Happy reread Monday, Cosmere Chickens! We hope that you had a nice, restful week off without us, but now we’re back for more analysis of Wind and Truth! We’ve got quite a lot to dig into this week, from battle strategies on two different fronts, touching family sacrifices, and—of course—Cosmere analysis, theories, and questions about the Skybreakers and the future of the Radiants, the always mysterious Hoid, and the exodus from Ashyn!
The book has been out long enough that most of you will hopefully have finished, and as such, this series shall now function as a re-read rather than a read-along. That means there will be spoilers for the end of the book (as well as full Cosmere spoilers, so beware if you aren’t caught up on all Cosmere content).
Paige’s Commentary: Plot Arcs
Chapter 46 is titled “Alaswha” and we’re back with Dalinar and Navani, who have found each other in the vision inside the Spiritual Realm. They watch as Ishar opens a portal from Ashyn to Roshar, and our Bondsmiths see the other world burning, so much so that the very sky seems to be on fire.
Wanting to learn some of the history of the arrival of humans in an effort to convince Honor to allow Dalinar to take up its shard, they venture forth to engage the humans. Of course, Dalinar and Navani both look like singers, so when they see Jezrien (who’s with Chana and Ash), and Navani speaks his name, he is understandably defensive, holding a spear with an obsidian head and speaking in a language they don’t understand. Dalinar tries to touch him in hopes of “learning” his language but Jezrien isn’t having it. Of course, they’re actually there in the vision, not just watching it, so they need to take care not to get stabbed by Jezrien (though as Navani points out at the end of the chapter, there’s sufficient Stormlight around to heal themselves).
Then they see Wit emerge from the portal and Dalinar does succeed in touching him, but he only speaks the language of the singers that Dalinar and Navani are speaking. He’s quite dazed, completely out of it, and wanders away, rambling. Dalinar thinks he sees the Stormfather, so he heads off to speak with him while Navani goes to see what she can learn from the refugees.
Of course, we know that they’ll adapt to the vision and learn much, but we’ll get to that next week. For now, I can’t imagine how frustrating it would be to witness this incredibly important historic event as it happened and not be able to speak to anyone there about their experience.
Chapter 47 is titled “Failure Points” and we’re back with Adolin as he uses a Shardhammer (since Mia has gone to enlist help) to help ward off the eleventh attack since the previous day. Of course, the singers greatly outnumber the Azish and Alethi soldiers, so they can send wave after wave of fresh troops through the Oathgate from Shadesmar while the defenders are already beginning to tire.
We know that they’re just trying to hold out until the coalition army from Emul begins to arrive, but we also know that that army is not going to make it, so seeing Adolin so tired already is heart-wrenching.
Yet he continues to fight, despite his fatigue. The singers have laid a trap for the humans in this chapter. Their assault is all in one place, ensuring that both Shardbearers will be there to assist the regular troops. When the singers retreat, the Shardbearers charge forward—only to find that the dome of furniture the humans had been using to slow down the singers has largely been soulcast to bronze. Stormforms appear, driving back the human forces; Adolin and the Azish Shardbearer must retreat.
It seems that the singers aren’t just throwing volleys of troops at the humans—they’re adjusting their battle strategy to try to gain an advantage, and they’re trying to capture Shardbearers.
Leaving Adolin to get some much-needed rest, the narrative switches over to Sigzil as he arrives at the Shattered Plains. We get to meet his spren, Vienta, who is delightful, and it’s sad to see the amicable relationship they have considering what will happen later. She estimates that the everstorm will arrive in three hours; they head toward it to assess the situation, along with several others. Skybreakers are with the Heavenly Ones, and Sigzil guesses that it’s the entire force of Skybreakers. They also estimate something like eight or nine hundred Fused.
Sigzil heads to a meeting of generals and slightly upends their plans, setting the battlefield up on four plateaus, two of which they cannot lose: Narak Prime and Narak Two, which holds the Oathgate. Narak Prime is akin to the Azish throne; as long as they hold it until the contest of champions, they’ll hold the whole Shattered Planes. So that’s Sigzil’s plan: to put up a bit of a fight on Narak Three and Narak Four in order to draw attacks there, keeping the enemy forces busy in the hopes of holding out for the next six days.
The coalition forces must defend Narak with only three hundred Radiants. Though they also have ground forces and a dozen Shardbearers, they are still outnumbered.
