Brandon Sanderson’s initial pitch for the second
installment of The Stormlight Archive was to title it The Book of
Endless Pages. His publisher
promptly told him why that would be a bad idea for the title of any book in a series
whose shortest entry still clocks in at 1,000 pages, but since Sanderson wished
each title for the series to be in line with an in universe book, the title would
echo thematically The Way of Kings becoming Words of Radiance,
being published in 2014. Since this is
also a sequel, this review will contain spoilers for The Way of Kings
though not for future installments of The Stormlight Archive. Writing a sequel is also notoriously
difficult, and Sanderson has setup The Stormlight Archive so that each
novel switches the character for a primary focus. The Way of Kings had Kaladin and
following the revelation that she killed her father, Shallan Davar becomes the
focus of the flashbacks and the major player for Words of Radiance. This isn’t to say that Kaladin, nor the other
characters from The Way of Kings are neglected, Sanderson is great at
striking a balance between the characters.
Dalinar perhaps has less focus as his plotline is mainly seen through
the eyes of Adolin and Kaladin, Kaladin and Bridge Four now being part of his
and Elokhar’s personal guard, but there are still essentially three main plot
threads despite the three main focus characters being in the same place
geographically for much of the novel. By
the end of Words of Radiance there is a series and Cosmere changing
event that means that from this point The Stormlight Archive will have plotlines
that are less split as these as several characters’ goals align with one another
going forward.
Words of Radiance
opens with a prologue once again showing the night Gavilar Kholin was assassinated. This time that fateful evening is shown from
the perspective of Jasnah Kholin who hires assassins to watch Gavilar’s wife
and Sanderson hints that it may have been possible for Jasnah to stop the assassination,
though despite her intellect she did not have the crucial piece of information
to do so. She also had a physical chance,
though she did not know it, seeing Szeth leaving the feast hall before her
meeting. Not knowing how the Parshendi
who take responsibility could have killed Gavilar, nor how Szeth managed to
actually do it is interesting for Jasnah as it provides her motivation for what
we already know about her in The Way of Kings. In Words of Radiance, she actually
becomes a more minor supporting character as Shallan is out on her own for the
majority of the novel, though it is eventually revealed just how far she had
gotten in her researches and how the rest of the characters have had to catch
up to her intellect. Szeth oddly enough does
feature in the novel, growing into his own person in a very quiet arc sprinkled
in the interludes where his new master is revealed and there is an
interesting switch in his personal goals and level of control that’s just
slipped right at the end.
Kaladin’s plotline begins Sanderson’s examination of
mental health. While Kaladin clearly
would be dealing with post traumatic stress from his time as a slave and his
continued distrust of the upper classes are something that undercuts the
novel. He is only using Dalinar for his
own ends and as an opportunity to set himself up as a person: he wants to see Roshar
changed since all lighteyes treat darkeyes as lesser at best and as chattel at
worst. Throughout Words of Radiance
he slowly learns what it means to be a Windrunner, Surgebinder, and eventually
a Knight Radiant as Syl spends much of the novel guiding him through many of
his decisions. A lot of the novel is
spent with the members of Bridge Four, building their relationships and outlook
now that they are not slaves. One of the
earlier scenes involves each member being tattooed with the symbol of Bridge
Four, for some to cover up their slave brandings, while for others just to show
solidarity as a group. One outlook is
that Bridge Four is what freed them from slavery and they owe it to Kaladin as
their captain, but for whatever reason Kaladin cannot be tattooed. The ink does not take over his slave glyphs
meaning he is constantly reminded of his past throughout the book. That can be seen as almost a visual
representation of his depression which informs the rest of his character arc
for the novel. Kaladin also spends time attempting
to understand lighteyes politics and training with the lighteyes as he
approaches status himself which is interesting as Moash, the member of Bridge
Four whom Kaladin is the closest foil for, actively is part of a plot to
assassinate Elokhar. Moash blames all lighteyes
for the death of his family, something that he is not entirely unjustified for
doing. This is an unjust system that systemically
discriminates based on eye color and has a long history of doing so, and while
Sanderson firmly puts the issue on the system and those upholding it, the
attempt to show how subtly the bigotry is upheld by otherwise well meaning people
with Elokhar’s characterization, he never makes it so Moash is
unsympathetic. Moash is more vilified
for starting on a path to become the thing he hates, literally and
figuratively. Kaladin agreeing to help
him also triggers the death of Syl who slowly realizes what she is and what her
relationship to Kaladin is. Shen, the
Parshmen member of Bridge Four, also is allowed to develop here into a speaking
character beginning an almost second foil for Moash as someone who is working
for the “enemy” throughout (despite only revealing it at the very end). All of these elements come together in one of
Sanderson’s best climaxes where all three storylines make it together.
