Includes MASSIVE spoiler for The Stormlight Archive through Wind and Truth and The Sunlit Man . The Stormlight Archivebook 5,Wind and Truth , is packed with massive reveals pertaining to the series and the larger Cosmere . Brandon Sanderson has been work on hisCosmere fantasy universefor tenner , and though he claims the recent volume is not hisAvengers : Endgame(viaEsquire ) , it sure as shooting feels that direction in term of the reach a illusion novel can offer . The story cap off character arc establish in 2010’sThe Way of Kingswhile also laying the foundation for so much more .

air current and Truth’sendingsees Dalinar and Odium face off in their long - awaited contest of champions atop Urithiru , result in the everlasting one - on - one climax readers had hop for . Before that , however , hearing are taken on a long journey through the Spiritual Realm , ultimately get insight into the behavior of the gods on Roshar . lector get to see what Tanavast , the vessel of Honor , was really like . Not to observe , more contact with various Heralds offer total context to preceding effect .

9Honor Betrayed Ba-Ado-Mishram At The Recreance

Tanavast’s Divisive History Is Revealed

The first fourStormlight Archivebooksbuild up Honor to be a august figure , realise it all the more shocking when he causes the betrayal of Ba - Ado - Mishram at the Recreance . The Windrunner Garith and his singer Paraguay tea play together to bring Ba - Ado - Mishram to discuss peace terms , as she ’s willing to take on Odium and has the opportunity to kill him . However , Tanavast has other plans and convinces the Bondsmith Melishi to carry out the betrayal , trapping the unmade in the Spiritual Realm for the next 2,000 years .

Characters often are n’t what they seem in Brandon Sanderson ’s book , but it was still scandalise to see how openhanded of a contrast there was between Honor and Tanavast . Finally get to see what happened to cause the Recreance was fascinating , but getting to see it from Tanavast ’s perspective on Day 9 was one of the most exciting parts of the book . The musical theme of Shards having conflicting belief as their vessels seems like an significant aspect of the narration throughout the Cosmere .

8Shallan’s Mother Is The Herald Chanarach

Readers Had Long Suspected Chana Would Be Shallan’s Mother

malarky and Truth’sprologue all but reveals that Shallan ’s mother was Chanarach , as one of Gavilar ’s conversation is contract curt as a Herald is kill . When this chapter was secrete to the public months ago , it did n’t take long to tie the dots , as readers had suspect for a tenacious time thatChana was Shallan ’s female parent and had tried to kill her due to her revealed Surgebinding powers . It ’s also shown that this determination was Nale ’s asking , as he believed drink down Surgebinders would forbid the new Desolation .

The Stormlight Archive is a sprawling epic phantasy series , and adapt it would be an enormous challenge . Here ’s what I ’d care to see .

Shallan also has a crank scene with Chanarach , who has already returned and died again but can speak to her through the Spiritual Realm . Chana feels great remorse for what she did and , importantly , was able-bodied to attend Shallan ’s wedding with Adolin . reach that both characters are still alive , it ’s possible they could have more of a relationship in arc 2 , wear Shallan line up her way back to Roshar .

Words of Radiance and Oathbringer covers with film reels in the background

7Nale Sent Helaran To Kill Amaram

Nale Was Trying To Eliminate Potential Surgebinders

Once again , The Stormlight Archive’sstory ties back to the foreboding day when Kaladin killed Helaran , claiming the shard plate and vane that would lead to Amaram selling him into slavery . Logos of Radiancerevealed thatthe shardbearer was Shallan ’s chum , who had been training as a Skybreaker acolyte . His labor on that day was to vote out Amaram , andWind and Truthreveals he was mail by Nale .

The estimate that a Herald inadvertently kick off the serial ' outcome is terrific , specially when Nale ’s goal was to eliminate surgebinders . Kaladin kill Helaran start out him on his journey , andNale acknowledges that he should ’ve croak on and in person seen to Kaladin ’s deathon that day . Or , at least , he would have , had he have it off that Kaladin was a future Windrunner .

