Source
r/Stormlight_Archive•
Leeflet

Confused about some things...

SpoilerTWoK

I'm new to Sanderson's works (save for Whitesand). I have a long commute to work and have wanted to dive into the Stormlight Archive for some time, so I'm listening to the audio book. Caladin's chapters are read by a male voice and Shallon's chapters are read by a female voice.

One of the things I'm confused about is regarding these two characters. Because we more or less start with Caladin, I've been treating him as the MC with Shallon as a side character. I'm slowly coming to the realization that that's probably not the best approach. Does Shallon eventually do something that feels connected to Caladin or a larger story? The Prologue and Caladin's early chapters feel somewhat connected to me. Shallon feels completely disconnected these other parts. Am I just being impatient here?

The other thing I'm confused about is whether or not Stormlight Archive was the right place to start swimming in this world. Seems like many folks started in Mistborn or somewhere else. Was this the right place to start for someone very new to Sanderson's works?

EDIT: Thank you all for the info and the spelling corrections! Audiobooks don’t spell for me so I was guessing.

Posted Feb 5, 2020, 9:48 PM UTC · edited

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XanwesDodd•

I started with the Way of Kings and don't regret it. Kaladin is the MC of Book 1 in a way, then Shallan is the MC of book 2. There are a lot of main characters, not just the one! I didn't like her until book 2 either! Also an audio booker.

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LeefletOP•

Thank you for this! I was trying to avoid saying I didn’t like her, but there it is. I don’t really like her yet. I’ll keep listening and see if that changes for me.

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XanwesDodd•

Yeah it's a common thought about her character, as she is one of the main characters of the series you gotta get accustomed to her not going anywhere though. :)

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festivus15•

Yep. Didn’t like her till book 2 either.

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RShara:elsecallers: Elsecaller•

There's actually going to be 10 main characters, one for each book. Kaladin (with a K) is the main character of the first book, so a lot of people assume he's the series main character. But Shallan is the MC of book 2, Dalinar of book 3, etc.

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ashamen:bondsmiths: Bondsmith•

Each book is someone's flashback book. But book one really is kaladin book. Its almost just introducing to roshar and the problems are on a personal level.book 2 really starts on many characters working towards the bigger story hinted at in Book 1. If I had to pick a main character for the series it would be dalinar with kaladin/syl being the most relatable charactors. Book 2 is shallans flashback 3 Dalinar 4 venli/eshoni book 5 is Szeths. The 2nd 5 books are a different arc and the order of flashbacks may change. But they are lift renerin shalash taln and jasnah. I'm not sure of the planned order off the top of my head. And its always been said just because you get someones flashback later on it does not mean they are safe and can't die. Also just because they don't get a flashback doesnt mean they arent a MC. Try to suggest Andolin isn't one because of no flashback you'll have a million woman wanting your head.

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TheBlackDred:venli: VoidSpren•

Ok, so, Way of Kings is LOADED with exposition. Especially in the front half. So yeah, if you can get through that your are good, and you can start anywhere in the Cosmere you want.

WoK is Kaladin centered, his life story and history. Words of Radiance is Shallan centered, her history and life story. Oathbringer is centers on Dalanar. There are POV chapters and/or interludes for all important characters in all the books, but each one tries to give you a full concept of that character, their motivations, who they are, as well as why it is that they make certain choices.

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CBpegasus:pattern2: Pattern•

It's more of an ensemble cast, not really one main character - kind of like in game of thrones etc. But each of the Stormlight Archives books has one character they focus on a bit more which can be thought of as the "main character" of that book, that character is also the one who gets flashback chapters throughout the book. As others said it's Kaladin for book one and Shallan for two.

About starting with WoK, people don't often recommend it both because Stormlight is Brandon's biggest and most complex series, and also because it has the largest amount of easter eggs and crossover from other Cosmere books (which is still a rather small amount, and often easy to miss even if you do read other books first so it's not very significant). But if you are used to complex epic fantasy and don't care about the Cosmere easter eggs (for now at least ;) ) it's a good place to start.

One thing I can recommend is to read Warbreaker before book 2. There is some relatively significant crossover from Warbreaker into the Stormlight Archives which makes some character appearences more exciting and interesting. It is not mandatory however, if you can't bring yourself to take a break and read about a whole different planet and magic system it's ok to just move on

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LeefletOP•

Thanks for the advice! Once I get through TWoK (have roughly 38 hours left according to my phone), I’ll look for Warbreaker.

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XanwesDodd•

You don't need to bear in mind, if you don't like the look of WB or you really itch for WoR then go straight for it. Gl!

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festivus15•

I started with Stormlight and fell down the rabbit hole from there. As with all of Sanderson’s stuff, things will eventually connect. They are just 2 of the many main characters you’ll meet. RAFO for more.

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