Why You Should Not Read The Stormlight Archive: Final Thoughts On The Stormlight Archive
Glori talks incessantly about books, again.
Hey y’all, it’s me again!
I recently finished reading Brandon Sanderson’s magnum opus: the first arc of The Stormlight Archive. The first arc, all he’s written so far, is only half of the series, yet clocks in at well over 5,000 pages. This is definitely the longest series I’ve read in a long time, perhaps the longest. It took me several weeks, if not months.
I read the first two books, The Way of Kings and Words of Radiance, in the fall of 2024, then took a break for a few months. I don’t remember all my thoughts on the two, but I did set down a few thoughts on Goodreads.
The Way of Kings and Words of Radiance
My review for The Way of Kings on Goodreads:
Five out of five stars
That was a storming huge book! Took me a whole week, but it was worth it. I think that Brandon Sanderson could probably have sped it up slightly, though. This is definitely more of an elephant than a lion.
My review for Words of Radiance on Goodreads:
Five out of five stars
This book spellbound me. Kaladin was excellently grumpy, Shallan was sweet and scholarly, Dalinar was lore itself, Wit was really hilarious, and Adolin was just amazing. Brandon Sanderson masterfully weaves moral dilemmas into their lives and there is an epic climax at the end. I can't wait to read the rest of the series!
Oh, naive and trusting girl that was me last fall.
Oh. For context, Kaladin is a mentally traumatized guy who feels obliged to protect literally everyone around him. He gains powers and can fly. Shallan is a mentally traumatized redheaded girl who eventually develops powers of illusion and develops multiple-personality disorder. Dalinar is a mentally traumatized dad with two kids who “accidentally” keeps bossing the king (who happens to be his nephew, because his brother, Gavinor, died) around. Wit is a jester, and at the end of the series I very much disliked him. Adolin is Dalinar’s son and to this day remains my favorite character from the series. There are a lot of other characters but those seem to be all I felt fit to mention back then so I’ll introduce you to the rest of them
My opinion of the series—though it remains high for the first two books—has since plummeted.
Oathbringer
But let us fast-forward to late January of 2025 and early February, where I began Oathbringer during my visit to New Saint Andrews College (Yes, I wrote about that, and you can read about it on Ink Blots if you like, but it’s very very long). I was quickly sucked back into the storyline.
My review for Oathbringer on Goodreads:
Three out of five stars
Brandon Sanderson has gone woke. If not for two references - only TWO!- the book would have been amazing. I just wish he hadn't. Maybe some day I will buy a copy and black out the two spots where it references a man courting another man.
Also why'd he bring Jasnah back? Why?
That review sums up the book fairly well, though it was short. The book was excellent save for two references to a man courting another man. The climax, in particular, was stunning. I, however, was very frustrated with him bringing a character back to life that had died in book two—especially as I had not particularly liked said character in the first place. In general, authors, I would advise you to not bring back characters that are supposed to be dead. Unless the character is Aslan or Gandalf, of course, and you are definitely not Lewis or Tolkien.
That apart, the finale was truly epic.
After I finished Oathbringer, I didn’t hesitate to begin Rhythm of War.
Rhythm of War
My review for Rhythm of War on Goodreads:
Four out of five stars
No gay storyline! YAY! -although I have been led to believe that there is one in the next book, oh no.
As always, the ending is a slow crescendo with a spectacular finish.
And Shallan is finally fixing her schizophrenia
I was personally surprised that so many of the reviews online ranked Rhythm of War as their least favorite out of the five. Personally, I loved the explanation and “science” that Navani explores. Her character has a lot of great development. There’s also another storyline meanwhile involving Shallan and Adolin in Shadesmar that’s quite good.
Actually, looking back, I can see why a lot of people didn’t really enjoy Rhythm of War. Dalinar’s storyline was quite boring compared to the previous books, and at times it felt like Sanderson could have sped up the book significantly.
When I finished Rhythm of War, I began Wind And Truth. By then, I’d read several truly disheartening reviews of it and was rather nervous about beginning it.
Wind And Truth
My review for Wind And Truth on Goodreads:
One out of five stars1
Well! It has been a journey of over 5,000 pages, but I am finally done with arc one of the Stormlight Archive.
