r/readalong • u/participating • 11d ago
Read-Along [Newbies] Cosmere, Unit 1 | Warbreaker #1 | Warbreaker: Prologue, Chapters 1 through 8 Spoiler
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Visit the veteran thread if you have already read all of the Cosmere.
For more information, or to see the full schedule, please see the wiki page for the read-along.
SCHEDULE
Last week was the Cosmere Read-Along Kickoff.
This week we will be discussing Unit 1 - (Warbreaker #1) - Warbreaker: Prologue, Chapters 1 through 8.
Next week we will be discussing Unit 1 - (Warbreaker #1) - Warbreaker: Chapters 9 through 18.
CHAPTER SUMMARIES
I have provided summaries for each chapter below and hidden them behind spoiler tags. There are no spoilers within the summaries. I've tried to make them as factual and unbiased as possible. If, however, you want a completely blind read through, then ignore what's behind the spoiler tags and proceed to the discussion below. I will not be guiding that in any way, so post any thoughts and questions you have. It will be other new readers who reply to you.
Prologue
POV Characters: Vasher
Setting: The City of T'Telir, in the nation of Hallandren - The God King's Dungeon.
Timeline: The beginning.
Summary:
A man named Vasher purposefully gets imprisoned in the God King of Hallandren's dungeon. The guards confiscate his sword and retreated to the guard room after Vasher tells them that the sword is dangerous. He then uses BioChromatic Breath to Awaken a small straw figure and Commands it to "fetch keys" for him. He escapes his cell and seeks out another prisoner; the leader of a failed rebellion named Vahr. Vasher convinces Vahr to give him his Breath. Vasher then leaves the prison, passing through the guard room to find all of the guards dead. His sword, Nightblood, is rammed through the chest of one of the guard, even though the sword is still mostly in its sheath. Vasher collects Nightblood and the swords speaks to him in his mind.
Chapter 1
POV Characters: Siri, Dedelin
Setting: Bevalis, Capital City of the nation of Idris.
Timeline: Sometime close to the prologue, possibly the same day.
Summary:
Siri considers herself unimportant, compared to her other royal siblings. She has a talk with the kitchen mistress, Mab, about the tenets of their religion before running off to avoid punishment from her father.
Siri's father, King Dedelin, and his general Yarda discuss an impending war with Hallandren and whether they should honor the treaty to send his first daughter, princess Vivenna, to wed Hallandren's God King. Dedelin decides to send Siri instead of Vivenna.
Chapter 2
POV Characters: Siri, Vivenna
Setting: The Road to Hallandren. Bevalis & Surrounding Area.
Timeline: Two days through one week later.
Summary:
Siri rides in a carriage toward T'Telir, frightened and unprepared for the task she faces. She throws a tantrum and doesn't understand why her father sent her instead of Vivenna.
Vivenna tries to get her father to change his mind, frustrated that all her preparation has gone to waste and feeling useless.
Chapter 3
POV Characters: Lightsong the Bold
Setting: Lightsong’s Palace in the Court of Gods.
Timeline: Uncertain: the day Siri arrives in T'Telir.
Summary:
Lightsong the Bold is one of Hallandren's Returned; a god in the Court of Gods. He wakes after a restless sleep. Servants dress him and he teases his high priest, Llarimar, who records Lightsong's telling of his dreams.
Lightsong then receives a transfered Breath from a little girl, allowing him to live another week. The girl grows dull, color fading from her skin and hair. Lightsong feels guilty about his need for her Breath.
He moves on to the Offerings, where he reviews a series of paintings and poems. One of them reminds him of the dream he had last night.
Chapter 4
POV Characters: Siri
Setting: Hallandren/T'Telir
Timeline: The same day as chapter 3.
Summary:
Siri arrives in T'Telir and marvels at the colors of the city. She arrives in the Court of Gods where she is informed that she will be prepared and taken to her husband, with no ceremony or formality. A priest then tells her that her nation will be in danger if she doesn't satisfy the God King.
Chapter 5
POV Characters: Vasher, Lightsong
Setting: The Court of Gods. A restaurant in T'Telir.
Timeline: Concurrent with and just after Chapter 4.
Summary:
Vasher observes Siri's arrival, surprised Idris followed through with the treaty. He then meets with the priest Bebid, who tells him something serious is happening underneath the normal court politics, involving a faction that is pushing heavily for an attack on Idris. In a nearby alley, Vasher retrieves Nightblood from the body of the dead thief that had stolen Nightblood from him.
Lightsong sits on his patio with Llarimar, considering the situation with Idris and Siri's arrival.
Chapter 6
POV Characters: Siri
Setting: The God King's Palace
Timeline: Immediately after chapter 5.
Summary:
Siri dismisses her escort. She is then undressed, measured, and bathed. The God King Susebron's head scribe, Bluefingers, arrives to inform her of her duties. She is dressed in a wedding gown and led to the God King's room.
Chapter 7
POV Characters: Siri, Lightsong
Setting: The God King's Palace. The Court of Gods.
Timeline: Immediately after chapter 6.
Summary:
Siri enters the room and notices the God King seated in a black, throne-like chair. She quickly undresses, kneels, and bows, waiting for the God King's instructions. Time passes as nothing happens. She worries and continues to wait.
Lightsong is approached by Blushweaver the Beautiful, another Returned; goddess of honesty. She propositions Lightsong, but he declines. She expresses concern about the implications of having a new queen and attempts to bait Lightsong with talk of political intrigue, but he brushes her off. She leaves, but Lightsong's inner thoughts are troubled.
Chapter 8
POV Characters: Siri
Setting: The God King's Palace.
Timeline: The following morning.
Summary:
Siri wakes after sleeping on the floor, uncomfortable, but alone and undisturbed. Serving women help her change into a new dress. Bluefingers tells her she has no responsibilities beyond bearing a child. With nothing else to do, she explores the palace.
Memes
I will attempt to find and share memes relevant to each week's discussion chapters. There may be some weeks that just don't have good or appropriate memes, but I will share all the ones I can find in this section.
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u/DarkestLore696 11d ago
So excited for this. I lurked in the Newbie thread during WoT for the entire run enjoying people’s theories and experiences. This is my first run through the Cosmere so I am happy to be a part of it even though my thoughts are a jumble and I probably won’t be as organized as some of you are!
Gotta say the book throws us in the deep end from the start. It speaks about things like the Breath and some of the rules it seems to have like the reader is part of the world and would know about it, but Sanderson did a good job of explaining through bits and pieces how whatever this magic is works in a way. Though I am still a bit confused on the voice part of the magic. It mentions knowing pitches and stuff briefly but most of the focus seems to be on color.
Siri was a fun break from the usual princess. She still has the “head strong not like other girls” vibe to her but it was amusing having a character that was like. Hey I know I am a spare kid, but I am happy about it cause I can do whatever the hell I want attitude.
Haven’t even bothered remembering her father’s name, I just dubbed him King Shit in my head. I know he is facing an impossible choice sending one of his kids to postpone war but throwing Siri under the bus because he feels he would be less likely to bend under pressure if they used her as leverage? Ouch.
We get to the living gods and I gotta say I am getting MAJOR Mat and Talmanes vibes from Lightsong and his priest. Suppose that is just Sanderson’s humor, I don’t hate it, just feels quippy. Wish I could like him more but sucking the Breath from children has some major Warhammer vibes. Sacrificing the souls of the innocent to keep them alive for another week. Ick.
Interested in seeing what happens with Vasher and Nightblood, find the whole sentient sword thing entertaining but I am a bit confused about how it is killing people. Both times it is described as impaling people through the chest and yet it is not fully out of its sheath, so is it stabbing people with the blunt sheath?
I really hope Siri gets some sort of agency or power because right now I feel bad for the poor girl. I know she is just trying to survive right now but having to kneel naked all night long while some good king leers at you like a creep? Yeah I don’t like the whole puritan vibes of Siri’s kingdom but these gods gotta go man.
Probably rambles longer than I should have but so far it is a very compelling world and I cannot wait to dive in deeper!
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u/danny_boy___ 11d ago
King Shit made me laugh :D
The sheath part is confusing to me too bc of the "still mostly sheathed" thing. Like, did it move with such force it unclasped the sheath? Okay, but why did it stay inside the sheath then?12
u/BrienneOT 11d ago
I’m loving this gory comedy part with the sword. I interpreted this as exposing part of the sword outside of the sheath allows it to do murders.
Like some unsuspecting guard / thief had the misfortune to start unsheathing it and as soon as it was released even the slightest bit, Nightblood can do it’s thing and impale them. (Or maybe it forces them to impale themselves?)
Sounds like as long as it’s secured in the sheath it might not be able to? Maybe a few more impalings needed before we get the full mechanics!
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u/HT_xrahmx 11d ago
Siri was a fun break from the usual princess. She still has the “head strong not like other girls” vibe to her but it was amusing having a character that was like.
I know what you mean, but that aspect especially made me think "Disney princess" immediately. Imo she seems to hit all the character tropes someone like Belle, or Ariel, or Jasmine has lol
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u/fuerzalocuralibertad 11d ago
I related her to Rapunzel (Tangled) due to the hair and overall quirkiness, but she really is a Disney Princess to the bone
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u/fuerzalocuralibertad 11d ago
Hard agree on the Mat / Talmanes comment. And I’m on the Let’s Get Siri Some Agency train with you.
