Happy Monday, Sanderfans! We’re back at it this week with chapters 84 and 85, and so many things are happening! We get to see Adolin battling a thunderclast, witness Abidi the Monarch attempting to commit a major human rights violation and finding out what happens when Heralds decide to take a stand, and cheer at the tentative beginning of a long-awaited relationship! So join us as we discuss, dissect, and debate this week’s highlights…
Note that the book has been out long enough that most of you will hopefully have finished, and as such, this series shall now function as a re-read rather than a read-along. That means there will be spoilers for the end of the book (as well as full Cosmere spoilers, so beware if you aren’t caught up on all Cosmere content).
Paige’s Commentary: Plot Arcs
We had some real excitement last week, huh? And of course, things are still hopping on Roshar. We begin with chapter 84, titled “For the Broken” where we pick up with Adolin. As you recall, his last section ended with a storming thunderclast flinging him aside and stomping away toward the dome. Adolin tries to get up and can’t. He thinks back to Thaylen City, when another thunderclast had attacked, and Renarin had convinced his brother to get to safety, to let him handle it. Adolin, who was always so used to being the best, now feels obsolete. He’s not Radiant, therefore he’s nothing. (Of course, we all know he’s the best boy, he just needs reminding.)
Hmask helps Adolin to his feet and he calls Gallant to him in order to get in front of the thunderclast. He has a plan, because of course, he does. He’s Adolin Storming Kholin!
POV Shift!
Now comes one of my favorite scenes in the book—yeah, you know what it is: Ash is with Taln in the makeshift hospital. She thinks of him as the sibling she never had and she’s so guilt-ridden at leaving him to carry the burden that had belonged to them all. Then the fighting outside grows quiet, and Fused enter the hospital. Ash recognizes Abidi the Monarch, who orders the killing of the wounded. Then she notices another silence. Taln is no longer whispering his mantra.
He stands, and Ash calls the Fused fools for coming for the broken. Abidi recognizes them and flees. Such a chicken (and not the cool kind). Then comes one of the best lines in the book:
And for the first time in over four thousand years, the Bearer of Agonies fought back.
I know Lyndsey also talks about this below but I had to mention it, too… I get shivers every time I read that line. Damn, Brandon’s good at this writing thing!
POV Shift!
Adolin sends Gallant to safety and then climbs a watchtower where he’d been earlier in the day. He has part of an aluminum chain and poor Neziham’s Blade. He leaps from the tower onto the thunderclast, hooking the chain to the stone spikes jutting from its back. He stabs once, but it’s not enough to kill the thing. The monstrous stone creature shakes him off, but the chain holds him. Then he hears a chorus of voices telling him to grab and he reaches out and grabs onto the thunderclast’s back again. He manages to get close enough to its neck to stab it in the right place. Adolin may think he’s obsolete, but he absolutely isn’t. He killed that storming thing! But then the thunderclast falls on him. That wasn’t part of the plan.
POV Shift!
Renarin is no longer frightened. He is Radiant and he has a path. He creates a group of windows in the chaos of the Spiritual Realm and sees the others in their own visions, like he’d been in his as a child being bullied. Then one of the windows changes and Renarin sees Mishram. She’s angry, per usual, so he walks to the window and talks to her. Glys, hiding inside of Renarin, tells him that Mishram was somehow responsible for his vision of Adolin saving him from the bullying. Renarin asks her why she showed him that vision, and what she’s showed the others and why. She just glares, and replies she’ll destroy them and that she wants them to find her so she can destroy them. She fades away.
Renarin thinks that their only real option might be finding her prison and then hiding it, leaving the Ghostbloods to flounder around in the Spiritual Realm looking for it. Glys tells him that he must Connect to Mishram to find her, to anchor soul to soul.
Then Renarin goes to the window showing Rlain, who is alone in a room. Renarin enters the vision and the scene that so many fans have waited for is here! They talk honestly about how they’ve both felt unwanted and they enjoy a moment of silence together. Then, riddled with anxiety, Renarin begins a conversation about relationships with Rlain. Asking if it would work between human and listener. Rlain explains his failure at mateform, when he pursued a male listener instead of a female. Rlain talks of “personality compatibility” and says it’s what he’s wanted and Renarin asks if it’s worth trying.
Then they hold hands and Shallan, who’s watching them through the window, gets quite excited! I love that she’s rooting for them and celebrating the way she is. The whole scene is really sweet.
Chapter 85 is titled “Parley” and opens with Adolin regaining consciousness. His right leg is gone below the knee, having been crushed by the thunderclast. The Truthwatcher, Rahel, has tried to heal him, but she can’t regrow limbs. May tells him that a more experienced Radiant can give him his leg back once they return to Urithiru. Well, we know how that’s going to go. Poor Adolin.
