2025 Reading Challenge discussion

This thread is to discuss Oathbringer, the third book in the Stormlight Archive Series by Brandon Sanderson.


Pages: 1248 pages


Length: 2 Months (August to September)


Participants: Alexandra, Alison, Dominique, Franci, Ilona, oshizu, Scott


Everyone reads at their own pace during a Buddy Read. Because participants can be at different parts of the book at different times, it is extremely important to mark spoilers so that the book is not ruined for someone who is not as far along as others!!!


Mark spoilers by placing {spoiler} before the text and {/spoiler} after the text but use the < and > instead of the { and }.


Happy Buddy Reading!

I will probably wait until the 3rd or 4th to start Oathbringer.

I'm hoping that, like with Words of Radiance, I might be able to finish all my planned August reads in the first three weeks, then finish most of Oathbringer in the last week. We shall see.

Looking forward to "unlocking" all your spoiler comments when I catch up to you all!

I will probably start this in the middle of August! I have several library books on hand I need to finish. I look forward to comparing notes with you all!! 😊

I already finished this book a while ago, but I am excited to hear your opinions and discuss the book!

Sooooo....I was putzing around on Goodreads yesterday evening because I was struggling to stay focused on the book I'm currently reading (Henna House).

Aaaannnnddddd....am I the last in this discussion to know?
Book 4 in the Stormlight Archive series--Rhythm of War--is listed on Goodreads with an "expected publication" date of 17 November 2020.

Haha, yes you might be XD, new chapters are already being released each week. In addition to RoW in November, we also get a novella in October (probably, it is not fully written yet) called Dawnshard:)

Ilona wrote: "Haha, yes you might be XD, new chapters are already being released each week. In addition to RoW in November, we also get a novella in October (probably, it is not fully written yet) called [book:Dawnshard..."

Thanks for sharing all the latest news, Ilona!
I saw mention of Dawnshard but it didn't list a publication date and I'm too lazy to check at the author's website.
I imagine I will pass on both books this year. I am eager to continue reading Robin Hobb who, after all, remains my favorite fantasy author to date. 😊

I'm about to start Chapter 9 (page 101, Kindle edition).

It's taking me awhile to get back into the story as I have forgotten many of the characters and events of Words of Radiance.
A few random impressions
(view spoiler)[Book 2 characters/events: I've spent an hour or so googling to remind myself who a good number of secondary characters are. I guess the author has no need to provide a "Cast from Book 2" appendix since The Coppermind website does such an exhaustively detailed job. I've decided I don't care why Shallan killed her father; I want to be reading the book, not "about the book."

*Dalinar Kholin and The Thrill: I was thrown off when he remarked during a battle frenzy that a man was "not much younger" than him and looked about 17. Oh right, that was a flashback.

*Kaladin: His homecoming to Hearthstone was moving. I admire how he rose above the sleazeball Roshone but shared Kal's shock that Larall was so willing to support Roshone (though I have no real reason for my shock since we don't know what's transpired in Hearthstone since Kaladin's departure. Loved Kaladin's theatrical revelation that he's a Shardbearer.

*Shallan (again): I'm looking forward to seeing her take more of a role in future events. (hide spoiler)]

After 100 pages, it feels like the story is still just warming up, which allows me time to get reacquainted with/jog my memory about what's already taken place.

I am up to Chapter 21 (page 222, I think, Kindle edition).

I agree with you, oshizu, about the story warming up and the fact that we are getting reacquainted with the characters...which is time I needed!

Here are a few of my random impressions:
(view spoiler)[ I like the backstory of Dalinar in his youth, how he obtained Oathbringer and his mindset at the time. He is quite a bit different in the present...not as hot-headed and "youthful" (to put it descriptively)...I feel like his brother's death and maturity played a role in that!

I have to pay real attention when Dalinar is arguing with the Ardents and "religion" is being discussed (ie: whether the Almighty/Honor is dead, etc). The second book had me googling a lot when I read the parts about the Radiants and their history and I still don't quite grasp it as I am reading so have to go slow in those parts...Maybe it is just me...sigh

I want Shallan to move on from her past actions and I like when she becomes "Bright Radiant" and gains more confidence! I also really like how she "becomes" different people (like "Bright Radiant" or "the Veil") and can't wait to see how that fits into the storyline!

Still loving the Kaladin storyline...I think he is my favorite character....Shallan, not so much so far! (hide spoiler)]

I am going slow on this book...trying to read about 100 pages per day so I should finish toward the end of the month (what a chonker)!! I will check in with my thoughts every few days as I make progress...
I am enjoying reading with You All!!