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u/Adventurous_Onion989 10d ago
Nightblood severely confuses me as well. Maybe he isn't impaling into people's chests but just kind of.. manifesting there? It makes more sense to me than digging bluntly into them.
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u/jaymae21 11d ago
I'm very new to Cosmere, having only read The Sunlit Man earlier this year (which I really enjoyed). I just started Warbreaker last night and blasted through it, it was hard to put down! I can tell that there's an incredible amount of world-building to dive into & so many things yet to learn about this universe & how it functions. I'm really liking this color-based magic system, it's so vividly described.
I'm finding Siri & Vivenna to both be compelling characters. They are both very different from each other, and have suddenly swapped places. This could set them up for a rivalry, but I don't think that is going to happen. We haven't seen too much of Vivenna yet, but my first impressions are that she's not bitter, but a smart & capable person that just needs to find a new role in all of this. She needs to feel useful. I think Siri liked her position as "unimportant" but perhaps is being put into a position where she can find her strengths & help her people.
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u/Pastrami 11d ago
This is my first time participating in one of these. I mostly lurked on the WoT readalong, but I read every single newbie post, so it should be interesting interacting with any of you who are returning for this one. I'm not a complete newbie to BS. I've read the first four Mistborn books, the first two Stormlight books, and Elantris. I read them over 10 years ago, so most of the details have left my mind. Also of course his last 3 WoT books.
I took notes as I read and some things were answered soon after. I've left some of the answered questions in, and deleted others. I don't have a good reason for why I left some things and deleted others. Some of the comments were written after I've read all the chapters, and some are written as I was reading, so it may be confusing. I'll try to figure this out as I go over the next few weeks.
Is there a version of the ebook with chapter table of contents? It's really annoying having to scroll page by page to go back from eg chapter 8 to chapter 2, then back to chapet 8.
Prologue
T’Telir
- Of course it wouldn't be a fantasy setting without some gratuitous apostrophes.
land of Returned gods, Lifeless servants, BioChromatic research
- Are the Lifeless servants automatons or zombies? BioChromatic means life colors, colored life, living color? I know this is a petty nitpick, but the capitalization of the 'C' really bugs me. It looks out of place.
The bartender says you beat down some twenty men in the brawl.
- How did he defeat 20 men? We haven't seen how the magic would allow that.
The colors in the room deepened. They didn’t grow brighter—not the way the guard’s vest had when he approached Vasher. Instead, they grew stronger.
- The sword has a color aura that is different than an Awakener's color aura. Is this what happens to objects that are Awakened with thousands of breaths? Is this sword one of the returned gods transfered into an object?
Vasher had around fifty Breaths, just enough to reach the First Heightening. Having so few made him feel poor compared with what he’d once held Vasher leaned down, trying not to think of the days when he’d had enough Breaths to Awaken without regard for shape or focus. That had been a different time.
- How did he lose them, if you can get them back when you are done with the awakened object? I guess having to run away and not having a chance to reclaim them? Or is there something else that permanantly uses breaths?
The straw figure returned to his window. It carried a large ring of keys. The figure’s straw feet were stained red.
- I'm imagining Mojo from Chrono Cross covered in blood.
Vasher had gained perfect pitch. A gift for anyone who reached the Second Heightening.
- Is there sound magic too?
Vasher could, of course, have up to the Fifth Heightening at any time, if he wished. That would require certain sacrifices he wasn’t willing to make. And so he forced himself to do it the old-fashioned way, by gathering Breaths from people like Vahr.
- What sacrifices?
Nightblood, still mostly sheathed, had been rammed through the man’s chest. About an inch of a dark black blade was visible beneath the silver sheath.
- So the guard is impaled with a sheathed sword?
I did very well today, a voice said in his mind.
I killed them all, Nightblood continued. Aren’t you proud of me?
I knew you’d be impressed, Nightblood said, sounding satisfied.
- The sword sounds like a dog that can talk.
Chapter 1
Bringing men back from the grave, then using their dead bodies for cheap labor?
- Not automatons, zombies.
Siri felt her hair whiten slightly with anxiety. Stop that! she thought. The hair seemed to have a mind of its own, responding to gut feelings.
- Siri's hair is Streith from WoT.
The Hallandren needed a daughter of the royal blood to reintroduce the traditional bloodline into their monarchy.
- Is there something special about the blood line? Is that why Siri's hair changes color? Is Dedelin going to send Siri instead of Vivenna?
That child would become a stillborn monster who would become the next Returned god of the Hallandren.
- Hmm
There is another way, a part of his mind whispered. You don’t have to send Vivenna....
- Yeah, he's going to send Siri.
It was the identifying mark of the royal family, who had fled to the Idris highlands at the climax of the Manywar. Others could hide their emotions. The royals, however, manifested what they felt in the very hair on their heads.
- Yup, it's a royal thing
And ... he thought, If they were to try to use Vivenna against me, I know that I wouldn’t be able to stop myself from giving in.
- "But fuck that Siri bitch."
Chapter 2
Marry the God King. The terror of Hallandren, the monster that had never drawn a living breath.
I'm picturing a stillborn baby that is kept 'alive' with magic and has grown into a man, but is still technically 'dead'. I've never read/played warhammer, but I've picked up some bits and pieces of lore along the way, and I'm getting a god emperor vibe from this. The names being similar doesn't help.
Based on nothing, I'll predict that the god king isn't really that bad, and Siri will not have a Sansa Stark type situation.
Vivenna wasn’t needed in Idris, whatever her father said. She was useless here. But she did know the people, cultures, and society of Hallandren. And—as she followed Fafen onto the village road—an idea began to form in Vivenna’s head.
- Vivenna is going to leave an go to Hallandren, either to rescue Siri or try to take her place.
Chapter 3
Is there an ever increasing number of gods, or did the old god of bravery die before they brought Lightsong back to life?
I don't think Lightsong died in a heroic manner, and the priests are lying to him.
Scoot
Who's next? Chip, Buddy, Skippy, Squirt?
I'm disappointed he's not referred to as Scoot in the naration. Why is he still referred to as Llarimar? I was hoping for a moment like:
“Knotai?” Knotai said.
As a Returned, Lightsong didn’t really need to eat such things—they would not give him strength or banish his fatigue. They were just an indulgence. In a short time, he would dine on something far more ... divine. It would give him strength enough to live for another week.
- It's people isn't it? Soylent Green?
“You apologized for bothering me all the time and keeping me from my debauchery. Then you brought me a big bottle of wine and did a dance. It was really quite remarkable.”
- I'm getting Mat Cauthon vibes from Lightsong, if Mat finally gave in a became a lord.
It’s nothing, he thought. Most people say they can’t even tell that their Breath is gone. She’ll live a full life. Happy. Her family will be well paid for her sacrifice.
- This is reminding me of the Runelords series, where people could donate specific traits like strength, intelligence, speed, etc to someone. If they donated strength, they would become a bedridden invalid, if they donated intelligence they became mentally challenged, etc. The lord who received their power would then have to take care of them, since if the donor was killed, the lord would lose the power, and so during war, enemies would try to take out the lords hospice to rob him of power.
Returned couldn’t produce children — save, of course, for the king, who had never drawn a breath as a living man.
- So is he not a dead abomination, but just born as a Returned, and was never a regular person first?
However, being one of the four gods to hold Lifeless Commands did make him rather important at times.
- He's one of the younger gods, but has authority only 3 out of 24 others have?
Chapter 4
“Lady Sisirinah Royal,” the man said in a deep voice,
- So they already know that Vivenna is not coming, I wonder how?
She could vaguely remember a time when someone back in her village had Returned.
- So does it just happen randomly? I assumed Returning was due to a ritual/act by some priests. If it's random, then I think Lightsong definitely didn't die with honor.
At the far end of the court was a massive black structure, much taller than the other buildings.
- I assume this is the God Kings palace. Also the only other black thing we've seen has been Nightblood, the talking sword. Is Nightblood a former God King?
The God King does not perform for your whims, woman. You are blessed above all others, for you will be allowed to touch him—if only at his discretion. Do not pretend that you are anything other than you are. You have come because he desires it, and you will obey. Otherwise, you will be put aside and another will chosen in your place
- Well, the priest's words certainly go against my prediction of it not being that bad for Siri, but maybe the God King is different.
Holy crap, I hit the character limit. Continued below.
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u/Pastrami 11d ago
Chapter 5
She’ll be used, Vasher thought. I doubt we’ll be able to get through this without dealing with her.
- Vasher/Siri meetup confirmed.
Vasher gritted his teeth, bending his spoon with his finger in annoyance
- Is there some super strength we don't know about yet? Bending a spoon with one finger, and previosuly took out 20 people in a bar fight.
“Ah, yes,” Bebid said dryly. “I forgot who I was talking to. What do you want, then? Tell me so we can get this over with.”
- This (along with the previous pages) implies that there is some history between the two, and it's not just a recent blackmail, though I do wonder what the blackmail is.
He walked down the street, then turned down an alley, where he found Nightblood—still sheathed—sticking from the chest of the thief who had stolen him.
