The Stormlight Archive: Words of Radiance by Brandon Sanderson Spoiler Talk

Mike gives some spoiler thoughts about the second book in Brandon Sanderson's Stormlight Archive, Words of Radiance.
You can purchase The Way of Kings here: amzn.to/2QOIJL5 (physical) amzn.to/3hTOvqx (digital) amzn.to/32UUNA7 (audio)
You can purchase Words of Radiance here: amzn.to/32Mb4Y0 (physical) amzn.to/34ZIF3u (digital) amzn.to/3gQeGNL (audio)
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#MikesBookReviews #StormlightArchive #BrandonSanderson

[@danielvanrooyen9602]

Shallan asking Adolin how he poops in shardplate, classic.

[@maddieline1989]

I think we can all agree the most badass line in Words of Radiance is "Honor is dead but I'll see what I can do."

[@mikesbookreviews]

100%

[@mrsaunders9989]

Who said that?

[@antongrigoryev6381]

@@mrsaunders9989 Kaladin, before he jumped into the arena to help Adolin against four shardbearers.

[@bubsyoutube]

I was literally yelling out loud “Get in there MF’er! Let’s go!”

[@andreww4751]

yessssss

[@GraceDionneReads]

One Dalinar character moment I liked from Words of Radiance was how he tricked Amaram into trying to steal the blade that he had already bonded. It was really satisfying (for me, anyway) to find out that while he told Kaladin "yeah don't worry, Amaram is trustworthy" he was doing his own work behind the scenes to investigate whether that was actually true, and shows Kaladin that Dalinar trusts his word and will try to find out the truth even if it's something unpleasant

[@henrywayne5724]

Grace Dionne Yeah, that was nice. But the business of the Taln’s blade is really convoluted. The blade Dalinar bonded isn’t really an Honorblade, or even Taln’s blade, otherwise he wouldn’t have heard those awful screams. Plus the description of it at the end of The Way Of Kings is totally different from the description in Words Of Radiance. Interested to see where this goes.

[@HandlesAreStupid2024]

Trust, but verify.

[@renzodm6203]

Best part from the book for me: "hello, would you like to Destroy some evil today?"

[@mikesbookreviews]

It would have meant more to me if I had read Warbreaker first.

[@Darkkfated]

@@mikesbookreviews Hahaha, having recently re-read Warbringer made that into a great, "He did it, the absolute madman!" moment for me.

[@pedroalves7290]

@@mikesbookreviews I'm gonna read Warbreaker now I've finished WoR.

[@shailejanarain]

Who says that? And to whom?? I need to know please

[@chickensox8318]

@TresspasingToad incorrect, the sword says it

[@Philistine47]

I knew Shallan had killed her mother long before I knew she'd also killed her father. In one of her early flashbacks (it might even have been in WoK) we see her father picking her up and comforting her after the mother's death, and the vibe I got from him right from the start was not "guy who just murdered his wife in a rage," but "guy who's grieving for his wife, but still trying to protect the child he's terrified both _of_ and _for."_ That only got stronger as Pattern insisted, over and over again, that she confront the Big Lies her life is built around. That said, I was _really_ surprised that Shallan was a Shardbearer, and that Pattern was her Shardblade - despite all the foreshadowing of the fact (which I didn't spot until it was pointed out to me afterward).

[@mikem1585]

Small moments I love that I don’t remember hearing you mention: -Kaladin discovering that Adolin put himself in prison as long as Kaladin was being held. Then, in direct contrast to Amaram, Adolin slows Kaladin to give the shards to someone else. -When Shallan sees Wit in the warcamps and runs up and hugs him! It’s a really touching moment for Shallan, and a hilarious moment when you see how stunned Adolin is. -Shallan getting a glimpse on the true Jasnah just before the disaster on the ship. Seeing Jasnah with her mask down, burdened by everything she’s trying to carry, was really humanizing. -Elhokar’s conversation with Kaladain about how to lead better. He knows he’s a bad king, but you see that he really is trying. Then Kaladin’s epiphany that Elhokar is Dalinar’s Tien. So good.

[@andreww4751]

Oh yess that Elhokar scene hit SOO hard.

[@angelamccollister]

My favorite action scene of the book is Adolin and Kaladin's fight against the four shardbearers. My favorite chapter/moment was when Kaladin and Shallan were trapped in the chasm and he finally starts to see how broken Shallan is but is amazed that she can still smile. That moment always gives me all the feels. Then later when they opened up to each other about their pasts during the storm.

[@alexlane125]

I love that scene but I worry hes gonna learn the wrong message from it. (Pretend to be ok)

[@kristen7623]

SAME

[@Hadrian1616]

The blade itself incites men to violence. Even toy blades apparently.

