The Way of Kings Group Read: Conclusion

Here we are at the end of the group read.  Well, the relative end.  This was my first experience with a group read, and I enjoyed it quite a bit, though it also caused some undue stress, too.  Perhaps if the tome wasn't so massive that stress part wouldn't be there.  With a twelve-week old daughter in the house, reading was often pushed aside to bedtime throughout the week and a two/three hour stint on the weekend.  Even so, I felt like I was spending too much time in Sanderson's world and not enough in my own, and I think the pace of this group read was too rigorous for me, though honestly the natural breaks in the book made for perfect discussion sections.

Anyway, this week's questions are brought by Suey of It's All About Books.  Like every week, you can also check the main read along page for other blog links.

In addition to the supplied questions, I've thrown up a few of my own at the end, musing aloud.  There are also some supplemental links for any that are interested in such things.

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It seems like every main character had a little wrap up chapter in this section, with each section ending on a bit of a cliff hanger. What do you think? Do you appreciate these cliff hangers or do they make you crazy? Did you predict some of them, or have no idea they were coming? Did one of them stand out as most surprising?

There were enough conclusions to leave me satisfied, and enough cliffhangers to leave me eager.  Cliffhangers don't bother me, and even less so when I think on how productive and meticulous Sanderson is.  

I loved Dalinar's ending to his visions.  He learned that God had been killed, for crying out loud!  What does this mean to the religious people?  And as for the Voidbringers being parshmen and Parshendi... holy cow.  I knew there was something about the parshmen, but I couldn't quite figure out what.  The King's horrible acts were also surprising, though his motivation uninspired.  I did love how it was his notes we'd been reading.  Out of everything, I'm surprised Dalinar is still alive, though there was no doubt that he was on a collision course with Szeth.

Did the book leave you with an overall satisfied feeling, or are you left with too many unanswered questions? If so, what are some of the questions bothering you the most?

I guess I kind of answered this above.  What are the implications of God being dead?  Does that mean that Jasnah's atheism is correct, but also incorrect, too?  And what's the deal with Shadesmar?  (See my thoughts on this at the bottom.)  I'm also wondering why Syl dislikes the Shardblades and how the blades differ from the Dawnshards/Honorblades.  And where the heck is Gaz?

After I finished the book, I immediately re-read the Prelude, and everything made more sense this time around. 

What did you think of the book ending with a Wit chapter? Did you understand what he was trying to say? What does this chapter mean in relation to the rest of the series?

As I've mentioned before, the Hoid phenomenon is of particular fascination.  Thus, I was on edge throughout the entire chapter.  He basically seemed to be speaking in prophecy, telling the men to be ready for the Everstorm (or whatever it's called).  I did find his speech slightly confusing, though, and I'm not sure I fully understand his logical conclusion.  I'm sure he'll show up in latter books.

If someone asked you what this book is about... how would you answer them? In just two or three sentences!

The Way of Kings is a Brandon Sanderson novel.  If you read a lot of fantasy, then you know who Sanderson is.  If not, then you need to get your hands on everything this man's written.  Then I would punch the person in the face for their ignorance...

The Way of Kings is an epic tale that's unlike any epic fantasy you've ever read.  Magic is returning to the world, but with it comes terrible dangers that threaten the very existence of everyone in Roshar.  If you want a story with realistic characters in an unforgettable setting, then this book is for you.

And finally (even though I suspect I know everyone’s answer) will you be reading the rest of this series? Will you be there the day it comes out? Or just whenever? Will you be recommending this to others?

Absolutely.  I'll probably pre-order the Kindle edition and dive in as soon as I can.  Then I'll likely pick up the beautiful hardcovers (when they're cheaper) throw them on the shelf just for completionist's sake.

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Brandon Sanderson has just uploaded the images from the books onto his website.  Looking at these images makes me wonder the significance of the maps, as well as the grids of glyphpairs.  There's no doubt Sanderson has painstakingly crafted a purposeful geography for Roshar, so I've been thinking about them.  What do you all make of the maps/grids?

I'm guessing Shadesmar is the mirror opposite of Roshar.  This makes sense considering symmetry is such an important part (and holy attribute) of Vorinism.  If Roshar exists, then there must be an opposite realm, too, so maybe Shadesmar is un-Roshar?  I'm particularly interested in the names on the Shadesmar map.  The Seas of "Regret, Souls, and Lost Lights."  (Notice that the physical location of these Seas directly correlate to the landmasses of Roshar.  So where there's land in Roshar, there's water in Shadesmar, and we keep the balance.)

