Wind And Truth – The Eye Of The Storm

The Cosmere has changed forever. Brandon Sanderson’s Wind and Truth concludes the first era of his massive fantasy epic, The Stormlight Archive (don’t forget, it’s just one archive, folks!). If you’re reading this, I assume you’ve either read Wind & Truth already or are heavily invested in the Cosmere and will read it very soon. This review is for you—I’ll avoid major spoilers for the book itself (beyond the first 200-ish pages), but I suggest you look away if you’re not up to date with wider Cosmere goings-on. 

Looking for your Cosmere starting point? I’ve got a recommended reading order right here. I’ve heard from firsthand readers that it’s the best! Ignore all those other sites and take it from The Quill To Live!

Dalinar’s contest with Odium looms. In 10 days, their champions (yet to be selected) will battle for the fate of Roshar. In the meantime, the two sides of this epic clash—the human coalition, bolstered by the Knights Radiant, and the Voidbringers (or those who were thought to be Voidbringers) alongside their powerful Fused—fight for control of major Rosharan hubs. The Shattered Plains, Azimir, and Thaylen City are the focus of the battle. Whichever side controls each major kingdom’s seat after the contest will retain the land. 

Our major characters embark on various quests and commit to battles for Roshar’s fate.

• Dalinar: In Urithiru, seeking a way to garner enough power to defeat Odium. He seeks help in the Spiritual realm.
• Navani: In Urithiru working with Dalinar to brainstorm ways to defeat Odium. 
• Szeth: Heading to Shinovar to find out what’s going on in his homeland. 
• Kaladin: Assigned to accompany Szeth on a journey to Shinovar to heal a herald and cleanse the land. 
• Sigzil: Leading the defense of the Shattered Plains.
• Jasnah: Working with Queen Fen in Thaylen City.
• Adolin: Joins forces with the Azish to defend the capital from Odium’s forces emerging from Shadesmar.
• Shallan: Chasing the Ghostbloods in an effort to stop their attempts to find Ba-Ado-Mishram’s prison.
• Renarin: In Urithiru, trying to unravel the mystery of the Unmade Ba-Ado-Mishram
• Wit: Advising Dalinar in Urithiru and generally doing classic Wit stuff with unknown motives.
• Venli: In the Shattered Plains with other singers who denied Odium. 
• Odium: Putting various plans in place to guarantee his victory in the coming contest. 

There’s a lot going on here, and The Stormlight Archive has approximately 1,000 other characters to keep track of. Still, this list covers the main story arcs and serves as a good primer for this review. I’m gonna start big and whittle my way down to the nitty gritty as we go. 

Whenever I meet someone making their first foray into The Stormlight Archive, I describe the increasing scope of each book like a series of bigger orbs. The Way Of Kings is like a volleyball. It has a big scope compared to the stress-ball-sized narratives of other fantasy books, but it’s manageable. Words of Radiance kicks things up a notch to the size of an exercise ball. Oathbringer continues the trend, and it feels like one of those zorbs that can hold a full person. Rhythm of War? It’s the Epcot sphere. Wind and Truth is a whole stinkin’ planet. There comes a point when a big scope—which is usually a draw for me as a reader—starts to feel like too much. Wind and Truth hits that mark for me. There were some serious editing issues (like, did he have an editor at all), but the plot threads feel like they’re connected to massive, sky-spanning kites that just keep getting further and further from the characters holding their opposite ends. It’s hard to stay grounded within the narrative when the character-focused stories Sanderson gave us in the first four books start to feel less personal and more in service of the plot. 

And that brings me to the second and arguably most important section of this review: the plot. It’s intertwined with the bonkers scope, and while a plot-heavy conclusion to this already massive arc feels necessary, it also feels slightly deflating. Sanderson has an awful lot of loose ends to contend with, and he does an admirable job tying them up, but it feels like a Pyrrhic victory. Wind and Truth’s 1300 pages are dominated by mechanics and solutions that push the plot forward. The Spiritual Realm is the key offender; Dalinar, Navani, and a few other characters get trapped in the mysterious realm, which Wit—notably one of the most powerful beings in the Cosmere—says is incredibly dangerous. Dalinar proceeds to navigate it with relatively little trouble, bouncing through visions of the past willy-nilly. I can buy that he’s more inclined to survive the Spiritual Realm thanks to his powers as a Bondsmith, but plenty of other characters seem to have the same proficiency in the supposedly dangerous place without that benefit. 

