The best explanation I've heard for Dalinar's boon/curse fading over time is that unlike most of the boons/curses, his wasn't bestowed by the Nightwatcher, but by Cultivation herself. Cultivation is more powerful, and also as a full shard of Adonalsium is beholden to the nature of her powers and domain. The boons and curses she grants aren't the simple "monkey's paw" wishes of the Nightwatcher. Hers are instead designed to cultivate. To cause a person to grow into who they are meant to be. She helped Dalinar grow to be a better person, but made sure to give back his memories of the wrong he had done so that he can remain humbled. Essentially, she cultivated a Bondsmith that would swear higher ideals than other Bondsmiths of the past ever had.
I think the main thing is simply that her objective wasn't to give Dalinar what he wanted, she just saw an opportunity to turn him into a useful pawn by "cultivating" his personality in a way that suited her, which happened to involve helping to nudge him into becoming a better person.
I think the boon is that she gave him what he needed to forgive himself (his request was for forgiveness and he is able to forgive himself afterwards) and his curse is that he loses who he was, immediately.
This misses a big part. Cultivation needed Dalinar to forgive himself so he had the strength and control over the pain to reject odiums offer to take his pain. She had it come back to him in pieces, so he could process them and work through them. When he stood opposite odium, who was going to return his memories to destroy him, it didn't work, because cultivation got there first.
The exact wording of Taravangian's request was that he asked for, "the capacity and compassion to save his people." The Nightwatcher granted his request. He got both these things, just never at the same time.
Fun review! :) BTW.. 1. the epigraphs weren't from Jasnah (about being a heretic) but actually Dalinar (exerts from his book Oathbringer). 2. The guy who gets murdered in Herdaz is the officer responsible for Kaladins brothers death. 3. Elohkar has been seeing cryptics since way of kings. That's why he was so convinced that their where assassins after him and how we new he was going to be a lightbringer if he finished his oath (#fuckMoash) :)
I love Dalinar so much. At first I was lukewarm about him, but when THAT SCENE in Way of Kings happened.... I was in love. Oathbringer only amplified all of that. What a powerful redemption story
Okay so, here we go again! I adore your review as always 🥰🥰🥰 I have two things to say though; 1. From what I remember, Renarin actually IS a truthwatcher but... in a peculiar way. Furthermore, his spren IS a mistspren which is a truthwatcher spren, but its corrupted by sja-anat. The clue is that even though Renarin has some weird connections to Odium, he can still be considered a truthwatcher ❤ 2. Ohhh... I mean... if your hate for Moash is THAT STRONG ALREADY, just wait for the next book. In comparison to RoW, before the book 4 he was an angel 😆
I really want to see Moash as a sort of inverse Hoid, wandering the Cosmere as a blind man, tormented by his past and seeking absolution. Perhaps one day he might find it.
only thing i think you left out was Adolin meeting his deadeye shard blade and forming this weird buddy cop friendship where he is the one with the loud shirts and hair and she is the quiet creepy one. :D
Honestly, I wasn't the biggest fan of Venli at first. She just seemed very self-centered compared to Eshonai. But Venli grew on me as I read more about how full of self-doubt and self-loathing she was, and I loved how Sanderson used her to show that nobody, not even someone you think is your direst enemy, is ever truly beyond redemption. All it takes is someone being willing to extend a little bit of trust and friendship. Also, I remember that Sanderson said he got rid of Eshonai because he thought her "righteous warrior trying to steer her people in the right direction" character was too similar to Dalinar's, and that Venli was more interesting.
Yeah, I totally agree. The same thing kind of happened with Shallan. I didn't like her at first but she got gradually more interesting and likable as time went on.