[@mikesbookreviews]

I cannot be trusted with a real blade. As you can see by how I kept fiddling with this one.

[@MotoMechzorz]

My favorite part was pattern. As epic as so many other scenes are I still find myself randomly chuckling when I remember pattern asking Shallan if she was burying treasure after using the restroom in the woods.

[@mikesbookreviews]

Pattern is a trip

[@Arezoo298195]

I could see Kaladins idiot decision coming like just a page ahead and at that point I was so pumped on adrenaline I was screaming don’t you do it Kal! And then I read it and then I crashed and my book got confiscated by my husband!

[@richieeskew4145]

The fight between Kadalin and Szeth was so epic. It reminded me of Rand's epic fight at the end of The Great Hunt. The revelation that Syl could become not just a shard blade but other weapons as well was a cool revelation. Kaladin is just plain lethal with a spear in his hand. This is one of the Best Books I have ever read regardless of Genre.

[@mikesbookreviews]

Indeed.

[@hunter_w]

I'm not a fan of love triangles either, but I do think Stormlight's is better than most. In most books (especially YA) the third love interest is thrown in just to add artificial conflict and we always know who the author will to make the protagonist choose. Here the triangle could pan out either way, and because we like all three of the characters it will pack some emotional punch when one of them gets hurt in the end. I still don't love it, but it's at least avoiding typical love triangle pitfalls.

[@Darkkfated]

One of my favorite parts is when Shallan comes strolling in the hallway outside of the meeting between the King and all the Highprinces and she and Kaladin start sniping at each other... and they devolve into tossing literal "yo momma" insults at each other. In a High Fantasy novel. Yo Momma jokes. I can't even and I love that.

[@mikesbookreviews]

It's something that shouldn't work, but I chuckled.

[@abdullahelnaas4473]

When the sword Nightblood is given to Szeth at the end of the book it blew my mind. I never expected a character other than Hoid to be a reoccurring character in the cosmere.

[@jamiem1705]

I finished the book today, and unexpectedly my favorite part is the interlude with Lift. At first, I was somewhat rushing through to get to the next part but over halfway through I began to enjoy the story and would like to read more of her perspective in the future. I feel that things wrapped up a little to nicely, especially when Dalinar becomes a Knight Radiant (not that he doesn't deserve it). I hated that Jasnah died so early in the book and was incredibly happy when it was revealed she wasn't truly dead. She seemed too good to die so soon and so easily. I was surprised by Sadeas's quick and easy death, I expected Sanderson to drag it out because of the nature of his character and how much the reader hungers for revenge, which makes me wonder if he is truly dead. He seems reluctant to let major characters die but I've only read Mistborn and Warbreaker. If he is this opens up the floor for Ialai, who could very well be more dangerous than Sadeas.

[@Rich6_]

There were other recurring characters in the Way of Kings, and there have been many more since

[@ZaidPhyre]

You forgot Zahel/Vasher

[@goldencyclone4984]

I've been using audio books for the series, and the voice they give Nightblood in this book and Oathbringer is fucking hilarious to me

[@Arezoo298195]

The best thing for me about Shallans backstory was that as I was reading it and I saw her almost try to excuse her dads behaviour I was mad at her for it. And then you find out it’s because she feels guilty that she is the cause of his behaviour. Not that she actually is, that excuse only goes so far. But for me that was what made the biggest impact, not that she killed her mom but that her dad trying to be noble and protect her actually turned him into a monster she had to put down in the end. You knew going into this book that she killed her father but damn that lullaby scene... it broke my heart that this father daughter relationship got so broken. 😢

[@Darkkfated]

I know the whole theme of this series is "flawed heroes" or "damaged heroes" but, as much as I mostly like Shallan, it's getting pretty hard to root for her now that I know she murdered BOTH of her parents. Her mom might be excusable - she was a tween and it was self-defense - but the thing with her dad was pre-meditated, cold-blooded murder, no matter how justified. Makes me wonder where her character is going to go in Oathbringer and how much I'll actually care.

[@Arezoo298195]

Darkkfated Premeditated? Only when she was left with no other option. The man had killed his wife and was beating her brother to death. He crossed a line. This was in defence of others. She may have been safe from beatings, probably because he was too scared of her and the blade she has but everyone else was fair game to him. She did the only thing she could do to protect what was left of her family. I can’t really blame her for that.

[@Darkkfated]

@@Arezoo298195 I didn't say he didn't deserve it. He totally did, especially after going so far as to kill his new wife in a fit of rage. But. The fact remains that Shallan had (at least one) plan in place to kill her father with a paralyzing poison... she just didn't know exactly when (or if) she'd have to use it. But she still made concrete, realistic plans to murder her father.

