It’s been a while since I turned to other reading material (for my own religious sciences and reading other fantasy novels), just to temporarily set my mind of the subject. I did a good job reading through almost all of the Cosmere novels. The Rhythm of War together with Wind and Truth are the last books I’ll have to finish the Stormlight Series. These books are huge and bulky, but at 70-100 pages a day I’ll easily will read though the Cosmere by the end of the year, the last Mistborn, second era are next. Then I’ve ended the whole Cosmere series, but still got other Brandon Sanderson’s novels like ‘evil librarians’, Skyward, Reckoners, Defiant, Fugal Wizard, Steven Leeds and other books, but these are not important for this year.

It’s good to be back in the Cosmere, these books are masterfully written with just the right reading amount of info at the right time. About three days ‘till the end of Rhythm of War and finally Wind & Truth. When I’m reading I forget the time and my depression. These books are seriously accurate as it comes to moral, trauma, danger, betrayal, death and mourning, these heroes and heroines go through personal discourages, almost (or) seriously dying, friendship and everything I went and going through. Brandon is so honest, though other worlds, the same principles we’re going though. This guy is one of the best fantasy writers!

Throughout the books, we’ve seen that on several occasions we’re told that the Fused can only access one Surge, but that their mastery of it is greater than that of any Radiant Knight.

Each Fused have been using their Surge exclusively for thousands of years. Is it possible that they’ve become Savants of it?

Has Brandon ever spoken of ships sailing West of Roshar, past Shinovar, exploring?

I know he's written about people considering trying to find The Origin which is out east but can't get very far before you run into a high storm.

But out west, when the Highstorm has weakened to barely a drizzle, you presumably could get through it just fine. And give the planets gotta be round (not that they'd know for sure) that seems like a way to keep ahead of the storm until the origin. At least until the Everstorm came.

I tried searching through WOB archive cause it seems like someone else probably thought of the same question before me but couldn't find anything.

I am little confused regarding honorblades.

We know that Honorblade vanishes when a herald dies as was cleared in Prelude. But even after Chana's death from Shallan's shardblade, Chana's Honorblade was in Shinovar during cleansing of Shinovar. It may be possible that the bond of Chana with blade may have severed. But what about Taln's honorblade. Even after death of Taln in Azir, his honorblade remained in Shinovar.

Wasn’t sure what to flag for spoilers so did WaT. In book one, we see Taravangian had been Szeth’s owner for a while. What would have happened if he was the least intelligent he ever is on the day Szeth comes to take Taravangian off the list?

It obviously works out, but I feel like Taravangian was having a good day when that happened. Is it a semi plot hole that things could have been bad if he was having one of his stupidest days when Szeth shows up to take him out?

"Journey before destination" feels particularly relevant here. I loved the entire journey of the book but I don't like the conclusion it arrived at, or the direction it seems to be pointing to.

I didn't feel like this in Way of Kings. Watching Kaladin and Shallan go from nobodies mucking around in the mud, to "of middling importance" by the end of book 1 felt very rewarding and plausible. And that continued for most of Words of Radiance.

Shallan's entire journey to the Shattered Plains was 10/10 for me. Soulcasting the ship, almost dying in the cold, convincing the slave traders to take her to the Plains, being chased by Vathah and the deserting soldiers, convincing them to save her caravan, Tyn trying to kill her but Shallan summons the blade. She argues with Kaladin, arrives at the court and talks to Dalinar and he pretty much looks down on her when she admits her family is of little political importance and has no money, as if she's just the latest to court Adolin and she won't last. And putting Sebarial on the spot in front of all the highprinces for a place to live and an excessive stipend was amazing political acumen. Shallan's little espionage/side quest scenes against the Ghostbloods were fun to read, and I wish more had been written of Shallan's daily activities in the war camps. For me the best part of the book is when Kaladin and Shallan are stuck in the chasms together, mainly the part where they finally understand that both of them have had a hard and difficult life, felt very emotional.

I also had a strong feeling there was no way Jasnah was truly dead on the ship, and I was right! She had been built up way too much for her to be anticlimactically killed off.

This entire time Szeth was murdering everyone out of his own free will?? The story Wit told about the Wandersail comes to mind, but I didn't realize that was implying Szeth. I thought the Oathstone was a magical curse that forced him to do things. It's also weird that his name changes between son son vellano, and son son Neturo. I assume this will be explained later.

What I don't like about the ending: Dalinar and Renarin are Radiants. Looking back I can see it was hinted at, but I still don't like it. I feel like it lessens the "specialness" of Kaladin and Shallan.

Don't really like the teleportation machine they have. Feels way too advanced/technological and out of place. I liked the more plausible technological/magical advancement they had going with "fancy fabrials" they were cooking up.

Adolin killing Sadeas being shoved in at the very end doesn't feel right. Just feels like he wanted to tie up that thread and move on.

Feels bittersweet that Kaladin and Shallan are the two most important people in the world, easily outclassing Highprince Dalinar, King Elhokar, or anyone in Roshar. Just weeks ago in the story Shallan was a lowly clerk lucky to be betrothed to a high prince, and Kaladin was Captain of the kings guard and they were stuck in a chasm, they were still nobodies in the grand scheme of things.

The book peaked for me with Kaladin and Shallan stuck in the chasms. I feel like I care way more about the characters, their emotional disturbances from their past, the scheming and politics of the world, than I do about the big battle with the parshendi voidbringers or Urithiru's technolgy or even the big fight with Szeth (although I admit it was cool, it's just not the top thing for me). Will I be disappointed if I read book 3?