision with Noadon and the power of Honor being shown as a child was an interesting way to present these powers, and how they might even fully understand themselves. Him renouncing his oaths and allowing Odium to become Retribution by holding Honor and Odium was an interesting twist, and I liked that it made the other Gods have to care about Odium and not just leave him alone to be Roshar's problem. Dalinar dying to protect Gavinor was a poetic way to go out, but Gavinor as Odium's champion, and how that happened didn't sit well with me. Curious to see what becomes of Dalinar's soul in the future, and it feels like it is setting up an inevitable clash between the new Blackthorn and Dalinar.

Kaladin: I liked him and Szeth's arc, but sometimes it felt a little too much of "therapy can fix everything" and a lot of reasoning with Szeth and Nael and not enough fighting. I guess that's the point, but I like my Kaladin being a badass and fighting when he has to. The fight with Nael and the flute was cool, and I loved how Syl was becoming more and more real, and honestly, if Brandon is going to make Syl and Kaladin a couple, I would probably like it. Seems like she is more than spren now and connected even more than before with the way they both had their hands on the blade when Kaladin ascended to Herald. That decision felt natural by the way, though a better explanation of the Wind and what it meant to be the Knight of Wind would be nice.

Renarin and Rlain: I don't personally relate to what was happening here, but it felt tastefully done. I think showing that there is a path forward for men and singers will be helpful, so I hope it progresses them working together. Renarin seeing Dalinar's dead body might've been the closest I came to crying while reading. Everything regarding Sja Anat, her corrupted spren, how that affects bonds, and what will happen now with Ba Ado Mishram is still kind of murky to me. I need to do some research to better understand all of that.

Shallan: I really don't mind Shallan. Seems that is a divisive opinion? I liked the reveal of Iyatil being formless, because it does show that Shallan made progress mentally and she wasn't regressing. The Chana reveal was cool in that it was teased and slow fed to us. I do have a hard time now after the fact though about how everything Shallan did for the last 3 books was inconsequential to the series as a whole. Her story being integral moving forward has to really be the only explanation.

Jasnah: Bummed that all Jasnah really did this book was lose an argument and break up with Wit. I want to see big things from her moving forward.

Adolin: easily the best arc of the series. Adolin is the best. Azir was a cool setting, and all the characters he was with were cool additions, Yonagawn especially.

Sigzil: I liked this storyline, but it did feel a little like, "well Kaladin isn't fighting, so we need somewhere to put the Windrunner action scenes" and it was here. Curious how his storyline progresses. The Sunlit Man is about him, right?

Questions I have/things I'll research: What is up with Moash? I'm tired of him. I hope he dies in book six. He just comes in, gloats about whether he has or doesn't have pain, kills a bridge four member, then runs away like a punk. Fuck Moash.

The Zahel/Lift storyline should be fun, whenever that happens.

Wit ending up as Wax's cabby was fun since I just finished Mistborn Era 2 before reading this book, so being able to when this is happening in the Cosmere was cool, though with the weird time warp stuff happening on Roshar, who knows who will/won't be around next time we see these characters.

Anyway. That's all I have for now. Now for the next book.

 

Almost at the halfway point of WAT. Soon I will be able to look at all these spoiler tags.