[@Arezoo298195]

Darkkfated Wouldn’t anybody in her place have done the same? She decided to become her brothers caretaker. She knew there might come a time where she couldn’t protect them from him as easily. She tried everything else first so even though she had a contingency plan, if he hadn’t forced her hand she would have never gone through with it. I agree though that once you have done a deed like she has the idea of how far you’re willing to go would change. There would be a lot of things one could excuse by saying it’s not as bad a murdering her father. But I think she still has a good enough heart that for now at least she would do everything else first before resorting to murder.

[@Darkkfated]

@@Arezoo298195 I dunno, for me, this moment put her more in "redeemable villain" territory instead of "flawed hero" territory. If you still love her to death, then great, but I'm getting bad vibes, especially given how she poisoned him, choked him, and nonchalantly sauntered off to her room. No wonder her brothers wanted to send her away for months or years chasing after Jasnah. They were probably all thinking, "First Mom, now Dad.. oh shit, am I next?"

[@coreydinardo5525]

Now that I think of it, I get some strong Bayaz vibes from Taravangian. Also, I too really love Adolin. He doesn't get enough love.

[@nolanschmidt1065]

Dalinar’s moment with the Stormfather was amazing!! You missed that but other than that great review love all your videos

[@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy]

The unfettered joy of a spoiler filled review! This was loads of fun - thanks!

[@DanielSClouser]

Sadeas dying when he did makes sense, given the scope of the series. Sanderson talked about this a little bit on Reddit; although, it was in an annotation on one of the Rhythm of War preview chapters--not for this specific scene. Basically, the stakes are escalating--with Odium's forces being the real antagonists here--and we can't get bogged down with the petty local politics of a Sadeas antagonist. Taravangian is a good human antagonist for now because his political machinations are happening at a different level than Sadeas's. Tying up loose ends with antagonists who are going to bog down the plot, in a series this size, is a good idea, even if it seems a bit abrupt at times. Okay, sure--Sadeas was killed off just like *that*, after 2,000 pages of being an unholy menace that no one could really touch. But imagine if he was still getting in the way of the plot moving forward with some small-minded bullshit 2,000 pages later, when there are airships and Dustbringers lighting stuff on fire and scientific excursions to Shadesmar going on. Better that his end be abrupt than he linger on well past his usefulness to the story.

[@mikesbookreviews]

I get it, I was just surprised. Same as with another big villain death in book 3.

[@Arezoo298195]

Spren = floating emoji 😂😂😂😂

[@dezijames2809]

Szeth and Kaladin's second fight was beyond amazing

[@carlsmith4568]

When Jasnah came back during the epilogue, I remember throwing the book across my room lol. I was so happy

[@timgrasak7673]

Definitely my favorite book in the series so far. Fantastic fight scenes, great character arcs, brilliant foreshadowing. Whats not to love. Great video Mike, look forward to Oathbringer spoiler next week.

[@RubenRodriguez-co9jx]

I remember reading the Kaladin/Shallan scenes and thinking SPOILERS!!! "oh shit! Oh f**k! It was her brother! He killed her brother!"

[@mikesbookreviews]

Yeah that was a holy shit

[@meritreads90]

I just finished this book today, and I honestly think Moash will be the next antagonist in Oathbringer. I got bad vibes from him from the very beginning. I believe he will definitely be a problem and we will see him kill someone with his shard blade in book 3. *please don’t spoil me*

[@michaelbattaini2874]

“I will protect those I hate”… Syl’s return. Goosebumps.

[@BamadeusTTV]

FR though that Sadeas scene had me SHOUTING! As that scene progressed I was annoyed. thinking "are we really doing this again in book 3...?" and then Adolin just skipped a book all in one moment! It felt so *huge*!

[@madisongoodyear5040]

Find someone who makes you as happy as WOR makes Mike 🥰

[@mikesbookreviews]

There’s a handful.

[@patsmythos]

While the 1v4 fight was awesome, my favorite scene has to be the first fight of Szeth vs. Kaladin. I don't know if a scene in a book has ever made my heart beat so fast. It comes on pretty unexpectedly, and the way Kaladin freaks out Szeth by the end, forcing him to give up, was just so satisfying. I actually liked it better than their second fight, which was a much more superhero-ish battle in the sky and felt kinda blah.

[@makemyday4881]

I thought I was the only one but I agree. I just finished reading it.