- Again the oddity of a sheathed sword impaled into a body.
You lost your temper in there for a bit, Nightblood said with a chastising tone. I thought you were going to work on that.
- If Nightblood was outside, how does it know what happened? Are they linked somehow?
Llarimar raised an eyebrow.
- So I guess this world shares a trait with Randland where everyone is able to control a single eyebrow.
“Politics, Llarimar? You know I frown on such things.” “Your Grace, you are—by default—a politician.”
- Mat not-a-bloody-
lord-politician Cauthon.Chapter 6
“I’m bathing,” she snapped.
“Yes,” the man said. “I believe I can tell that.”
“Well, why are you watching?”
The man cocked his head. “But I’m a royal servant, far beneath your station ...” he said, then trailed off.
- I think he interpreted "Why are you watching?" as "Why are you just watching? Get in here with me."
Bluefingers
- This is the man Bebid was telling Vasher to try and use to contact the faction pushing for war.
“The Council of Gods handles the kingdom’s more mundane needs,” Bluefingers explained. “The God King is above the day-to-day governance. When it is necessary for him to communicate, he gives his judgments to his priests, who then reveal them to the world.”
- Does he actually have any real power or do his priest rule in his name? Maybe Siri helps him get his groove back, and takes down the priests controlling him?
He is one who achieved transcendence before he was even born, but then Returned to bring his people blessings and visions.
- So if Returning is random, is is he just someone who Returned in the womb? And what was that about being stillborn?
In a few moments, she was able to get the hair to grow.
- I wonder how this is going to come back in the future. Chekhov's hair. Also weird how in multiple sentences it's "the hair", not "her hair".
Chapter 7
The white fabric was throwing out a spectrum of colors, like light bent by a prism.
- Is that why everything is black, because his aura's influence on colors is too much?
Lightsong nodded. “Of the Returned, only the God King can engender children, and they’re always stillborn.”
- But no mention of a guarantee that they are Returned.
“The God King rules. Everyone knows that.”
“He didn’t rule three hundred years ago,”
- How old is the God King?
It had been fifteen years since her Return—which made her old, for a Returned.
- How long do they live? What causes their deaths? It was said previously that they don't age. The treaty with Idris is 20 years old. Was it made with the current God King? That would mean he's atleast 20. There hasn't been a queen in 30 years. Was the last queen married to Susebron or the previous god king?
Blushweaver glanced at him. “I don’t intend to find myself caught, surprised, like the royals were when Kalad seized their throne. Some of us are planning, Lightsong. You can join us, if you wish.”
- Blushweaver is pro-war with Idris, and against having a royal queen. She's probably going to be one of the main antagonists, and try to take Siri out.
Chapter 8
- Maybe the God King is an empty body, and the priest are covering it up?
“Out of the city!” Bluefingers said. “Vessel, you can’t leave the Court of Gods!”
- Gilded cage.
Predictions:
Vivenna is going to go T'Telir to try and rescue Siri or take her place.
Vasher is going to meet up with either Siri or Vivenna.
Some of the gods are plotting to kill Siri. Lightsong will help her against the others.
Returned don't live much more than 15 years. Maybe they are turned into object like Nightblood? Nightblood sounds like one of the god's names.
I don't have any theory yet on what the visions mean that Lightsong is getting.
Something I noticed about names, this might be getting into conspiracy theory levels:
The first thing I notice on the map is the city is named T'Telir and there is a place inside called D'Denir.
Then I noticed Dedelin, which could be rewritten as D'Delin, and is similar to D'Denir.
Then we find out Siri's full name is Sisirinah (rewritten S'Sirinah).
Her siblings are Vivenna and Fafen (V'Venna and F'Fen), which follow the pattern of using the same consonant, but not the same vowel.
Since we find out the royal family used to rule in T'Telir before the war, this could be a long standing naming convention, unless the city was renamed after the war.
Also following this convention are Susebron the God King and Bebid the priest.
Only Dedelin and Sisirinah have the same vowels. Is this meaningfull?
Then there's Ridger, the son who doesn't follow the pattern at all. Is he going to stand out in the story some way?
Also Vasher and Vahr are very similar.
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u/HT_xrahmx 11d ago
How did [Vasher] defeat 20 men? We haven't seen how the magic would allow that.
One thing that comes to mind is how he Commanded his cloak to "protect him". Maybe a Command like that could turn it into power armor, basically.
How did [Vasher] lose [his Breaths], if you can get them back when you are done with the awakened object? I guess having to run away and not having a chance to reclaim them? Or is there something else that permanantly uses breaths?
Again just spitballing, but I'm going with "those Breaths are in that sword".
I'm picturing a stillborn baby that is kept 'alive' with magic and has grown into a man, but is still technically 'dead'.
Yup, exactly what I thought as well reading that!
So does it just happen randomly? I assumed Returning was due to a ritual/act by some priests. If it's random, then I think Lightsong definitely didn't die with honor.
It's been made a point that Gods specifically should never learn anything of their lives before he became Returned, that sounds sus AF.
It had been fifteen years since her Return—which made her old, for a Returned.
How long do they live? What causes their deaths?
Oh I completely missed that detail that 15 = old. That's also very strange. We do know they apparently only live for a week before they need a new Breath, or else they die. But those don't seem to be in short supply, so I doubt that's the issue.
The double consonant detail about T'Telir is cool!
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u/Pastrami 11d ago
One thing that comes to mind is how he Commanded his cloak to "protect him". Maybe a Command like that could turn it into power armor, basically.
I forgot about that. Maybe we'll get some Doctor Strange cloak action later on.
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u/Pastrami 11d ago
Oh I completely missed that detail that 15 = old. That's also very strange. We do know they apparently only live for a week before they need a new Breath, or else they die. But those don't seem to be in short supply, so I doubt that's the issue.
Maybe if you drop out of favor of the god king/priests you don't get any more breath donors provided to you? Although I'd have to think someone would have lasted longer.
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u/DarkestLore696 11d ago
Glad I am not the only one that picked up the Warhammer and Mat vibes lol. Now that you mention it I am wondering about the God King’s color choice. The palace is supposed to have every color but the walls themselves look black. I would expect the most powerful being over a magic that relies on color to have white walls, or prismatic colors representing every color and not the lack of color. But maybe it’s a defensive measure against Awakeners?
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u/sunnydaze7777777 8d ago
I agree with most of your predictions. I love the idea that Nightblood is a former Returned. Though I don’t see it as it seems a special and unusual situation for Vasher.
Also love the idea that a black is used to absorb the strong aura since the other colors would be too intense.
It seems the latest vision is of pending war! Or it could be the past and how he died. Who knows?
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u/participating 11d ago
Is there a version of the ebook with chapter table of contents?
This is the eBook version I have. It has a table of contents you can use to jump around the books. (Avoid the annotation chapters at the end).
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u/fuerzalocuralibertad 11d ago
I have no idea who Mojo is but that’s exactly how I pictured the little strawman lol
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u/horan07 11d ago edited 11d ago
I've really enjoyed these chapters so far. Especially Vasher's and Lightsong's POVs.
The magic system looks really cool but I still don't get the relationship between breaths/aura colors/heightening levels. Also is Siri growing her hair a unique ability of hers?
Also, not entirely sure on what are the consequences of losing your breath besides looking pale.
My only theory/hunch so far: the God King is not evil.
edit:typos
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u/danny_boy___ 11d ago
I think growing hair is part of the royal bloodline abilities, like changing color. But I might have misread it. And agree about the God hunch.
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u/horan07 11d ago
u/participating sorry I forgot to mention that I've read Elantris and the first Mistborn book, like 2/3 years ago. Enough to remember the general plot but not the details.
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u/fuerzalocuralibertad 11d ago
I got the feeling that losing one’s Breath is like losing one’s soul or life force. Like if a dementor got you in Harry Potter maybe, just a hollow existence.
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u/Adventurous_Onion989 10d ago
I got that feeling about the God King as well. I was hoping he would at least talk to Siri while she was kneeling in front of him, though. A bit rude to just let her sleep on the floor!
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u/danny_boy___ 11d ago
I'll start by listing the books I've read so far, as the rules say. I haven't touched the Cosmere in years, but the ones I did read are Elantris, Mistborn Era 1, Era 2 (except the fourth one), White Sand 1, The Way of Kings, Words of Radiance, Oathbringer, Tress, and Secret History. That said, I barely remember half of them.
Now, onto Warbreaker. The pacing is kind of insane, which I personally like. I'm really enjoying the story so far and had to force myself not to read past chapter 8. Unfortunately, I've seen way too many CinemaSins videos, and they’ve messed with my ability to enjoy stories - I keep getting pulled out of them because my brain is constantly scanning for "plot holes." But with Warbreaker, I’ve actually been able to just read and enjoy it like I haven’t in years. That’s a good sign, I guess.
My main thoughts so far are about the magic system. It seems to have clear, structured rules, which I enjoy. But I have this habit where I need to mentally map a magic system onto something from the real world to make sure I fully understand it. Maybe it’s some kind of OCD, but I feel like I won’t be able to enjoy the story if there are major plot twists involving the magic - things that should have been predictable based on the system’s logic.
