Fantasy Buddy Reads discussion

This is a Buddy Read for Words of Radiance and
Edgedancer by Brandon Sanderson starting on September 16, 2024.


Happy Reading!

Thank you!

Series Schedule:
1. The Way of Kings (Aug 16) [link]
2. Words of Radiance and 2.5 Edgedancer (Sept 16)
(also published in Arcanum Unbounded: The Cosmere Collection)
3. Oathbringer (Oct 16) [link]
3.5 Dawnshard (in above BR)
4. Rhythm of War (Nov 16) [link]
5. Wind and Truth (Dec 16) [link]

Audio: These used to be on Hoopla, but aren't anymore... maybe that will change. Two novellas are still there though. Not on A+.
Ebook: Not on KU, Hoopla, #2 & #4 on Open Library in preview mode.
If you find any universal/subscription copies, I will update.

I'm starting this one either tonight or tomorrow.

I will be starting early but not certain when exactly, I started what has been a stinker so far, put it aside to finish my re-read of The House in the Cerulean Sea so I can start Somewhere Beyond the Sea tomorrow because there is no way in hell I am waiting a week for that! I plan on starting this one Thursday/Friday and hope it is as quick a read as the first was ;)

Interesting prologue. (view spoiler)[Normally I don't like same scenes written from a different POV but man that was intriguing. I hope this sets the pattern that Jasnah stays a POV character too. (hide spoiler)]

Wait a minute, 48 hrs and 13 mins isn't long enough, we have to read the 2.5 book adding an extra 6 hrs and 24 mins???? 54 hrs and 37 mins???? And I just know 2.5 is essential reading, most definitely cannot be skipped lol

I was looking at my line-up for the month and feeling pretty good where I am at then I realized this mess.....I call shenanigans!

You know I looked at next month and that is even worse, 62 hrs and 10 mins.....

le sigh, this concludes my whining....for now :)

Ann-Marie wrote: "Wait a minute, 48 hrs and 13 mins isn't long enough, we have to read the 2.5 book adding an extra 6 hrs and 24 mins???? 54 hrs and 37 mins???? And I just know 2.5 is essential reading, most definit..."

Just wait until December, when the new book comes out and there are other Cosmere reads the same week hehe

Chris wrote: "Ann-Marie wrote: "Wait a minute, 48 hrs and 13 mins isn't long enough, we have to read the 2.5 book adding an extra 6 hrs and 24 mins???? 54 hrs and 37 mins???? And I just know 2.5 is essential rea..."

Can you imagine? Even if I took an entire week off from work I'd not get those done lol

Finished Part 1. (view spoiler)[Well crud. There goes my hopes for Jasnah as a POV character. Seems that Shallan pairing with a "lie" spren suits her considering how she's faking it with the slavers. How the heck is she going to explain it all to Dalinar and everyone in the Shatterd Plains?

So what happened to Jasnah's spren? Did it just go back to being dumb or did it die too? I don't think they were fully bonded yet - does that matter?

I love the experiments Kaladin is doing with his abilities. He'll get there.

I also wonder what kind of spren Dalinar will eventually bond with. The cover from the upcoming book kind of looks like he has stormlight and since humans need a spren for that ability....

Which begs the question: What kind of spren does Szeth have?

If Dalinar is going to reform the Knights Radiant then someone's going to have to start looking for people with the ability to pull in stormlight. My current guess is Kaladin or someone from Bridge 4 (Teft maybe?) will be given that job. (hide spoiler)]

Ann-Marie wrote: "Wait a minute, 48 hrs and 13 mins isn't long enough, we have to read the 2.5 book adding an extra 6 hrs and 24 mins???? 54 hrs and 37 mins???? And I just know 2.5 is essential reading, most definit..."

You'll make it work somehow Ann-Marie :)

Narilka wrote: "Ann-Marie wrote: "Wait a minute, 48 hrs and 13 mins isn't long enough, we have to read the 2.5 book adding an extra 6 hrs and 24 mins???? 54 hrs and 37 mins???? And I just know 2.5 is essential rea..."

I know I am being a whiner and I felt the same way before starting book 1 and it wasn't terrible but man, why are these so long???? lol

Just gotta start 2 weeks early instead of 1… continuous Cosmere from book 4-5

Timelord Iain wrote: "Just gotta start 2 weeks early instead of 1… continuous Cosmere from book 4-5"

I read 6 books in December! Like 1 million pages but yeah, 6 books!

Million words would be accurate…

Timelord Iain wrote: "Million words would be accurate…"

According to Wikipedia it's 2.2 million+ words...

You planning on starting over with Way of Kings in December?... 2.2m is all 5 books and released novellas... I meant 4+5+whatever other cosmere, and each book is 383-500k pages, since it's about 100k words per 300 pages...