I'm equally intrigued about the Nexuses of Truth, Transition, and Imagination.  A nexus is "A connection or series of connections linking two or more things."  Considering what happened with Shallan, she told a Truth and then boom, she was in Shadesmar.  Maybe these three nexuses are the ways into Shadesmar and the ways to Soulcasting.

As for the grids, they must represent the magic system somehow.  Certain glyphpairs stand for certain powers, such as Lashing.  We don't know which ones are what.  What I'm wondering is how the two grids (assuming there are two distinct grids) are related.

Keeping symmetry in mind, I find the existence of a safehand being covered oddly disturbing.  If every woman must keep her safehand covered (look at the illustration of the woman surrounding the maps), then no woman dresses symmetrically.  Does this strike you as peculiar?

I think I may be reading too much into this one, but it still seems odd.  I mean, for the most part, I assume nearly everybody dresses symmetrically (including us!), and throwing on one glove just throws the whole thing out of balance.  It probably doesn't mean anything, but it's just odd considering the Alethi culture.

Brandon did a Q&A session on Goodreads back last year after the book was released.  Reading through the questions generate some avenues of discussion.  Some of my favorites:

• Does the scene where Shallan is counting heartbeats mean what I think it means?
• "It means what you think it means."
• What happened to Gaz? After some character development he just vanishes in chapter 59 without further explanation. Will he be back on the next books?
• "I'm planning for you to find out what happened to Gaz. There are sufficient clues that you can guess."
• Will there be flashbacks for a different character in this next book?
• "Yes.  Each book will explore a different character in flashbacks, though Kaladin will also end up getting another book with flashbacks of his sometime down the line." 

Final thoughts.  If you've not read the Mistborn series, then I think you are missing out here.  There are events of such magnitude that happen between the books that I cannot help but see their relation to one another.  Any of you read the Mistborn trilogy?  If not, I think you should before then next installment comes out for the Stormlight Archive.  Sanderson's not worldbuilding, he's universebuilding...

The Way of Kings Group Read: Week Four

The questions this week come from Kailana (her blog here).  The main blog link is here.
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Lord have mercy what an amazing read this part was.  It took everything in my power to stop at the beginning of Part Five and not look ahead.  Of course, I'll probably finish the book tonight, but that's okay...

One thing that I have thinking about during the course of this book is what Brandon Sanderson is trying to say about religion. Jasnah is an atheist. Shallan believes, but is still trying to find herself. Dalinar believes strongly in the ‘Old Ways’. What do you think of this idea?

Religion is a common theme in all of Sanderson's fantasy novels, and it seems like I remember hearing Brandon mention something about how this is an important topic to him in an interview of old.  For tWoK, I'm digging the religious tones.  I love how vague everything is.  The arguments between Jasnah and Shallan were both sound and logical, leaving the Almighty's existence up in the air.  But there is so much more than Vorinism in Roshar, and it seems that these other "religions" have some credence to them, too.  Our minds are inclined to thinking in absolutes and exclusions--there's either one thing or another, but not both--but this doesn't seem the case in Roshar.  And that makes for some excellent plot elements.

The relationship between siblings is an important part of this book. Adolin has always been at the forefront of Dalinar’s two sons, but Renarin is important, too. What did you think of the two brothers? Going back a generation, what do think of Dalinar and our glimpses of his brother? Then there is Kaladin who joins the war to protect his brother and fails. And Jasnah whose brother is King. Or Shallan who puts herself in a dangerous situation to help her brothers out following her fathers’ death. What do you think of these relationships? Did any stick out for you?

Renarin and Adolin are the two that stick out the most.  Both are young and malleable, and I'm intrigued at where they will end up.  Somehow I don't see Renarin staying a sickly, weak lad throughout the whole series.  (In honesty, for some reason I was expecting him to play a trump card after Dalinar's return and somehow be working with Sadeas, and I'm glad that didn't turn out.)  I do love the brothers theme this book has, though, because I have a younger brother, and our relationship is strong, but it could definitely be stronger.  So I enjoy reading the emotions and whatnot felt by these characters relating to their siblings.

Kaladin has been included in every section. Why do you think this was? Did you wish to have a break from him, or did you enjoy knowing he would be explored with every section?

I'm assuming it's because Kaladin is the central hero of the series(?), but it could just be that he had more ground he needed to cover in tWoK and won't be as prevalent in subsequent novels. Even so, his parts were definitely the most exciting, and I'm glad he's been in every section.