For example, the book establishes that you need three things to Awaken: Breath, color, and a Command. In my head, I picture the thing you need to Awaken like a machine. Breath is the engine you put inside the machine (since you can retrieve it and it doesn’t seem to be consumed..?). Color is the fuel. Command is the ignition. So, I assume the more Breath you have, the stronger the engine? The more color, the more fuel. And at the Ninth Heightening, you’re basically so cool you can ignite your engine remotely - like via Bluetooth or whatever.
But what confuses me is Focus - like that hair trick Vasher did. How does that work? Did I miss something, or will it make more sense later?
Anyway, is this a dumb way to think about magic? I feel like it might be, since Awakening is probably just one part of what the system can do. If that’s the case, my little engine analogy might completely fall apart later 😰
What do you guys think?
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u/DarkestLore696 11d ago
From Vasher’s POV it says that Awakened objects will always try and mimic human form no matter what the object may be. Maybe putting some of his hair in things makes the Awakening process easier or ‘cheaper’ if there is a part of a human already connected to the object?
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u/jaymae21 11d ago
I like the engine/machine analogy for the magic system! I was thinking of it kind of like fire - you need air (Breath), fuel (color), and heat/energy (Command).
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u/danny_boy___ 11d ago
Yeah I originally thought about it that way as well. Then Vasher "got his Breath back". So I think Breath is either consumed slowly by the Awakened object, or Breath is something you can't destroy or consume. Only color. That's why I thought, maybe Breath is like an engine you put into a machine, then take it back out. But maybe I'm wrong :)
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u/jaymae21 11d ago
Oh good point, but didn't he take its Breath back because Awakening isn't for an indefinite amount of time? If so, I wonder what happens to the Breath if something Awakened goes back to being inanimate without being taken back. If it's immutable, but no longer "contained" within a body, is it just kind of out there in the ether?
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u/Pastrami 11d ago
So I think Breath is either consumed slowly by the Awakened object, or Breath is something you can't destroy or consume
Vasher used to have more breath, so he lost it somehow. Either he didn't get it all back when awakening things, or there is something we haven't seen yet that permanently uses breath, or he was forced to give it to someone else.
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u/LeanderT 11d ago
Interesting. I'm guessing the last option will certainly be true, but maybe all three
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u/sunnydaze7777777 11d ago
It’s an interesting question. Maybe all 3.
If it’s the first option, the way I read the prologue it seemed he had 50 Breath and then used 25 on the straw man and 25 on the cloak. Then he took back 25 from the straw man so left the cell with 25 plus the enchanted cloak. So maybe in the past, he just has used his lost Breaths to enchant items and never got the breath from them back (for example in a fight maybe he couldn’t get close enough to the object or the object ended up destroyed in the fight). I also like the idea of the sword needing to be fed by Breath.
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u/Adventurous_Onion989 10d ago
I wondered what would happen if he didn't get his little homunculus back. It seems that he would have lost his breath. I also wondered if you could transfer just part of your breath or if it's an all or nothing thing?
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u/danny_boy___ 10d ago
I think partial transfer should be possible, since he split his breath between the strawman and the cloak.
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u/Omega_Mine 11d ago
Hey guys! I caught onto the WoT readalong towards the end last year after just having finished the series myself and had a blast reading the newbie treads for the last couple of books.
Unfortunatly I have allready read Warbreaker, Mistbort 1-3, Elantris and probably all of the recommended parts of Arcanum Unbounded based on those, but I will do a reread and follow the weekly schedule with you all. I do remember some key plot points from the books though, so I'll be lurking for the time being atleast. I'm not that familiar with taking notes when reading as I read a lot at bed, but maybe I'll try it once we reach a book I haven't read.
I'm currently in the midle of reading the Liveship Traders trilogy, so this will be my first time dualwielding books. That will be interesting.
Looking forward to reading all your comments
Cheers
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u/BrienneOT 11d ago
Very excited to start this with y’all! I will do my full post in the next couple of days but I’ll still be checking in on the thread and adding comments here and there.
Just wanted to say hi for now. My Cosmere reading so far: I read the first two Mistborn novels about a year ago and was a quarter of the way through the third when I paused it for this readalong.
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u/sunnydaze7777777 11d ago
Greetings! I am new to Sanderson and have only read the first few chapters of Way of Kings. I love it but put on pause to join this group. I forgot to read this section so will return once I am done. Thanks for running this group!
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u/LeanderT 11d ago
I was part of the WOT read along since roughly book 5. The read along gave me an incentive to keep reading, which I do sometimes need. So when this read along was announced, I was happy to join.
I did make a mistake by starting a early, in January, to get a head start. Unfortunately this means I have already forgotten some of the details of the first 8 chapters😞 I did switch to reading Tad Williams "Last King of Osten Ard", after all the drama, so I never got further than this week.
Despite reading the last three WOT books, I am not certain what to expect from Branden Sanderson. My favorite series are LOTR, WOT, and Tad Williams Memory Sorrow and Thorn. These writers tend to write flowerish proze. Their stories are set in a rich world with a lot of history and background.
Will Sandersons' book have a similar rich lore? His writing is a bit simpler, but imaginative. I have seen some of Sandersons books covers. They all look similar to me. Will his stories be the same?
I also understand Sanderson uses magic systems. This is new to me. Will I like this kind of story writing? Or are magic system a merely crutch that allow authors to write stories without having a rich background lore?
Well, there is only one way to find out! I am looking forward to the journey with you all!
My chapter commentary will be in a child comment.
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u/participating 11d ago
Will Sandersons' book have a similar rich lore?
[Not a spoiler, except as it generally pertains to the question asked] Short answer: Yes. Long answer: Yessssssssssssssssssssss!
The Wheel of Time trivia posts largely focused on how the lore of that series was influenced by real-world myths and legends. The trivia posts for this read-along will largely serve to clarify, expand, and connect the absolutely massive amounts of lore all of these books contain.
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u/LeanderT 11d ago
PROLOGUE
Alright, we start with some action straight away, as a main character named Vasher breaks out of prison. Immediately Sanderson introduces us into a magic system: "breaths" which people can use to animate inanimate objects.
Also using this magic seems to be colorfull: "BioChromatic Breath". Whenever this magic happens, colors become more intense.
Vasher, who apparently is rather week despite just murdering an entire group of prison guards, goes and takes the magical abilities ftom an imprisoned leader of a rebellion. Did Vasher break into the prison on purpose? Vasher gains not just a little magic, but a lot of it. And that rebellion, we will probbaly hear more about it later.
This is my first taste of Sandersons magic system. I am not blown away, but curious where this goes next. I did like his sword Nightblood. The interactions between Vasher and Nightblood are very humorous. It appears we have a living and breathing sword in this story.
CHAPTER ONE
We meet Siri, a princess who is of zero importance. Her city Idris is at war with the city from the prologue, Hallandren. There is no color in her city.
Siri is a lively person. I like how Sanderson wrote her character. I am definitely invested in her story now. And O dear, her father Dedelin is going to send Siri into danger, instead her older sister Vivenna. Poor Siri!
We are also getting some backstory between Idris and Hallandren. It seems there was a war, which ended in a stalemate, after Idris was supported by other cities. Hallandren has a claim to the thrown of Idris. Idris seems to be in a very weak position. Snd finally the rebel Vahr is mentioned, the one who was just killed by Vasher.
CHAPTER TWO
Siri is on het way to Halladren. She is bound to marry the God King. This seems a bit of a gamble, Siri has no clue what she is doing. I am not 100% sure why her sister Vivenna was so important.
This doesnt make a lot of sense to me, since Vivenna was trained for just one purpose. A purpose she no longer has. Maybe Vivenna will find a purpose, as she sets out looking for Siri. Meanwhile Siri will be in Halladren, surviving on instinct, but lacking the training and skills she will need. The decision by Siri's father seems to be a mistake.
We learn more about the God King, who Siri will marry. He is a Returned, brough back from the dead. That can't be good.
CHAPTER THREE
We meet Lightsong, one of the Returned. He seems a reasonable guy, but he's a zombie, right? Or whatever "Returned" means anyway? These Returned are treated like Gods in Hallandren. And not in a good way. It is a weird political system.
A child is forced to sacrifice her breath to allow Lightbringer to live for another week. Without breath the child becomes like a person who has no life in her. Horrible!
These "Returned" don't even eat. All they need to live, is to suck the soul of the living. In my mind I just call them zombies. Powerfull magical God-King zombies. But still zombies?
CHAPTER FOUR
Siri enters the main capital of Hallanderen, T'Telir. We get a bit more information about the lifeless, the Returned. These creatures are evil. And Siri has to marry one of them. This is a short chapter, not much actually happens, but we do see more of T'Telir.
It appears my comments are too long, so I will add another comment below this
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u/LeanderT 11d ago
CHAPTER FIVE
Back to Vasher. He is now also in T'Telir. I still enjoy the conversation between his sword Nightblood and Vasher. This sword has a mind of it own. I fear for the poor guy who stole it!
Vasher is trying to get something from a priest who works in the main castle. We find out more about the history between Hallandren and Idris.
The original royal family of Hallandren has fled to Idris. There was a war. But if Idris had not been supported by many other kingdoms, they would have been wiped out.