May gives him a rundown of what’s happening at the dome. Adolin says he needs to get there as the most experienced field commander, since Notum has said that he hasn’t seen Kushkam in a while. Hmask helps Adolin up, then he and another of Adolin’s guard support him as they make their way toward the dome.
They encounter Yanagawn, dressed for battle, with his honor guard, staring at a field of corpses. Hundreds of dead bodies lay before them, mostly singers, including dozens of Fused. Together, they begin to pick their way across the field of dead. Notum arrives and gives a brief report, then asks Adolin how he managed to kill this many Fused. Adolin sees a pile of bodies and crawls to the top to find Taln and Ash. Taln is dead, pierced by a dozen lances, the crushed skull of a dead Fused in his hand. Ash, wounded and bleeding, sits behind him, holding a sword.
”This time,” she whispered, “I won’t let him go alone ”
I’m not crying, you’re crying!
Adolin is awed, as are we all whenever we read this scene. I, for one, was slightly grumpy that we didn’t get to see the scene play out but hope that we’ll see it one day, in Taln’s flashback book. Please, Brandon! Please oh please oh please!
POV Shift!
Dalinar and Navani find themselves at a parley between Radiants and Regals. The Regals want more land and the Radiants aren’t willing to give it. The Regals depart, talks paused for now. Then the Windrunner they had connected to, Garith, insists that the singers will agree. Dalinar watches him and feels that he is, indeed, hiding something. He wonders if Garith is meeting with an Unmade in secret, if he’s a traitor.
Garith asks for more time to make the treaty work and departs. The Wind tells Dalinar to follow, though he can’t follow a Windrunner into the sky. Then Melishi speaks to Dalinar and says that tonight is the night, that they know where Garith will be, and that Garith is a traitor. Dalinar takes them to the place where Garith is. Dalinar is able to relate to the man that he forms a connection, zapping himself into Garith’s place.
Someone asks if “Garith” is sure about this. A group of three singers approach. A direform femalen that had been at the meeting stalks up to him… and kisses him.
And that’s it, that’s the end of the chapter! You can, of course, continue reading, or you can wait for next week—I, for one, am going to keep reading. *wink*
Lyndsey’s Commentary: Character Arcs and Maps
These Herald icons are getting harder and harder to identify! I had to really stare in order to spot the differences between Vedel and Shalash. I suspect it won’t be long before this particular section ceases to exist. But for now… chapter 84 features our boy Taln twice, Vedel, and Shalash. Taln and Shalash actually show up in the chapter (hoo boy does Taln show up, in more ways than one), and as for Vedel… she usually indicates a chapter in which Adolin is prominent, which he certainly is here.
Chapter 85’s arch Heralds are Ishar x2, Taln again, and Shalash again. Shalash and Taln are still here to represent their in-world counterparts who fought and died between chapters. Ishar, however, is likely representative of Dalinar and his attempts to figure out the truth about the Recreance.
Adolin
Renarin didn’t need him any longer, and that was good. But … storms. What did you do when you weren’t enough anymore? When you had been the best all your life, but suddenly you were obsolete?
Adolin has so much going on, emotionally, between his (entirely understandable) daddy issues and faltering sense of self-worth. Who would have thought that the arrogant playboy we met in Way of Kings would become one of the most intricate, multi-layered characters in the series?!
Something awakened in Adolin. Memories of people to whom Adolin had mattered, like a little boy in Thaylen City. And storms, there were a lot of little boys in Azimir. But only one Shardbearer left. Him.
That sense of responsibility drives him onward, much in the same way it does Peter Parker. With great power (or access to Shardplate), comes great responsibility. Adolin has never shirked his duty, despite his misgivings about his own abilities.
“My… leg…” Adolin said.
His right leg ended in a stump, below the knee.
And so begins the most unexpected arc of the book (for me, anyway). I never expected Adolin to be this badly injured. Killed, maybe. But permanently (probably) disabled, removing his main source of self-worth (his fighting ability)? Nope, didn’t see that coming. We’ll be delving more into his denial/acceptance of his new reality in future weeks, but for now he’s strictly in a state of denial.
Abidi
“The wounded.” […] “Slaughter them,” Abidi ordered. “It will demoralize the defenders.”
Yikes. Tell me you’re genuinely evil without telling me you’re genuinely evil…
Unfortunately, he’s also right. Strategically, there’s some overlap with the play Sigzil is trying to make over on Narak; only in Sig’s case, it’s all a ploy. He’s hoping that the Singers will try to take the illusory gems for the same reason that Abidi gives here—to break the morale of the defenders. However, in Azir the prisoners are very real, and Abidi has every intention of killing them. It’s a good thing that he chose this particular hospital, because…
Taln
And for the first time in over four thousand years, the Bearer of Agonies fought back.