[@goldencyclone4984]

It's the mark of a good writer when I can love a character so much while still wanting to wring their goddamn neck. There were several points while reading where I wanted to smack Kaladin upside the head but every moment felt natural for him and his character. Even when I wanted to scream at him that of course Dalinar didn't take his word when he tells the man that one of his closest comrades is a shitheel, I still loved him. I just wanted him to find the right path.

[@lathspell87]

Disagree... "Kaladin, stretch forth thy hand!" Best moment in the series. It's almost as awesome on subsequent read throughs. However, the first time you read it, you had no idea that was where Shardblades comes from. Made my jaw drop.

[@henrywayne5724]

Wait, guys literally believed Jasnah was dead?! I don’t know if it was because of I listened to the graphic audio, or because I’ve seen many fake deaths, but I always knew there was NO way Jasnah was dead. She just seemed so powerful, plus she had the Prologue. I loved this book’s interludes, I think they were tied really well with the main plot and how generally all the interludes were connected in some way. The Lahn interlude was connected with Elhokar, Jasnah and the Queen. The prologue was all about Jasnah trying to murder the queen. At this point, I kinda understand Jasnah more and her obvious hatred towards ardents. Plus the riots...I hope we see Elhokar’s wife in Oathbringer. She really seems like a major player in all this. If Jasnah wants you dead, then you are involved in something big. Plus that chapter really describes most world governments accurately. Taravangian’s interlude tied in with Szeth, then we see a connection with Graves and Moash. I also wonder what Taravangian’s endgame really is. Zahel is such an enigma, interested to see more of him. Plus the Zahel and Kaladin interaction is awesome. The Herald Of Justice is connected to Szeth, Lift, and that interlude guy whose name has two consonants. The Eshonai interludes. At this point, I have to praise Eshonai’s voice actor in the graphic audio for portraying her downward spiral into tyranny. I went from not caring much about Eshonai to downright fearing her in a heartbeat, yet she had so very few chapters. Another thing the graphic audio did well was the Parshendi songs, especially that final song in Narak. It just added to the tension and how as soon as they finished that song, all hell would break loose. I kinda suspected that Shallan killed her mom, from her very first flashback, red carpet once white, mother’s soul. How she viewed herself as a monster. Father carrying her to bed singing that lullaby, part where she killed her dad, and sang that SAME lullaby, no, that was just too much for me. How her family fell apart and she’s trying to fix up her family because she believes it’s her fault. God! I really cried during Shallan’s flashbacks. They were just so heartbreaking. The graphic audio performances were amazing, I listened to the whole of Part 5 on them, the way the scenes were transitioning from Shallan, Kaladin, Adolin, Dalinar, then Szeth! it was just fantastic. And the final battle sequences, so much was happening in those chapters yet it seemed like they were just a couple of pages. I love the structure Sanderson used where we go from the main activity on the Shattered Plains, then we go back to Kaladin in the war camps, and while there is external tension in he plains, the conflict with Kal is internal, and it just ties in really well. Speaking of which: We need an Elhokar interlude, when he opened up to Kaladin, a man of low rank, and told him his insecurities and even asked him for help, then remembering his paranoia in TWOK. The man just can’t seem to get a break. It doesn’t help that he’s married a corrupt woman and Dalinar isn’t making matters better with essentially being the king. I loved how Kaladin used the imagery of Fleet to advise him, and how he stood up to Moash and saved him. It was just perfect. Elhokar deserves better.

[@nickdawson5157]

Best intro to one of your videos yet my friend

[@mikesbookreviews]

Any time I can use a toy sword in a video, it’s going to happen.

[@sjkrum320]

Great video! I loved this book too. When Kal started running off at the mouth at that duel, I face palmed so hard. But, I felt like it helped build everything that happened later with Miash. And when Sadius got what he deserved, I loved it!!!

[@briangallagher3106]

That opening.... So funny. You just made my morning.

[@alexmart3931]

Sadeus getting it right in the eye from Adolin was surealy satisfying, I had to read it a few times to be sure I read what I read. Also, Nightblood's appearance was HYPE, and Zeth gets it!!

[@bruh-zy1dp]

Warbreaker was the first cosmere book I read (because free) and oh my god. When Zahel showed up, all I needed to hear was the clothing held together with ropes, and I realised who it was, I realised that this was Warbreaker The Peaceful I was actually screaming when I realised that it was Vasher. And the first thing he did was dropping the shardblade during his spar with kaladin, which is the most Vasher thing he could have done in three pages after being introduced.

[@MrSean24601]

I read Jasnah‘s “death” scene many times. I knew she wasn’t really dead, because we never actually saw her die. So for me it was just a matter of when she would turn back up.

