This week’s instalment was fantastic – I realise that it’s getting boring me constantly harping on about how brilliant it is – but, it does keep getting better!  Anyway, as previously, if you’re thinking of reading this, and there’s no reason why you wouldn’t be of course, then read no further as spoilers are running amok!  This week our lovely host is Caffeinatedlife so stop over and check out the other participants:

What do you think of Dalinar’s latest vision concerning the Radiants? Can you make sense of them? Do you think Jasnah will prove or disprove Dalinar’s visions? And what did you think of Dalinar and Navani’s almost moment? 😉

I thought the vision was very interesting.  Strange how they all came together as one to abandon their swords and shards.  Reading later chapters where Dalinar is in battle with the Parshendi I couldn’t help wonder if they had become similarly sickened by all the death?  But, to be honest I’m not 100% sure what’s going on with the visions yet.  I think it will be very interesting to see if Jasnah can solve this puzzle.  Dalinar and Navani – you just can’t help thinking that she must always have had a soft spot for Dalinar?

Dalinar proposes a military alliance with Sadeas. Given what we’ve read of their relationship and of Sadeas’ character, did Dalinar make the right move? How long do you think this alliance will last? Has Dalinar finally gotten Sadeas on his side by using Sadeas’ interests (gemhearts, the Shardblade, etc.) as incentive or does Dalinar have something else up his sleeve?

This was a really good chapter.  I loved when Sadeas made his announcement at the feast and I can’t say how pleased I am that I was so wrong about Sadeas and his motives.  I really did think he’d taken on this role just to try and incriminate Dalinar and  I had this horrible vision of Dalinar being taken and thrown captive in some dark infested prison awaiting a trial and execution!  As to whether their alliance will last – I think it may well do.  I’ve decided that I need to trust Sadeas.  Maybe fighting together will inspire them somehow and more importantly maybe it will make the other high princes think about joining together?  I definitely think that there is something odd going on with the Parshendi – it’s as though they’re playing with the Alethi.  How can they keep having so many people to send out to battle – even when they lose.  And, also, the way they behave about their dead – something a little bit different with them I think and I don’t think the Alethi know enough about their foe.

This is the first time we’ve read in detail what it’s like to be a Shardbearer fighting with Shardblades in battle through Dalinar. What did you think of it?

Well, as we’ve all said already, Sanderson is excellent at writing these particular scenes.  I wouldn’t say it’s the part of the book that I’d normally be drawn to or find particularly holds my attention – not usually at least!  But these scenes are quite mesmerising.  They draw you in until you’re almost sat on the edge of your seat gripped with tension about what might or might not actually happen.  Fighting with Blades and Plates seems a little like being the Iron Man.  It’s unusual because although it gives the wearer/bearer the strength it’s the blade and the plates that are using the magic.  Whereas with Kaladin he seems to be using the magic directly.  Interesting difference.

We get a big reveal about what’s happening with Kaladin this week regarding the Stormlight as well as a revelation regarding Syl’s nature. What did you think of it? Given what we know now, what else do you think he is capable of?

It was quite revealing I thought.  I’m not sure what Syl is exactly but they seem to have developed a sort of symbiotic relationship.    In terms of Kaladin, he clearly seems to have more ‘magical’ ability than, say, Dalinar, he’s obviously absorbing the power and he leaks the light in the same way that the damaged shardplate does.  Also, he seems to be developing similar talents to Szeth in terms of binding.  He also survived the storm.  As to what else he can do – well, perhaps like in Dalinar’s vision, he will be able to shoot into the air and travel very quickly from place to place?

Kaladin initially blames his curse as the reason why people around him keep dying. Is there some truth to his claims, that this binding ability has some correlation with the casualty count around him, or is Kaladin simply grieving over recent losses? If the former, do you think this might have any connection to what the Radiants are and whatever happened to them?

I just think that Kaladin and the others (all of his other previous losses included) are in the sort of situation where losses are expected.  I don’t think Kaladin is the reason why people are dying – in fact, in terms of the bridgecrews doesn’t No.4 now have less casualties than the others?  I think he just expects too much from himself – which isn’t a bad thing but difficult to achieve.  Perhaps the radiants became overwhelmed with despair – in a similar way to Kaladin seems to sometimes.

• Wit/Hoid is turning out to be more than just the life of the party and a thorn on the sides of the other highprinces. As we’ve seen, he’s not very playful with Dalinar and is quite sober, even ominous, with Kaladin. What did you think of his conversations with Dalinar and with Kaladin? What do you think he’s up to? How does he factor in with everything else that’s going on at the moment (or what’s to come)?