One of my favourite characters in the book is Syl. What do you think of her and her development throughout the course of this book?

Agreed.  Syl's development has been fascinating.  The fact that she knows so much stuff and yet cannot remember makes for good storytelling.  And there's no doubt that the spren are heavily involved in the magics and whatnot of Roshar.  It'll be cool to learn more about these quasi-visible creatures and how they fit into the big picture.

And, the big question, what do you think is going to happen in the last section? Any predictions?

This was why I stopped reading before the final section.  I enjoy postulating.  Looking back on the last two week's discussion, I assumed Dalinar would die.  Now I'm no longer certain of this.  Possibly some point down the road he will, but I was honestly expecting it here in the opening volume.  (I'm glad I'm wrong... so far.)  Even so, knowing that Szeth has a hit list of high names, Dalinar could very well be a target on that list, and I wouldn't be too shocked if he dies in the last part, especially since we know Szeth is in the final part.  

I'm hoping Shallan continues her stay with Jasnah, but who knows what'll happen there.  And as for Kaladin and his men, I don't think they'll be staying with Dalinar's troops for too long.  (Well, maybe some bridgemen will, but surely Kaladin will go off for some sort of adventure.)

I can't wait to finish the last forty pages or so and see what kind of cliffhanger Sanderson's gonna leave us with.

The Way of Kings Group Read: Week Three

Forgive me for the lack of introduction, but let's jump straight to the root of the matter.  If you'd like to read more responses to this week's questions, head to the main Group Read site (here).  This week's questions come from Memory.

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"Books can store information better than we can--what we do that books cannot is interpret." (Page 462)

"He couldn't know how long it lasted; time had no meaning in this place of fury and tumult." (Page 520)

"Was it possible to do something horrible in the name of accomplishing something wonderful?" (Page 532)*

"It might be religion, but it still has to make sense." (Page 635)

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Part III reunites us with Shallan, who we haven't seen for a few hundred pages, and separates us from Dalinar and Adolin for a few hundred more. How do you feel about leaving characters behind for such long stretches? Did you lose any of your connection to them during the break?

The splitting of the characters is slightly frustrating, but not to the point where it's detrimental to my enjoyment of the story.  I say frustrating because I'd like to stick with the characters longer and follow their story, but then at the same time, there's likely little-or-nothing going on with them at the times Sanderson gives us different POVs.  Maybe he's just cutting out the redundant fluff that doesn't really add to the main story when he omits POVs?

So far, how would you compare this to other epic fantasies you've read? Does it remind you of any other series?

Compared with other epic fantasies I've read, Sanderson's world and tale is definitely fresh and unique.  It defies many traditional cliches, but at the same time it resonates with the general "feeling" epic fantasy gives off.  Oddly enough, the other books it reminds me of are also by Brandon Sanderson: Mistborn, Elantris, and Warbreaker.  Nothing major really connects these, but the way Lashing works instantly brings to mind Vin Pushing and Pulling in Mistborn.  The Shardblades remind me of the fascinating sword Nightblood in Warbreaker.  And the glyphs (and symbolheads?) are bringing back imagery from Elantris and the language used there.  I think this is more than mere coincidence, but I can't say why exactly.

How do you feel about the masculine and feminine arts? If you're female, do you think you'd be content to stick to scholarly pursuits, or would you rather do something physical, like go to war? If you're male, would you be willing to forgo learning to read, even if there were women around to read to you? What about the food? Does the spicy for men and sweet for women restriction fit your own tastes?

I love this part of the Alethi culture.  It's reminiscent of our culture's history, but it's vastly different, too.  Sexism doesn't seem to exist for the people, and yet to our liberated 21st century American minds, the whole thing screams its wrongness. 

I say that I would be willing to shirk the soldiering life for a scholarly one, but I'm unsure whether or not I really would.  It would have to depend on which nahn I was in, whether or not I was a lighteyes or darkeyes, and whether or not I wanted glory (which I can't see myself wanting) or simplicity.  An ardent's life sounds appetizing, but I'm not sure how sinister these people are yet.  I do find the dissolution of the masculine/feminine arts in the ardentia an interesting fact.

I picture a lot of the food like Indian foods.  Curried, heavily spiced, and naan for bread.  As it just so happens, I love Indian food, so this works for me.  (Of course, I also love ice cream and chocolate chip cookies, and I would be sad not have these.)

