The fifth and last book in the Stormlight Archive’s first half was a mixed bag for a lot of people. The author even said in the front matter that this book could make or break his career. For some, the book was a disappointment. Readers having very high expectations for sure didn’t help with the book’s enjoyability, but that doesn’t mean the author isn’t innocent of the choices he made. Those who thought “Wind and Truth” disappointing at its best and slow to read at its worst aren’t exaggerating, but it’s interesting how it happened more than why.

Thriller Pacing, Yet A Slow Wind and Truth

I read maybe the first ten chapters after getting the hardcover for Christmas. What I found most peculiar was the shortness of the chapters. They generally never went over five pages per chapter, three page turns at the most. Yet despite the length of the chapters being short for a fantasy book, getting through a chapter was as taxing on me as if it were ten pages per chapter. Most people think short chapters means the pacing will be fast as it is in most thrillers. Here Sanderson performed a miracle, but not in a good way.

The ten day preparation for the contest of champions, despite being the main plot and having the most scenes dedicated to it, are the more lackluster ones when compared to Kaladin and Szeth’s journey. Their journey is forgettable at best, confusing at worst. These elicited emotions last all the way through the end when I went back and forth on whether [spoiler]Kaladin died[/spoiler] or something cosmic happened. It’s both, I think. A quick google search shows I’m not the only one confused by his destination. Forums related to the cosmere are modestly filled with questions and theories on what happened to Kaladin in “Wind and Truth”? The one redeeming quality Kaladin and Szeth’s journey has are the discussions of mental health representation. Something I’ve always like about the Stormlight Archive, even if people complain about how Kaladin is depressed all of the time.

Memorable, Engaging and Wasted Character Arcs

Out of the main POV characters which started in “The Way of Kings,” Shallan gets the short end of the stick in this book. While I wasn’t a fan of her condition (if you know, you know) at first, the concept grew on me during books three and four of Stormlight Archive as we learned more about why Shallan is the way she is. In terms of how memorable each character and their corresponding sections in the book, Kaladin barely beats Dalinar. Both their character arcs in a similar way, but I found Kaladin’s journey with Szeth more engaging than Dalinar’s trek into the spiritual.

Adolin’s adventure to help a small kingdom fight off the enemy had a few moments near the end which gave “Avengers: Endgame” vibes, but failed to capitalize on it at the right moments in my opinion. The most interesting character is Renarin because he reminds me of myself. Obviously there’s a bit of bias, but characters seem to either be someone readers can aspire to, or someone readers see themselves as, even if they don’t want to admit it in the case of villains.

Autism and Autistic-coded characters

Sanderson has confirmed Renarin Kholin is on the autism spectrum. Even without that knowledge, his character and the way he sees himself and the world is textual evidence of his diagnosis. The brother of Adolin and son of Dalinar is almost too aware of his autistic traits. While the word autism or autistic isn’t in the book once, it’s clear Sanderson did his research to do an accurate a take as possible. Renarin’s point of view (POV) scenes were where I identified with a character the most.

Kaladin, being a POV character with more time on the page in terms to the series, goes through a similar mental health journey with Szeth. But what takes Kadalin books to figure out, Renarin figures out quickly. So if you’re a journey person or one focused more on destination, your preferred method of experiencing a story is represented.

Wind and Truth: The Wait Begins

Unbeknownst to me when I started this journey, this ten book series is split into five books each. Books six through 10 are a long way off at the time I publish this review. I’ve heard anywhere from five to 10 years from various sources. Ending the first half of the series the way Sanderson does is more than a tease its insulting to readers. A good portion of Wind and Truth’s” last chapters are basically withholding information from the reader in the same way Kelsier from “Mistborn: The Final Empire” did before his actual plan was revealed. It’s that but taken to an absurd level where it feels like Sanderson is stroking his ego more than giving any sort of closure. He does this more than a handful of times in an attempt to hype the person up. However its far too many to have an impact as the sheer number of times the character of Wit/Hoid has a revelation and then doesn’t tell the audience is far too many. The last five books will need to really hit home if any of the blatant and borderline cheating the reader or listener is to be justified.

Rating: High Internally Consistent (7.5+/10 Stars or 3.9/5 Stars)