• He reminds me very much of The Fool from the Assassin’s Apprentice – and what I mean by that is he seems to have a strange sense of predicting things and knowing what people are thinking.  He turned up in the plains at just precisely the right moment to calm Kaladin down and tell his little story.  He feels like a character who knows what the bigger picture is and tries to move around positioning things for a better outcome.  I can’t help liking him to be honest and would gladly read more of his story.

Given where we’re now up to in the story I can’t help feelings that we’re going to be left with some kind of huge reveal that leaves us absolutely gagging to read No.2 – fortunately that’s pretty good timing as it happens!

Welcome to week 7 of the Way of Kings readalong, this week being hosted by the fabulous Sue at Coffee, Cookies and Chilli Peppers who has come up with some excellent questions.  I must admit that this week’s instalment had some great revealing moments!  I actually could have just continued and read to the end and I did read an extra chapter (by mistake – don’t judge me!).

Anyway, okay, I admit it, you might be a little late to join the readalong at this point but, that being said, you’re still very welcome, we don’t beat latecomers with a big stick, no sirree!  If you can’t face up to the catch up but still want to read this – and remember No.2 is due out very soon with a great giveaway already announced (details here) – then I really do encourage you to read this book – it’s fantastic.  Really, I kid you not.

Enough chit chat!  Q&A (with plenty of spoilers contained within):

1. What did you think of the replacement for the delightful Lamaril, or rather, what did you make of his wife, who seems to do all his work? She assumes that chasm duty is the worst punishment that she can throw at the bridge crew, so were you surprised that Kaladin saw an opportunity in it so quickly?

What a storming bitch!  Actually, all the duties sound a little bit rank and I would be hard pressed to choose between this and latrine duty. Although, chasm duty does involve robbing dead and decaying bodies – which is really rather awful!  Both, duties just have so many levels of badness.  It doesn’t surprise me that Kaladin would think of a plan like this – he’s already made a number of escape attempts anyway.  I suppose the biggest surprise is that this is so large scale.

2. Please use this opportunity to list all the imaginative ways that you would like Roshone to suffer for forcing poor little Tien into the army. 😦

That was so horrible and unjust.  I couldn’t help thinking, no matter how wrong, that it would have been so much better if Kaladin’s father had just let him die!  Well, I think Kaladin should take him captive and then – TO THE PAIN:

Kaladin: To the pain means the first thing you will lose will be your feet below the ankles.  Then your hands at the wrists.  Next your nose.
Roshone: And then my tongue I suppose.
Kaladin: I wasn’t finished.  The next thing you will lose will be your left eye followed by your right.
Roshone: And then my ears, I understand, let’s get on with it.
Kaladin: Wrong! Your ears you keep, and I’ll tell you why, so that every shriek of every child at seeing your hideousness    will be yours to cherish.  Every babe that weeps at your approach, every woman who cries out, “Dear God! What is that thing,” will echo in your perfect ears.  That is what to the pain means.  It means I leave you in anguish, wallowing in freakish    misery forever.
(I’ve changed the names in the above quote - in case you haven’t guessed which book it's from!)

Or maybe Rock could go and cook him some inventive food using plenty of spices and faecal matter!

Maybe Jasnah could turn him into a gigantic gemstone!

Enough.

3. Finally, somebody is asking questions about the inconstancy of the Parshendi artifacts and how Gavilar changed in the months leading up to his death. What do you make of the accounts that Shallan is reading? Also, what do you think about Shen, the Parshman added to the bridge crew?

To be honest I still don’t really understand what’s going on with the Parshendi.  They clearly showed themselves willingly to Gavilar – either they let him know too much about their culture, etc, than they ever intended and then thought it was too dangerous to let him live, or, they deliberately planned it all from the very beginning – why they would want to bring a war down upon themselves I really don’t know – the only thing I can think of is misdirection.  Keep everyone busy over on the chasm fields while planning and putting into effect some fiendish plot elsewhere.  So little is known about them and I seriously hope we’re going to find out more – can’t help thinking that Kaladins plans to escape through the chasms might bring us some more information about them – perhaps he’s going to discover their mysterious city.   Shen is going to be interesting to watch.  I’m not quite sure why all the Parshmen are so submissive and subservient – it’s almost like the difference between a wild horse and a tamed pony.  They seem to be very similar in some aspects but then so different in others.  It will be interesting to see what happens if Shen has to go on a bridge carrying mission.

4. Shallan has some seriously bizarre visions or hallucinations. Do you have any new ideas about the nature of the symbol-headed figures: are they good or evil? What about the alternative world and the beads: could that really have been the soul or essence of the goblet that she spoke to before it changed into blood?

