[Abyss]

heehee... the humans were the monsters the entire time....

[Abyss]

Finished the earbook last week but wanted to reread some parts... let's move along...

I enjoyed this book. It was a solid entry in the series, and if it did not have quite the novelty or wow factor of PATH and WORDS, it did a lot to advance the overall story, had some fun world and cosmere developments, and held my attention right through. Was worth the money. The last 100 pages or so were pure epic fantasy crack and i listened to it twice then read it again. Brandon does epic SO MUCH EPICNESS.

PROLOGUE - Wow. Gavilar. You dick. Flat out telling the Parshmen he plans to bring back their evil horrible dominating gods... like that won't cause them to do exactly what they did. Which seems to have been the point, tho it seems Gav didn't think they would go for him directly. Taravangian denies having plaed Szeth with the Parshmen, so i have to wonder just who did prompt that turn of events.


DALINAR - i enjoyed Dalinar's parts of this book. The flashbacks were particularly interesting... we knew he was a badass, but didn't know just how bad, and how much of an ass. Evi... that was predictable, but suitably awful even so. I liked his evolution to politician, and how badly it actually went until he realized who and how he needed to lead - the Radiants, not the rulers.

KAL - gods, it's like Brandon needs to find something for Kal wo ceaselessly whine about every book. This time we got 'wah the lighteyes are all bad oh wait no they aren't waaah' along with some approximation of manic-depression. That aside, when he wasn't whining, Kal was glorious epic fantasy. Every time he powered up and threw down was a treat. Against the Fused, and especially against Ameram... damn those were fun. His trip home, his interactions with Adolin and Shallan and esp Sil... honestly when he's not whining he's one of my favorite parts of the book.

ADOLIN - ...came a looooong way in this book. I enjoyed his POVs, esp in Shademaar where he didn't have use of his sword. And yes, his sword-spren-deadeye jumping a Fused to save him was predictable as fuck and STILL AWESOME. Am still waiting for the boot to drop on his murdering Sadeas tho'. His interactions with the rest of the cast were also strong, esp the little asides with Skar and Leahy.

SHALLAN - I like the multiple personalty plotline. I do not like her angsting about it. I did enjoy her starting to cultivate her own group of Squires who are basically spies and criminals.

JASNAH - great character. We didn't see much of her but what we did (THAT FINALE!) just makes me want more. I really did think she was going to cut Renarin's head off for a minute there.

LIFT - stole every single scene she was in. I so love this character.

SZETH - so many interesting developments here... his induction but departure from the Skybreakers, his interactions with Nin, his interactions with Nightblood (who gets all the best lines), the revenlation that his people hold 8 Honor Blades and he's trained with all of them, and ultimately his swearing to Dalinar. A part of me doesn't like his joining the goodguys because he was a great badguy, but it does make sense.

AZURE/VIV - i was not expecting the amount of WARBREAKER refs, but even so it worked, and i hope we see her again. I'd like to find our how she went from Vasher's sidekick to tripping across the Cosmere.

TARAVANGIEN - Despite how much i like the concept of the Diagram, I only liked, did not love his segments. It seemed like we did not see/learn much new stuff until the very end when he throws in with Odium. I did like the bit where his brilliant/future self tells his present/stupid self what to say there tho. That was a nice twist and i wish we had more of that, less base scheming.

MOASH - Enjoyed his segments. The run from rebel shardbearer to slave to kingkiller to Odium's radiant... yeah, that was well done.

TEFT - the drug addition angle wasn't all that novel, but i liked how he struggled against becoming a radiant before accepting the role when the city was in danger.


More later.

[Abyss]

Hey Brandon.... if you're reading, I really really REALLY wouldn't mind reading the story of how Skar and Drehy and Shallan's sidekicks rescued the prince and got the hell out of Alethkar.

[Tsundoku]

I keep reading it as Urethra.

[Maark Abbott]

Tsundoku, on 07 March 2018 - 11:35 AM, said:

I keep reading it as Urethra.