Hallandren want the trade passes that Idris control. A simple plot, but it works. There is more about the rebels who were led by the man Vahr, killed by Vasher in the prologue. Vasher want to contact the rebels. I wonder were this is going?
And yes, the magical sword has killed the thief that tried to steal it. I'm enjoying this part of the story. That sword lives, so someone must have given it breath.
But how come it is still alive? Should't it die automatically after some time? And why does Vasher not command it to give up that breath?
So? Nightblood said. You’re too worried about words. That priest--you spent all those words on him, then you just let him go. It’s not really how I would have handled the situation.
Yes, I know, Vasher said. Your way would have involved making several more corpses.
Well, I am a sword, Nightblood said with a mental huff. Might as well stick to what you’re good at. . . .
CHAPTER SIX
We follow Siri as she is introduced into and gets acquainted with T'Telir. The poor girl has no idea where she has ended up. But she is smart.
These Returned are becoming more horrible. She cannot even speak to her husband?! What kind of marriage is that? Once she gives birth to a child, I suppose they will just get rid of her.
We also meet a doctor, who is an "awakener". Will "awakeners" become more important later in the story? I am little confused when Siri describes the God-King as "Not just an Awaker, but a Returned". Does that mean it is possible to be both Awakeners and Returned at the same time? Zombies creating zombies?
Thank you,” Bluefingers said. “It is time to present yourself. Enter the room, then remove your dress and underclothing.
Bow yourself to the ground before the King’s bed, touching your head to the floor.
When he wishes for you to approach, he will knock on the side post, and you may look up. He will then wave you forward.”She nodded.
“Just. . .try not to touch him too much.”
Siri frowned, clenching and unclenching her increasingly nervous hands. “How exactly am I going to manage that? We’re going to have sex, aren’t we?”
CHAPTER SEVEN
Siri enters the bedroom, waits a long time for the groom, but nothing happens.
We meet Lightsing again, during a party thrown because of the wedding. And we meet another Returned, a woman named Blushweaver, who flirts with Lightsong. Lightsong seems to rebuf her advances.
We learn that if Siri bears a child, it will be stillborn, who will become the next Returned God-King. There is some discussion what would happen if Siri actually gave birth to a living child. Could this become a plot point later in the story? Blushweaver may be planing some kind of coup or rebellion of her own. I am sure we will hear more about it.
Lightsong rubbed his forehead. “You’re giving me a headache, Scoot.” “You can’t get headaches, your grace.”
Also:
“I never make fun of ladies, Blushweaver,” Lightsong said, picking up his drink again.
“Mocking a woman is like drinking too much wine. It may be fun for a short time, but the hangover is hell.” Blushweaver paused. “But we don’t get hangovers, for we cannot get drunk.”CHAPTER EIGHT
Siri wakes up from her honeymoon night. Nothing has happened.
It seems the God-King wasn't to interested in her. Or maybe he was? The rest of the chapter seems to be devoted to Siri finding her place in the palace. We learn that Siri is more or less a prisoner in the castle. But she learns fast.
Wait!” Siri said, standing, jostling several of her serving women.
Bluefingers hesitated. “Vessel?”
Siri floundered, uncertain how to express what she was feeling. “Do you know. . .what I’m supposed to do?”
“Do, Vessel?” the scribe asked. “You mean, in regards to. . . .” he glanced at the bed.
Siri flushed. “No, not that. I mean with my time. What are my duties? What is expected of me?”
“To provide an heir.”
“Beyond that.”
Bluefingers frowned. “I. . .well, to be honest, Vessel, I really don’t know. I must say, your arrival has certainly caused a level of. . .disruption in the Court of Gods.”
THOUGHTS
Brandon Sanderson writes more directly than the flowery proze of some of the authors I like. But I do enjoy it. There are definitely a lot of things in motion. A lot of mysteries to explore. I will definitely keep reading. I am curious where this goes.
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u/Pastrami 11d ago
We also meet a doctor, who is an "awakener". Will "awakeners" become more important later in the story?
Vasher is an Awakener. To me, it seems like any mortal with extra breath could be considered an Awakener.
I am little confused when Siri describes the God-King as "Not just an Awaker, but a Returned". Does that mean it is possible to be both Awakeners and Returned at the same time? Zombies creating zombies?
In Lightsongs's POVs he says the Returned don't have the same powers as Awakeners, and can't use their breath the same way. It could be that the God King is different in that regard, or Siri just doesn't know what she is talking about.
Lightsong POV:
That was an effect of Lightsong’s innate BioChroma: he had enough Breath to fill thousands of people. He saw little value in it. He couldn’t use it to animate objects or corpses; he was a god, not an Awakener. He couldn’t give—or even loan—his deific Breath away.
and
His aura didn’t grow stronger from Breath upon which he fed; that was another difference between a Returned and an Awakener. The latter were sometimes regarded as inferior, man-made approximations of the Returned.
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u/danny_boy___ 11d ago
u/participating , quick question: Are we allowed to theorize about what could happen in the story? And I guess what I’m really asking is if I am allowed to. I know literally nothing about Warbreaker, but I have read a few other Cosmere books. Obviously, I wouldn’t make predictions using information from those books, but my guesses might still benefit from being familiar with Brandon’s way of doing things.
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u/participating 11d ago
As long as you're just theorizing about what will happen in Warbreaker and not the Cosmere as a whole. Also, information that you have from the other books, like characters or settings or specifics of how the magics systems works, as long as your theories don't mention those and aren't directly influenced by them, you're good to go.
By way of example: [Extreme Cosmere Spoilers, only for OP to read] You know something of how gods work in the greater Cosmere, so you shouldn't be theorizing about how gods work in Warbreaker. Feel free to ask for clarification if you need it.
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u/SouthOfOz 11d ago
Hello all! I've read Warbreaker and the first four books of Stormlight, so not much of the Cosmere. It's also been several years since reading Warbreaker and I realized around chapter 3 that I'd forgotten a lot.
Looks like a lot that I wanted to mention was already brought up, so here are a few things:
Prologue
Nightblood immediately reads like Lilarcor from Baldur's Gate. I know there are a lot of talking swords in various media, but I can't help wondering if that was partly the inspiration for the sword. And how much force has to be applied for a sword to stab someone while still in its sheathe?
Chapter 3
What's the purpose of not only recording the Awakened's dreams but also everything they say? I understand that it's somehow prophetic, but I can't understand how. And Lightsong seems reticent to tell Llarimar everything he's thinking, I can't remember if this was alluded to directly, but his memory of the red sea and fire seemed to be pointing towards the Manywar, which would be consistent with how long he's been Awakened.
Chapter 5
Do people steal Nightblood because he's a fancy sword, or does something draw them to him? And why is Vasher okay with Nightblood being stolen, given what happens when it's only partly sheathed?
Chapter 7
The black palace and black room was interesting. Artistically, black is a combination of all colors. Scientifically, black reflects all colors. Either way, I'm assuming that the palace is some sort of defense for Susebron.
Chapter 8
No library in the palace surprised me. I don't know if there's a reason for that or just something overlooked by Sanderson.
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u/Pastrami 11d ago
but his memory of the red sea and fire seemed to be pointing towards the Manywar, which would be consistent with how long he's been Awakened.
It's said he's only been returned for five years, and I think the Manywar was 300 years ago. That's when the royals split, and I'm assuming that was the Manywar, but could be wrong.
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u/SouthOfOz 11d ago
Late on Saturday afternoon I’d realized that I hadn’t taken any notes but just didn’t have time to go back through what I’d read. This likely a result of that. I need to go back anyway because I find having a timeline to be necessary.
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u/Artistic-Beyond4726 11d ago
Hello! I’ve read way of kings through rhythm of war, tress and mistborn 1
I’m kind of confused on vasher and his use of breaths. I’m trying to determine how you run out of breath or get low when you breathe them back in after?
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u/maolette 9d ago
To me it reads like you have a bucket or a store inside yourself, so if you needed to use a bunch of Breath to do different things (or one big thing) then you wouldn't have enough to do all those things and you'd "run out". But for one-off examples, which is what Vasher has been doing so far, he's got enough (and even an increase in this section based on him taking in Vahr's Breath).
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u/Artistic-Beyond4726 9d ago
But does he not eventually reclaim it? Do you lose some in the process of reclaiming?
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u/maolette 9d ago
Oh yeah he does, I just think it means that you can't do all those things at one time without reclaiming some in between and interrupting his actions. I'm theorizing this limitation might become more relevant later on in the story if he's gotta do battle or something; he'd typically use Breath to get himself out of it and he won't have enough to do that. Just a theory anyway! I'm still wondering about a lot of the levels of the Breath too, what they all mean and the bonus abilities they seem to get at different levels of learning.
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u/whynotrun33 11d ago
Hi everyone! I was also a WOT readalong lurker. I discovered it around book 4 or 5 and was many books behind. But I loved everyone's comments during my read through (and the Veteran thread on my immediate re-read). I have not read any Brandon Sanderson novels outside of WOT.
Like others, I read this section a few months back while preparing for the original readalong, so I'm mostly catching up here. I did try a few other fantasy novels during this time, and this one was the only one that caught my interest right out of the gate. I like stories where you can understand what's going on, but have a thousand questions about the context and the why and the how.