Timelord Iain wrote: "You planning on starting over with Way of Kings in December?... 2.2m is all 5 books and released novellas... I meant 4+5+whatever other cosmere, and each book is 383-500k pages, since it's about 10..."

Hell no, are you crazy? If there are any straggler books outside of the Stormlight Archives but in the Cosmere that I should read along the way I will not be doing that lol

First set of Interludes (view spoiler)[I like getting a POV of a Parshendi. I hope that remains throughout the series. As she talked about changing forms it made me think of a spren and then yep, they use spren to change forms. I'm not convinced they are voidbringers yet but something else. Interesting their shardbearer wants to sue for peace. I also am seeing where the 4th book got its title from with all the Parhsendi Rhythms.

I liked Ym's chapter again. She has some serious cahones to do what she did!

I also thought it odd for a shardbearer to be hunting down a criminal for 40 years. Perhaps we get more insight later on. (hide spoiler)]

Ch 13 (view spoiler)[Wait a minute... Did Pattern just admit that his sect of spren might have broken the psyche of Shallan's family?? (hide spoiler)]

A general book/series comment for what I've read so far (view spoiler)[The spren seem to be the key to it all. I really really wish Kaladin would have more conversations with Syl like Shallan is trying to with Pattern and I think Jasnah was with her spren. (hide spoiler)]

Through Ch 24 (view spoiler)[I feel sad for Pattern, that he thinks his bond with Shallan will end with her killing him. I guess this is RAFO territory. Well it's all RAFO lol

Shallan the con man? Tyn has badly misread her and also given her a new career at the same time. Oy. I was really hoping that Shallan would just get to the shattered plains, straighten things out about Jasnah's death and get on with her research, likely enlisting the help of the mom/aunt (forgetting her name). Her figuring out the voidbringers in time is critical and she doesn't even know she has a timeline lol

So is Shen, the parshman in Bridge 4, actually a Parshendi spy? Seems... odd of him to want a weapon since the current history we've been told of the parshmen is they don't think that way.

All these epigraphs that are insight into the Parshendi forms. Based on the epigraph of stormform and Kaladin's description of the difference in that storm I'd say they have a new form figured out now. I'm looking forward to the upcoming interludes. Since Pattern revealed that voidbringers have their own spren, it should be interesting to see this play out since it seemed like they had captured what I'd call a regular spren for their experiment. (hide spoiler)]

I'm really enjoying this read with all the mystery involved.

SA is a series full of mysteries… some you see coming, some you don’t see coming… and some make you realize the answer was staring you in the face all along if you look back or re-read…

I can see how this would be great on reread. Even though I struggled with Way of Kings, I think it would be easier a second time even though I'm only a third through this one.

Finished Part 2 + Interludes (view spoiler)[Kaladin isn't going to be able to keep his abilities hidden for much longer. He should probably just show it to Dalinar on the side, like he told him about Amaram, so they can start figuring out how to find more like him.

Yeah, I really hate Sadeas. Can't wait for him to get his comeuppance.

Shallan's career as a con woman was short lived lol though I'm sure she'll use some of those skills in the future as a Lightweaver. Illusions are her jam. It's a little too perfectly timed but I am glad she also has proof of the conspiracy to kill Jasnah that she can bring along with her intro to House Kohlin. Boy is she going to cause chaos. She should have everything she needs to prove herself, prove what happened and even keep her promise to those deserters and make them her guards.

That poor, insane Herald. He's trying.

Confirmed that the Parshendi transformation was a success. And a bad thing. Is that what an actual Voidbringer is or is it still something else? I think there's a bit more going on than what's on the surface. (hide spoiler)]

Cosmere/Ghostbloods (view spoiler)[At this point I'm having a hard time reconciling the Ghostbloods as we see them in the early writings vs what they appeared like in The Lost Metal. Yes, they're a shadow organization with unknown motivations but they're coming across as more malevolent than they did at the end of Mistborn 7. I'm guessing this is a RAFO thing because I still have 2.5 chonkers of books to read to fill in some blanks. (hide spoiler)]

1) You have big spoilers from reading Lost Metal before Rhythm of War, and 2) (view spoiler)[Daddy “Thiedekar” is stuck on Sel for the most part, being technically dead and reliant on that hemalurgic spike through his eye socket among other things… and when the parents aren’t home the kids have no supervision… thus the Roshar situation… that’s a pretty high level vague explanation of the differences… honestly, we don’t have all the answers yet… (hide spoiler)]

Ahh, so I am missing something and also not. That's helpful. It's hard to tell since I did read Cosmere a tad out of order ;)