Alison
Thank you for posting your impressions in such a way that they didn't spoil future developments for me.
Hehe, I eagerly opened your spoilers, completely forgetting that you've read 100+ pages beyond me.

In response to your comments:
(view spoiler)[Religion: I have no idea how much the author expects us to retain from one book to the next. Frankly, I have not paid much attention to religious discussions. There's the doctrine-based, hierarchical religious institution represented by the Ardents, then there's the more animistic faith in sprens. The Ardents and their ilk seem to see the world in black or white (our way or nothing), whereas others (like Dalinar) have an inclusive faith encompassing both.
Radiants: I'm also not that clear about the history of the Radiants and the Heralds, but I've decided to learn about them along with the characters in the story. A story that requires me to google outside sources to follow its plot is not, imho, a well-crafted story. The exception might be a historical fiction about a society and time with which I'm totally unfamiliar; then I might read a Wikipedia entry for a historical summary.
There must be a reason why more info about the Radiants/Heralds has been withheld. I can only hope.

Shallan & Pattern: I don't understand why there's unpleasant tension between Shallan and her spren. On the other hand, I enjoyed the scene where she felt "tugged" by Dalinar into creating a 3D manifestation of the world map. (hide spoiler)]

Alison, like you, I'm also pacing myself to finish this book in August, with time enough to spare to squeeze in The Sea Road. :D

@Alexandra, Dominique, Franci, and Scott
Have you started this chunkster already?

Maybe I will "breeze" more through the religious discussions and not try to "figure them out so much" ;) I like your interpretation, oshizu!

And I hope you enjoy The Sea Road!! I don't want to build it up too much because you may have a totally different impression than me but it was one of my favorite reads of the year...I do enjoy a good historical fiction based on fact, especially a medieval or earlier one!! :D

I've read up for page 312 today (Kindle edition) for the sole purpose of keeping pace with Alison.
It will be easier to discuss the book if we're making similar progress.

My plan is to share my impressions every 400 pages, so at 400, 800, and last pages.
Also, I was a little sad yesterday because Alison has a favorite character but I couldn't think of one. And now I have one! It's...
(view spoiler)[the chaperone Pattern (No mating!)
Every time Pattern mentioned mating later, I lol'ed. Surely a sign of my great maturity. (hide spoiler)]

In response to Alison re: The Sea Road
(view spoiler)[Like you, I'm also a big fan of pre-industrial historical fiction. I daresay it's my favorite reading genre, alongside mysteries. I also love the early modern (Renaissance) period, when wealth and literacy are spreading from the aristocracy to the rising social classes of merchants and artisan.
So looking forward to The Sea Road! (hide spoiler)]

I'll be starting Chapter 55 tomorrow (page 536).

Here are some thoughts up to page 411 (start of Ch 39 "Notes").
(view spoiler)[Dalinar's visions: It's fascinating that he can have the Stormfather bring others into the visions, but the Stormfather has yet to share all his secrets.

Shallan: The more she features in the book, the less I like her. There's a trend among young women/teen girls in Japan to speak in a high, childish voice while referring to themselves in the 3rd person, which I find slightly obnoxious. I'd been hoping for more "girl power" from Shallan but mostly find her annoying at this point. I hope that changes...

Jasnah: Dramatic reappearance but we still don't know exactly how she survived.

Kaladin: I enjoyed the time Kaladin spent with the fleeing Parshmen group, seeing the world's recent events from their perspective and empathizing with their circumstances. I'm reminded of slave narratives, even.
I'm not making any romantic predictions since Kaladin has expressed some interest in Shallan, but is he vastly younger than Jasnah? (hide spoiler)]

I am presently on Chapter 48 (page 480)...here are some more of my thoughts up to this point:

(view spoiler)[ I believe that Shallan is trying to come into her own through the various identities she takes (Veil/Radiant/herself). I am still not a fan and wish she would not be so whiny when she is in Shallan form. She is young and influenceable but I can see points where she is starting to stand up for herself and stand up to Jasnah...

Jasnah: Where did she come from?? Why do I get the impression that something is not quite that good about Jasnah? Why don't I like Ivory but I do like Pattern (and Ivory, who is Jasnah's Spren - am I right about that?? - doesn't like Pattern)...where is the Jasnah storyline going? Is there going to be a showdown between Jasnah and Shallan in the future?

Interesting chapter about Venli and her sister Eshonai...what was that light hiding under Eshonai's body? Only saw a glimpse of this storyline so I wonder how it is going to fit into the story?

I love the chapters involving the men of Bridge 4...Rock (I melt when I read his point of view), etc and how they are evolving into Radiant (or Sub-Radiants/helpers for Kaladin??)!