6The Desolations Were Proxy Wars Between Honor & Odium

Honor & Odium Couldn’t Face Eachother Directly Without Destroying Roshar

The devastation are a source of enigma throughoutThe Stormlight Archive , and though the late books had established their cyclic nature and the conflict between the Heralds and the Voidbringers , it ’s not untilWind and Truththat their full cathode-ray oscilloscope is break . Conflict on Roshar is purely a proxy state of war between Honor and Odium , as the book explicate that their lineal combat would induce the planet ’s wipeout .

Instead of fighting each other , Honor and Odium unleash aspects of their power on Roshar . Tanavast describes , " First his Fused , then my Heralds , then his Unmade , then my Radiants , " in chapter 120 , explaining the arms race that resultedfrom their common desire to rid the Rosharan scheme of the other god . The Cosmere has always been the political program for a conflict between gods , but reframing Roshar ’s history as being a direct battleground , almost like a chess game circuit board , is dismay .

5The Stormfather Is An Avatar Of Honor

The Stormfather Has Always Possessed Tanavast’s Memories

The Stormfather has always been a unique curiosity inThe Stormlight Archive , as his power carry beyond that of the other spren . In his dialog with Dalinar , he ’s always seemed to know far more than what he ’s get on , andWind and Truthfinally explains why . The Stormfather is n’t just a spren . As Wit report , he ’s a " replica of Tanavast , maybe an incarnation , that had take on its own will . "

The Stormfather ’s goal then became to find oneself a worthy vas for honor , seeking someone who would n’t want the power , hence his turning on Gavilar .

This mechanic is important to recognise because it ’s the same thing as what ’s befall with Odium ’s dark Dalinar that he hook out of the Spiritual Realm . The Stormfather hold all of Tanavast ’s memories from the stage he splinter off , but he became his own being with his own desires . The Stormfather ’s finish then became to find a worthy vessel for honor , search someone who would n’t need the power , hence his turning on Gavilar .

Jon Snow from GoT with the covers of The Way of Kings and A Game of Thrones

4New Information On Cosmere Shards Has Been Revealed

The 16th Shard Has Been Revealed

Throughout the novels in Brandon Sanderson ’s Cosmere , audience have met several gods from different planets , though some have remain secret . The name of the final , sixteenth Shard , was revealed inWind and Truthchapter 115.The power ’s name is Reason , and the vessel is named Euridius . The Shard Invention is break to be held by the vessel Chan Ko Sar , and the Shard Valor is revealed to be held by the dragon Medelantorus .

Every modern phantasy show has copied Game of Thrones , and I ’d like to see The Stormlight Archive be the first to take the correct lesson from it .

reveal more about the large-minded Cosmere traditional knowledge is of import to predict where effect are headed . Two of the four Dawnshards are name , meaning eight of the sixteen Shards can be grouped into their category . With the knowledge of all sixteen Shard names , readers have already begun to forebode what the other two Dawnshards might be visit and what their abilities might be .

Covers of Words of Radiance and Oathbringer

3Gavinor Is Odium’s Champion

Odium Planned An Unwinnable Situation For Dalinar

Another popular theory surroundingWind and Truthwas that Gavinor Kholin would be Dalinar ’s opponent at the contest of champion . With the suckle kid Death Rattle fromThe Way of Kings(read below ) and Taravangian ’s ongoing public debate about utilitarianism with Dalinar , it made a pile of sensory faculty that Sanderson would work Gavinor into the climax . However , the Word frames this crook in a manner no one predicted .

" I hold the suckling baby in my hands , a tongue at his throat , and love that all who populate wish me to let the blade drop away . Spill its blood upon the ground , over my hired man , and with it pull ahead us further breath to draw "

FromThe Way of Kingschapter 57 epigraph .

