The end of Arc 1 of Brandon Sanderson’s The Stormlight Archive is here, and Wind and Truth feels enormous, metaphorically and physically. The release of The Way of Kings feels like another lifetime, and yet just yesterday, as the end of the first arc seemed so far away in 2010. Now we’ve reached the midpoint where one journey ends and another begins. Wind and Truth feels like both the final curtain call and the staging area of the next act of the series and the entire Cosmere.

Except for minor details that setup the plot and direction characters go, this review is spoiler free.

The beginning of the book feels like a parting of ways as characters set off on different missions with the air of this may be the last time we see each other. It sets the tension right away, especially for those who follow the Cosmere closely, as an extra layer of meta-tension is involved, knowing that this is the last book of an arc and that the next book will be set approximately ten or twenty years later puts expectations in reader’s mind that maybe one of their beloved characters may not make it out of this one. Most anyone who has played a tabletop RPG knows the creed of never separating the party, and the opening chapters do just that with the implication that they may never return to Urithuru in time for the contest.

The setup of that contest in Rhythm of War informs the book’s structure and pacing. In nine days, there will be a contest of champions between Odium and Dalinar. The book takes place over those nine days. This sets the pace for the story with no time to dither with distractions or side stories. Despite its large page count, the book often feels brisk as characters take action, move forward, and make decisions quickly. Though the book is the longest in the series, it doesn’t feel like it because of the nine-day structure. There are few moments of slowdown, but it’s not without its moments to breathe. Those moments carry weight, as they could end at any moment, or the characters sharing that moment could be gone by the next chapter.

Pain’s role in this book is an important one, but it comes in many different flavors. Of course, the pain of loss, whether from death or violence, but also the emotional pain of rejection, failure, isolation, and uncertainty. Wind and Truth isn’t just a culmination of the first arc but the emotional journey of Kaladin, Adolin, Shallan, Jasnah, Renarin, Dalinar, and others. Many characters are confronted with who they were, who they are now, and who they want to be in the future, sometimes literally. Unexpected is the journey through pain the Stormfather and the Heralds go through and their role in the final moments of Arc 1.

Who is Kaladin without fighting? Without wielding the spear and an enemy to wield the spear against? Kaladin and the reader might ask this when the book begins, but by his journey’s end, Kaladin may be the best version of himself. Kaladin’s journey has not been an easy one, and Wind and Truth is no different, but there is a joy in helping Szeth, however frustrating he is, that wasn’t there before. Syl and Kaladin’s relationship continues to be a highlight, but how they grow as friends and how she grows as a person while traveling with Szeth constantly put a smile on my face. Surprisingly, Kaladin and Szeth make for an entertaining tale of two opposing personalities growing closer on a road trip. Though none of the events other characters go through are unimportant, what Kaladin does might be the most consequential alongside Dalinar.

I felt little for Szeth in The Way of Kings and Words of Radiance, let alone empathy. He was fascinating in Oathbringer and Rhythm of War but not a character that resonated with me. I’m glad Sanderson waited to tell Szeth’s story because it is one of the compelling parts of Wind and Truth, if not incredibly sad. His is one of tragedy, of someone just trying to figure out the right thing to do and seeking others to answer for him. The author takes Szeth from a character whose heart of hearts was no concern to one I genuinely wished happiness for. My only real quibble with the book is another point-of-view character, like Szeth in the past, who plays a vital role but does not resonate with me. Sigzil, as the new leader of the Windrunners, doesn’t work for me. It makes sense based on the story and his role in other books, but the events around him and his spren Vienta are far more captivating. That said, I thought the same of Szeth, so perhaps this is part of a much larger story for Sigizl that will change my mind.

Dalinar Kholin might be Brandon Sanderson’s greatest creation. Hyperbolics out of the way; those who wanted more Dalinar in Rhythm of War will not be disappointed by its follow-up. Wind and Truth brings Dalinar back full circle to his journey of self-discovery in The Way of Kings alongside Navani and the Stormfather. Through them, we learn the full scope of the secrets held by Dalinar’s visions in the first book on his quest to figure out how to overcome Odium in the contest. On this journey, Sanderson neither shies away from Dalinar’s evil acts in his past nor denies the growth he has achieved through the last four books. His relationship with the Stormfather is central to Dalinar’s story in this book as he makes the most significant discoveries that will affect how readers see The Stormlight Archive’s past and future. However, his choices in the climax during the contest shine brightest and will reverberate through all of Sanderson’s future Cosmere work.