You're thinking of Golgotterath there because

BAKKER SPOILER

Spoiler

to an Inchoroi, the urethra is a valid hole

This post has been edited by Abyss: 19 March 2018 - 03:29 PM

[Abyss]

Maark Abbott, on 19 March 2018 - 08:53 AM, said:

Tsundoku, on 07 March 2018 - 11:35 AM, said:

I keep reading it as Urethra.

You're thinking of Golgotterath there because


BAKKER SPOILER

Spoiler

to an Inchoroi, the urethra is a valid hole

Bakker spoiler

Spoiler

So is an ear.

Spoiler

Gives a whole new definition to 'mind-fuck'.

[Cause]

I'd say more important that dalkinar is bonding the storm father real good is that it works both ways.

The stormfather early on says that he understands why the human heralds broke their paths and that he could almost forgive them. Before as a a splinter of honour it was black and white.

[QuickTidal]

Not reading too much of the thread, but I just entered Part 3 and I'm solidly enjoying this now after being really non-plussed and bored for MOST of Part 2.

That convo with Odium tho...awesome.

Also, Lift talking about Dalinar's tight butt and how he can't be trusted because of that...I admit I laughed uproariously.

[Abyss]

I am the Bachelorette, on 04 June 2018 - 07:12 PM, said:

I wouldn't read any of it. There's untagged stuff in here.

Seconded QT, you be warneded.

[QuickTidal]

Oh fuck me...Hi Vivenna!!!!!! When did Vivenna become a goddamned Worldhopper? Amazing, as a big WARBREAKER fan, this is awesome.

[Abyss]

Whereas I disliked WB and am content not to revisit.

[QuickTidal]

I am the Bachelorette, on 06 June 2018 - 05:06 AM, said:

Yep WB2 will hopefully shed light on her and Vasher’s becoming worldhoppers and I’m still bummed we didn’t get a Nalthis story in Arcanum.

SWEET! Man, that's one of my favourite Sanderson books.

Abyss, on 06 June 2018 - 12:10 PM, said:

Whereas I disliked WB and am content not to revisit.

That's okay heathen man, you're welcome to be wrong it's all good

--------------

Oh man, so I just reached THAT chapter. Dalinar. That's fucking heartbreaking.

Also, I largely skim the Veil chapters...because they are SO boring. The Shallan chapters are fine, but I just can't BUY her when she's Veil....it all feel so fake!

This post has been edited by QuickTidal: 06 June 2018 - 12:42 PM

[QuickTidal]

Okay, Part 3 ending was BLEAK, but awesome.

But Part 4....Szeth bantering/dealing with Nightblood is my everything. Just waiting for Vasher to show up and I'll have all three of the best parts of WARBREAKER in a goddamned Stormlight book! This. Is. Awesome!

I'm sorry I took so long to get back to this. There's been some filler in the last few hundred pages for sure, but a lot of it was poignantly done so it didn't bother me much...overall this book is every bit as excellent I'd hoped it would be...it seems like Part 2 was my only stumble...everything else has been cream.

This post has been edited by QuickTidal: 07 June 2018 - 12:26 PM

[Cause]

QuickTidal, on 06 June 2018 - 02:22 AM, said:

Oh fuck me...Hi Vivenna!!!!!! When did Vivenna become a goddamned Worldhopper? Amazing, as a big WARBREAKER fan, this is awesome.

????????????

Big Warbreaker fan? How is this possible!

Out of curiosity what were the 3 big moments? I cant remember one awesome moment in the whole novel.

[End of Disc One]

I loved the Szeth chapters in part 4. I wish he and Jasnah would have gotten more screen time in favor of Shallan.

[QuickTidal]

Finished…fuuuuuuuuck. That last few hundred pages were EPIC!

Lift is easily the best character in this series by far...followed by Azure/Viv.

It’s a solid book, and I enjoyed at least 70% of it...but there is a good 30% full on filler that juddered me to a stop often.

And I agree with BK...Shallan is a horrible POV to follow. Ugh.

Lots of crazy developments to the series arc.

I’m with Abyss on the Kholinar battle/action sequence...fucking phenomenal.

Shadesmar was fine, but. But dragged out.

But that finale....sweet fucking zombie Jesus....soooooooo good!