Adolin is technically the leader of a plotline in the
novel, however, his is perhaps the smallest and is more of an overlapping plotline
between Kaladin’s and Shallan’s. The way
Adolin interacts with both characters is fascinating, Shallan becomes betrothed
to him and they develop a very nice relationship, but he also has this massive
quiet respect for Kaladin. He shows it
by being annoyed, but the respect and friendship grows into something special
throughout the book with the way Kaladin brings Renarin into the fold of Bridge
Four (Renarin dealing with his own insecurities as a Kholin who is more
intellectual than a fighter). It only deepens
when Kaladin saves Adolin from an unjust duel, something that Kaladin is thrown
in prison for afterwards due to a particular outcome, and Adolin throws himself
in prison because of it. As a character
he undergoes great growth and potential to be a Radiant, though it builds
through a darker side to the character, something more sinister, something that
comes out in the final moments of the novel proper. That event is one of the best individual
scenes that Sanderson has written which I cannot spoil that informs where the
third book goes and how Adolin and Shallan’s relationship parallels their
pasts.
Shallan’s flashbacks are fascinating after The Way of
Kings revealed that she is responsible for killing her father. Since there are flashbacks you do get to see
that event in Words of Radiance at the very end of the sequence and it
is intense. The flashbacks build and you
can understand the equal trauma Shallan has experienced from her father who was
nothing but abusive. While Sanderson as
a writer can not be described as grimdark, some readers may find this aspect of
the plot difficult. It is done with the gravity
that any situation of this nature must be done, and setup in flashback so the reader
knows that Shallan will make it out along with her brothers, but it honestly
may be disturbing for some. The abuse
also is something that isn’t just fixed.
While not explored in The Way of Kings as Sanderson peeled back
layers to the revelation of Shallan’s spren Pattern and the fact that she is a
murder, Words of Radiance begins to manifest her dissociative identity
disorder. Now since this is a fantasy novel
this is not a perfect allegory, the alter that manifests here, Veil, is initially
created by Shallan as a disguise using Lightweaving as she is a Radiant. However, once Shallan creates the disguise
Sanderson immediately refers to Veil as her own person. Shallan always refers to Veil as someone
else, not someone who is just her in a disguise. This is a thread that will develop further and
while I will discuss it I will add the caveat that DID is not a disorder I am
entirely familiar with. Shallan’s plot
has her on her own for the first third before arriving at the Shattered Plains,
believing that Jasnah is dead, she manages to lie her way in with Jasnah’s
assassins who are working for a group called the Ghostbloods. The Ghostbloods clearly have larger
implications for future books but they show how Shallan can learn to lie and be
independent in her own right. Her
narration is perhaps the most interesting.
Overall, Words of Radiance manages to improve
in almost every aspect upon the predecessor.
It continues Sanderson’s exploration of mental health and colonization. If there is one big issue is that Sanderson
falls back on a trope in fantasy where a character is killed but at the very end
it is revealed in fact that they are alive (and prominently featuring in Oathbringer
as they are on the cover). It does
feature one of Sanderson’s best climaxes and the characters are incredibly
strong while there is a clear plan as to where The Stormlight Archive is
going despite only four mainline installments being out. There’s almost too much to discuss, this
review not doing characters like Rock, Renarin, Navani, or even Hoid who has one
of the best scenes justice, but all I can say is if you enjoyed the first one
you need to continue onto the second.
9.5/10.
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