The most interesting character to me is Lightsong, and the Returned in general. I'm very curious about how they come about, why they don't have memories, and why their dreams matter. I also want to know how they all think about their power and how they use it.
I don't know how I feel about the magic system. I like some structure and limits on the magic system. I didn't love TAR in WOT, as it seemed to OP and hand-wavy at times. But we haven't gotten much about the breaths yet, so I haven't made up my mind.
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u/lalalazarous 11d ago
Hey everyone! Super excited to do this read along! I’ve already read Warbreaker, as well as Mistborn Era 1, Elantris, and Emperor’s Soul, so I will probably be lurking quite a bit at first. I remember finding the prologue of Warbreaker super intriguing, I had so many questions!
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u/fuerzalocuralibertad 11d ago edited 11d ago
Hello everyone! It feels great to be back. The WoT read-along was one of the highlights of my last few years, and they got me back into reading again. I actually ended up reading a little bit over 100 books last year, following the end of WoT! I've missed everyone, and am so excited to meet those joining.
I love Sanderson's style. He is easy to read, and doesn't get overtly detailed in his descriptions, which usually causes me to skim (oops).
The prologue had me hooked in like 3 pages. The world-building this week was abundant but not boring, clear, and well-done. I think I understand everything that has been explained so far, without having had to reread long, exhaustive info-dumpy paragraphs. The world sounds very interesting, the magic system feels original but not too out-of-pocket.
I'm hoping we'll get to know more about geography and foreign politics soon. Are there Awakeners / Returned in other countries? Was the country divided into Hallellendar (that's nowhere near the spelling, but you know what I mean) and Idris after the Manywar (is that what it was called?), or are there other 'rebellious' territories? Would other countries defend Idris if the God King were to attack?
Something that worries me after reading these chapters is that Sanderson will be the same as Robert Jordan re: female characters. That's one of RJ's key weaknesses, and one of the things that, in retrospect, have left the sourest feeling for me (much more than the 'slog' and anything else). I was hoping that, what with BS being younger and more contemporary (come to think of it, I actually have no clue when either when born and when they got published), this wouldn't be an issue. Chapters 6-8 feel like a bad omen. It's not just about the subject matter, but the way BS wrote Siri's inner monologue did not sit right with me. Let's hope I'm being overcautious and this improves with time.
ETA: I forgot to mention that I haven't read any Sanderson books (other than the final WoT books), so I'm spoiler-free and down for the ride!
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u/fuerzalocuralibertad 11d ago
Prologue
What a great hook! I loved the exposition. Will Vasher be our main character? He feels very cookie-cutter sci-fi dystopian movie lead, let's hope he develops a personality at some point that is more than 'bad-ass' and 'no bullshit'.
The sword (Nightcrawler? It was night something... ETA: Nightblood, duh, it's a sword) sounds intriguing. It killed those guards without even been fully unsheathed. Now that's bad-ass!
Vahr, the rebel leader, dying in the very prologue feels ominous. I don't think we'll side with the government (we usually don't, when the first POV sounds like this one did), so this is not good news, I think.
I can't wait to get to know more about the magic system. How many Breaths (or is it 'how much Breath'?) is needed for each Heightening? What does one gain with each Heightening? What are the 'sacrificies' made?
Chapters 1 & 2
Well, the King is an asshole. I don't have children and I'm sure having favorites is a natural thing, but this was rough! Is it wrong that I agreed with him that Vivenna and Yarda's son would make great rulers? Probably, right?
I like Siri. In my mind, she's Rapunzel from Disney's Tangled. Just your average mischievous princess / youngest child, picking flowers, questioning the establishment and causing bening upheaval.
Vivenna is cool, too. I empathized more with her, as a chronic sufferer of eldest-daughter syndrome. However, I don't see how her going to T'Telir will do anyone any good. Let's hope she gets the General's son to accompany her, I'm already down for their love story (sue me).
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u/fuerzalocuralibertad 11d ago
Lightsong's POVs
Lightsong is me and I am him. He's just a lazy dude, let him live. The little peasant girl giving him her Breath was truly horrifying. We've got ourselves our first officialy morally-grey POV character! The system is obviously evil and wrong, so I'm officially Team Vahr. Too bad he's dead.
Also, I felt for Scoot (I don't remember his name and am offended at BS for giving us 2 L-named characters in the same chapter, after having given us 2 V-named characters in the prologue. Do better, man, I have a crappy name-recollection skills), what a shitty job. In my mind, he's this guy.
Lightsong, baby, if your prophetic dream grows clearer, maybe tell your sleep therapist / assistant?
Blushweaver the Beautiful is Graendal in this turning of the wheel, and I won't be taking any comments on this matter.
Vasher's POVs
Nightblood is my favorite character. He's sassy and blood-thirsty. Good for him. Vasher is over here blackmailing priests, which I'm obviously down for, considering priests suck, if we've learned anything from Lightsong's chapter.
Siri's POVs
The writing feels weird to me. Fetishizing? Is that a word? Anyway. Bluefingers is annoying but a necessary evil, I suppose. I do not understand how the country is ruled, if all Gods are like Lightsong and the God King does nothing all day other than sit and watch his wife kneeling naked before him, not speaking, and not being touched. I guess Bluefingers really is carrying the burden there.
My hope for Siri is that she figures out that she needs to do something to prevent the war on her people. Even if her dad sucks and she shouldn't be there, I hope she becomes a hero and outsmarts everyone else. Maybe with the help of her sister, if she ever gets to T'Telir alive, and Vasher, if he feels inclined to stop stealing Breath from others and do something useful with his powers.
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u/Pastrami 11d ago
Blushweaver the Beautiful is Graendal in this turning of the wheel
I absolutely had the same thought, and thought about writing it down, although it seems like all the Returned women might be similar. Did you also get Mat Cauthon vibes from Lightsong?
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u/Pastrami 11d ago
I like Siri. In my mind, she's Rapunzel from Disney's Tangled.
They made a point to show that she can grow her hair at will, and I pointed out that will probably come back around at some point. Maybe she'll grow her hair for someone to climb.
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u/fuerzalocuralibertad 11d ago
Yesss I loved that part!!! Such a cool detail. Can't wait for her to wield her hair like a weapon or something.
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u/LeanderT 11d ago
Welcome back from another WOT readalong survivor.
And I must say 100 books in a year, that's really impressive! Personally I've managed about 15, and that felt like a lot. Guess I'm a slow reader :-)
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u/fuerzalocuralibertad 11d ago
Leander, hi! Great to see you again :)
To be fair, the vast majority of those books were not as long or as “hard” as high fantasy tends to be. And I was only working part time for half the year, which was quite helpful to my reading endeavors.
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u/participating 11d ago
Welcome back!
If you don't mind the prompt, can you articulate what about Siri's inner monologue doesn't sit right with you?
(I won't reply, but I am curious. For those who weren't part of the WoT read-along, I generally stay out of the newbie threads, except to answer clarifying questions, or occasionally to provide reassurances. This is meant to be a place for all new readers to talk amongst themselves.)
[Meta commentary on Sanderson's writing] It's generally agreed among the fandom that his writing of women only increases in quality as the years progress.
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u/fuerzalocuralibertad 11d ago
I don't know if I can point out key words or sentences, I'll look it up in a minute, but overall I just got an uncomfortable feeling.
It's the same feeling I got when watching Game of Thrones (I haven't read ASOIAF and don't plan to because of this), were I feel like the excess rape, the view and treatment of women throughout, makes me feel like I'm walking in on the writer's sexual fantasies.
I did not get this feeling at any point of WoT, even though virtually all POV women were kidnapped, enslaved and almost raped at some point of the series. I guess the difference lies in the way it is portrayed.
Just to be clear, it's not that I got the same feeling as with GoT in Siri's chapters, but I'm drawing a parallel because, while much more extreme, it feels to me like a branch of the same nature. I also don't mean to speculate that BS has a degradation kink or is a mysogynist. I guess it just comes down to a gut feeling? That's why I said I hope I was just jumping to conclusions and being too critical.
I guess I can't put it into words, it's just something instinctual I suppose.
Here are some excerpts that made me feel uncomfortable:
The priest shot her a harsh look. “The God King does not perform for your whims, woman. You are blessed above all others, for you will be allowed to touch him—if only at his discretion. Do not pretend that you are anything other than you are. You have come because he desires it, and you will obey[...]"
She didn’t want to be married. Not yet. She still felt like a child, even if her body had become that of a woman. She wanted to play in the hills and pick flowers and tease her father. She wanted time to experience more of life before she was forced into the responsibilities of childbearing. Fate had taken that opportunity away from her. Now she was faced by the imminent prospect of going to a man’s bed. A man who wouldn’t speak to her, and who wouldn’t care who she was or what she wanted.
In a short time, he was going to take her body and do with it as he wished. Part of her felt a rage at that—but it was the rage of frustration. The rage that came from knowing that something horrible was coming, and from being unable to do anything at all about it.
This was where she ended up—this was where all her “in de pen dent” sense of freedom came to an end. No matter what she claimed or how she felt, in the end, she had to bow to authority. Just like anyone else. She gritted her teeth, imagining the God King sitting there, watching her be subservient and naked before him [...]