The thing about Elhokar, is that while he does act like a manchild for much of his time in the books, it’s not entirely his fault. He gets unexpectedly thrust onto the throne at a relatively young age after his father gets murdered and before he has anytime to learn his role, the high princes make the vengeance pact and they all go to the shattered plains. Once they get there, instead of being able to take charge, the highprinces kind of just pat him on the head and tell him to sit in the corner while they do all the work. So when we get to him in book one he has spent roughly six years as the king without actually being able to rule, the only things to do more or less being to enjoy the luxuries of a king without the responsibility. To top it off, he is a surrounded by subjects who mostly ignore and don’t truly respect him. Elhokar is naive but not stupid so he sees what’s happening. This is why since he’s already reasonably paranoid about assassins, he starts to fabricate evidence that someone is trying to kill him so that people will pay attention to him and hopefully guard him more carefully. Again his father was assassinated not too long ago and he personally has started to see cryptics with no clue what they are. Even Dalinar is too concerned with his matters to try to help and guide his nephew, mostly leaving Elhokar to his self. So once, in book three, he is finally in a position to apply himself he shows that he does truly care about his kingdom and that he does have a good heart. Moash killing him as he is taking the first oaths is so heartbreaking because had he not, Elhokar would be able to make a definitive turning point in his character instead of potentially just slipping back. Anyways, thank you for coming to my TED Talk
I just finished the first mistborn book, and Hoid is the name of the informant Kelsier goes to. So he was certainly on that world at least for the start of the story.
That's right! I read Mistborn first and had no idea about the cosmere or the books being connected. It's until I made my sister read The Final Empire that I happened to peek above her shoulder and saw Hoid's name! Right there on the page! 😱
I think as every order has different ideals for Radiants broken in different ways, each character who is a Radiant walks a path for a different person to learn from Kaladin is the man for those who are despressed, suffer from PTSD, suffer from having lost people in their lives and generally just for those who want to give up against hopeless odds. Shallan is for traumatized(specifically early childhood), anxious, creatives and turbulent - identity people. When I say turbulent identity, I basically just mean she doesn't know who she is in the world. Dalinar I feel is for people who have messed up in life, in any way really, but specifically in a way where they did bad things to others because of a darkness inside themselves.
Wonderful review, loved all your thoughts. Agree that the 'try to free the city' plotline dragged out a bit too long, mostly cause of the whole Shallan split personality plotline for me, this is where I just really started to get tedious for me. Don't get how so many people say the same about the trip through Shadesmar, I loved that whole part. And yes, as always, Fuck Moash. On why the "take away the pain and grief only to give it back' part of Dalinar's deal, taking it away allowed him to grow and to become a better person. Without having lost that pain and guilt and grief he would never have been able to become who he is now. But, Cultivation knew Odium would try to hit Dalinar with the truth to break him when they had their confrontation, so arranged it so that instead of letting Odium hit him with all of this returned trauma all at once while in the middle of the confrontation, which may well have broken him, she instead gives the memory's back to him slowly, and with enough time for him to process and come to terms with them before the confrontation with Odium.
Shallan is my favorite character. I love hoid because i love how he treats shallan. I think he tries to give people what he thinks they need, and he recognizes that shallan needs kindness, not wit.
Yeah she hasn’t read either yet. They’re on the list! Lol Edit: I was apparently stupid that day because she HAS in fact read both. Wires got crossed in a big way lol
Im rereading Way of Kings. I realised yesterday 😢 the whole time Elhokar thought he was being watched... He actually was being watched, just, it wasn't assassins... It was probably his spren 😢
Awesome job on this. Oathbringer is definitely a crazy book to read. I think Brando Sando is making each SL book heavier and darker than the previous. Haha. The Moash/Elhokar scene still makes me so mad. Oh just wait for Rhythm of War. Journey Before Destination :D
I was expecting the copycat killer in Urithru to somehow be a kandra. Especially when it was described as a blob of body parts going through a crack in the wall or something.
This was a wonderful video! It made me laugh and want to reread. Also, Wakfu character for Cultivation!! (I'm one of 5 stateside folk who watch this show) Lyft and Szeth are best team ever
Hey there, little gancho :) I know you are still recovering from the TRAUMA, by Brandon(tm) and the whole video making process - but I am so excited for your Rhythm of War reaction. You should totally film yourself (even in timelapse) reading the Sanderlance that is normally his chapter 5 :) These videos have been sunshine on some rainy days and I look forward to another day of being warm in the sun with you. Glad to have you on The Journey with us.
Don't forget-- Renarin only knows a lot about wine because Dalinar was an alcoholic between his wife dying in a housefire and visiting the Nightwatcher, and he wanted to support his dad but didn't know how
Little note on the Heralds and what they were doing. They made the oathpact, they get tortured on a different planet Braize(damnation), however they can stop this torture whenever they want by respawning on Roshar. But when any one of them decides to respawn they all get sent back and the Void bringers come with them in a massive invasion. They got so worn down that eventually this was happening every couple of years. In one of these events all the Heralds except one decided to break their oath and not go back to torture... But apparently the one remaining herald was enough to hold back the void bringers... Being tortured by himself for 4000 years until the events of the books.
