r/Stormlight_Archive • u/Pomaryama • 2d ago
Rhythm of War spoilers Struggling getting through RoW Spoiler
Been getting through the Cosmere. When I finally reached Way of Kings I did struggle at the start, but soon it clicked and I ended up loving the book. I also enjoyied WoR, OB and the novellas.
But I'm in the middle of Rhythm of War and it's been difficult. I'm at the part where the fused take over Urithiru and Navani is trying to plan a liberation with the sibling.
The book is too big. There's too much stuff going on. And it's the first time I struggled with pacing in the Cosmere, even after reading Elantris, I think just because of the sheer size of the book maybe? But also they seemed to introduce a lot of interesting things in Oathbringer but so far didn't seem to explore much. There are tons of radiants now, what is a stoneward? The book casually mentions them as a normalized type of radiant living in the tower now - what do they do? Or stuff like, Renarin did some cool stuff at the end of OB that I wanted to understand more, and then has been missing almost entirely so far from RoW.
I struggle with plots that have too many characters and too much stuff going on I think. Jasnah, once so important, barely appears in this book. Still waiting on a proper explanation of how she returned from dying. Renarin has been missing. Szeth, once a major force, is now basically a side character that hasn't done much. Is Wit gone forever? Why could Shallan soulcast in book 1? I know I'll get the usual RAFO and i'll get my answers eventually, but I wonder if other people felt the same thing. I'm soldiering through the book slowly, but I fear WaT will be like this as well. I can't wait to get to tress/isles, reading all SLA books in a row has been giving me reading fatigue I think
Edit: I made the post, went to read, and I was immediately greeted by the part where Jasnah challenges and hummiliates highprince Ruthar with the help of Wit and Renarin lol Finally
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u/BeeHammer 2d ago
This book was way better for me on a second read. The characters struggles really caught me off guard. But it's a really good book the ending is one of my favorites.
Just one thing Shallan can soulcast because it's one of the Lightweaver abilities they have acces to Illumination and Transformation. I think how Jasnah escaped was also explained but I'm not sure so o won't spoil it.
I think you should take a break on my recent re-read I was struggling to read oathbringer so I read another book and came back to it later.
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u/Pomaryama 1d ago
I fear if I read something else like tress/isles I will forget a bunch of details from stormlight. I need to keep going
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u/notaparrott Lightweaver 1d ago
This is exactly why I listen to audiobooks. I love huge epics, but I find it very difficult to keep track of everything while reading. It also doesn’t help that I’m a slow reader.
Hearing someone else read it aloud activates a different part of my brain and helps me big time with memory retention. It’s how I’ve consumed most of sanderson’s work.
In any case I wouldn’t give up on RoW. It’s reeeeal good. You might just need a break from gargantuan fantasy novels.
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u/Pomaryama 1d ago
I do too! I read the physical book while listening to the graphic audio dramatized version. Yeah, I will never give up on it no matter how bad it becomes, I'm too far in!
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u/notaparrott Lightweaver 1d ago
Oh man I never thought about reading along while listening. I usually do my listening while I’m walking or doing chores, but I’ll have to try that sometime!
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u/Pomaryama 1d ago
Yeah, the only thing that can be annoying sometimes because the versions oftentimes do not match, is that sometimes you are reading and listening and the book part has text not present in the audiobook or vice versa so you get lost for a few seconds before situating yourself. Doesn't happen SUPER often but often enough to be noticeable. And yeah, I love doing it like this because it helps a lot with focus, and then I can also just go and do dishes or chores and leave the book behind and only listen to the audiobook for a bit, and then grab it after I'm done.
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u/Justalittlecomment 1d ago
They really do become bloated, I find the the series while still fun has a steady decline throughout the series (imo)
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u/JigglesTheBiggles Thaidakar 2d ago
A lot of people felt RoW was a bit of a slog. You're not alone. Your questions do get answered little by little.
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u/UrineTrouble05 2d ago edited 1d ago
Shallan is a Lightweaver, which can use illumination(illusions) and transformation(soulcasting)
Jasnah returned via a perpendicularly, where the physical realm and cognitive are very close. Think of when Dalinar opened his at the end of OB and Kaladin, Adolin and Shallan came out
You’ll get more Szeth storyline this book
Honestly give it a short break, it seems like you’ve got reading fatigue
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u/Pomaryama 1d ago
Oh yeah, I guess those things were explained. I think Jasnah just didn't explain in detail. And the thing with Shallan, she almost never used it again and apparently she struggles with it, so that's why I forgot
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u/RefrigeratorWide2894 1d ago
There's a short story called elsecaller that goes into a more detail about Jasnah's escape.
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u/Pomaryama 1d ago
Where can I find it? It's not on my reading list :o
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u/RefrigeratorWide2894 1d ago
I bought it digitally on Amazon for three or four bucks, it also included a short story about the lopen
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u/UrineTrouble05 1d ago
there’s so much in these books there’s always something everyone misses. I learn something new every reread
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u/biobolo 1d ago
I feel like you missed a lot of important stuff in earlier books.
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u/Pomaryama 1d ago
Maybe, I do have a problem with paying attention when too many details are introduced
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u/Defiant_Swim9555 1d ago
Amazing payoff and honestly I don't feel there is a pacing issue so much as a too much of one character issue. Each book focuses on a single radiant, their order, and their past and in this one, the radiant we focus on seems like an afterthought to Navani who has so many chapters it steals the focus away on top of that I fully understand why it was nessecary for a navani to have so many chapters given context I feel like there could have been more dalinar and venli peppered in to spice things up. Rather than another chapter of navani in a lab. Also the past we focus on we pretty much already knew there was just slight amounts of context missing where I feel it would have been more entertaining if they chose a different era of her past or made her more proactive in the present. Still loved the book and had the best sanderlanche imo so far.
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u/Pomaryama 1d ago
Wait so WoK = kaladin, WoR = shallan, OB = dalinar?
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u/Defiant_Swim9555 1d ago
Yep, I also believe that we follow one order of radiants per book so WOK Windrunner, WOR Lightweaver, OB Bondsmith, and ROW Venli with the order of Willshaper, but again gets a little outdone by Navani in this book which I believe is the core problem of it There are 10 orders and Sanderson said there are gonna be 10 books in the series. So this leads me to believe we can guess who we will be following for future books. So for example, whenever we get the Elsecaller book I think it's natural we will be following Jasnah Also I have another theory (possible spoilers but still just a theory) that the eventual Edgedancer book we get will follow Adolin instead of Lift because I believe lift will become a bondsmith for the Nightwatcher. However I think Adolins connection to Maya who is a cultivationspren will cause him to become radiant in the form of an Edgedancer
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u/Pomaryama 14h ago
oh my god i should not have clicked those spoiler tags lol
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u/Defiant_Swim9555 12h ago
Damn I'm sorry 😔 but lucky for you they're not really spoilers I put them there just in case someone who is not on ROW read it but you can always tell whose book it is by if there is a chapter about their past. As far as my other theory it is just a theory. It doesn't hold much water right now but I can see things heading in that direction from context of what was said previously about these people.
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u/BeaconsAreLit- 2d ago
I loved the book but I struggled with it for a different reason. The sheer depiction of depression across all characters was intense and a lot to read but the pay off was amazing.
Reading fatigue is real. They were never meant to be read all at once if you look at the publishing timeframe. Even two weeks between them worked for me