Kaladin is still my favorite but you are right, oshizu, Pattern and his chaperoning of Shallan and Adolin is pretty funny!! (hide spoiler)]

In response to Alison's comments (up to page 480, the start of Ch 48)
It's so great that we are discussing this book in detail. Alison, you bring up moments that briefly capture my curiosity but then I don't jot it down and it gets forgotten (like that bit about Eshonai).
(view spoiler)[Shallan: She is very much one of the story's central characters. I feel no empathy for her which no doubt simply means that I don't belong to this book's target audience.
I guess Shallan is the weak-to-strong coming-of-age character with whom female readers would identify. (Not me)

Jasnah: It had not occurred to me that her reappearance might be suspicious. I guess we'll eventually learn about how she passed her time in Shadesmar before reuniting with her family. I agree that Ivory seems to distrust Pattern and accuses Cryptic sprens of dishonesty. Isn't Shallan all about the illusions and deception?
As for Ivory, I don't feel like I know Ivory well enough to like or dislike them. Tbh, I didn't remember Ivory at all from Book 2, but that's just me. I am eagerly anticipating Jasnah's future reveals.

Venli and Eshonai: Thank you for reminding me of that light under Eshonai's corpse. Since Eshonai had been a Shardbearer, I briefly wondered if she'd bonded with a spren like a Radiant. But since she died as a Fused, would the yellow color of that glimpse of light suggest a voidspren? I have no idea.

Bridge Four: I agree. Any chapter involving Bridge Four is always heart-warming. Rock (I can't remember his other names unless I see them), the pacifist chef, seems to be the squad's spiritual leader of sorts. (hide spoiler)]

I realized only recently that Book 4 is the last book in the Stormlight Archive series. I'm not sure I could resist finishing the series this year. Guess it will depend on the price of The Rhythm of War.

I love reading your discussion!

oshizu, I hate to break it to you, but the fourth book is not the final one. There will be 5 books in this Era and 5 in the next. The Stormlight Archive will eventually span 10 books, excluding all the novellas.

Ilona wrote: "I love reading your discussion!

oshizu, I hate to break it to you, but the fourth book is not the final one. There will be 5 books in this Era and 5 in the next. The Stormlight Archive will eventually span 10 books, excluding all the novellas..."

Well, darn it! When I was looking at the Goodreads description of Rhythm of War (somewhere), it appeared as Book 4 of 4.
Thanks for letting me know, Ilona. Now I don't feel as rushed to get my hands on Book 4. :D

I am presently Starting Part 4 (Chapter 88; page 849)...here are my thoughts up to this point:

(view spoiler)[ OK, the last part of Part 3 was very action packed and kept me on my toes!! Dalinar, such a reckless warmonger you were in your youth!! Poor Evi...no wonder Dalinar wanted to get rid of his memories...those memories would haunt anyone!!

Poor Elokhar (although I always thought he was a bit of a weakling)...Moash, you Traitor! I suppose he did what he had set out to do in the beginning (kill Elokhar)!

Shallan, Adolin, Azure and Kaladin end up in Shademur and I guess that is where their adventures will take place starting in Part 4! I guess the Oathgate was supposed to malfunction and kill them but that thing in the mirror that was talking to Shallan (what is it??) prevented that from happening!

Who is the light/spren that is with Venli? I guess Venli is a spokesperson/preacher for the Fused (?) to the parshmen (?) but the light/spren tells her to resist those preachings? I don't know where this is going and guess I will find out as I read further... (hide spoiler)]

I should finish this by the end of the weekend or early next week depending on how much reading time happens. I am also trying to fit in other books as I make my way through this Chonk!! :D

I have done an absolutely horrid job of pacing myself with this book.
May I blame the short chapters? When I'm about to put the book down but Kindle tells me the next chapter has only xx pages, I cannot help but read on....
So I finished this book this morning. I think I will jot down my non-spoiler responses to Alison's comments now. Then, save the rest for Sunday or Monday.

In response to Allison's previous comment
(view spoiler)[*Evi: While I'm sorry for her death and Dalinar's suffering, Evi was depicted as a clueless character. After Galivar's attempts at diplomacy fails, Evi (who has zero experience in politics, warfare, and diplomacy) decides she can do better and sneaks off to negotiate without telling anyone. Very clever.
Evi's mostly a narrative pawn in Dalinar's moving [you'll find out soon].

*Moash & Elhokar: Moash's vendetta against Elhokar seemed so sensless. Why did he blame Elhokar who was only a royal prince when Moash's grandparents died? He only chose Elkohar because he is a weak member of the Kholin clan.
I really hope he doesn't get a "redemption arc" later. He's just a coward and a bully.

