Received, but not read yet! So far this thread is spoiler-free for Oathbringer, but Way of Kings and Words of Radiance are fair game.
Some initial disconnected thoughts:
This book is surprisingly…small? Like, compared to Words, it’s easy to heft.
As with the other Stormlight Archive books, totally worth it to get the hardcover. The arts are great - I cannot imagine looking at them on my Kindle. I read Way of Kings that way, but since getting the Words of Radiance hardcover, I’m never looking back.
I’ve never seen a dust jacket printed on the inside like this! These must be the symbols of the Radiant orders, flaking the map. I expect they are glyphpairs, presumably each sharing a glyph with their neighboring orders, though it’s hard to tell what the shared glyphs are.
The frontspiece and…backspiece? arts look like members of the various orders. The glyphs on front-left, rear-left, and rear-right occur in the set of ten flanking the map. Theory: the woman on the rear-right with the keys and divider is whatever order Jasnah belongs to. We noticed that she’s wearing a glove, as Jasnah (presumably) is on the front cover of the book. I think the man in the rear-left is a Windrunner, because of all the windspren around him and the way everything he wears is fluttering. The woman on the front-right is maybe a Lightweaver? Kind of funny that she doesn’t have a glyph. Also interesting how, although her dress has a safe-sleeve, you can see her hand - though I guess that wouldn’t be the only scandalous aspect to the dress among the Alethi! Finally, I guess that the man in the front-left is whatever order Renarin belongs to. (Truthseer?) None of their glyphs are adjacent on the map, which is consistent with what we know of those suggested orders.
I’m sure I’ll have more thoughts once I start reading! Exciting!
I’m planning on picking it up some time this weekend, although I have no idea when I’ll find the time to read it.
Into the Drowning Deep (which also came out this week) took priority because I want to get Oathbringer hardcover, and don’t mind my mermaids being in ebook form.
I'm probably not getting this til closer to christmas/new years. Such is being poor and saving money for a Kickstarter.
Still, as long as things remain spoiler free I'd love to talk about things. I didn't think the lady on the cover would be Jansa, but I saw the cover for Oathbringer long before I actually started reading the other two (I know, I know) so it wasn't a connection I could make.
Also, do we know how the Novella featuring... ugh brain... Kelsier(?) from Mistborn connects to Stormlight? I've been meaning to reread it, since I read it long long before I got started on Stormlight but I remember it featured a lady and her retainer and I can't remember if those characters were directly characters we know from Stormlight or if they were only implied to be that way.
Once I finish the book I'm currently working on (Serpent Mage from Weis & Hickman. the rest of the Death's Gate Cycle can wait), I will durn through this.
I should be ready for Sam Sykes's new book when that comes out.
This one is going fast for me. I just started part 2 (of 4). Admittedly I’m not going at super speed, but that’s an issue of the time I have available!
It's not just you. From the back cover of Words of Radiance:
It is the nature of the magic. A broken soul has cracks into which something else can be fit. Surgebindings, the powers of creation themselves. They can brace a broken soul; but they can also widen its fissures.
Just finished. And yeah, Blackfang, I amend my previous statement: this is a story about broken people healing. And it is very good one.
I think, more than the other final climactic battles in the previous two books, I was scream-reading at this one. So many awesome twists! so much badassery! I actually have to say, I think that Adolin was the most badass of them all, because even though he has no Radiant powers, he went off and did all the things that the Radiants were doing without any hesitation or external direction. And he stood his ground.
I'm also amazed at where Shallan, Dalinar, and Szeth ended up in their progression by the end of the book. I think the good guys (major themes about "who are the good guys, and how do you tell?" notwithstanding!) are well positioned for the next book.
And I have to say… Venli and Wit swearing the First Ideal seem like some of the most world-shattering things that could have happened in this series…
My mother let it slept she got this for me for christmas so I have to wait till then.
However for those of you that like the stormlight archieve I would suggest checking out the GraphicAudio version of the first two books. Its essientially a book on tape but with actors taking care of the speaking roles. I been listening to them in long car rides and been enjoying them so far.
Also, now that I’m back to a Big Wait, i will also contribute that if you like the Stormlight Archive, definitely check out The Black Prism by Brent Weeks.
I'm working on The Core, from Peter V Brett, and i cannot recommend Sam Sykes highly enough, and his sixth book (third of the current trilogy) comes out this month!