Review: Wind and Truth by Brandon Sanderson

Blurb:

The long-awaited explosive climax to the first arc of the #1 New York Times bestselling Stormlight Archive―the iconic epic fantasy masterpiece that has sold more than 10 million copies, from acclaimed bestselling author Brandon Sanderson.

Dalinar Kholin challenged the evil god Odium to a contest of champions with the future of Roshar on the line. The Knights Radiant have only ten days to prepare―and the sudden ascension of the crafty and ruthless Taravangian to take Odium’s place has thrown everything into disarray.

Desperate fighting continues simultaneously worldwide―Adolin in Azir, Sigzil and Venli at the Shattered Plains, and Jasnah in Thaylenah. The former assassin, Szeth, must cleanse his homeland of Shinovar from the dark influence of the Unmade. He is accompanied by Kaladin, who faces a new battle helping Szeth fight his own demons . . . and who must do the same for the insane Herald of the Almighty, Ishar.

At the same time, Shallan, Renarin, and Rlain work to unravel the mystery behind the Unmade Ba-Ado-Mishram and her involvement in the enslavement of the singer race and in the ancient Knights Radiant killing their spren. And Dalinar and Navani seek an edge against Odium’s champion that can be found only in the Spiritual Realm, where memory and possibility combine in chaos. The fate of the entire Cosmere hangs in the balance.

Review:

This is what Sanderson has been building up to for fifteen years. An epic finale with a 5000+ page set up… was it worth it? 

There is so much to unpack here, I’m going to do something slightly different this time around. I’m going to split my review into Spoiler-Free & Spoilers sections for both the good and the bad. So, let’s dive in!

What I liked (Spoiler Free):

My jaw was left hanging right as I read the opening paragraphs of the prologue. Yup, Sanderson smacks you in the face with a reveal that shines a new light on the history of Roshar… in the first few lines! The Prologue really hyped me up for the 1300-page adventure that was to follow. 

And honestly, it was quite a solid start. Not just the prologue, but the opening chapters as well. Unlike the other Stormlight Archive books, this one spans a relatively shorter period of time. The looming threat of the Contest of Champions makes itself felt right from Chapter 1, the stakes and urgency of it relentlessly pressuring our heroes as they struggle to make it through the ten days leading up to the finale. With just ten days, you might wonder—at least I did—how is Sanderson going to tie up all his character arcs? Kaladin, Shallan, Szeth, Adolin… and most importantly Dalinar, each have had a significant role to play so far, with almost all not yet at their thematic destinations. Is ten days enough? I’ll just say—trust Sanderson to pull it off. (more on this in the Spoiler section)

As was clear in the last two Cosmere releases, we have entered a new era of Sanderson’s writing where the stories are increasingly cosmere-aware. What does that mean for the Stormlight Archive? Well, it’s no longer just secrets of Roshar, but secrets of the Cosmere as well as its millennia-long history. Looking back at The Way of Kings, I can’t believe how much the world has expanded, with each layer adding new meanings to the stories that we’ve been reading. If this is the halfway mark, I can’t even begin to imagine what the finale will look like. As you might expect, the wider Cosmere does play a role in this mid-series finale, but never does it outshine the character of Roshar. Roshar remains in the centre of this story, its history and its scars playing the most important role of all. 

What of the ending? Well, without spoiling much, I’ll say that every single character arc and storyline gets its due ending. Each one is fitting, if not satisfying. And a little bittersweet. After all, this is the mid-series finale, no? There’s still 5000+ pages of story left to be told!

Lastly, and I really can’t say more without spoiling anything, is the book worth it? Simply put: yes. 

What I didn’t like (Spoiler Free):

I’m going to make this one quick because most of my complaints cannot be voiced without spoiling things. So—

Wind and Truth does suffer from pacing issues. It’s almost half a million words long, so there are bound to be parts that don’t scratch the Sanderson itch quite as well as the others. Plus, tying up all the many threads is nothing short of a Herculean task. Sanderson does his best, but even legends can falter at times.

To add to that, some of the character arcs didn’t quite work for me. Again, when you have a large roster of characters, that’s to be expected. I’ll expand on this in the Spoiler section.

Lastly, the ending. Sanderson himself said he was worried about how this ending will be received by fans. And there is a very small part of me that doesn’t like the ending. It’s not a bad ending, but it is one of those endings that will divide fans. While I lean on the “it was a fitting ending” side of the argument, I will not deny the complaints that fans might have. I guess this one is again something you have to decide for yourself. 

Now then. Let’s move on the Spoiler Section of the review. [SPOILER WARNING]:

What I liked (SPOILERS):

Adolin. Of all the epic moments in this story—and trust me, there are way too many—Adolin’s entire story stood out the strongest. Right from his internal conflicts of forgiving Dalinar and living up to his high potential, to his external conflicts of being the only hero who actually succeeds despite his lack of Radiant powers, Adolin has really grown into becoming my second favorite POV in the Stormlight Archive, right after Dalinar. Plus, his story with the deadeyes and Maya gets its very fitting conclusion with the forming of the Unoathed, which to me was the highlight of Wind and Truth. As well as Adolin’s conclusion that “oaths can be broken, but promises stay alive as long as you keep trying” was a powerful statement that might just come to define the second arc of the Stormlight Archive. 

Szeth and Kaladin’s stories were my second favorite. While Szeth’s arc feels very Elden Ring inspired, Kaladin’s is a slower wrap-up of his 5-book arc. Szeth’s history is as heartbreaking as you can expect, and seeing Shinovar in both past and present was a delight. To have Szeth swear the Fifth Ideal only to abandon it because he has made a greater realization had me put the book down and applaud his growth. Szeth—the man who has constantly been a servant, a slave, and a secondary individual—finally embraces his resolve as his own man. I won’t say much about Kaladin’s arc, except that the ending is fitting in more ways than one. Soldier, squad leader, slave, bridgeman, leader of Bridge Four, Radiant… and then this. Kaladin’s arc had me tear up just a little. 