I can’t wait to get more background information on Taln, because this scene was so incredibly badass that I needed more. We don’t get to see any of this fight; it all happens off the page, and somehow that makes it even cooler. We as readers are left to fill in the blanks, and our own imaginations are probably concocting an even more amazing battle than anything that could be written.
Taln, the Herald, knelt here with his head back, speared with a dozen lances, which propped up his corpse—his hand still holding the crushed skull of a dead Fused.
What an undeniable badass. It’s not surprising when you think about it; he’s had millennia to train, to hone his fighting skills and his body. Just imagine the training sessions he and Kal are going to have…
Renarin
So much about the world didn’t make sense to him, but he knew why he was here, and that gave him a path forward.
Having a set goal in mind to focus on can help to alleviate a lot of anxiety and uncertainty.
In the face of the terrors he’d lived through—the terror of not knowing if he was mad, or if he’d somehow been corrupted and was serving evil—simple mortality seemed a distant nightmare, barely remembered.
When death loses its hold over you, anything becomes possible.
“Hide in me,” Renarin said. “I will protect you.”
I see a lot of his brother in this act. Renarin looks up to and emulates Adolin in a lot of ways… and in this particular moment, he’s also embodying his Bridge Four ideals. He may not be a Windrunner, but he’s still protecting those who cannot protect themselves.
…he had felt like that before. Confused, terrified, worried. Each emotion she showed was so very familiar to him. Strange. He barely understood the other members of Bridge Four at dinner. Why should he feel he understood an ancient spren?
Empathy is a strange thing, sometimes. Bo-Ado-Mishram is also an outsider, so it does track that Renarin would be able to more easily connect with her on an emotional level.
“I showed you so you can find me … Find me! So I may destroy you.”
“How tempting.”
I’d just like to point out how far Renarin has come. This glib little reply never would have come out of the meek, unassuming boy we met in The Way of Kings. He no longer allows his fears and anxieties to control him.
Storms… he’d been feeling alone, hadn’t he? It was basically the opposite of what Renarin had assumed.
And this is an important lesson for Renarin to learn as well. Empathy isn’t always accurate. We can try to empathize with others, to read their meaning in body language or tone of voice, but in the end all we’re doing is guessing. The only way to know for sure is to ask.
“And my father has grown so much. It’s unfair to hold his actions as a younger man against him.
This is incredibly mature thinking for a young man. But then, Renarin’s always been wise beyond his years.
“I make things difficult,” Renarin said. “Because I don’t see the world the same way as everyone else, and they have to make accommodations for me.
God forbid people should have to make accommodations for others, right? ::attunes the Rhythm of Sarcasm::
In all seriousness, we see this a lot in how those with differences or disabilities are treated. Things are getting better in our real world, but they still have a long way to go in Roshar, so Renarin’s reaction here is completely understandable.
Rlain/Renarin
“That’s a lie,” Rlain said, wincing. “I … um, have thought about it, Renarin. A lot.
I’m not gonna lie, this is my favorite pairing in this book. (Not that I had a lot to choose from this time around, but I digress.) The way that Renarin and Rlain see similarities in one other, the way they connect and empathize about shared fears and social anxieties, the way they complete and support one another… it’s so well done. I also love the tension between the two. Opening up is hard, especially so when you fear rejection and have dealt with it so often in your past, as they both have. So, to find stability and understanding in one another… ::chef’s kiss::
He let them have silence. Just the rhythms, the heat, and two people harmonizing together.
I’ve often criticized Brandon for not writing romantic chemistry well, but he nailed it here. (He’s gotten way better at it in the last five years or so, but this scene in particular stands out to me, along with almost the entirety of Yumi and the Nightmare Painter.)
And I’m going to address the elephant in the room, here. Well done for portraying the beginning of a touching, realistic m/m gay relationship between, while not main characters exactly (though Renarin may be a main character in the back five), at least important secondary characters. Brandon does so with a grace and understanding that I find impressive.
It can be hard to “write the other,” as they call it in writing circles. Far easier to write what you know, the perspectives and experiences closest to your own; you don’t risk getting things wrong or retreading the same old tired stereotypes, which can often be harmful (“bury your gays,” I’m looking at you). This burgeoning relationship between Rlain and Renarin is important not only for the characters themselves, but for those readers who can now see aspects of themselves represented on the page and know that their emotions and existence are both acknowledged and respected.
Shallan
Hopping up and down, Glys said, making a high-pitched sound like she’s in pain.
Shallan standing in for a good portion of the readership who’ve been rooting for this moment for years. (I, for one, will join her.)
Dalinar
He’d been in meetings like this, trying to persuade everyone to follow a course he knew was right.
Interesting wording here. This implies a lack of willingness to concede points, to insist that HIS way is right, without bothering to make concessions for the other side.
Then she bent forward, took Dalinar’s head in her hands, and kissed him.
We’ll get more into this next week, but hoo boy is it a good thing that Navani’s an understanding woman!