Oh, I also think it's pretty clever that the women write their own subtext after a man's dictation.  This opens the doors for all kinds of disagreements in the texts.  (And I think it's obvious now that these opening bits of the chapters are coming from books Shallan/Jasnah/Someone is researching, and could very well be their own notes?  I'm not sure if the death-quotes fit this category, but they could... The letter for Part Two doesn't, though, unless it's something one of them read?)

What do you think of the flashbacks to Kaladin's childhood?

At first I didn't care too much for them, but as they've progressed, I grew more and more intrigued.  I love that Kaladin is a surgeon, trained in healing arts with a healer's mindset, and yet he's a renown warrior.

When I was reading the last few flashbacks, as time was drawing closer to the present, I kept waiting to see what would happen to Tien.  It's amazing that Sanderson's not told exactly what went down, but we've enough of an idea that Tien's death utterly changed the young healer-soldier.  And then when Kaladin faced down the Shardbearer!  Breathtaking.  I can't believe we've gone this long into the novel and just now found this out, but it's omission from Kaladin's thoughts imply truly how much he hates the lighteyes.

Do you have any theories yet as to where the story is headed? What do you most want to see in the last quarter of the book?

I've got theories a-plenty.  Dalinar will die.  I just don't see him living.  Adolin will step into his place, possibly, or the young Kholin will have to leave the Shattered Plains for some reason.  Dalinar's death could come by Szeth's hand (which seems possible), or it could come from Sadeas (which seems possible).  Kaladin and his men will rise up, but like the times before, many of them will die, but Kaladin will escape.  He may get some Shards by the end, and surely he'll end up working alongside Adolin at some point, where his opinions of lighteyes will have to change.  Shallan will tell Jasnah about her visions before she leaves and the woman will allow Shallan to stay on because of her sight into whatever the symbolheads are.  I have no clue about them, other than they're somehow connected to Soulcasting.

Odium reigns.  This Odium must be the series' main antagonist, but I don't see it as a Dark Lord archetype, though I could be wrong.  Odium may be using Szeth's new masters to accomplish its chaos and destruction of Roshar.

I am eager to see more Szeth, of course, but even more so eager to find out more about the symbolheads and about Kaladin's apparent use of Stormlight.  Sadly, I don't think we'll get much more of Shallan until possibly the final part of the book.  Kal, though.  That'll be fun.

Miscellaneous thoughts:  Kabsal's poisoning was an unexpected twist.  Who was he working with?  The deathspren are slightly terrifying.  And what the heck's going on with these bridgemen?  Teft and his mysterious knowledge of what Kaladin is.  Sigzil (I think that's who it was) and his aversion to Worldsingers?  And the one-armed crazy-happy Lopen?  Jeez!  Kaladin Stormblessed, indeed.  Oh, and Kal's surviving the storm was rather exciting, too, I might add.

I'm really enjoying The Way of Kings.  The book keeps me interested, and I really feel like we've only got the faintest notions of what's ahead of us.  I see nine more books of great storytelling and beautiful worldbuilding.
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*I've noticed that this theme crops up in an awful lot of books and movies, and I suppose it's because it makes for compelling characters.

The Way of Kings Group Read: Week Two

Very little in the way of an intro for this week.  Carl, one of the best spoken gents on the internet, as well as proprietor of Stainless Steel Droppings, has taken helm of this week's questions.  You can follow his blog here.  Also feel free to check out the Read Along headquarters to see more responses.

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"Kaladin was like a moldy crust on a starving man's plate; not the first bite, but still doomed." (Page 263)

"A man's emotions are what define him, and control is the hallmark of true strength.  To lack feeling is to be dead, but to act on every feeling s to be a child." (Page 377)

In a recent interview Brandon Sanderson mentioned that the interludes are meant to show us parts of the larger world since much of the action is focused in one or two places. What do you think of the first two sets of interludes? Any characters or situations stand out to you?

Szeth the Truthless is definitely one of the most interesting characters so far.  His powers are fascinating, but the mystery that surrounds him--what exactly is a Truthless?  why is he in the state he's in?  who's he gonna kill next?--is pure brilliant.  I feel quite sympathetic for him, but I'm not exactly sure why.

I'm equally fascinated by Hoid, a man who's only barely been mentioned thus far, during the first Interlude.  Hoid is a unique character in Sanderson's cosmere, as he (or a man named Hoid) has appeared in all of Sanderson's original fantasy novels so far.  Sanderson has hinted that his books all share the same universe, and I suppose that this Hoid is somehow more important than we currently know.