Dalinar’s sons, Renarin and Adolin, often shine as bright as Dalinar in Winds and Truth. Adolin is still in turmoil over the revelations of Oathbringer that Dalinar killed his mother in a berserker rage brought on by the Thrill. His identity is shaken by this and his relevancy as a shardbearer and swordmaster among Radiants. He goes on his journey of self-discovery away from his father, wife, and friend Kaladin. Adolin walks a path different from Dalinar and the Radiants, alongside Maya, the spren of his shardblade newly returned. The dynamic between the two is a fun contrast to Kaladin and Sylphrena or Shallan and Pattern. The book’s exploration of Adolin’s relationship with his supporting cast is meaningful to his growth and future while also charming. Renarin, likewise, doesn’t find who he is outside of his friends and family but accepts what makes him different and likes those differences. He is a character, and I look forward to seeing where his journey takes him.

Shallan’s part in the story confused me until I realized Rhythm of War and Wind and Truth were two parts of one arc dealing with her inner conflicts. The way Pattern’s personality has grown is entertaining with Shallan as his focal point of education, but I would have liked Testament, the spren Shallan first bonded with and rejected, to play more of a role. Shallan’s goals in this story are much more straightforward: deal with the Ghostbloods before they can strike back at her family and her. It becomes much more complicated as it goes, forcing Shallan to confront some of the worst moments of her life, moments she has tried to forget. Shallan’s role in Wind and Truth reminds me of Kaladin’s in Rhythm of War, taking action and confronting truths, however painful they are.

Taravangian as the new vessel for Odium is genuinely terrifying, not in the sense of the overwhelming violence of a killer but of a genius megalomaniac who knows all your beloved character’s personal failures and weaknesses with a philosophy of willingness to do anything for the greater good, his greater good precisely. Tarvangian, as Odium, is also infuriating, as a villain should be, because of his need to be correct and to win. He claims to care about the survival of Roshar, the end of the war, and bringing peace to the great Cosmere, but those all stem from a need to prove all his past decisions as the king of Kharbranth and his decisions as Odium. He closes his eyes to his cruelty, especially to those he once called allies. He believes he is simply pushing them to be better by choosing his side, the right side, because Taravangian, as a Shard, a Vessel, a God, can never be wrong. As a side remark, Moash is still of the ten fools, and I don’t foresee that changing anytime soon.

Although the greater Cosmere plays a role in the fifth Stormlight Archive book, it does not overtake Roshar’s conflict. For as long as Wind and Truth is, it stays focused on who we’ve taken this journey with from The Way of Kings to now. This is not to say the book is isolated from the Cosmere; it contains many droplets of information never revealed before, as well as everlasting ripples that will affect the future of Sanderson’s Cosmere-related books and some that have already been released. That being said, Roshar remains front and center of book five’s story. A part of Wind and Truth I’ve greatly enjoyed, especially after his narration in Tress of the Emerald Sea and Yumi and the Nightmare Painter, is Wit/Hoid’s more significant role in the story. Though he is not central to the story, he has gone from an easter egg to a guiding hand to the characters for whom he genuinely seems to care about.

Sanderson’s readers often talk about the Sanderlanche, the denouement, when many plot threads come together and reach their resolution quickly, often in the final hundred pages. Wind and Truth frequently feels one large Sanderlanche to Rhythm of War, with the most decisive impact in the last three hundred pages. Those came and went in quick succession until the end. The ending felt evident, but the details for each point-of-view character and nation were surprising and bold choices. After over thirteen hundred pages, you’d think I was ready for a break from The Stormlight Archive series, but it only left me more excited for what comes next.

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Joshua was provided an advance copy of the book by Tor Books.

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