Garith
“Someone must fight.”
“Yes,” Garith said, standing. “But we mustn’t love it so much we abandon other options.
I appreciate Garith, for attempting to negotiate a real, lasting peace. The fact that he’s doing so partially because he’s in love with “the enemy” only makes it more poignant: A Rosharan Romeo and Juliet, if you will.
Drew’s Commentary: Invested Arts & Theories
They were part of his Identity—part of how he saw himself—so they were how the body manifested when created from pure Investiture.
I have lost track of how many conversations I’ve had over the years, speculating about the nature of Cognitive Shadows and the Heralds in particular, wondering how they got their physical bodies.
There’s a reasonable amount of evidence to point toward Kelsier’s use of Hemalurgy to staple his Cognitive Shadow into a new body, but Hemalurgy is a brand-spanking-new concept on Roshar and we see nothing like it on Nalthis, either, where the Returned are another flavor of Cognitive Shadow.
It feels appropriate that Brandon chose this moment to reveal the method for the Heralds, manifesting from pure Investiture into physical form. This has been such a hot topic of speculation for so long that it deserves to have its moment alongside:
A crash broke the silence, windows cracking, air rushing to fill the hole Taln left when he moved. And for the first time in over four thousand years, the Bearer of Agonies fought back.
What an unbelievably awesome moment, and one that gives us a huge narrative hint of what sort of powers the Heralds possess. Sure, we’ve seen Taln snag a poison dart out of the air, but that’s nothing compared to this explosion of movement.
The Heralds, as we know on reread, can harness more primal powers of Roshar, moving at superhuman speeds independent of Surges or their Honorblades. And Taln stands out even among the Heralds for his prowess.
What a moment.
Taln, the Herald, knelt here with his head back, speared with a dozen lances, which propped up his corpse—his hand still holding the crushed skull of a dead Fused.
I’ve said it elsewhere, but I love that we weren’t actually shown the fighting here. I think it’s a situation where the imagination is better than any execution could’ve been. Maybe we’ll get this sequence in one of Taln’s flashbacks in Book Nine, but as it stands this is just a phenomenal moment.
Admittedly, something about his bond with Glys gave him extra advantages.
But it wouldn’t be a Sanderson book if we weren’t being taunted with unknown information alongside such a big revelation, of course.
So much of the Spiritual Realm—and really Spiritual anything in the Cosmere—remains a mystery, even on a reread of Wind and Truth. A lot of what happens in these segments is served up with a healthy “well, we don’t really know why but it works” from one character or another. The fact that Enlightened spren apparently grant greater control over the Spiritual Realm for their Radiants vs. standard spren is one of these situations.
Yes, Glys said. Though your Connection must be deeper. They travel echoes of the past—you seek a hidden secret that has been locked away. You will need to anchor soul to soul.
This has me considering bonds. Now, I don’t think that Renarin and Rlain bonded Mishram in anything like the traditional sense we readers have in our minds—no Nahel bond, certainly—but we know that there are multiple types of bonds. In Tress of the Emerald Sea, we learned about Luhel bonds, which involve a person exchanging something physical (typically water) in exchange for power. Would it not stand to reason that there might be more bonds possible?
Maybe something that Connects a spren to a soul, but without the strength of a Nahel bond and the exchange that happens there? Think about the different types of molecular bonds, and the relative strengths of intramolecular bonds and intermolecular forces—and from there, the various kinds of intermolecular forces, like hydrogen bonds or Van der Waals forces.
This seems like exactly the kind of thing Sanderson would take inspiration from when building the fundamental rules of Investiture and the Cosmere.
If so, I suspect that Renarin forges some kind of new bond with Ba-Ado-Mishram during this book, even if it’s not explicitly stated.
The next chapter is all about setting up the true cause of the Recreance, but we’ll get to that next week!
We’ll be keeping an eye on the comment sections of posts about this article on various social media platforms and may include some of your comments/speculation (with attribution) on future weeks’ articles! Keep the conversation going, and PLEASE remember to spoiler-tag your comments on social media to help preserve the surprise for those who haven’t read the book yet.
See you next Monday with our discussion article on chapters 86 and 87 plus the two interludes between the end of Day Seven and the beginning of Day Eight…
Paige. Ash thinks of Taln as the sibling she never had/ Who is she-Cersei? I got the sense that Ash and Taln were in a romantic relationship.
Same, I always thought they were lovers, never got a lost sibling impression at all.
Adolin being in denial about his leg is a good thing! It means it’ll be able to be healed, like Lopen. Once he accepts it as part of the “self” his cognitive will reflect that and he won’t be restored, like Rysn. In her case it was about the fact she was still just as important and didn’t need to be healed
But then again, with plate he could be like Aokiji in one piece, just always having it active on his leg, with the plate being more alive might not need the core to function.