Hey, you should really do a review of Alcatraz vs. the Evil Librarians series! It's one of Brandon Sanderson's most underrated series and is often overshadowed by Mistborn, Stormlight, and so on. It is non-Cosmere (which makes it a good break from Painbringer), it takes place on Earth, but the basic premise is so wacky and insane that it is enjoyable. I think they might be his only books with art and drawings inside and out. They are laser focused on humor, like Edgedancer but cranked up to ten from that. Seriously, the humor is really clever and cartoony. It's told from the perspective of the main character in the future, during which he is "writing his autobiography." It's a pretty clever setup and allows Brandon to be very meta at times and come close to breaking the fourth wall a bunch. Honestly, it's the kind of series you would like.
I love it. How pleasant it is to see someone else's impressions of Cosmere and recall your own theories and ideas. Unfortunately, I do not have time to see everything ... because school, but hey! Tomorrow is a day too. If you hate Morash then wait until the next part. :>
5:36 You just made me realize almost every theory for wind and truth could be wrong. Who knows what radiants could achieve or destroy working together. But they could also create another braze. Maybe all the radiants combine to turn kaladin into Captain Planet.
These videos just get better and better. I love them so much. Fun fact: In Way of Kings, Elhokar mentions seeing people with Squiggle faces. He was bonding that spren for a looooong time. And now, as requested, I am team #MoashDiDNothingWrong. Elhokar was a bad person and terrible king. Yes, he was finally trying to change. But it was far too late. What happened to Moash's grandparents is awful. The whole Alethi caste system is awful, and that's what Moash is rebelling against. The system that allowed people to rule without consequence because of eye color. That damned his grandparents to death. That would use dark-eyed messenger boys as bait. He rails against it just as Kelsier railed the nobility. He kills one of the gods of the Alethi, just as Kelsier strove to kill the Lord Ruler. Moash stands up to the fused when he sees them mistreating their own. He implores them to be better. Moash wants the system to change. He says in WoR that Elhokar dying will put Dalinar on the throne, and he believes Dalinar will be better. He has seen good in Dalinar, much as Kal has. The only thing up to this point that I think Moash has done wrong is give the Bridge 4 salute after killing Elhokar. I do want to add that all of Hoid's stories make sense. At least the ones he shares with our main cast. Wandersail was about blind obedience to a dead ruler. This is relevant to Szeth and to the Alethi in regards to Honor/The Almighty. That's why the last chapter of WoK is"The Room at the Top"-- that's where they found the emperor's body in Wandersail. Fleet is very much simply a tale to inspire Kaladin to keep running, and Kaladin himself calls back to the story as he and Elhokar get cornered in WoR. It's just sometimes hard to see how they're relevant on a first read. Also, I know the Shadesmar stuff is a big complaint people have with the book, but I loved getting introduced to Spren Culture, especially since Roshar's interaction with the cognitive realm is so different form everything else in the Cosmere. The Lighthouse scene is super interesting, and the Kaladin comes across a pretty familiar painting from "The Court of Gods." And, of course, I loved Viv in Warbreaker, so I was super happy to catch up with her here. And now to eagerly await Dawnshard and Rhythm of War, my favorite Stormlight book.
It strikes me as a bit odd that you're taking Moash's stance because Elhokar was a bad person, when one of the main points of the book is Dalinar's realization of Journey before Destination. Elhokar was a terrible king who allowed oppression and encouraged infighting to maintain a fragile balance of power in Alethkar, no matter the cost. But if anything, Dalinar was key to creating and maintaining that state of affairs, by brutal massacre, oppression and violence, which led to his own personal tragedies. The entire point of Dalinar's arc in the book is about how even the worst men can change and become better. There can't be a journey if it doesn't start somewhere. Elhokar realized that he had been a feckless king, and finally wants to take responsibility to be a better man-- to be an honorable, effective ruler like his uncle. Rather than delegating someone else to go liberate Kholinar, he takes it upon himself to be there, rescue his wife and son, and save his city from occupation and siege. He wants to be honorable. Moash, on the other hand, has decided that a blind dedication to vengeance is paramount. He doesn't believe that people can change, and decides that the only solution is to kill Elhokar and let Dalinar reign-- as though he's ignorant to the fact that the Blackthorn, as he was, would have been a crueler tyrant than Elhokar had ever been. Dalinar is only an honorable and just man because he has seen the consequences of his actions and grown to become better. Elhokar wanted to, and the fact that he was swearing the oath when he was killed shows that he was going to. It's hardly his fault that he got killed before it could come to fruition. Moash stands as the antithesis to Journey before Destination. He only cares about acquiring the means to his end.