Ch 36 (view spoiler)[Oh good grief lol Shallan and Kaladin's meeting was funny. Is this an enemies to lovers set up? I hope not. Hopefully it ends up in friendship. (hide spoiler)]

The biggest thing you have spoiled is (view spoiler)[that the Ghostbloods are a worldhopping Cosmere organization, and not planet-local like the other groups like Amaram & Gavilars something something Honor group…

That is made plain in book 4 when one of those Sixth of Dawn birds shows up and some other things… altho, really, there are clues right from the start if you know where to look… the babsk with the mask is south Scadrian from the Wax & Wayne era books… sister of the South Scadrian Ghostblood in Lost Metal actually… (hide spoiler)]

So I finally stopped dragging my feet and started this, through ch5 so definitely early going, liking it so far :)

I started two weeks early, but hit a wall last week so whatever....I blame interludes.

I am almost done with the Alloy of Law so should be starting it soon.

Through part 1 and OMG (view spoiler)[what a way to end the section, that bastard Amaram flourishing the blade he stole and betrayed Kaladin for, marking him a deserter and a slave! Oh the tension! I hope Kaladin punches his face in so bad that he dies instantly and Kaladin ends up with the sword. I am not even bored with the Shallen parts so far and there is no way Jasnah is dead, I don't believe that is the last we have seen of her for one minute. (hide spoiler)]

Ann-Marie wrote: "Through part 1 and OMG [spoilers removed]"

I really hope you're right. (view spoiler)[She was my favorite character from book 1. (hide spoiler)]

Through part 2/ch34 (view spoiler)[sadly Dalinar did not respond like I would have wanted when Kaladin told him about Amaram, did not love that. The fight with Szeth was crazy, does he start questioning himself since Kaladin healed his attack? Also I hope Adolin stops being a dick to Kaladin at some point. I am liking the flashbacks into Shallan's life and also how she is asserting herself and I love her spren so far.

So in conclusion, Dalinar disappointed me this part, Shallan is much improved over the last book in terms of boredom and Kaladin is still my favorite! (hide spoiler)]

Narilka wrote: "Ann-Marie wrote: "Through part 1 and OMG [spoilers removed]"

I really hope you're right. [spoilers removed]"

No change by the end of part 2 but I will still be surprised if it stays like this.

You're getting close to what I consider the best chapter in the series to date, and maybe the best chapter Sanderson has ever written...

Sometimes I re-read it, without re-reading anything else... like I just did while doublechecking the chapter number to mention it...

It's the last paragraphs of chapter 56 and almost all of chapter 57...

I've probably read that chapter twice as much as I've read the book, at this point, over the years...

Timelord Iain wrote: "You're getting close to what I consider the best chapter in the series to date, and maybe the best chapter Sanderson has ever written...

Sometimes I re-read it, without re-reading anything else......"

Nice, decent chance I'll get there tonight :)

Timelord Iain wrote: "You're getting close to what I consider the best chapter in the series to date, and maybe the best chapter Sanderson has ever written...

Sometimes I re-read it, without re-reading anything else......"

I'm currently in Ch 52 so almost there. Maybe tonight also.

So through Ch 51 (view spoiler)[I'm enjoying Shallan's chapters this time around. She's like a one woman spy infiltration team lol I imagine that's part of where Lightweavers were used in the past considering their illusion mastery. I assume things will go sideways for her eventually. She's had a lot of beginners luck so far unless Pattern is nudging things in the background.

Not that they were bad in book 1. They were interesting. This time it's also enjoyable and I look forward to what trouble she'll get up to next. Plus her wit has smoothed out a bit, feels less forced. Or I'm used to the character quirks.

I'm enjoying all the POVs now that I think about it. I don't want to skip any and I'm not annoyed at the switches.

I think it was a bad idea for Dalinar to let Adolin go to the meeting with the Parshendi in his place. Dalinar might have caught the change in form that Adolin definitely had no clue about. Though covered in shardplate it would be hard to tell. Hmm. (hide spoiler)]

Ann-Marie wrote: "Through part 2/ch34 .."

In hindsight I wonder (view spoiler)[Kaladin's little reveal to Szeth... does that change Szeth's whole perspective? Will he no longer let himself be a slave since he isn't truthless? Seems Szeth's whole basis of his recent life was based on a misunderstanding. (hide spoiler)]

Sanderson had a bit of extra time to refine this book and series plan... between Way of Kings and Words of Radiance is when Sanderson stopped and wrote the Wheel of Time finale for the Jordan estate...

Narilka wrote: "Ann-Marie wrote: "Through part 2/ch34 .."

In hindsight I wonder [spoilers removed]"

(view spoiler)[it's the first crack in his unwavering faith... (hide spoiler)]

Timelord Iain wrote: "[spoilers removed]"

Cool!