[@safinan8008]

Massive fan of Brandon Sanderson 😊😊😊 have a great reading weekend!!

[@odiums_taint]

g’morning mike! thanks for the upload

[@RidleyJones]

With how amazing Kaladin is, it's easy to forget he's still a very young man. There were some nice moments that showed he still has some growing up to do despite all his experiences.

[@coltseavers6298]

You left out the third major death in this book. And MY favorite character! _Sylphrena._

[@Sosroseno]

That fight scene between Kaladin and Szeth was so. friggin. cool.

[@funguykel]

Just finished The Way of Kings before watching your spoiler alert. Found the book confusing at times but your spoilers helped clarify the characters and storyline. Now I will watch your spoiler alert before reading Words of Radiance. I think it will help me to better understand what is happening.

[@eshaanagarwal6081]

I love how you already have the thumbnails for the next few videos ready.

[@mikesbookreviews]

Always be prepared.

[@locolima279]

I'll take some Kaladin/Jasnah.

[@SourceNinjaOne]

Kaladin/Syl is still an option in the back of my mind, not even sure if such a thing is possible tbh but it sounds nice to me

[@delphy2478]

i don't find this likely, their personalities would clash way too much

[@locolima279]

@@delphy2478 Nah, opposites attract. Besides, when Kal gets moody, she can tell him to STFU.

[@delphy2478]

@@locolima279 when people use this argument in regards to relationships it really scares me. because actual relationships are build on empathy for the other person and having shared/common goals or interests. they don't need be identical people, but they have to have common ground to build a relationship from. saying 'opposites attract'is basically completely wrong. If you have a very outgoing, active and sporty person and a very quiet, introspective, introvert who likes to read, the outgoing person will find the second boring and constantly try to bring them to social events, while the second will find them tiresome and annoying. opposites repel. differences in personality can strengthen a relationship, but being 'opposites' will destroy it. kalladin is very active and proactive, trying to help people and be prepared. Jasnah is pretty close to being a sociopath, she basically doesn't care about anyone unless she can see that they have usefulness to her to give them value, if kalladin wanted to go save someone, jasnah would be opposed to it simply on the basis that they weren't important and kalladin was important and shouldn't put himself at risk for random people, and they'd never find any middle ground on it. Jasnah is an elsecaller, and brandon has described them as being the most Machiavellian, and that is something kalladin will never agree on or understand.

[@locolima279]

@@delphy2478 it's just a story, bro.

[@joshuamoore6818]

I think the best parts of this book is the interaction or our main characters and there development. That said there is the slow revelation of characters from the cosmere being reveled in the stormlight archives and what is there roll here. We have wit, we have people from Warbreaker, Mistborn, White Sand and others yet to be known. What is there relation with the Ghost blood?

[@CrapSandviche]

So excited to see you at the Bearded Fox this weekend

[@mikesbookreviews]

I’ll be there!

[@21greg7]

I didn’t mind the flirting with Kaladin as it was mainly the Veil personality not the true? Shallon

[@muhammadhashir6136]

Bin waitin' for thees for some time hommie. U doin good shiz here me mayin. That was a gimmick, I talk like normal people

[@juscallmeehx]

Spren being more than floating emojis. LMAO.

[@oakenmw]

I just finished WoR and one of my favorite moments that hasnt had as much light shown on is in adolin's first duel and in his monologue he says "It's not time for a show. It's time for a beating." as he proceeds to destroy his opponent in seconds. It was so satisfying.

[@brownierage1116]

I am getting caught up on this and just got done ready WoR. I know everyone loves the "Honor is dead" line but for me, the best line comes from Adolin... "My father thinks I'm a better man than he is. Unfortunately for you, he's wrong." - That is some of the coldest shit anyone could say before stabbing someone in the eye 0.0

[@Nobodie92]

This book was great! You reacted the exact way I did when Sadeas got rekt. Some real highs in this book. Especially when Amaram gets called out for the traitor he is. Pretty based Dalinar coming through for Kalidan. Adolin really shown through also and his arc was great. Szeth and Kalidan squaring off like a freaking Michael Bay movie was fun to. Couple issues however...they spent way to much time focusing on the fact that Kaladin wanted to keep secret he was a radiant only for him just to be paranoid in the end. Same goes for Shallan. The fact that this book focused on them coming into their own and keeping it secret for such a long portion with 0 negative consequences only for them to be hailed at the end kinda pointless. Also Kalidan buying into Moash' plan to assassinate the king was very out of character for him I thought.