I’ve got to say, it’s nice to see Sigzil feeling so confident and sure of himself. He initially questioned Dalinar’s decision to have him lead the forces at Narak, but he’s accepted that vote of confidence—embraced it, even. And he’s ready to lead.
Chapter 48 is titled “A Talent” and it’s a Szeth flashback, taking place immediately after he killed the soldier with the rock. His sister’s been sent away for a few days; he lies alone in bed, listening to his parents speak with the Farmer, who says that they need to train Szeth as a soldier. He is already beating himself up, our young assassin-to-be; he berates himself for hitting and killing another person and thinks that the spren will never speak to him.
But then a voice does speak to him, the same one he heard before, telling him that they watch him and are curious. He’s shocked to hear it, but then he hears his father telling the Farmer that if he’s going to send Szeth away to teach him to subtract, then he would go with him and also learn. Then Zeenid says they’ll all go. Szeth is so relieved to know that he won’t be alone.
And so young Szeth’s journey to becoming an assassin is set, and we’ll watch as he learns to fight, learns to kill, learns about a great many things… Stay tuned!
Lyndsey’s Commentary: Character Arcs and Maps
Interesting choice of Heralds for the chapter 46 arch. The two instances of the Wild Card are pretty self-explanatory, as Wit plays a relatively large role in the chapter. Chana also shows up in person, so she makes sense, as does Ash. But we also see Jezrien and Ishar in the vision. Is there another reason we’re seeing Ash and Chana represented, but not Jezrien and Ishar? Do they play a more important role, somehow, than we’re seeing on the surface? Perhaps Chana is here in her attribute as patron of the common man, symbolic of the refugees flooding through the gate. As for Ash… I can’t say. We don’t see any Lightweavers, her attributes of “creative and honest” don’t seem to be coming into play, nor does her role as an artist, so… I’m at a loss.
Chapter 47’s arch features Jezrien and Kalak. Both Adolin and Sigzil are showing attributes of both of these Heralds in this chapter: Resolute. Protecting. Leading. So it’s not much of a surprise to see them both heading the arch. Jezrien is most likely also here due to the Windrunners in Sigzil’s chapter.
I’d also like to take a moment to note what appears to be a new character icon. I haven’t been paying as much attention to them in these articles as most haven’t changed from previous books, and they’re primarily just an indicator of whose POV we’re in, but this one’s really cool: The pen and the spear, inverted. I’m assuming that it’s meant to portray Sigzil, who is both an administrator and a soldier. A man divided, but whose dual attributes support one another rather than contrast. And he’s just now beginning to realize how effective that can be.
Finally, we have chapter 48, in which we see Nale (no surprise) and Vedel. Vedel’s the interesting one; I believe that she’s here to represent the love of Szeth’s family.
Navani
I love seeing Navani acting here as a tempering agent for Dalinar’s more aggressive tendencies. She has a more reasoned, logical approach to… well, everything, whereas Dalinar tends to bash his way into things without thinking. She serves as such a great foil, with the relationship between the two of them making each character stronger.
Vision!Wit
I find it fascinating that Wit has the presence of mind to realize that he’s in a vision. It must be terrifying, to know that you’re not real, and puts me in mind of philosopher René Descartes and his famous principle: “I think, therefore I am.” In this instance, Wit can think, but he knows on a deep level that he’s not real. How awful, to know that you are nothing more than a figment of someone else’s mind, unable to do anything, cursed to cease existing at their whim, and with no agency or free will.
Adolin
He knew he was killing good people who were fighting for a world where humans could never enslave them again. Fortunately, Adolin hated this part already.
Nice to see Adolin thinking this way. Not that I ever doubted for a moment that he did, but we’re more used to seeing Kaladin struggling with this than Adolin. And while it took almost a whole book (and an Oath) for poor Kal to come to terms with it, Adolin, the career soldier, seems to have grasped the concept long ago and knows that he has to do what he has to do.
Sigzil and Vienta
Seeing the relationship these two have is pretty beautiful. Sigzil is supportive of Vienta’s “not strictly honorsprenlike” mind and talents, and in return Vienta helps bolster Sig’s self-esteem.
He waited, his heart racing, for their objections. The obvious ones: That he had never been in command of a battlefield like this before. That his scientific thinking was something to be mocked—among soldiers, it made him so odd.