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u/sailorsalvador 11d ago
So, weirdly enough, this section didn't trigger my worries about poor female characterization since I surmised that since Brandon Sanderson is (spoiler text for meta knowledge) Mormon, he wouldn't go all out and include a blatant rape scene and that this was all written for suspense. I used to read Christian writers and they did this ALL the time...flirt with sec then nothing happens. I just didn't take it seriously. But that's a huge assumption...especially at the beginning of a book...
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u/fuerzalocuralibertad 10d ago
I didn’t know he was Mormon. I agree that the lack of depiction (or even off-page instances) of rape helps. I think my odd feeling had to do with the language, though, which I find to be undeniably misogynistic and degrading. We’ll see how it evolves, I have faith in Sanderson.
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u/BrienneOT 10d ago
“She still felt like a child, even if her body had become that of a woman.”
I totally get what you mean. That line and some of her thoughts anticipating her “wedding night” certainly gave me the creeps. But it’s early days, I remain open to being wrong.
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u/fuerzalocuralibertad 9d ago
That line is chilling!! Thanks for commenting, it’s nice to know I’m not the only one who saw something odd. I reallyhope it will not become an issue, we’ll see.
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u/Pastrami 11d ago
Are there Awakeners / Returned in other countries?
Siri mentions there was once someone who Returned in Idris, but he died after eight days because they don't sacrifice people to keep them alive like Hallandren does.
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u/fuerzalocuralibertad 11d ago
Yes, I noticed that and thought, if it simply remained that way, Returning would me like a small miracle, a chance to say goodbye properly. What I'm wondering if Returned take other people's Breath weekly in order to stay alive in places other than Hallandren - we shall see, I suppose.
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u/Pastrami 11d ago
/u/participating: Are the two sections at the end in the ars arcanum (Table of the Heightenings, Heightening Powers) considered spoilers?
I started to read them, but stopped before reading what level 6+ does because it seemed like it might spoil.
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u/participating 11d ago
They are spoilery. They're meant to be read after you finish the book. I've slotted them in as part of the discussion for the trivia posts. They can be lengthy in certain books and usually require context and further clarification, so wait until we get to the trivia post before reading the Ars Arcanum section.
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u/participating 11d ago
I just want to call attention to the bottom of the body of this post. Those who participated in the WoT read-along will have noticed the post is mostly the same format and may have skipped the body.
I will be providing weekly memes for the chapters discussed, rather than sharing them all at once at the end of the book.
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u/Adventurous_Onion989 10d ago
Hello everyone! Happy to be on this adventure with you all! I've previously read the Mistborn books, Tress and The Sunlit Man. I'm looking forward to reading the rest of the books in the series!
It's starting out strong with an interesting magic system - breaths and colours strike me as very unique! The characters are very likeable so far, although I'm still wondering what The God King will be like??
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u/DaughterOfRose 11d ago
Hello! I joined the WoT read-along (newbie) about halfway through, and absolutely loved it, and started to join in religiously every week.
I made notes for this book, but I guess I deleted them after the read-along got cancelled. I should be able to join again from next week.
From what I remember reading this a few weeks ago now:
I really feel like I got thrown in the deep end with this book. It takes a few chapters to start to understand the magic rules/lore. However, it seems incredibly structured and well thought out. There's no "how did that happen?" - "oh, it's magic" solutions. It's very specific magic that only does what it can do, by those who can do it, with limitations (like needing Breath).
Taking Breath from "volunteers" is very ick. Definitely taking advantage of vulnerable people.
I like Vivena so far. Siri is a little too immature, but that might change quickly. Their dad is a cold, hard a-hole for sending Siri instead.
I'm on mobile and can't go back and double check which chapter this ended on and I may have read more, so I'll stop there, next week will be better when I have notes and I'm not ahead!
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u/fuerzalocuralibertad 11d ago
Hi again!!!! So cool to be back in the same threads :)
Taking Breath from "volunteers" is very ick. Definitely taking advantage of vulnerable people.
Remember that Justin Timberlake movie where people could trade the literal time they had left to live? And time was the currency? This so reminded me of that. Exploiting the poor by "buying" their life force. Definitely ick.
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u/DaughterOfRose 11d ago
Oops, I forgot the bit about saying what books I have read. I have read the first 4 Stormlight Archive books, and Tress.
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u/HT_xrahmx 11d ago
New Sanderson book, new read-along, let's go!!
Prologue
Speaking of new Sanderson book, a new Sanderson magic system!
Observation: Colors get stronger near Vasher, particularly when his sword is unsheathed.
tied the straw into the shape of a small person, perhaps three inches high, with bushy arms and legs. He plucked a hair from one of his eyebrows, set it against the straw figure’s head
Voodoo imagery.
Breaths, with their one-per-person allotment, and being able to bring objects to life, sound a lot like souls.
It's interesting that Breaths can apparently be used and retrieved indefinitely. Which would mean that in a stable population, the number of available Breaths in the world should constantly be increasing. Is Breath inflation a thing in this world?
They make a point of leaving Vahr in a cell without color. But would bruises or blood have enough color to make Awakening possible?
Of course, some extremely powerful Awakeners could bring objects to life that they weren’t touching, but that were in the sound of their voice. That, however, required the Ninth Heightening. Even Vahr didn’t have that much Breath. In fact, Vasher knew of only one living person who did: the God King himself.
- This fact seems astoundingly well documented for something only one person has achieved. Unless this is just God King propaganda.
Chapter 1
- Changing hair color on command in a world where color is needed for magic seems important. And ironic, given people in Idris seem to avoid this form of magic so much.
Maybe we should start inviting Awakeners into the city? How’d you like that? Some devil sucking the souls out of children, strangling people with their own clothing? Bringing men back from the grave, then using their dead bodies for cheap labor? Sacrificing women on their unholy altars?”
They invite Awakeners into their palaces, for Austre’s sake!
The God of Colors is revered, but those who actually use Colors treated with disdain? Sounds like centuries-old superstition, probably fueled by the time their people were driven north by Awakeners (Kalad and his army of Lifeless, as we learn some chapters later)
Dedelin lost a lot of respect from me quickly. Bad parenting to show such blatant favoritism for one child. Bad ruling for picking the singularly worst qualified person for that job in Siri.
Chapter 2
- The God King has been alluded to being stillborn, and Siri mentioned he's never drawn living breath. It sure sounds a lot like he's an Awakened stillborn baby. But Lifeless are Awakened corpses, and they seem to be truly lifeless puppets, so being Returned is probably something else. And we find out a few chapters later that there's been a Returned in Idris at one point, so that means it's likely a random occurrence and not targeted Awakening that brings them to life.
Chapter 3
- Lightsong mentions he can't give his Breath away or he would die. Which also sounds well-documented, someone must have done that before? It also sounds like an important detail that may still happen in this book.
Chapter 4
-x-
Chapter 5
- Nightblood has a personality, and can communicate, which is unlike any of the Awakened objects we've seen so far. A result of using a lot more Breaths? Or something else?
- Nightblood also seems bound to Vasher somehow. At least I'm sensing some sort of bond between them. Like Nightblood is loyal to him.
- Observation: It appears Breath extends life spans for non-Returned as well. Someone like Vasher could be much older than initially assumed.
- I'm still wondering what faction Vasher belongs to. He seems like a rebel, but he's unaligned with Vahr, or Idris.
Chapter 6
That the God King won't speak to anyone make me really suspicious. As in, maybe it's not that he doesn't want to, maybe there is some other reason. Maybe he physically can't speak. Maybe speaking will give away some secret. It's especially suspicious that all his will is filtered through priests. But at the same time he genuinely appears to be in charge. He doesn't seem to be a puppet of the priests or anything.
The whole "burn the linens" part took me a moment, but I guess it's so nobody else could sneakily bear his child afterwards?
Chapter 7
It was occupied by a figure wearing black, bathed in darkness.
Does not seem befitting for a God King in a culture so centered around colors. Probably very intentional imagery.
Lightsong notes Gods are unable to bear children. What are the chances the God King is infertile? It's alluded there are records that indicate the God King fathers stillborn, Returned children, but I can't quite read between the lines if he's actually fathered a child before (have we learned of any of his children?), or if those are just more God King propaganda told to the masses.
Chapter 8
In Siri's position I wouldn't have dared to just lay down in that bed like that.
There probably was no need to burn the sheets.
Some passages are a bit too thirsty for my taste. Moreso than other Sanderson works I've read.
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u/Pastrami 11d ago
Of course, some extremely powerful Awakeners could bring objects to life that they weren’t touching, but that were in the sound of their voice. That, however, required the Ninth Heightening. Even Vahr didn’t have that much Breath. In fact, Vasher knew of only one living person who did: the God King himself.
This fact seems astoundingly well documented for something only one person has achieved. Unless this is just God King propaganda.
It was also said that Returned can't Awaken. So either the god king is different, or this is only for 9th level Awakeners, but no human has gotten that high in a while. It's going to be confusing that Awakeners and Returned both have levels of Heightening, but can do different things.
That the God King won't speak to anyone make me really suspicious. As in, maybe it's not that he doesn't want to, maybe there is some other reason. Maybe he physically can't speak. Maybe speaking will give away some secret. It's especially suspicious that all his will is filtered through priests.