It’s like that one story Wit tells Kaladin about the island people. If you kill everyone who does wrong, even if they are trying to do better, you aren’t much better then them. Also Dalinar did far worse then Elhokar.
I feel as if I'm missing something when it comes to Moash. Everyone else has such strong reactions to him. Fuck Moash vs Moash did nothing wrong. And I'm over here just like... a little sad about him, maybe? Fuck Moash? Why though? Moash is a damaged character with plenty of childhood trauma, preyed upon and manipulated by malevolent forces far greater than him. Why are you directing all of your hatred and anger towards him when you could be directing it towards the person who made Moash into a full-blown villain, Odium? Moash did nothing wrong? Nope. Moash has done plenty wrong. He works for an evil god and kills people on their behalf. Yes, he's been manipulated and moulded into being that person, but other characters like Dalinar and Kaladin prove that free-will and resistance is possible even in the face of something as powerful as a Shard. But simply because we know it's possible to resist Odium doesn't mean we should let ourselves feel hated towards Moash for failing to do so. Everyone fails. Moash's failure led him down a horrible path, but to hate him for it is to hate a damaged man for being damaged and manipulated. Pity Moash. And if you cannot redeem him, then kill him, and stop him from doing any more damage to you and your loved ones. But don't hate the victim, hate the abuser.
I cant wait for the Rhythm of War review. And something cool would be to revisit WoK sometime in the future to make those interludes and prechaptersmake more sense... not sure if other youtubers have done this yet.
Evi didn't deserve to be burnt alive but Dalinar deserved to lose his wife in such a horrible, gut wrenching, guilt inducing way. He had it coming and it made him realise many things. I'm glad he is strong enough to handle it and become someone truly good.
Jasnah? More like YASS QUEEN. I only simp Jasnah on days ending in Y. Also... buckle up before you go on to Rhythm of War. If you thought this was a rollercoaster...
19:25 YESSSSSS (Spoilers for Mistborn Era 1 ahead) The thing about letters I think is connected to Mistborn era 1 itself (remember the first words in well of Ascension: I write these words in Steel, for anything not set in metal cannot be trusted). If the shard of Ruin could read and change stuff even while imprisoned, I imagine Odium at his "full" power can intercept and read stuff too.
Shallan not choosing Kaladin felt like a stab to the heart, a complete turn around from EVERYTHING that happened in WoR and I will never recover. At this point I feel betrayed and don't even know if I should read RoW, I bet all my spheres on that relationship happening, they had so much chemistry in book 2 I could cry! Why make them such a good pair and throw them in the chasms together if that's how it's going to end ;-;
AHAHAHAHAHAHA very funny thing that happened at part 3 of the video. You said it made you ZZZ and just then i hooked my headphones, but they were turned off, so everythin was quiet. and i thought this is the video it's just u quiet changin pics in quiet to reflect the boredom. took my like 60 secs to realize my bad XD
Kayaa please do Dawnshard please.. The book is full of wholesomeness of my girl Rysn and Chiri-Chiri, aaand our stormin mexican radiant The Lopen himself!
great review of a great book, I will say you took the time to mention how much you hate Amaram but didn't mention that he gets killed by rock WITH A SHARD BOW.
56:32 [In a thick Herdazian accent] Oi beg your pardon? The Lopen will never be superceded in fun-ness by any man or woman alive. Bridge 4 couldn't kill me with one arm. Void-monsters couldn't kill me with _two_ arms.
@@KayaReads Oh thank god you're doing RoW script! In my opinion it's the worst overall stormlight book but it has some of the best moments by far, I almost see it as a book that exists to set up the events of SA5. I'm so excited for December 6th!!!
Oh wow the shadesmar and kholinar parts were actually my favorite parts of this book lol, mostly because I just love spending time with my favorite characters(Kal and adolin) and dont really give a shit about the action :p. I think you might just be getting tired of the emotional damage these characters are going through and just wanna get on to the action 😂 Still an entertaining video, hope you do rhythm of war soon!(more trauma yayyyyy :D)
