Wind and Truth by
Brandon Sanderson
My rating:
5 of 5 stars
Several key reveals in this book.
I will start with Honor. Honor isn't dead but it's vessel Tanavast is. When Tanavast urged the Knights Radiant to reject their oaths (out of fear that they would misuse their powers and destroy Roshar) and betrayed Ba-Ado-Mishram (Unmade) who wanted peace between humans and singers and helped Odium lock her away Honor rejected him. The Storm Father has merged with Tanavast's Cognitive Shadow and reveals the truth of what happened to Dalinar. We also learn that if Honor and Odium ever fight each other directly it will destroy Roshar. Hence the need for champions. We also learn that Honor has constantly asked the other shard holders for help, but they have all refused since Odium is locked away on Roshar by the oath Honor made. So the other shard holders view Odium as Honor and Roshar's problem. The Stormfather has chosen Dalinar as his champion, but until right before the contest, Honor refuses to choose him as a vessel out of fear of being betrayed.
Hoid/Wit is immortal and a holder of a Dawnshard (commands of enormous power Wit holds Exist). He was one of the major figures in the Shattering of Adonalsium but avoided taking up a Shard himself, instead choosing to wander the cosmere pursuing his unknown goals, often in the guise of a fool or storyteller. And he is determined to destroy Odium. After Odium becomes Retribution Wit realizes he is likely to be killed so he gives his Dawnshard to Sigzil minutes before he is vaporized and pushes Sigzil into Shadesmar. Wit then rematerializes on Scadrial where he left a portion of his body behind so he could regenerate if his body was injured beyond his abilities to heal. He promised Sigzil to come retrieve the Dawnshard soon, but due to the information he learns after being regenerated on Scadrial chooses to abandon Sigzil and his promise to him trusting that Sigzil will keep the Dawnshard safe no matter what the cost is to him.
Sigzil was left in charge of defending the Shattered Plains. Realizing they couldn't hold the Shattered Plains he made a deal with Venli and her group of Singers. Before Sigzil could retreat with the rest of his army he was attacked by Moash. When Moash corners Vienta (Sigzil's spren) and attacks her with an anti-Stormlight weapon Sigzil renounces his Windrunner oaths, thus making Vienta a deadeye, but saving her life. Vienta refuses to see him when he is Shadesmar but sends word that she is healing. The book ends with Sigzil in Shadesmar.
Shallan is also trapped in Shadesmar when the book ends and she is pregnant. We also learn that her Mother is the Herald Chana.
The Wind (an old god of Roshar) chooses Kaladin as her champion to protect the spren. Kaladin's skill as a therapist grows during this book and is demonstrated with him first helping Szeth realize that he can choose peace if he wishes. Szeth has heard "a voice" since childhood. When he comes to believe that "the voice" is a Voidbringer and that the other Shin Honorbearers are corrupted by it he leads his monastery in a Civil War against them. Ultimately he is convinced he was wrong and accepts being made Truthless (sold into slavery). Now with Dalinar's blessing, Szeth is on a mission to free his homeland from "the Voice" and Kaladin is accompanying him. Ishar (the leader of the Heralds) is "the Voice" and has been corrupted by taking some of Odium's power from the Well of Control. Those who use the Well of Control can gain the powers of Odium. Ishar has been grooming Szeth to take Jezrien's place among the Heralds. Nale not realizing Ishar was corrupted has been following his instructions but he too begins to listen to Kaladin. Kaladin was trying to help Ishar overcome his insanity, and stop his plans with Szeth. Hoping that when Szeth swore his Fifth Ideal near him, Ishar would regain his sanity back due to the release of power on swearing, but it did not work as Ishar had placed protections against being healed by sworn Ideals after his brief return to sanity after Dalinar swore his ideals. Ishar than made Kaladin and everyone nearby including the spren feel the darkness of the Heralds to explain what he had been enduring for the others. Kaladin managed to stand and choose to try to protect Szeth from the darkness. Kaladin then managed to convince Ishar that he would feel better eventually and swore the Fifth Ideal of the Windrunners unexpectedly to Ishar, forcing the power of Odium out of Ishar.
Ishar remade the Oathpact in order to protect the spren from Retribution at the request of the Wind who had been pushing towards this. The Wind suggested that they create a place for their minds to go separate to their bodies, like the visions from the Stormfather. Kaladin chooses to replace Jezrien in the Oathpact and becomes a Herald.
Adolin loses a leg in his defense of Azimir but chooses to fight on. His plate while being worn by someone else is lost to Abidi (Fused). When the battle seems lost he agrees to help Yanagawn sneak into the throne room and hold it. But they walk into a trap set by Abidi. Abidi's desire to duel with Adolin gives them a chance to hold Azimir. When Adolin's plate leaves Abidi for Adolin he is able to win the duel and when Maya arrives with around fifty deadeyes, nine of them, together with Maya herself, form the Unoathed. The Unoathed (one of which is Yanagawn) are able to hold the throne room until the deadline arrives, ending the conflict officially, with Azimir, and by extension the entire country of Azir, safe. After Stormfall, Maya traveled to Urithiru through Shadesmar. As Radiants could no longer use their powers, and the Oathgates no longer functioned, this was the only way they had to reach Urithiru. She returned to report to Adolin and the other leaders at Azimir that Dalinar was dead and that Urithiru had been surrounded by “a strange glass bubble” that prevented people from traveling to or from it in the Physical Realm. She also relayed the fact that Radiants at Urithiru could still use their powers and that Ba-Ado-Mishram had been freed. Ba-Ado-Mishram is freedom is healing the Deadeyes.
Rlain and Renarin are now a couple and they are the ones responsible for freeing Ba-Ado-Mishram.
Taravangian didn't destroy his family like Cultivation thought but hid them and the residents of Kharbranth away in the Spiritual Realm in a replica of Kharbranth. Kharbranth in the Physical Realm is destroyed. (But this act proves Dalinar right to Taravangian's dismay). Taravangian thought he had come up with the perfect way to defeat Dalinar. Taravangian began to torture (young) Gavinor Kholin (Dalinar's step-grandson) in the Spiritual Realm when he was sucked into it by mischance. To groom him into the perfect champion for the upcoming contest Taravangian placed him in visions that ingrained in him a deep hatred of Dalinar Kholin, and a love for Taravangian himself, thus leaving Gavinor willing to become his champion and attempt to kill Dalinar in the contest of champions. Within the visions themselves, Gavinor experienced twenty years of this grooming, with only a few hours passing in the Physical Realm. Dalinar was faced with the choice to kill (the aged) Gavinor and save Roshar from Odium or forfeit the contest. Honor decided to take Dalinar as a vessel. This allowed Dalinar to see a third (brilliant way according to Wit) he realized Honor is childlike in his understanding of oaths and honor and needed time to understand so he bought them time. He renounced all Honors oaths including the one binding Odium to Roshar (thus making him the problem of the other shard holders again) and rejected Honor. Taravangian foolishly took Honor's powers (guaranteeing the other shards would hunt him). The combination of Honor and Odium has created Retribution. Retribution killed the Stormfather and Dalinar.
Navani is in a coma to protect the Sibling.
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Tress of the Emerald Sea by Brandon Sanderson