[@ErikGuin]

Ive been waiting to finish WOR to watch this and I gotta say, i just read Sadeas death scene 10 mins ago and the opening of this video made me luagh so hard! Thats exactly how i felt when i read it!!! But, Dalinars moment of calling Amaram out and holds the blade to his neck, explaining how he knows of his selfish deeds was another great Dalinar moment! So many great moments in this book! Loved it!

[@Existomalus]

When I read that Jasnah died I told myself, partly in denial, but also in skepticism, that there was no fucking way that this important ass character got axed right in the beginning of this epic series (I felt this way about a certain character in the Wheel of Time series as well. Anyone who knows, knows). Just didn't make sense to me to do that. So I held on to that for the whole book. Little things here and there caught my attention to give my thinking justification, and lo and behold it happened. She didn't die. I was so thrilled, but half expected it as well. I didn't know if it would be revealed this book or further down the line, but I'm happy I got my moment regardless.

[@rumi885]

Yeah this book is FULL of favourite moments! so awesome!

[@jimmyallen8210]

I am all about “that one moment” in every story. Can you please do a spoiler video for Edgedancer? There is that great “moment” at the end of that one. What a hug.

[@mikesbookreviews]

Uhh I probably won’t be doing a video for it (Ugh, Lift), but I’ll bring up some in the OB spoiler talk.

[@k.b.peterson8022]

I like that Sadeas got killed too soon. I don't know, I just enjoy it when a character's plans or development is cut short because that's just what happens in life. And Sadeas having this grand master plan being cut off so soon by being killed makes that much better for me because, again, that's life...never know when you might die or be killed.

[@macs3304]

Adolin telling Shallan he’s shat himself 3 times in his Shardplate is the funniest thing I’ve ever read

[@Lim_Jahey]

You gotta do a live chat where we can discuss all 3 books and personal theories for rhythm of war or certain things that went down in all 3 books .... cause me an my boys are not short in the possibilities for where we have been and are going

[@wheelchazeal8089]

Hahahahaha! That intro!!! I got three of those master swords at home for my boys. I was totally expecting to hate Adolin in the beginning of this series. That Sadeas Eye ball knifing made me jump up and down man. I was expecting him to be a huge pain in the ass the whole first 5 books. Hell yes Adolin!!! On it being too soon I think I like it. It subverts expectations. Though I’m only two books in so we’ll see

[@alexlane125]

In regards to Shallan, I remember finishing this book and thinking "Ok, so if trama opens you up to becoming a knight radiant, your 3rd ideal gives you a blade(theory), and shallan killed her mom as a small child, what the heck worse thing did she go through? I thought she was in a happy family prior to that. Unless her order gets a blade sooner, what dramatic moments will kid shallan have to speak 3 different ideals. Wouldnt it be wild if we got to see shallans family from another perspective and find out shallan is an unreliable narrator. Probably wont go there, but that would be intense revelation for rereads. Brando is the best at hiding threads like that that stick out on rereads.

[@nasteho6614]

'normal' ? wasn't one of her brothers pulling the legs of an unfortunate creature in Way of Kings? I was willing to ride with whole stealing the soul caster thing as a desperate situation thing but after that scene with her brother I was like oh this is screwed up beyond belief kinda of fam

[@hakonfreyrgunnarsson6772]

This is actually supported/hinted at heavily in one of the RoW preview chapters over on Tor.com

[@xybecthegreat42q]

Aodlin 4 v 1 fight was great and all but how dare you not think the boots scene wasn’t the best. I’m grabbing my other set of pitchforks and torches

[@pappelfratze]

I think Kaladin killing Sadeas is great - despite a "big villain" that was set up being done in in moments. It's so great because that exactly is so real. It makes sense and just because Sadeas was build up, Sanderson does not hold back. Also, the story of Sadeas was kind of told I think if I am honest.

[@seanhalpin246]

Missed the final fight, and I wanted to see what you had to say about it!

[@The92Waffles]

Oh my God I've been pronouncing Jasnah's name "Jazz-nah" this whole time. Good video though. These books are so long I need refreshers and discussions like this to remember certain highlights

[@Merrick]

No mention of Dalinar bonding the Stormfather himself not surprised, the last pages of this seemed so rushed, after waiting for the big Shallan reveal, waiting for the Renarin reveal, waiting for the Jasnah reveal (which i think never came in this one?) this major plot point gets lost

[@renzodm6203]

Jasnah was is this one aswell

[@Terrorain]

My fav moment from the book is kaladin speaking the 3rd ideal, 1v4 fight scene close second.

[@dillonpatterson4310]

Its adolin he didn't have a freaking plan when he killed sadeas lol

[@mikesbookreviews]

And god bless him.

[@zapzya]

If you thought Sadeas dropped out too quickly, there is a chance for him to come back as a cognitive shadow.