I partially regret spending weeks, if not months, on this series. Why partially? Because books one, two, most of three, and four were excellent! Why regret?
Because this is an ABYSMAL ending to this series. I realize it's arc one, yes. But Brandon Sanderson has embraced wokeness. There were a couple mentions in Oathbringer, yes (book three), but those could have been blacked out and the book would've otherwise been excellent. However, in Wind And Truth, he fully embraces it. There is a flagrantly homosexual interspecies couple, Renarin and Rlain. Adding to it, they are the only couple in the entire series who get anywhere close to a happy ending in arc one. So Brandon Sanderson isn't only adding wokeness, he's promoting it. Also, I haven't seen any reviews mention this, but there's a woman mentioned who has "filled out the papers to live as a man" so not only is there homosexuality, there is also 'gender changing.'
Not only do the woke parts stink, but the fact that Kaladin, a mighty warrior, has laid down the spear and become, of all things, a therapist, is just so... awful. It might not sound so awful in context, but the modern lingo is just so out of place and cringy in this otherwise amazing series. He repeats cringy epithets (you are a person, not a thing; you deserve this, blablabla) in an attempt to "help" Szeth, and somehow it works... I really wasn't enjoying the Kaladin parts in this series.
The only redeeming light in this book was Adolin. My favorite character out of the whole series.
And did I mention that the only couple that gets a happy ending is the GAY ONE??? SERIOUSLY???
Anyway, this book was awful and an abysmal ending to the series. Waste of my time.
I would say that pretty much sums it up; I was a lot more thorough on this one. It was a rant, and felt good.
I would never ever ever recommend it, and am still deciding whether to burn or sell the book. I would actually like a little help in that department!
Comment your reasons!
Characters
Now is the time for me to highlight some of the main characters in the series. If you don’t want spoilers, I would not read any further, because there are spoilers. I’m using fanart I got off pinterest for the pictures.
Dalinar Kholin
Dalinar is a leader with a checkered past. He’s a fearsome warrior who was known as “The Blackthorn” and would go into berserker-like rage on the battlefield, killing hundreds with his Shardblade and Shardplate. That’s magic armor and magic swords, by the way.
I really don’t want to go into his entire story because it took Sanderson five books to do it, but he is a pretty strong character. He has a very solid redemption arc and, because Wind And Truth, to use the vernacular, sucked, I will spoil the whole thing by saying Dalinar died at the end.
Kaladin Stormblessed
Kaladin began the story as a former soldier, put unjustly into slavery. He’s the type to bear a giant grudge on his shoulder. He tends to be grumpy. Somewhere in the first book, he acquires magic powers that essentially let him fly and stick to stuff, and also heal himself, which comes in really handy, of course. Along the way, he’s dealing with a huge amount of trauma. He tries to kill himself twice in the series, and it doesn’t work either time.
He ends up as a therapist, spouting cliches. Thanks Sanderson, for this epic cool character who is now lame. And then somehow became immortal. Which makes no sense. That was a spoiler, by the way.
Shallan Davar
Shallan starts off the series as a scholar-turned-thief who is trying to steal a device from the heretic woman of the year, Jasnah Kholin, who is Dalinar’s niece. Then she discovers her magical powers and also develops multiple-personality-disorder, or schizophrenia, is that what it’s called? and gets married somehow. She’s neither my favorite nor my least favorite character of the series.
Jasnah Kholin
I’m not sure why I’m including Jasnah. She died in book two, then came back in book three. She has an affair with this immortal, obnoxious guy that is apparently everywhere in Sanderson’s books and I really, really, really, really hate their relationship. It’s awful. Abysmal. Also it doesn’t work out. Shocker.
Navani Kholin
Navani’s arc actually ended up being one of my favorites. I wasn’t a huge fan at first, as she’s the queen-mother and she’s trying to seduce Dalinar. Or something. I’m not really sure. They were definitely both mutually attracted? Anyway, they ended up married. It’s one of the better relationships in the book. However, through the whole series, there’s a growing interest of hers in these devices called fabrials, and in book four she becomes a fullblown genius. Of course she ends up in a coma, and Dalinar’s dead in the end, so their relationship doesn’t end happily either. Figures.