He’s never felt as if he were good enough; we’ve seen it time and time again throughout the first four books. But now, finally, Sigzil’s beginning to believe that he’s worth the trust that Dalinar and Kaladin placed in him.
Szeth
“He had nail marks on his throat, Neturo,” the Farmer said, his voice kindly. Like a flute. “The soldier attacked him. Beyond that, they robbed you.”
“I know,” Father said. “But… my little boy…”
Clear case of self-defense, and I’m so glad to see that all the adults recognize that. So often stories fall back on the “no one else was there! It must have been COLD-BLOODED MURDER” trope so it’s refreshing to see this subversion of that. The adults all know exactly what happened; but unfortunately, that knowledge doesn’t change the result.
“This is a talent,” the Farmer said. “The Stone Shamans teach that it is. Your son should be sent for training.”
“In how to kill?” Father asked, his voice cracking.
I’m seeing some really intriguing similarities here between Kal/Lirin and Szeth/Neturo. Both Kal and Szeth are children who were forced into war, and have fathers who don’t approve of their violence. The difference, of course, is that in this case, the father chooses to go with the son to protect him however he can. If Lirin had done the same, how different would things have turned out? Would it have been possible at all? It didn’t seem like the administrator who took Tien and Kaladin would have allowed Lirin to go, but who knows. It’s an interesting thought experiment, at the least.
“We are a family. My son will not step into the darkness alone.
This one really pulls at the heart strings.
Artwork, Maps, And Tactics:
These pieces of artwork are really cool. I love the inclusion of the shash glyph (the same one that used to be branded on Kaladin’s forehead, marking him as dangerous) and that they give us a concrete mental image of how utterly alien and yet… human these Fused are.
Tactics
Lots going on tactically in chapter 47, as we see the Singers beginning to take a foothold in the Azimir dome. They’ve managed to take some of the broken debris that the Azish scattered around (meant to act as hurdles for the incoming enemy troops) and have constructed a 100’ diameter roofed fort, from which they’re concentrating attacks at one specific part of the line of defenders. Thankfully, that concentration means that the two Shardbearers are able to focus their defense on that one specific area. They’ve also soulcast the wood of that fort into bronze, so burning it won’t help. Adolin’s forces are beginning to see some casualties; the Alethi started with about 2,000 men and 21 were killed in this attack, with another 60 injured.
Meanwhile, over on the Shattered Plains, Sigzil begins setting up the defense of Narak. They’re facing some pretty daunting odds; Heavenly Ones, Skybreakers (traitors!), as well as ground troops. Ka notes that this is roughly half of Odium’s Invested force, arrayed against them on this one battlefield. Hundreds of Skybreakers. Almost a thousand Fused. When Sigzil arrives, the generals are focusing their defense on Narak Prime (losing it will result in them losing their stake on the Shattered Plains) and Narak Two (the Oathgate). Sigzil, however, puts forward the plan to send troops to fortify all four plateaus. Narak Three and Four will act as sacrificial lambs, meant to waste the enemy’s time as they run out the clock to the contest of champions.
Drew’s Commentary: Invested Arts & Theories
Well, this week’s epigraphs don’t give us much in terms of theory fodder. It’s more about the Skybreakers and the various arguments about why someone should or should not have seen a split in their ranks as an inevitability.
Irid adjudges this reasoning spurious, given the Skybreaker air of exactitude, that dissention is inevitable, as they turn finer points of argument against one another.
Maybe there’s something to extrapolate from this? It’s hard to say, since this is so specific to the Skybreakers, but it could be as simple as foreshadowing further splits in the Orders in the back half. It’d certainly be a fascinating development to have, say, the Unseen Court end up at odds with another group of Lightweavers, or the Bridge Four tradition of Windrunners facing off against Windrunners who cropped up in Retribution-controlled territories.
Honestly, I’d be pretty on board with some internecine Radiant warfare. That would be a brilliant way to complicate the geopolitical landscape of Roshar—say, in book 8, after we’ve gotten used to the literal new landscape of the planet.
In chapter 46, we return to the arrival of humanity on Roshar. It’s sort of amusing, on reread, because the first time through these chapters carried a sense of excitement, of discovery. But now, knowing that the real story still waits in Tanavast’s flashbacks, this chapter feels a little… hollow. Dalinar and Navani don’t know what’s going on, but we as readers do.