*Oathgate in Kholinar: There were 3 Unmades in Kholinar and the one guarding the Oathgate and speaking to Shallan was Sja-anat. There's a sketch of Sja-anat between chapters 76 and 77. (hide spoiler)]

I've decided to go ahead and post my thoughts up to the end of the book, because I'm too lazy to write them in OneNote today then copy them over to this discussion in several days.

My impressions and questions after reading the whole book
(view spoiler)[Shadesmar: While the gang were floundering in Shadesmar, I kept wondering about how Jasnah managed to escape and why Shallan had never asked about it. Later, I discovered the small group's near-fatal adventures were building up to Dalinar's Unity move.

*Azure: I still don't understand who Azure is. Is she hunting Zahel the Swordmaster's bounty? I guess that's a cliffhanger for Book 4.

*Honorblades: We learn that King Travangian (sp?)'s warriors have stolen the honorblade which the Bridge Four men were taking turns practicing with, but what exactly is an Honorblade?
I understand that they belonged to the Heralds and cannot be spontaneously summoned/dismissed like Shardblades.
Um, does that mean Azure's sword is an honorblade? Yet another Book 4 cliffhanger.

*Radiants and sprens: So a Shardbearer is merely someone who has obtained a Shardblade (either won or bestowed) but only becomes a Radiant when chosen by a spren.
Is that why Adolin isn't a Radiant yet (b/c his spren is dead and never chose him) but Renarin (who "accidentally" bonded with a corrupt spren? How?) is a Radiant.

*Venli & Timbre: Following this same logic, does that mean that Venli has become a Radiant?

*Dalinar: I initially thought that Dalinar was being depicted as a gradually corrupt/flawed character to make way for a new hero. His enlightenment at the end was thrilling and gratifying to me as a reader. He did learn to read and write awfully fast, though. *winks

*Szeth: I've enjoyed his journey though his latest sword is annoying. His unexpected camaraderie with Lift was a pleasant surprise.

*Jasnah: I love that she's been crowned ruler (of where now that Kholinar has fallen? the coalition?) I am hoping that she will play a central role in Book 4.

Kaladin: He did not get the girl, but I'm hoping that someone who's a better match will come along to offer our bridgeman some meaningful companionship. I love how he's turned his bridgeteam into a family.

Wit: Uh, did he get stabbed in the last chapter? He's immortal, right? I refuse to google about this character. (hide spoiler)]

Looking forward to your discussion, Ilona and Allison and anyone else in our group who's started reading!

I have finished the book this weekend and am just now getting to write my final thoughts!

(view spoiler)[ Dalinar: It was interesting to watch his flashbacks as his memories started coming back to him...It showed him as a seriously flawed character! I read a review that said that his memories were "taken away not to spare him pain but to allow him to grow...then fed back to him a bit at a time." This is probably why he didn't go to the "Dark Side" and instead became Enlightened.

Shallan: One of my least favorite characters! Instead of a nice, maturing adult, she created all these different personalities and she didn't really know who she was or wanted to be...she should have just believed in herself and her abilities!

Adolin/Renarin: I did love Adolin! He added light to every chapter he was in! He believes in his Father and he believes in Shallan! I am happy that Adolin and Shallan end up together and also believe that Kaladin deserves a more mature/strong woman. I do have questions about Adolin's dead spren he is bonded with....and Renarin bonding with a "corrupt" spren (a spren of Odium)?? Hopefully Jasnah, with her badassery, can help Renarin overcome his corrupt bond and be a "Good Radiant"!

Jasnah: I was wrong and she is not bad after all! She is just a strong willed/kind of hard edged/scary woman!

Bridge 4...be still my heart! I loved each and every story about the Bridge 4 men!!

Wit: He still confuses me but I do love the chapters involving him!

Venli: oshizu, I do believe that Venli is now a Radiant...I love how Timbre was the light/spren found under Eshonai's body and bonded with Venli! She is finally on the "good" side now???

Finally...Kaladin: Still my favorite character! I didn't like to see him struggle, freeze up and question himself during the Fall of Kholinar! His bond with Syl is so touching...she protects and cares for him! I hope for some kind of relationship for him in Book 4, he would make a brilliant friend/boyfriend/husband! He has struggled too much on his own although he does have his Bridge 4 team as a family and he did go back home and find his own family!
(hide spoiler)]

I really enjoyed this book and comparing notes with you all!! This was a great Buddy Read! :D

This topic has been moved to the September Buddy Reads folder.

About halfway