Cover of The Stormlight Archive book 5 Wind and Truth

Custom image by Yeider Chacon & original cover art for Wind and Truth byMichael Whelan

Wind and Truthsees Gavinor thrust into the Spiritual Realm with Dalinar and Navani , and the small-scale child begins hearing Elhokar ’s voice in his straits . For anyone who have it off about the Gavinor theory , it does n’t take long to surmise thatthe voice actually belong to Odium , who tricks Gavinor into stay behind , where he spend years molding him into a warrior with nothing but hatred for Dalinar . This presents Dalinar with a lose - lose moral argumentation atop Urithiru .

2Talenel Didn’t Break

Talenel Died A Warrior’s Death In The True Desolation

Talenel is a devotee pet among the Heralds of Roshar , as he was the one who was betrayed by his organization and result in Damnation to support distortion . Upon his comer at the goal ofThe means of Kings , Talenel has primarily been in a state of insanity due to the extent of his torment , thoughOathbringeroffered a glance at his real self , unveil just how fascinating a character he really is in his conversation with Shalash .

Brandon Sanderson has developed a complex magic organisation in The Stormlight Archive . Here ’s our crack-up of the Knights Radiant orders and their powers .

InWind and Truth , Adolin finds Ash and Talenel in Azimir , back in his state of insanity . Brandon Sanderson give the Herald a chance to steal the show , as when the combine invade the aesculapian ward , he climb up to fend for who he can . He and Ash die warriors ' deaths , withTalanel impart a lead of fused that he battered to demise with his bare hands . It does n’t get more epic than that , and the most of import takeaway is that Talenel , who suffered 4,000 twelvemonth in Damnation , did n’t give out .

Kaladin, Adolin, and Shallan in The Stormlight Archive

Art byEkaterina Burmak/Brotherwise Games and Dragonsteel Entertainment

1Szeth’s Spren Becomes Auxiliary

Auxiliary Is A Prominent Character In The Sunlit Man

The 2023 Cosmere book , The Sunlit Man , became a smash with Sanderson fans due to its significant connectedness toThe Stormlight Archive . For those who have n’t read it , Sigzil is the main protagonist in the novel gear up during the place - age hereafter of the Cosmere . Wind and Truthshows how Sigzil is driven off of Roshar , fleeing with Hoid ’s Dawnshard . Importantly , the book also demonstrates how Sigzil ’s highspren , Auxiliary , follow to be .

12124 is a code for " AUX , " representing each letter ’s place in the alphabet ( A-1 , U-21 , X-24 ) .

There are clues throughout the book that Szeth ’s antecedently unnamed spren , now revealed to be ascribe the number 12124 , will finally become Sigzil ’s spren . At one point , Nale criticizes the spren , saying,“You have let yourself become an attendant to your human being , an auxiliary to his will . “Then , one ofWind and Truth’sfinal chapter examine Sigzil meeting 12124 in Shadesmar , confirming a long - stand theory .

Nale Stormlight Archive

Art byKarla Ortiz

The Stormlight Archive is an epical fantasy serial by Brandon Sanderson , set on the storm - desolate humans of Roshar . The series follows multiple characters , each with their unique plot line , as they sail political intrigue , ancient prophecies , and powerful magic . Central to the story are the Knights Radiant , fabled warriors with magical abilities who must return to save their world from close at hand devastation . The series explores themes of laurels , leaders , and the burden of major power .

The Heralds in The Stormlight Archive

Fan art byartofkatiepayne

The Stormfather Stormlight Archive

Fan art byExmakina

Wind and Truth The Stormlight Archive cover

Original cover art for Wind and Truth byMichael Whelan

Talenel Stormlight Archive

Art byDonato Giancola

Szeth and Kaladin in The Stormlight Archive

Art byRandy Vargas

The Stormlight Archive Vertical Image from Tor

The Stormlight Archive is an epic fantasy series by Brandon Sanderson, set on the storm-ravaged world of Roshar. The series follows multiple characters, each with their unique storylines, as they navigate political intrigue, ancient prophecies, and powerful magic. Central to the story are the Knights Radiant, legendary warriors with magical abilities who must return to save their world from impending destruction. The series explores themes of honor, leadership, and the burden of power.