[@mikesbookreviews]

Or flashbacks.

[@alec187]

I loved it when sadeas died. Before that I knew he had to die at some point but I did not think he was gonna die in this book... then BOOM right in the eyeball!! 😆

[@meesironman]

I ran to this review after Sadeas got got. I knew it would be hilarious and I also very much do not want to see a love triangle.

[@locolima279]

Best intro

[@donaldcreech7782]

I just finished and it was awesome!!!!! Is it essential to read Edgedancer next or can I jump straight to Oathbringer?

[@laurenjohnson5941]

I just finished Words of Radiance! On Sadeas’s death, I was shocked because, yeah, he seemed really set up to be this big bad. But I think his wife, Ialai I think her name is? Was also set up to be very capable. I might be wrong but I think she’ll be pissed. I can’t wait to get the third book 😭 but tomorrow I gotta fix a flat tire, RIP me Also 😂 I’m the opposite with the Luke-Leia-Han thing, I just want Shallan and Adolin to be friends. It feels like they just immediately gravitate to each other bc they’re kind of ushered into it, and they definitely love each other, but 😭 platonic besties, man Shallan was so willing to be emotionally honest with Kaladin when they were in the chasms, and I think they had the funniest scenes. 🥺

[@delphy2478]

you mentioned giving Kalladin a different romance. i'm of the opinion that there's about a 5% chance Syl ends up developing to the point that she and he can actually have romantic feelings (even if it cannot be physical), a 25% chance Kalladin and Eshonai end up being romantically linked, and 70% change Kalladin pulls a Vin and ends up either dying in an epic manor in book 5, or in some other way is removed form roshar, like becoming a new herald and being banished to briaze or something, with no romance at all also, the reason that i personally dislike shallan is mostly that i find her personality very annoying. i've read so many books where a main character is given great power and they spend all their time hiding from it and running away from it and complaining about it, and shallan basically spends 2.5 books doing the same thing, and it just irritates me so much. like kalladin and dalinar have to grow and work at it to achieve their powers, shallan is just given it for nothing, then complains about it and hides from it for ages

[@jlwhalen877]

To be fair, she's been a proto-radiant longer than any other pov character and her running from it is based on the devastation that fact caused her and her family.

[@delphy2478]

@@jlwhalen877 i wasn't trying to say that her character didn't make sense, just that her character is a type that i despise reading about in books

[@maggiebyrne7656]

Floating emojis.....awesome !

[@Jelorm2]

Sadeas dying was so soothing 🤤

[@MishaSalnikov]

I got triggered by your "turn it into forum" message by the end. There is an awesome app just for that, Byzans. Literally the forum with chat rooms for books, and it's divided into areas with different levels of spoilers allowed. You should check it out, I got so much fun talking to people there. Especially John Flemming (hi, John!)

[@mikesbookreviews]

I use the channel Discord for that.

[@MishaSalnikov]

@@mikesbookreviews Lucky you) I had to literally go to my every friend trying to sell them on at least some books I'm reading so I have someone to discuss it with. And actually, this very video was shared in Byzans recently ;)

[@bergy4367]

I remember when I first read this book and Adolin killed Sadeas I literally said HOLY SHIT out loud lol.

[@tadious9415]

I think with Sadeas he was an early villain, that's a man but nothing supernatural about him, which shifted to Amaram who is slightly supernatural, which is going to give way to the bigger bads like Odium and the Fused taking the lead villain role in books 4-5. Sadeas was a great villain you love to hate, but once everything in book 3 happened he is just too small time to matter really if he was a problem any of the radiants could've easily gotten rid of him.

[@jjmayank]

"Come on man not even Joe Abercrombie does this" Will be my pitch to my friends to get them into stormlight

[@MrHyperBonez]

I am a stick (favorite part)

[@lis5708]

Lol

[@PerfectCell9]

Oathbringer is my least favourite too..that being said it is an excellent book lol so the worst so far is still a 4 out of 5 for me 🤷🏻‍♂️ cannot and will not complain about that 😅

[@AikenFrost]

What makes you like Oathbringer less than the others? Not judging, just curious because it is BY FAR my favorite!

[@mikesbookreviews]

Agree. If that’s the worst Sando can give us this series is going to be an all timer.

[@PerfectCell9]

AikenFrost tbh .. shadesmar , just seemed to drag on a bit and Kaladin is kind of a crybaby the whole time lol great book overall and the climax is phenomenal

[@AikenFrost]

@@PerfectCell9 Ah, I get what you mean. I actually like the part in Shadesmar a lot and Kaladin was WAAAAAY better to me than in WoR... But I started a re-read of the series, so my perspective might change!

