Wind and Truth

Let me preface this by saying I still really like the world of the cosmere and the world of Roshar. I think in a world with a lot of great novels, there's bound to be ones that are weaker. Just some notes: - There was a lot of meandering in the plot for this one. I felt like a lot of character arcs didn't feel organic or didn't really go anywhere that was interesting - There's a theme in here around depression, but some of the 4th camera wall breaking was just jarring and some of the diction and language just felt forced and inorganic which took me out of the plot - There doesn't really feel like there's a proper ending to this novel. The crux of the plot is around the content of champions, but it feels like so little is spent on that plot that it didn't carry a lot of weight

This was definitely the hardest one for me to finish. Not sure it's one I'd want to do a reread on. Maybe when we know more about the cosmere, this one will carry more weight

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.