Somehow, I don’t think the symbol headed figures are evil.  Even though Shallan was scared of them and they seemed to be following her I just wanted her to stop and try and find out if there was a message.  Now, I know that’s very easy for me to come across so blaze when I’m sat in the comfort of my living room but, they’re clearly around her all the time and they haven’t harmed her so far – maybe they can’t harm her.  I think they’re trying to give her a message in the same way that Kaladin and Dalinar seem to be receiving messages and visions.  It feels like the three of them have been chosen for something.  The voice she heard was strange – didn’t Dalinar (or was it Kaladin) hear exactly the same thing or have I just imagined that?  Maybe the symbol headed figures appear like that because it’s impossible to catch their true face for some reason – like, if an image is moving too fast for example?  Interesting point about the goblet and whether or not it has a soul – I’m trying to remember now, I’m sure that in Sanderson’s The Emperor’s Soul there was a similar principle used there??

5. Does Kaladin’s dream / vision seem similar to those that Dalinar has been having? He is called the ‘Child of Tanavast, Child of Honor’ and there is mention of an entity called Odium, who appears to be rather bad. Do you have any speculation about these two beings, how they fit into the world that we have seen so far and why the name Odium makes Syl hiss and fly off?

I got a different feel from Kaladin’s vision.  Dalinar’s clearest vision took him back into the past where he actually became an active party in the scene,  Kaladin’s almost felt as though he was being carried on the storm to look at future visions or see little glimpses.  I don’t really know why it felt like that to me and it’s probably totally wrong but at the time I just had a feeling that he was being carried into actual scenes that were taking part in the here and now or near future.  Child of Honor clearly seems to run along the lines of Kaladin becoming a hero doesn’t it!  Odium – the name sounds a little ominous doesn’t it?  Presumably some sort of entity who brings evil (not terribly perceptive of me!)

6. We have learnt some more about the events following Cenn’s chapter way back at the beginning of the book. Were you surprised that Kaladin defeated a Shardbearer almost singlehandedly? This still does not explain why he is a slave, but does it bring us closer to guessing?

I think I may have read on a chapter too far to be honest – mistakenly – so I won’t guess at this.  I wasn’t surprised that Kaladin defeated a Shardbearer because he’d already claimed to have done so and there was no reason to doubt him.  Little Kaladin crush developing perhaps? 

7. I think I made it quite clear last week that I did not trust Kabsal, so I am now feeling rather smug. However, I did not guess at the poison in the bread: did it surprise you as well? Can you see any way that Shallan can reconcile with Jasnah now that the theft has been revealed?

I really didn’t suspect Kabsal at all!  I literally just thought he was sweet on Shallan.  I was gobsmacked by the whole thing.  I’m not sure that Jasnah could trust Shallan again.  I wish that she’d given her at least a chance to explain and maybe to tell her some of the other odd things that had been happening – because I think they would be enlightening to Jasnah – but, I would probably have reacted in a similar way as Jasnah.  I never liked Shallan’s scheme.  In fact it put me off her as a character to be honest.  I’ve got over that a little bit now and I did feel sorry for her at the end of this section but I still think she behaved very badly to seek to work for someone, earn their trust and then take their most valued possession.  I still think that Shallan has a bigger part to play however – at least her gift seems to make me feel that way.

This week’s chapters were really gripping.  I highlighted a couple of points that I found curious:

During the weeping, this about Kaladin ‘He actually missed the high storms, with their rage and vitality.  These days were dreary, and he found it difficult to get anything productive done.  As if the lack of storms left him without strength’ – yet more fuel to the fire about Kaladin taking some form of power or energy from the storms, almost sounds like not only do they charge the spheres but they also give him energy – also Dalinar always had his visions during the storms.

‘During Kaladin’s vision ‘A man stood over two corpses.  His pale head shaved, his clothing white.  He looked up from his victims and almost seemed to see Kaladin’ – I think it was this sentence that made me think that Kaladin was looking at either current or future events in his vision rather than in his past – I don’t know why but I wondered if the vision was showing us Szeth who has started to kill the victims on his list – bit of a HUGE leap of imagination but….

1. Dab of Darkness
2. Tethyan Books
3. Lunar Rainbows
4. Musings on Fantasia
5. Over the Effing Rainbow
6. There Were Books Involved
7. Coffee, Cookies and Chili Peppers
8. The Caffeinated Life
9. On Starships and Dragonwings
10. Doing Dewey Decimal
11. Book Vulture
12. Novel Reflection