[@thethreebears1]

Hahahahahahhaa. Love the intro. How shocking was it!!!

[@mirzunayedali1724]

I find WOK and WOR way too funny for a personal reason, something i haven't seen anyone really mention. After all this talk about voidbringers, them being horrible monsters, being like ash and fire, eyes like magma, all that build up to see that the big villains in the series were...... black people?! So when Shallan realised this at the end of book 1 near the end that parshmen could turn around and kill them all I kind of burst out laughing. And throughout the second book throughout the end plataeu battle i had this at the back of my mind and it painted the seriousness of the situation in a pretty different colour - but I welcomed the irony. I wonder how this series would have done if it was first released like after 2020.

[@cathsaigh2197]

Komrade Moash will rise again!

[@absolutedesi5899]

Spoiler Also the chapter where adolin kills Sadeas. It's so satisfying to see that Sadeas, after all his careful planning, maneuvering and politicking still ended up dead with a knife in his head

[@jaredpoulter6762]

Best intro ever! Hahahaha

[@mikesbookreviews]

Impossible to hide that jubilation.

[@codyt.346]

Hi Mike! If you had a friend that you work with who is in love with Stephen King's books (he revisits King's books in a rotation year after year), how would You pitch The Stormlight Archives? I've dove into Stephen King's books recently. Obviously the highs are high and lows are low with King's works... Sanderson's works are more lighthearted and could be classified as pulpie compared to King's works. It may make for an interesting video discussion topic. Thx!

[@codyt.346]

Keep up the great work!

[@mikesbookreviews]

Not really certain how to sell this series to a King fan.

[@stebeardX]

Good stuff mike... i hate love triangles, so hoping its not. cheers

[@shawn4white]

Hey guys just finished Words of Radiance Spoilers - - - - - - - - - - - - - Firstly, enjoyed it a lot more than Way of Kings Second half of the book was a real page turner couldn’t get enough Some thoughts 1. Right when that ship sank I kinda figured Jasnah wasn’t really dead, Shallan and everyone thought so but I knew Brandon wasn’t just gonna Boba Fett Jasnah like that 2. Wow, I wasn’t a big fan of Shallan in the first book, but character really grew and has some great moments in this book, interesting back story. Both her parents still shitty. Want to see the full extent of her powers in the books to come. 3 Kaladin seems to be everyone’s favourite but he was a bit of a whiny asshole in this book, like come on dude you’re a Jedi knights radiant now why you gotta be soy coy and unwilling, even Syl got tired of your whiny ass. Still had some absolute badass moments though, when he saves Dalinar and the king in the palace from Szeth, and when he kicked szeth ass at the end pretty badass. 4. Dalinar by far still my favourite character in this series, just a cool dad trying to do what’s right for his kingdom, felt like he was hardly in this book compared to Kal and Shallan. 5. I wanted szeth to kill more kings, I thought he was gonna start just randomly kill people after he fought kaladin but I guess not. Want to know more about his background. 6. Adolin murdering Sadeas nice … nice haha I thought Sadeas was kinda cool sly villain but didn’t expect Adolin to just straight up kill the guy

[@nelsonlim7934]

Despite everything, I still think Sadeas didn't deserve to die that way...

[@mikesbookreviews]

You have a kinder heart than I.

[@dongoul]

He probably making for more evil villains

[@carlsmith4568]

Is Taravangian the villain of this series? ...... After RoW, this is a hilarious insight

[@IbbyMelbourne]

I think sanderson always intended Ialai to be a bigger antagonist

[@calista3371]

See, I love Jasnah. I couldn't believe it when she was gone. My problem is, I hate Shallan. I can't stand her. She does grow on me a little bit when she and Kaladan are in the chasms surviving the storm, but still, I don't like her. The first part of the book was difficult for me to get through because of all the Shallan story as she makes her way to the shattered plains. I almost stopped. I also don't like Andolin. There wasn't enough Dalinar in this story. Still, the ending was amazing and it kept me excited for the coming story. The story only gets bigger as it goes. I do feel like it's so big it's starting to spiral and I don't know if Brandon is losing control of it or not.

[@ashleyholbird4287]

My favorite part was finding out kaladin killed helarin.

[@umangu2466]

I Think Sadeas' death was 1 and a half books late. 😂 Hate that man..! But on a serious note yeah it would have been more fun to hate him a bit more..😉

[@ritterbrown5474]

Then again, you can get more Sadeas hate in future flashbacks

[@nasteho6614]

I hated that little mongrel the second he graced the page. But we have smiling hyena amaram so there is still plenty to hate