Szeth and Rysa are MCs of the Interludes the way other characters are MCs of the main story... they're 2 of the characters I think of that appear frequently in Interludes, with an ongoing storyline... alot of the others are one-off characters, or move to the main sections of the book when their time comes (those random thugs breaking into houses and defacing art are an example of one-offs, and the Edgedancer in this one that gets a novella and reaches main book status in books 3-4 is a transitioner)

Timelord Iain wrote: "Narilka wrote: "Ann-Marie wrote: "Through part 2/ch34 .."

In hindsight I wonder [spoilers removed]"

[spoilers removed]"

That makes sense :)

Ann-Marie wrote: "Timelord Iain wrote: "You're getting close to what I consider the best chapter in the series to date, and maybe the best chapter Sanderson has ever written...

Sometimes I re-read it, without re-re..."

I am not going to get there tonight, I am extra sleepy tonight and may call it early (for me) tonight. Something to look forward to tomorrow though!

Timelord Iain wrote: "Szeth and Rysa are MCs of the Interludes the way other characters are MCs of the main story... they're 2 of the characters I think of that appear frequently in Interludes, with an ongoing storyline..."

About the interludes, for the first read through, I am stressing that I am supposed to remember these characters that appear so briefly and like 800 pages into book 4 I'll have to remember that dude in Interlude 2 in book 1 for a meaningful revelation or reference. Am I stressing for no reason or is this something that will have more of an impact on re-reads, like "Duh, this makes so much sense now!"

Ann-Marie wrote: "Timelord Iain wrote: "Szeth and Rysa are MCs of the Interludes the way other characters are MCs of the main story... they're 2 of the characters I think of that appear frequently in Interludes, wit..."

Just remember the characters that repeat like I said... Szeth... Rysa and her babsk the traveling merchants... etc...

The rest are just a way for Sanderson to build a vibrant world with elements that don't make much sense to include as main story chapters... and tend to be full of Cosmere-wise Easter eggs, like (view spoiler)[the 3 men asking about Hoid in book 1, or the thieves defacing art that I keep mentioning because they make more sense on re-read with more knowledge about in-world characters...

Later on, in book 2 I think, you'll learn about Aimians like Axies the Collector, but trying to explain that right now would require me to re-read the wiki and be quite the tangent... (hide spoiler)]

Timelord Iain wrote: "Ann-Marie wrote: "Timelord Iain wrote: "Szeth and Rysa are MCs of the Interludes the way other characters are MCs of the main story... they're 2 of the characters I think of that appear frequently ..."

That makes sense and I am good with that :) On chapter 55 so not too far until Iain's favorite part!

Through ch 57 and what the hell (view spoiler)[Kaladin got arrested???? I can see why that is Iain's favorite chapter but man, as awesome as that fight was it ended on a downer! I hope this doesn't put Kaladin's growth with regard to the lighteyes to much. (hide spoiler)]

Ann-Marie wrote: "Through ch 57 and what the hell [spoilers removed]"

Yea... I didn't want to spoil (view spoiler)[that such a high is followed by such a low...

It's a definite regression for Kaladin, and hurts his relationship with Syl for a bit, since she kept optimistically making foolhardy optimistic promises that things would turn out well, in the end...

But Dalinar curbed some of it with his comments on following orders, and Adolin cements a better relationship with Kaladin soon, in the aftermath (altho he never stops calling him bridgeboy)...

This and later stuff with Shallan, sort out the Adolin/Shallan/Kaladin relationship/friendship the way you want, so there's no love triangle to worry about...

But it also funnels all Kaladin's depressive thoughts and anger on Elhokar... Elhokar isn't as bad as he seems sometimes... he just never really got the kingly training he needed... Gavilar died suddenly and Dalinar wasn't as functional as he is now, as you'll learn in book 3's flashbacks... and the Highprinces are happy to have him the way he is so they can do their own thing and maybe overthrow him someday...

I'll let you read some more and develop your own thoughts...

That gladiator match was packed with plot developments and even lore, like when Kaladin grabbed the sword and heard screaming... (view spoiler)[there's a reason nascent Radiants like Kaladin are so reticent about touching the Shardblades leftover from the Recreance (hide spoiler)]

All is not lost, tho, regarding any Kaladin backsliding... that's basically the overarching message of Sanderson books in general... always time to rebound, as long as you still live... (hide spoiler)]

I didn't realize how close that was the the end of part 3, just finished that/chapter 58 and MAN (view spoiler)[ending with Kaladin in a cell just sucks! I kind of hope the king gets assassinated while he in in jail to illustrate how valuable Kaladin is! Will this make him turn to the ghost guys? (hide spoiler)]