None of them are me. I’m… power… trying to imitate him…
Really wish Brandon would’ve thrown us a bone here and at least given some Hoid True Name theory material. He has had so many names across the published Cosmere—Dust, Wit, Cephandrius, Midius, Hoid—and I feel like this would’ve been a good chance to give us some details about Midius.
We know that the Heralds know him as Midius, and extratextually we know that Midius was the name of the main character in The Liar of Partinel—whose master, named Hoid, died in chapter one. There is a lot of circumstantial evidence for Midius being Hoid’s real name, since we know that Frost asked if he was “no longer [hiding] behind the name of your old master?”
But who knows how much Brandon has changed in the canon of Hoid’s history since scrapping The Liar of Partinel? Midius might now just be a name he used on Ashyn, and there’s some entirely new appellation attached to him in the planned Dragonsteel trilogy.
One storm. The worst one.
Not much to theorize about here, but this made me laugh. Leyton has a rough go of things in this storm, to be sure, but the true Everstorm is yet to come…
“Do you know the stories of the Knights Radiant?” the Farmer asked. “They had a philosophy. They called it… watchers at the rim. They went to fight, and be changed, so we might live.”
This imagery is one of the things that has stuck out to me from Wind and Truth. It’s vivid, this idea of a line of sentinels standing around the rim of a bowl-shaped landscape, looking down upon the horrors within.
Of course, all of those details aren’t necessarily present on the pages of Wind and Truth, but it’s the impression given. And it’s such a strong one that I wonder how far Sanderson intends to stretch it. There’s the obvious connection to the Radiants and the Voidbringers, the millennia-long war between Honor’s Knights and the Fused… but might there be more to it?
The interior-facing imagery that pops into my mind actually brings me back to the Words of Radiance epilogues before the Day Four chapters. The Skybreakers splintered, and they were the most fastidious of the Orders. If there is indeed a coming fracture among the Radiants, suddenly “watchers at the rim” could take on several layers of meaning.
Watchers to safeguard humanity from Retribution. Watchers to uphold unity among the Orders. Watchers to uphold unity within each Order. Each individual Radiant, a watcher given charge over his or her own mental, emotional, and honorable internal landscape.
This is just the sort of foreshadowing that Brandon Sanderson loves to inject into his stories.
And hey, it’s also perfectly apt for Szeth’s flashbacks and the themes of internal problems plaguing Shinovar. Multi-duty symbolism!
Highlights/Fan Theories:
On our last reread article, kilobravo commented on Reactor:
It was interesting to see how the Rhythms of Roshar pop up—in the vision of the arrival on Roshar, we hear both “hummed to a rhythm Dalinar couldn’t pick out” and “the others hummed in what seemed disagreement”, as well as Dalinar calling out when the singers’ rhythms are changing. And in chapter 44 Renarin responds to Rlain’s humming (which in Shallan’s POV is just “Rlain hummed something”) with “yes, it is curious.” So we are seeing signs that Dalinar and Renarin are both Connected enough to start to hear the tones of Roshar. I’ll add that to my list of things to keep an eye out for as we progress in the reread.
Then Knut Bernstein said:
Cyan and magenta were the colors of the Hion lines of Komashi (Yumi and the Nightmare Painter).
A short comment on soft and hard magic:
The vaunted hard magic systems are an attribute of the cosmere worlds typically accompanied by a Shard (dead or alive). But that means, they are literally designed and powered by Whimsy. So if we enter the realm of the Shards, the rules must of necessity become softer and more indefinite. Either because the(y) are less fix(ed) or because noone is there, not even Hoid, to teach our heroes the rules (and that means us.). Which one? Well let us Read and Find out!”
Finally, RogerPavelle said:
Drew wondered why Enlightened spren are better able to navigate the Spiritual Realm. I have two thoughts that are tangentially related.
First, because their Spirit Web was changed by Sja-Anat, they may have a better sense of their spiritual self than others.
Second, I wonder if they actually are more attuned to the Spiritual Realm or less. Since they were changed, maybe they are able to see it from more of an outsider’s perspective, giving a broader view of whatever landmarks or beacons might be found.
We’ll be keeping an eye on the comment sections of posts about this article on various social media platforms and may include some of your comments/speculation (with attribution) on future weeks’ articles! Keep the conversation going, and PLEASE remember to spoiler-tag your comments on social media to help preserve the surprise for those who haven’t read the book yet.
See you next Monday with our discussion of Chapters 49, 50, and 51!