In small increments Brandon Sanderson is revealing the geology and ecology of Roshar. What are your thoughts on what has been revealed thus far?

The Shattered Plains are mesmerizing.  I love the plateaus and how the armies cross them (bridges, poles, or jumping).  The chasms make peril imminent for anyone forgetful or clumsy, even posing dangers to Shardbearers.  This is a brilliant setting for the novel, methinks.

In particular I'm intrigued by the highstorms and the crem that falls with the rain.  Professionally, I work with rainfall and flooding, and the fact that rain in Roshar is poisonous and heavily polluted is another brilliant world-feature of Way of Kings.  I can imagine the stalactites forming on unkempt houses, or worse, sticking to a condemned man forced to weather a highstorm. 

Other than that, there are so many minor tweaks that make Roshar what it is that I'm sure I keep forgetting things, picturing an Earth-like world as opposed to the one the story's actually in.  Multiple moons.  Rockbuds.  Strange grass.  Orange, blue, and purple wine!  Craziness.

This second section of The Way of Kings featured two distinct story lines, those of Dalinar and of Kaladin. How do you feel this section of the book compares with the first section and what are your thoughts on either or both of these story lines?

No cabe duda, the second section blew the first one out of the water.  The fight with the chasmfiend was thrilling (no pun intended).  The politics of the warcamp intriguing.  The visions of Dalinar baffling.  And Kaladin's renewed zeal encouraging.  Dalinar, and indirectly, Adolin, show one side of the war effort, and Kaladin shows the polar opposite.  This dichotomy is well played and very informative to the reader. 

In particular, Dalinar's visions make him another sympathetic character, though less so that Szeth.  Sadly, I don't see him lasting much longer.  His age (and his decision to abdicate to Adolin) all but beg someone to assassinate or duel him.

I also really liked Kal's flashback scenes.  I love that he's a trained surgeon and that he's a gifted warrior.  Again, the conflicting views and motives make for great storytelling.

In the interview set out earlier in the week Sanderson talked about the Stormlight Archive being a series about the return of magic. What are your thoughts on this, particularly in relation to the visions Dalinar is having during the highstorms?

I like this approach to fantasy.  Typically we see magic dying off and leaving the lands, often relegated to arcane sciences and superstition.  Here, magic definitely has birthed mythology, but also religion.  The Heralds and the Radiants and Voidbringers are definitely magical, but so are the Shards and Soulcasting.  People understand that these things are mystical, and while they're not prevalent, they're at least present.

Sanderson has an open door for where he can go with the return of magic.  Perhaps more and more people will start having visions (like Dalinar, though to me he seems chosen for a reason), or more Shards will be found or the plethora of gemhearts will lead to more Soulcasters.  Dalinar's visions must be foreshadowing, and if that's the shape of things to come, the rest of the book/series will be phenomenal.

There has been a change in this second section of the nature of the quotes prior to the beginning of each chapter. What are your thoughts on the opening lines featured in both sections of the book to this point?

I think everyone must have forgot about the pre-chapter quotes last week.  I meant to say something, but it slipped my mind.  Book One's quotes have me perplexed.  Who is keeping these things recorded?  Do all men and women get some sort of erratic "vision" when they die?  Are they somehow related to the spren?  Soulcasting?  This, coupled with Kaladin hearing a dying bridgeman's last words, have me eager to find out the importance of these quotes.

Book Two's pre-quotes were in the form of a letter.  I wasn't as intrigued by them, though they did offer some insight (albeit obfuscated and minuscule) to the world.  I particularly liked the section written to the immortal recipient.

These quotes and letter will undoubtedly be important to the Stormlight Archive, I'm just not sure if we'll find out their significance in The Way of Kings.

In the questions for these first two sections we've talked about characters and the story lines and the world that Sanderson has created, but there are a lot of interesting flourishes and touches to The Way of Kings thus far (shardplate, spren, the actual "Way of Kings" book, highstorms, etc.). Talk about some of the non-character/non-setting things that you are finding either fascinating or annoying (or both) in the book thus far.

Like last week, the spren are still holding my attention.  I cannot dismiss their importance in the grand scheme of things.  Syl's fluttering insights and fuzzy memories seem to point to something, but what that something is I can't grasp.

I'm also very curious to learn more about Dalinar's purging of his wife's memory from his mind.  How is this possible?  And what implications does this have for the rest of the world?  And, dang it, are the spren somehow involved here?

On spren, Axies the Collector and his hunt to find all the spren just whets my appetite.  Does this Axies know Hoid?  Are there beings that are charged to observe things throughout the worlds and archive them or something? 

