That Storming Book

"It is not the destination that matters,
but how one arrives there" (787).
Brandon Sanderson's The Way of Kings (2010)

Points for Reflection

Brandon Sanderson's The Way of Kings (2010), Part Four (chps. 43-57, pp. 601-810)

1. when and why does Jasnah apologize to Shallan?
2. does Tien’s artistic eye mirror the aesthetic sensibility of Shallan?
3. is passivism a tenable response to a world filled with violent conflict?  What does Kaladin conclude? [Hannah H]
4. Teft considers all history suspect because written by women (609).  Does the novel as a whole share his doubt about female objectivity?
5. what does Shallan learn about the nature of history while studying under Jasnah?
6. why do the Vorin ardents avoid talking about Urithiru?
7. what gaping cracks does Kaladin find in the Alethi code of honor, particularly as practiced by highprince Sadeas’s soldiers?
8. does Sanderson attend much to characters’ looks?  Are his heroes particularly attractive?'
9. do Bridgemen Sigzil and Moash agree about the nature of political power? [Adam M]
10. does Alethi culture implicitly approve the profession of prostitution?
11. is race a factor in Alethi constructions of beauty?
12. do Kaladin’s mind and body operate independently of one another?
13. do Hoid’s observations about storytelling mirror Jasnah’s lessons about truth? [Ali G]
14. why might the present era be known as the “Era of Solitude”?
15. how did shardblades and armor change following the Day of Recreance?
16. does “the Thrill” shape Dalinar’s actions on the battlefield as much as it does other fighters’ behavior?
17. what does Sadeas think of Dalinar’s archaic code of honor?
18. what about the Assuredness Movement’s rhetorical approach to argument so unsettles Shallan (459), and does this movement appear compatible with Veristitalianism (630)?
19. do the last words of the dying, many of which appear as chapter epigraphs, appear utterly random?  Do they instead coalesce around any particular themes? [Abby D]
20. how did Kaladin respond to the unique opportunity afforded him a year earlier (673)?
21. do the deaths of bridge four members matter more to Kaladin once he becomes a leader, or less?
22. is Shen, the parshman bridgeman, actively opposed to fighting the parshendi?
23. what has Sigzil, an Azish bridgeman, been trained to become?
24. does Dalinar deserve his reputation for honesty? [Jillian D]
25. how does Dalinar feel when letting “the Blackthorn” within him loose on the battlefield?
26. how does Dalinar feel when letting “the Blackthorn” within him loose on the battlefield?
27. does Dalinar trust the visions he has? [Liam S]
28. why does Kaladin refuse to consider the possibility that Adolin is a virtuous man?
29. is Adolin eager to become highprince of House Kholin?
30. why does Elhokar wear his Shardplate when not in battle?
31. why had men begun to think King Gavilar weak in the days before Szeth assassinated him?
32. does Sadeas ultimately, publicly accuse Dalinar of trying to kill King Elhokar?
33. is Jasnah interested in disproving the Vorin religion?
34. how does Meridas Amaram defend those actions which so surprise Kaladin?
35. do Dalinar’s and Sadeas’s respective military forces complement each other well?
36. do Kaladin’s dream states provide useful information?
37. does Kaladin encourage the bridgeman to bury their feelings?
38. how do Rock, Teft, and the others respond to Kaladin’s suggestion that they care for others outside their own bridge squad?
39. does Kaladin seek out responsibility for others, or attempt to dodge it?
40. what cryptic words from which bridgemen help Kaladin combat his despair, and what do these catch phrases actually mean?
41. what seemingly consistent element of Kaladin’s life makes him wonder if the Almighty exists?
42. what extraordinary things about Kaladin finally begin to register with him as real and not imagined?
43. how does Kaladin’s connection to Syl change her?
44. which of Lirin’s attributes win him the appellation of “a true man of honor” from his son, Kaladin?
45. does Sadeas appear to be on Dalinar’s side?
46. what does Shallan consider “the fruit of her sin, the proceeds of her most horrific act” (643)
47. do the odd figures with immobile clothing and angular features seem as aware of Shalan as she is of them?
48. what is Kabsal’s endgame?
49. what does Szeth feel when killing?
50. how do the hospital patients respond when visited by King Taravangian?
51. what does Kaladin find so remarkable about his younger brother, Tien? [Johnny E]
52. does Wit/Hoid present himself differently, or consistently, to the various characters he meets?
53. do the ardents and their devotaries occupy a space apart from the messy, political world?
54. what key features of Alethi culture does Dalinar question?
55. what does Dalinar learn about gender roles among the Parshendi that so surprises him?
56. though the Parshman seem almost vegetable-like, they do express unequivocal concern for what?
57. what matters far more to the Unkalaki (Horneaters), of which is Rock, than fighting?
58. do most people of Roshar think the Voidbringers of legend are real?
59. why does Jasnah recommend the Devotary of Sincerity to Shallan?
60. what country does Dalinar wish to avoid war with at all costs?

The Way of Kings (2010)
Michael Whelan

Dr. Paul Marchbanks
pmarchba@calpoly.edu