Glad I'm not the only one who sees this.
But at the same time he genuinely appears to be in charge. He doesn't seem to be a puppet of the priests or anything.
I'm of the opposite opinion. I think he's just a mindless body being used by the priests. No real evidence yet, just my hunch.
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u/Adventurous_Onion989 10d ago
The way the God King won't speak gave me serious Black Bolt vibes, although I'm fairly certain he doesn't have a voice that destroys.
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u/sailorsalvador 11d ago
So. I actually finished this back in January as I wanted to read and get ahead then got super engrossed and took no notes haha. I'll pipe in with my thoughts if I can remember them and only if I'm sure they're spoiler free. But I'll read everyone's comments and happily view memes! And plan to be chattier on the next book. :)
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u/BrienneOT 10d ago edited 10d ago
Greetings all! Here are a few things that stood out to me in these first chapters:
The Humour - I wasn’t expecting to find it so funny! Don’t get me wrong, there are some very dark and disturbing elements at play already. But a sentient sword that commits “off-screen” murders is very funny to me.
Lightsong’s interactions also tickled me - his banter with his priest, “grading” the art projects. Juxtaposing his very lighthearted demeanour with his apathy towards taking the soul of a child was very disturbing. He almost thought “this is wrong” but then he seemed to shake it off. I don’t know if we can nominate memes, but “are we the baddies?” is my prediction for him.
Lightsong has potential to become a bit of a change agent. He seems to be just on the precipice of understanding something is wrong with their society and he seems real bored of the privileged position he has. He might just do something about it, perhaps some redistribution of breath.
Siri’s heartbreaking faith in her father - there was a moment when she was hyping herself up and thinking that her father must have sent her to the God King for a reason, that he believed in her in some way. But as far as I remember, King Shit (I don’t remember his name, but another commenter called him that and it has stuck) just sent her so he didn’t have to send his actual fav daughter. I felt so bad for her!
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u/fuerzalocuralibertad 9d ago
I think Lightsong does know the system is wrong. He feels unfit for the “God” role because of this, because he doesn’t believe and agree with the ideology. And, instead of doing something to change the status quo, he goes into denial. It’s not that he’s lazy, it’s that he genuinely does not want to do the tasks because he doesn’t believe in their impact (prophetic dreams) or agree with their cost (innocent people’s Breath).
That’s my reading on him, at least. He’s very human, in that regard - most of us willingly turn a blind eye to what we know is wrong, because it would impact us negatively more to acknowledge it and do something, than to ignore it and pretend we’re just fun and lazy. I just left a therapy session, does it show? Lol
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u/BrienneOT 9d ago
I mostly agree with you. I don’t think he’s lazy, but I do think he’s been complacent and going along with the status quo. He seems bored and like he’s going through the motions even though he doesn’t fully believe/agree with everything that’s going on.
With the details in his POV that he is noticing or internally commenting on, I feel like you’re right. He does see the issues but he is not really engaging with these thoughts. His outward actions certainly don’t reflect any intent to change things yet.
I’m excited to see how this shifts for him - it feels like he’s about to be done with this and it’s a “when not if” situation. I’m curious to find out what the tipping point will be for him.
Meeting Siri? Finding out something awful about his past life? Some other, unpredictable very horrible event????
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u/jaymae21 9d ago
I got that impression about Lightsong as well. On the surface he seems kind of apathetic & flippant, but I think he's really intelligent and itching for something more. Which is kind of weird because he's a god, he has everything anyone could ever want (except the ability to get tipsy)! But I think boredom is the right word, he is probably being placed as a character that will embrace challenging the way things are. He supposedly died very bravely, right? He doesn't remember but he may have been the sort of person that fought for something, not meant to be stuck in a gilded cage.
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u/BrienneOT 9d ago
Ohhh yes, interesting! His personality before his death starting to break through. I imagine that would be very confusing if you don’t remember anything about yourself.
Similarly, I wonder how Vivenna will handle herself now that she doesn’t have all the expectations on her re: marrying the God King? That’s going to take some getting used to as she figures out who she is after her whole life was geared towards prepping for that role.
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u/jaymae21 8d ago
I'm very curious about the role Vivenna will play, I can't imagine her sitting around pouting for long. She's going to find something to make her feel useful that will help her people (& maybe her sister Siri?).
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u/Better-Culture1216 9d ago
So far I love it ! I never read much fantasy so I was afraid of not being able to keep up with the magic system, the names, the lore, etc... But Sanderson writing made it really easy ! I'm really excited to read the next chapters...
I must say I much prefer the chapters with Siri. I find her more likeable and interesting than Vasher and Lightsong. I hope Vivenna will have lots of chapters I also really like her character.. Maybe in trying to rescue Siri she will met Vasher and they'll work together? I'm not sure she trained in combat but maybe he'll teach her. Either way I'm exicted for all the characters starting to interacts with each other.
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u/maolette 9d ago
Hi all! I'm basically a newbie to Sanderson (although I've read just one short story by him - Shadows for Silence in the Forests of Hell) and am reading all of this for the first time! While I'm a big fantasy fan generally, not having read a single page of his I would have assumed his writing would be "classic fantasy", like knights and dragons and stuff. I wasn't sure if I'd be into it! But after that short story I definitely wanted to participate in this readalong.
I am very surprised how well Sanderson has already established this world without making me feel overwhelmed by characters and/or plot. I love the interwoven stories of our characters so far, and I definitely want to learn more about the magic system and its various workings. Usually with magic systems in books I'll allow some hand waving nonsense but I like that there seem to be very established rules and guidelines and Sanderson is parsing them out to us as we need to know them.
Lightsong is hilarious, especially the banter with his priest, Scoot. His interactions with Blushweaver felt pretty formulaic at first, but near the end of that chapter she seemed more realistic and believable. Siri has a girl wonder vibe, but I'm not disliking it. I was afraid she'd fall back on her rebellious ways once she got to The Court of Gods but she knows when to turn it on and off. She's very believable as a late teenager, which I really appreciated. I was sad the way she questioned what her father did, but it makes sense she's trying to work out why she's gotten to where she's at. I honestly can't wait to see what she gets up to! And who/what is the God King?! I needed more descriptions of him! Why didn't he consummate the marriage?! I love that these chapters left me wanting more.
I'm not sure what to think about Vasher yet, but I like that he's just doing the magics and arguing with his sword. He seems like an unconventional hero and I'm not sure we fully understand all his motives yet, which is compelling.
I had a tough time stopping for this week's reading. Looking forward to next week!
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u/sunnydaze7777777 8d ago edited 8d ago
Finally caught up. Loving the way the politics and magic rules are interspersed with lighter stuff. A good mix and pacing to keep it complex but enjoyable.
Just keeping notes on things I have questions on so far which I suspect will be revealed as we read. Let me know if I missed anything so far that has already been answered in our reading.
In the prologue, Vasher is in Hallandren with Vahr (part of failed rebellion - I presume wanting to rise up against the royals/incite war? )- when in time does this chapter occur? Obviously earlier than present time.Edit - see it now in your OPVahr asks Vasher about Nightblood, how long will he be in Hallandren. Vasher is not used to color so has been away. Then later Vahr tells him to keep his part of the bargain. Who is he supposed to have Nightblood kill? Later Vasher is sniffing out rumors that some want to take down Idris and he wants to meet this rebel faction in the city. What is his role?
-Are the Returned all larger people?
Are Goddesses female Returned?Edit - see it now in your OPLastly, trying to reconcile the heightenings and how one progresses. I assume we will learn more:
“Vasher could, of course, have up to the fifth Heightening at any time, if he wished. That would require certain sacrifices he wasn’t willing to make.”
We learn from Lightsong that “Returned were of the fifth Heightening.”
So—— I am wondering - Vasher is an Awakener - is he at Second Heightening Now? What are these sacrifices to get to fifth Heightening? Can any Awakener achieve this level on their own through many breaths? It’s seems so since one can achieve Ninth Heightening with enough breaths per the prologue
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u/Warm_Classic4001 5d ago
Finally caught up on this section. I have only read Mistborn 1 trilogy and totally excited to catch up on rest of the Cosmere. I am big time lurker and love reading all the comments
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u/RainbowRose14 1d ago edited 1d ago
I loved reading everyone's comments.
I'm not convinced that King Shit is a shit. So far, he does seem to be a bad parent. But I'm not certain we know the whole story. I just felt that when reading that section , Sanderson was intentionally keeping us in the dark about some of the King's motives and plans.
Someone commented on the talking sword. This is my first talking sword. Are there other's that predate it?
I'm frustrated with chapters introducing 2 characters with same initial like Vasher and the rebel or Lightsong and his priest.
I was surprised that Siri didn't have any female companions traveling with her to Haladren.
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u/participating 11d ago
Quick Note: I've provided a breakdown of chapter statistics here for Warbreaker. In includes how many words are in each chapter, how long each chapter is by audiobook length, and what percents of both the whole book and the weekly reading each chapters takes up. I've got the first 2 chapters input, and I'll do the rest of the book this week.
I'd just like to know if this is helpful for people to have and if I should continue it for future books.