#cosmere reading

[queen-kassiopeia-the-5th]

Hoid is trying his best to involve himself in Mistron Era 2 plot. He's been Wax's coachman/driver for over eight years (since Shadows of Self, at least, when Wayne jumps onto the carriage and Wax talks to Harmony). He clearly wants to be involved with the plot - he gave Wax the coin dressed as a beggar. Dude even goes to a police sting!

And none of it works!

Every aingle time he's like: "Master Ladrian, your ride."

And Wax just goes: "Good man, but I gotta take the highway" and uses the car/carriage as a launch ped to steal push from.

Poor Hoid. He even put on a uniform for him and everything...

[queen-kassiopeia-the-5th]

The Sunlit man takes time I'd say about 100 years after the Stoemlight Archives. Sigzil said he's older than the Greater Good, and that space exploration had developed in the last century. So, here's what we know about will happen in Wind and Truth:

1. Kaladin lives, or at least didn't die tragically. Sig clearly misses him, and Wit uses this to force him to talk. But Wit wouldn't have pretended to be Kaldin (even if just from the back, wearimg a uniform and making the air smell of Horneater stew) is Kal was dead. It's desecration of his memory. Sig would alsp have lashed out at him if he baited him with an image of Kaladin if he was dead. Also, in chapter 32 of Sunlit Man, Sigzil says: "Same can be said of the storm on my homeland [...] But I know someome who survived it, then inspired the whole host of us to do the same." Bradon is particular with language, so I don't think it's a slip up. Know is present tense.

2. Some people from bridge four are alive and probably well. Sigzil says he's avoiding Roshar to protect the people "that love him". It can be that this is so far in the future that those is a completely different generation of people, considering that years would move differently on different planets (and if we assume the existance of time space relativity, that tome moves more slowely around heavier objects). but as per point 1, I think this can mean bridge four/Urithru gang did survive and are old, or that Radiants can live longer than regular humans.

3. The Highstorm still exists on Roshar. This can mean a whole variety of things. That Dalinar won, that he became Odium's champion without dying, that Dalinar died without breakin his oaths so the Stormfather lives, that the Stormfather did die but the storm got somehow restarted. But it still exists! So the ecosystem on Roshar can still thrive.

4. Something bad is going to haplen to the Windrunners. Sig is referencing several times that he doesn't want to be in possitions of command because of what happened, and at one point, Auxillary comforts that whatever happened wasn't his fault. It can be that it happened during Stormlight Era 2, which is 15 years after era 1, but as things are shaping up in ROW...

He'd lost his honorspren, maybe even by breaking the oaths, though Aux keeps repeating that it wasn't his fault, so maybe not? He bound a highspren in Shadesmar later, and doesn't seem to have acess to a Shardblade of his deas honorspren, suggesting it was desteoyed. Was there a mass attack of Fused armed with anti-Stormlight? Was it Ishar drawing Spren into the Physical Realm where they died or were killed?

5. There is some sort of inner cosmere conflict going on. Sigzil invokes a code of Conduct when seeking access from the Sacdrians, meaning there is some Geneva convention equvalent in place. He also says there is an arms race between all developed planets. This might be a cold war senario or a suspended war between planets. Both Roshar and Scadriel still have their powers meaning some form of Honor/Stormlight and Harmony still exist. Is it just the natural progresaion of discovering the cosmere? Is it a resault of Autonomy and Odium trying to mess with other shards?

[queen-kassiopeia-the-5th]

I love the covers for the Stomlight books and I think they're gorgeous, but man, then never align with the characters whose backstoey we're getring throught the book. Way of Kings? Kaladin's flashbacks and Dalinar and Eshonai on the cover. Words of Radiance? Shallan's flashbacks, Kaladin and Szeth on the cover (though one cover has also Shallan on it, which is good). Oathbringer? Dalinar and Jasnah on the cover. Rythm of War? Shallan and Adolin on the cover, Venli's amd Eshonai's backstory (which I think added nothing at all to the plot).

[queen-kassiopeia-the-5th]

So. I've just finished readimg all of the cosmere books, so here are some of my (personal) opinions. Let me know yours!

Favorite Book(s):

1. The Final Empire - Got me into the cosmere (even though Elnatris was the first Sanderson book I ever read)

2. Words of Radiance - Favorite Stormlight book

3. Tress of the Emerald Sea

Least favorite Book(s):

Rythm of War

Favorite Novella:

Edgedancer

Least Favorite Novella:

Mistborn the Secret History. A little too disjointed writing for my liking.