Renarin Kholin
Renarin Kholin is, as I said in the caption, a skinny gay dude. The interspecial gay substory in Wind And Truth is one of the reasons why it was abysmal. I really don’t understand why he was necessary as a character. Also, did I mention that his relationship with Rlain is the only one that got a happy ending? Point made not with a nail but with a hammer, Brandon, but it’s a weak one.
Adolin Kholin
Adolin may just be my favorite character. He’s not really given much of a character arc, he’s one of the characters who’s just always there and doesn’t really need a character arc to be a lovable character. He’s the one who sticks up for his bullied brother (Renarin), the one who memorizes all the soldiers’ names, etc, etc. He was the only redeeming feature of Wind And Truth. He and Shallan don’t get a happy ending either, as they’re likely permanently separated in different realms.
Truth, Goodness, and Beauty
The ultimate measurement of whether something is worth your time. Does it tell the truth? Does it allow goodness to shine through it? Is it beautiful, does it promote beauty?
Truth
As someone else observed in their review of Wind And Truth, it’s a whole lot of wind and not a lot of truth.
Though fiction is technically not real, it can be, as with The Chronicles of Narnia and The Lord of the Rings, a window through which truth shines. In both of those series, we do not directly have God mentioned (although, as one learns from the Silmarillion, there is God at work) but there is a Christ-figure and the characters pursue Truth, providing shining examples of what we as Christians should be.
The Stormlight Archive increasingly promoted lies through the entire series. Though the most prominent are the homosexual and transgender promotions, there are others. For instance, there is a character promoting lies—not only in warfare, where I agree that they are justified, but in everyday life. In fact, the character’s entire existence is founded on, fed by falsehoods, and yet it is shown as good.
Goodness
Truth, beauty, and goodness are so intricately entwined that it is difficult to separate them. If something is truth, intrinsically true—not a fact, but a truth—it must so be good and beautiful. Similarly falsehoods are bad and ugly things. There is goodness in the Stormlight Archive—but it is buried deep, and the falsehoods crowd it out.
Beauty
Beauty! With truth and goodness so lacking, it is unsurprising that the Stormlight Archive is unbeautiful. If something is beautiful, truly beautiful, it must intrinsically be good and true. Some chords of the series (the friendships, the bravery) ring beautiful, true, but the false ones ring bitter against the true, and the melody is jangling and all the worse for the beauty mixed with the unfair.
At first sight, the books are aesthetically pleasing, grand, awe-inspiring. But read them—dive deeper, and they leave a sour taste upon the lips and eyes, a waste of time. Redemption? I fear there will be none for The Stormlight Archive.
Conclusion
Anyway, I would not begin reading The Stormlight Archive if you do not want to deal with an awful ending, because it sucks you in and then it makes you want to spit it out.
I wish Brandon Sanderson had not gone woke. So many authors have disappointed, why must he be among the number?
And that’s me being melodramatic! Enough!
Thank you for reading,
—Glori
Let’s just say that I would have given it less stars if that was possible.
When I started The Way of Kings a few years ago, I thought I was going to finally have a good fantasy series for the modern LOTR fanboy. The review you just wrote, almost word for word, resembles the review I posted on Goodreads. Wind and Truth destroyed what could have been an epic conclusion to the series. Kaladin was my favourite character and he suddenly turned to a therapist made no sense whatsoever. The book also had parts that were light with characters making light-hearted jokes which killed the intensity that there was a planet level cataclysm about to happen. The Woke relationships seemed random and added nothing to the storyline. Additionally, the talk about sex between Hoid and Jasnah was also out of place because it was too out there. As someone who appreciates Tolkien, I didn't understand why this had to be mentioned in the last book. The relationship between Dalinar and Adolin seemed dry to the point Dalinar forgot his son existed. This was a very different Dalinar from the one who nearly watched his son die before Kaladin jumped in. Anyways, brilliant review and I am glad someone else echoes my sentiment.
I haven’t finish this article yet because I have yet to read the last two books, but I loved your reviews for the first three!