A – Z Book Reviews

The Stormlight Archive Book 5

A Brief Overview

An epic tale of accepting the past, fighting for the future and living for the beauty of today.

Kaladin and team are back in action to finish saving Roshar in Wind and Truth. Each key member of the series follows their own path of heroism or failure. We see each of the primary characters accept the flaws that have plagued them for years and progress in their roles of strength, leadership and heroism.

Brandon Sanderson mentioned this is his longest novel to date, and it was definitely epic in length. There was a lot of Roshar history poured into this, so settle in for some major details. The history aspect contributed quite a bit to the overall length of the novel. However, each character had quite a bit of face time and full story archs as well.

The reader follows Dalinar and Navani into the spiritual realm to learn some of the best kept secrets of Roshar. Unknown to them, Dalinar and Navani were followed into the realm by allies and enemies, each with their own agendas. Dalinar spends the bulk of the novel in this realm, therefore, doesn’t leave much time for action in regard to his upcoming battle or the current war. So, we see a different side to Dalinar which seems to be the goal here (acknowledging the power of knowledge), in which Dalinar is maturing into the King needed to save Roshar.

Kaladin, Adolin, Shallan, Jasnah, Szeth and Renarin have large roles to play as well.

We witness Adolin as he begins to accept his role as a non-radiant. He continues to bond with his deadeye Maya, and we see him lead the entire battlefront in Azir. All while continuing to be the charismatic, enjoyable leader we have known all along.

We also learn much about Shallan, her relationship to her past and see her grow and mature in her powers and her acceptance of prior actions. Through most of the book, she is primarily accompanied by Renarin and Rlain, so we also see their paths as well and growing strengths.

The much-anticipated role of Kaladin in this novel was mostly spent following Szeth on his journey back to his homeland. There was not much action seen from Kaladin, but there was much flute playing and floundering through his music notes. While Kaladin did not have a lot going through the novel in terms of his fighting or powers, he did strengthen his relationship with Syl and we continued to get to know him better as a character. However disappointing it may have been to miss out on his fighting tactics or see him in action, the ending of the novel landed with a HUGE bang. Thus, making up for the lack of excitement in Kaladin’s arch.

What I liked about this book

Brandon Sanderson has a way about his writing style that can suck the reader into his world. His detail, diction and overall tone are perfect for the fantasy realm. It is easy for the reader to jump in head first with Brandon’s style. He also has a beautiful way of tying in details from his earlier books that really brings everything together. Many series this large can feel segmented, but The Stormlight Archive flows wonderfully.

This is the first novel where it seemed like every primary character had their own path, rather than fighting or travelling side by side. It enabled the reader to really get to know the characters in an in depth fashion, rather than focusing on the relationships between them.

While most of the characters forged their own way and had their own focuses, Brandon was able to keep them tied together in a smooth fashion. Whether it was Shallan’s worry for Adolin fighting in Azir, Kaladin’s communication via spanreed with Wit, or Lift’s eavesdropping on Dalinar, we never forget there is a common goal and effort amongst the team.

What I Disliked about the book

The history and details of the beginning of humankind on Roshar are vital to understanding the war and the gods’ intentions. However, it did slow down the story progression and instilled a “stalled” feeling for most of the book.

Dalinar’s travels in the spiritual realm were quite cumbersome, took him away from the battle and into vision after vision, which at times became a bit repetitive.

The same could be said for Shallan, Renarin and Rlain. While their visions had purpose in understanding them as characters, the reader could begin to feel a bit antsy to get the story moving back in the present time.

Jasnah’s story line was also not quite as memorable as I hoped it would be for her. Her strength as a character was downplayed in Book 5, so the hope is she will step up to a larger role in coming novels.

My Rating

3.5 out of 5 stars