The Way of Kings Group Read: Week One

I bought Brandon Sanderson's Way of Kings the week it came out, nigh on a year ago.  The man writes excellent fantasy novels, with captivating characters, fascinating magic systems, and a well-paced plot.  But for some reason, I never started the tome.  Other books kept cropping up or something else came along that prevented me.

Now, though, with the help of a few other bloggers, I've joined in on a group read.  Together, we'll explore Sanderson's seminal volume of The Stormlight Archive, and each week those of us participating will discuss what we've read, as well as any thoughts/theories we may have.  If you want to get in on this group-read, it's not too late.  Just head here and get yourself started.

Ibeeeg (of Polishing Mud Balls) has put together this weeks round of questions.  The main group read-along blog, Polishing Mud Balls Read-Along Page, is here.  Follow it for the rest of the bloggers taking part of this epic undertaking.  Now, without further ado...

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Before I started reading The Way of Kings, I did have some thoughts on how I would like this story; did you? If you did, how is The Way of Kings actually comparing to those thoughts?

I had no fears of Sanderson letting me down.  Everything of his that I've read--the Mistborn trilogy, Warbreaker, and Elantris--has been highly enjoyable.  I remember Sanderson saying that The Stormlight Archive is his baby, that it's the story he's worked on the longest and has planned out for years.  I was also intrigued by the up-front clarification that this is a ten volume series.  If it's ten books each a thousand pages, that's quite an adventure that I could not afford to pass up.  Plus, with Sanderson's killer work ethic and expediency at book releases, the time expected to wait between novels isn't too long.  There was no way I'd miss this journey.

What do you think of the pace of this story? so far. And what do you think of the prose? Do you think the prose is too descriptive? Not descriptive enough? Give me your thoughts on the writing thus far.

The pacing has been quick.  Very quick.  The opening scene of the battle was breathtaking, and most of Kaladin's stuff has been so far, too.  Shallan's scenes are more like a pot that's simmering, a bit slower, but definitely filled with enough to keep me curious.

The prose is lean, but not too much.  Sanderson's descriptions are perfect for setting the tone that he's portraying.  In battle, there's little description.  In the lull times of traveling, there's more.  For me, it's a perfect balance of a high, epic fantasy with the brisk pace of something lower.

What was your favorite part of this first section?

My favorite part so far (I'm up to 14% complete on my Kindle, or around pg 150) is either Kaladin's labor of carrying the bridge or the curious breaking of the Oathpact at the "Prelude" of the book.  I felt like the bridge carrying ordeal was a grueling and horrifying experience, and the fact that Kaladin couldn't even see as he ran most of the way was wonderful.  And yet I keep thinking back to the Prelude, curious from the characters and the plethora of questions unanswered.

Which character(s) do you find most interesting and why?

I'm really digging the spren.  Fearspren.  Windspren.  Flamespren.  Creationspren.  Anticipationspren.  Logicspren.  So many different spren, and how they just appear at different events (whether seen or not) is just plain cool.

I'm also curious to see how Shallan will accomplish her goal of stealing the Soulcaster.  Surely she and Kaladin are on a destination to meet.  In all of Sanderson's works, his female protagonists are always characters I rally for.  As of yet, I'm not necessarily pulling for Shallan, but I'm intrigued by her ambition (and her Memory magic(?)).

I also hope to see more of Szeth-son-son-Vallano.  His assassination of the king in the prologue was awesome, and I don't think I fully understand the aftermath of the murder and the king's last words.

Kaladin, though, is definitely the most interesting person to read about right now.  He seems like a genuine, stand-up kind of guy, and I'm assuming he'll be the series' hero.  We'll see.

All right, what I really want to know is... what do you think of this book overall? so far. Are you finding the story easy to follow? Are you fascinated, interested? Is the book holding your attention? Are you Bored? Indifferent? Please share your overall thoughts.

Overall, I'm very pleased so far with the read.  The story is fascinating and complex, and I think it'll be a book that I can re-read as the series progresses through the years and take away completely different thoughts.  The unique environments and creatures are interesting; the magic, while currently vague, is nonetheless exciting.  I've stayed up late reading quite a few nights already.  I suppose the easiest way for me to say this is that I've put off reading GRRM's Dance with Dragons until September just so I could read Sanderson's work (and blog with a few others, too).  If I weren't enjoying the book, I'd pick up Dance without a second thought.  As it is, I've not even touched it.