Favorite Character(s):

1. Kelsier - He got me inveated in the Final Empire in the first place. I also don't think his actions during that book are wrong. In my opinion, a drastic change of social norms and millenia of abuse and exploitation can only happen only thrpugh complete obliteration. I never understood how him targeting and killing nobles, complete and utter selfish villians who never chnaged their ways (we see them keeping the same patterns that kept them in power in A Well of Assention and Hero of Ages, and even still in Era 2). Him being a "con man" is also not really how I see it. His actions inspired they drive needed for Skaa and Vin to fight, both agains tge Rold Ruler and Ruin. He also kept on fighting and helping from the afterlife.

He (and all Scadrians) are being fashined into villians, as Thaidakar, even though the Ghostbloods protect Scadriel, where Harmony really couldn't. In mnay cases I agree with his idiologies, and if I had his powers, I too would strike down amyone in my way and thpse who threated those I care about. Also him suddently not caring for Marsh, when in Final Empire we saw they had a straine dyet loving brotherly relationship... But he will always live as Kelsier Final Empire in my mind and I love him.

2. Wayne!!!

3. Dalinar - Yes, parts of his actions annoy me, but he's the sort of character I gravitate towards. Also the ending of Oathbringer is *chefs kiss*. [For those asking, I love Kaladin, and want to give him the world, but he's a tad too idealistic for me, and our moral compasses don't align. I love his development and goign through all his struggles and uplifting those around him, but I disaagree with some of his actions, he's too clean cut for me]

Honorable mention - Hoid!!! He doesn't show up too much, but he's a delight when he's on page. So glad he inserted himself into the plot of Stormlight so we can see his full powers.

Powers I'd Most like to Have:

Allomancy. I work with metals on the daily (material science engeneer). I'd take only one sort of allomancy or feruchemy, too. Maybe only pewter, for an energy boost during the day, or a coppermind. Don't want to bond a Spren as fun as it sounds. My moral compass doesn't seem to align with amy of them, and I don't want the guild of killing one in breaking an oath. Also I'm not altruistic enough to be a Radiant. But yeah, all magic systems are cool and it's hard to pick only one that I'd want [*cough* *cough* Hemallurgy *cough*]

World I'd Most like to Live In:

Scadriel post catacendre and maybe Sel, now that the Reod is undone.

Group of People I'd like to Hang Out With:

The Wax and Wayne gang! Get me all the Kandra, Steris, Marasi, Allik, Renette and her wife. We're getting wasted! (And Steris has hangover cures in her handbag, and probably a grande launcher, just in case).

I'd love to listen to Hoid telling stories, actually, and do some shananigans with him.

As much as I love the crew in Mistborn Era 1 and Bridge Four, I'm a little too intimidated to hang out with either of them. But I think I'd have a blast with Rock.

Favorite non Human Race:

Kandra

Best Worldbuilding:

Stormlight Archive

Best Book Ending:

Hero of Ages.

Honorable mentions - Oathbringer, Sunlit Man.

Best Companions:

Aviars

[queen-kassiopeia-the-5th]

I don't know why, but the fact that the most popular stuffed toy in the Elendel Basin are Soony Pups, made after TenSoon in his wolfhound body is just so adorable to me, so wholesome

[queen-kassiopeia-the-5th]

As much as it's a testament to the quality of writing and storytelling and how attached I've grown to these characters, I gotta say, it's really annoying how much I worry for the ending of the Stormlight Archive. I can feel myself taking psychic damage when I think about how WaT is going to end, because I'm worried what will happen to these fictional silly characters that I think about several times a day...

Like, if things don't end on a good enough note a la Hero of Ages - that humanity can live on, even if it means rebuilding from shambles, and some main characters dead - I'm going to pretend everything ended in Oathbringer.

[queen-kassiopeia-the-5th]

Just finished reading the Cosmere!!!

[queen-kassiopeia-the-5th]

Unpopular opinion probably, but yeah... I'm going to pretend Stormlight ended with Oathbringer.

Some storylines were very well excecuted, some rushed. I love Brandon, but I might be not auto-buying all of the cosmere moving forward as I was before, and might focuse more on his standalones and other series. I've read all of cosmere, and now I might be slightly over it. The idea of a mass worlds and planets war is not up my alley, and nor is the more scifi aspect of space tavel and more futuristic technology. Personally not for me.

I think he's a brilliant writer and thinks through his characters and world building lerfectly, but I feel like at some point his books begam feeling repetative in plot points. Both the Lost Metal and WoT felt like rehashes of the ending of the Hero of Ages in various ways. But Hero of Ages felt much more waranted and more satisfying than them.

I loved the progression of Stormlight Archive. It was on the way to become my favorite series. I think about it alot. But RoW and WaT while still having very good parts felt lackluster to me.

Also, if we do get a full on war between cosmere realms, I'm team Scadriel.