Shallan, Jasnah, Dalinar and Navani’s arcs were exactly what I expected of them. Some reveals really hit hard, while others felt meh despite being awesome. Shallan faces her truth, Navani and Dalinar learn the past that humanizes the Heralds and the gods, and Jasnah strives to outsmart Taravangian. Each one was great, but each also had its dull moments. Irrespective, I’ll call them wins, because I really enjoyed reading each of their chapters. While their actions may not be what you expect, the consequences of their actions steer the course of Rosharan and Cosmere futures. Epic, emotional, and gut-wrenching, the only reason these stories aren’t as impactful is because there are more formidable stories being told in this same book. 

I’m going to skip over a bunch of things (because this book is pure epic for the most part, and this review is going to end up being my longest so far even after skipping stuff) and speak directly of the ending. I loved it. I genuinely think this is the most fitting mid-series finale you could have asked for. I don’t want to spoil it, but this was the Avengers: Infinity War equivalent of the Stormlight Archive. Or maybe the whole Cosmere Sequence. Stories are converging, endings have been reached, and not all of them are happy. The ending of Wind and Truth has set the ground for the rest of the Stormlight Archive books, while satisfyingly concluding each and every character arc. The setting may feel like a cliffhanger, but every story has ended. Thematically fitting, and emotionally moving.

That, to me, is an epic ending. 

What I didn’t like (SPOILERS):

I’ll start with my least favorite of the character arcs—Venli. I genuinely found Venli to be a compelling character in the last few books. Sadly, Venli’s emotionally charged arc from RoW comes to a sluggish drag in this one. I loved reading every single story, but Venli’s I wanted to just skim through. What they actually do is quite amazing, but the way Sanderson explores that story is duller than a dun sphere. 

Secondly, I wasn’t a fan of Sigzil’s arc either. I loved the way it ended, but for the most part, it felt like a low-budget spiritual sequel to Kaladin’s arc. Man thrust into a leadership position, has to come to terms with his flaws and accept his responsibilities, as well as the consequences of his actions… it just didn’t work for me. Where Venli doesn’t really do much, Sigzil’s actions mirror Adolin’s in that they are both leading efforts to defend one of the three strongholds that Odium is trying to capture. But, with Adolin’s arc being so perfect, Sigzil’s feels very flat and boring. Plus, these are themes we’ve already explored in the earlier instalments, and there doesn’t seem to be anything new that Sigzil brings to the table.

From two arcs I didn’t like to two arcs that I have mixed feelings about: Renarin and Rlain. They are the force that drive the Ba-Ado-Mishram plot forward, one of the most interesting history reveals of the book. Why then am I listing their arc here? Because of the romance between them. I love that Sanderson attempted something this bold, but maybe don’t force it into a book where there’s a whole lot more important things—and I mean Cosmere-level threats—happening? It was genuinely interesting to see how Renarin’s neurodivergence has affected his life, and how that is one of the few reasons why he connects with Rlain. It felt like Sanderson really made a lot of effort to get this story right. Except, it just feels too forced in the midst of all these other epic storylines. A distraction more than an auxiliary. 

Speaking of neurodivergence and mental health, I wasn’t a fan of Kaladin’s therapy sessions. I mean, they are outright called therapy! He calls himself Szeth’s therapist. Something about those random modern-lingo dumps broke my immersion. I don’t remember if that word is used in RoW, but it really feels out of place. Plus, the exploration of mental health themes feels very surface-level. Way of Kings and Words of Radiance explored Kaladin’s depression in a very subtle and poignant manner. In Wind and Truth, the mental health exploration reads like a therapist’s notes more than a fantasy world’s attempts to understand it. This one isn’t the biggest of complaints, but it is a complaint nonetheless. 

Lastly, the Spiritual Realm wasn’t as interesting as I thought it’d be. It was like the Avenger’s Endgame version of time travel, where we see a checklist of epic moments from history. Some had a deep impact, while others didn’t. All in all, I wouldn’t complain if we got less of the Spiritual Realm. 

Now we are in the super-spoilers territory. Spoilers that have sworn the Fifth Ideal.

Dalinar and Navani’s arcs take them through the history of Roshar, which includes some of the most epic moments in Cosmere history. And they… felt rushed. Especially Tanavast’s flashbacks, which tell you the history of Roshar from a literal god’s perspective! I was so hyped when I saw that first Tanavast chapter written in the font that is used to depict god’s speech. But then the story unfolded and it just felt too abrupt. As if Sanderson were skimming through the history because he needed to wrap this one up. The story itself was epic, but it would have been more impactful if we got fewer, more focused flashbacks with a better-explored Tanavast story, instead of some of the Herald visions and Sigzil/Venli’s arcs. 

The ending is bittersweet and almost feels like a cliffhanger. And this, I blame on the marketing. Yes, this one is the conclusion of the first arc, but maybe positioning this as a mid-series finale more than a conclusion would have set the expectations better. I can completely understand if some fans hate this ending. 

Conclusion:

I’m sure I missed out on a whole bunch of things, but that’s just how chockful of epic moments this book is. I can probably write another 2000 words, and I still won’t be able to express all my thoughts. So, I’ll just say this—

Wind and Truth is a fitting mid-series finale. Bittersweet, with some flaws, but something that will change the course of Cosmere history.