Much of the book’s plot hinges on the Spiritual Realm goings-on, and the story suffers for it. The setting gives us a window into Roshar’s past, including the death of Honor, past Desolations, the forming of the Oathpact, and all sorts of other key Rosharan lore. It’s all cool as hell, and we, as readers, need the context, but Sanderson’s choice to dole it out via one significant chunk of the book (and the cast, for that matter) dilutes the impact. It can feel forced. Whereas characters and their decisions have driven previous books in the series, this one is fueled by the need to reach a specific conclusion that meshes with the Stormlight pathos. 

Sanderson has established himself as one of the best character writers in the business. While his casts are often built on time-loved classic tropes, he has the ability to breathe enormous amounts of life into them and make their time on the page blaze in your memory for years after you finish the book. That otherworldly talent is extremely hit-and-miss in this chapter of the saga. A large part of Wind and Truth is about the heralds, and I could not tell you a single thing about one of them other than Ishar and maybe Nale. Dalinar and Navani spent 700 pages in the spirit realm with zero identity, drifting from scene to scene screaming, “Now would be a good time for some exposition” 400 times. Several characters had extremely rushed moments (like when multiple people say new oaths as afterthoughts) or had their entire character derailed for the sake of pushing the plot forward. The result is a book that feels like it’s missing content, which is insane when it’s already 1400 pages long and badly in need of a trim.

One might read this and think I disliked Wind and Truth, but I promise that’s not the case. The book was electric. Even when he’s railroading himself, Sanderson can craft a baller story. Sure, I struggled with certain storylines, but others gave me goosebumps. 

Kaladin and Szeth’s journey was a highlight for me. Kaladin seeks to help Szeth heal his mind while Szeth—less concerned with his health than Kaladin is—seeks to cleanse his homeland of the dark influence gripping it. Most authors would see this story as something of a waste. Kaladin and Szeth are two of the series’ most fearsome warriors, and they spend the bulk of their time discussing emotions and healing. And if you’re wondering, “Do they end up fighting at all?” I invite you to, as Sanderson himself might say, Read and Find Out (RAFO)! Both Kaladin and Szeth grapple with their place in the world and the roles they’ve been assigned versus those they want for themselves. Do they carve their paths or walk those forged for them? Sometimes, we all know the answers to such questions, but acting on them can be the most challenging step. This is also one of the book’s most prominent themes: mental health. Sanderson has done an excellent job characterizing issues like depression, anxiety, and feelings of worthlessness. Struggling with mental health can put a hamper on your sense of identity, and that happens to many characters in Wind and Truth. I’ve been in therapy for years; I’ve been a reader for even longer. I’ve never seen a better exploration of mental wellness in a fantasy book. 

I appreciated other stories in Wind and Truth just as much. Instead of full analyses, I’ll summarize a few of them briefly. Adolin’s journey of self-discovery in a world where being a swordsman is less valuable than ever is delightful. Jasnah’s reckoning with the upending of her entire moral philosophy? Chef’s kiss. Renarin and Rlain are also a highlight, but I won’t spoil that directly and anyone who hates the book on the grounds of their story is a hate-filled loser. Sigzil’s arc is particularly good, especially in the context of events in a different Cosmere book that features him. What I’m saying here is simple: sure, the book has some issues, but there is so much to love, and Sanderson’s prowess is still on display despite some of the narrative problems in the book. 

Sanderson’s conclusions—and the Sanderlanches leading up to them—are famous in the fantasy realm. The end of Wind and Truth feels like the right one for this first arc of Stormlight, and its implications for the wider Cosmere are huge. But does Wind and Truth stick the landing? It’s hard to say, and I imagine most readers will have varying degrees of opinion. I think Wind and Truth is a worthwhile and serviceable conclusion—it’s even satisfying at points. But it’s not up to snuff with the other epic Cosmere finales (think Mistborn era 1). Sanderson pairs the epic ending with personal and meaningful conclusions for many of the characters, including a few interesting cliffhangers and more than a few dangled carrots for future Cosmere readers. It was enough for me, but it won’t be enough for everyone. 

Wind and Truth stumbles here and there. It has to contend with an unruly storytelling scope and a world’s worth of characters to follow. Even so, Sanderson has crafted a worthwhile ending to the first Stormlight sequence, and I’m excited to see where he takes us next. 

Rating: Wind and Truth – 8.0/10

-Cole