The Stormlight Archive: Words of Radiance by: Brandon Sanderson

 

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.