There are five more books to go inThe Stormlight Archive, and my excitement for them varies based on the announced POV flashback character. Since Brandon Sanderson’s fantasy epic series began in 2010, the flashback character, centered around one of theOrders of the Knights Radiant, has been a critical component of each volume. ThoughWords of Radianceis still widely considered Sanderson’s opus, I considerThe Way of Kingsto be my favorite in the series, primarily due to the focus on Kaladin and his origins.
We know very little about the next five volumes ofThe Stormlight Archiveaside from what we can predict afterWind and Truth’sending. However,the author has revealed who the five flashback characters will be, offering some insight into the expected books. Sanderson has planned for a ten-year time gap between books 5 and 6, so some of the following flashback POV characters will be at drastically different life stages from where we previously saw them.
1.The Way of Kings
2.Words of Radiance
4.Rhythm of War
5.Wind and Truth
5Shalash
Book 8
Shalash is one of theHeralds of the Almighty, and we’ve seen her a decent amount throughThe Stormlight Archive’sfirst five volumes. That said, as a POV flashback character,she’s easily the one we know the least about. Her behavior throughout the five books has signified that she’ll be a compelling character to follow, with her self-loathing qualities creating a fascinating contradiction to her practically being a deity. Seeing more of the Heralds in flashbacks is exciting, but I’m not as thrilled about Shalash as anyone else just yet; maybe I just need to read more of her!
It Will Be Another 20 Years Before The Stormlight Archive Is Finished & That’s More Than Enough Time To Get 1 Thing Right
The Stormlight Archive book series won’t be done for at least twenty more years, but that leaves time for one major thing to be improved.
4Renarin
Book 7
Renarin Kholin has been around sinceThe Way of Kingsand has never been the character I’ve personally related to much. That said, I really enjoyed his arc inWind and Truthwith Rlain and will be thrilled to see how that plays out. Especially with Ba-Ado-Mishram on the loose again,I’m anticipating those three characters to play a significant role in some sort of Rosharan power struggle in Arc 2, examining how the humans and Singers can co-exist moving forward. Renarin’s Truthwatcher powers will also grow more interesting as he comes into his own as an adult.
According to Brandon Sanderson’s annual blog post,Stormlight 6likely won’t hit shelves until late 2031.
3Lift
Book 6
Lift is the character who’s going to be most drastically affected by the time jump, as the next time we see her, she’s going to be a young woman in her early 20s. Not to mention, she’s being trained by Zahel to become a warrior, and I’ve predicted thatshe’ll fulfill a similar role inStormlight6 as Kaladin did inThe Way of Kings, as a young leader and soldier taking matters into her own hands. My feelings on Lift as a character ranged throughout Arc 1, but I believe I’ll find her more consistently enjoyable as an adult.
2Talenel
Book 9
Talenel stole the show inWind and Truthwith his brief appearance, but he’s consistently been a fan favorite for years. His moment inOathbringer, where he gains consciousness for a short scene and realizes the opportunity his sacrifice allowed for Roshar, is one of the most poignant pieces of writing Brandon Sanderson has written. Ican’t wait to find out more about his origins with the Heralds, why he apparently tried to kill Cultivation, and who he’ll be as a reformed Herald and hero of Roshar.
1Jasnah
Book 10
Jasnah is one of my absolute favorite characters inThe Stormlight Archive, so I absolutely have some bias in wanting to see her as the series' final POV flashback character. I found Jasnah to be one of the most compelling personalities in the series dating back toThe Way of Kings,and I was disappointed that she had a reduced role in practically every other novel. Hopefully, Sanderson will rectify this with book 10.
These 2 Pages Of Wind And Truth Already Told Us Who The Stormlight Archive’s Best New Hero Will Be
Two of my favorite pages from Wind and Truth foreshadowed who the most exciting protagonist will be throughout the rest of The Stormlight Archive.
Jasnah suffered a major defeat against Odium inWind and Truth, and this will be weighing on her mind for a long time. She’s not a character who handles being outmatched well, especially not in a conflict of intelligent debate.I’ll be eager to see how she develops in response to the character attack she endured in book 5and to see how she reflects and improves. If Jasnah is the final POV character, then she’ll beThe Stormlight Archive’sfinal hero, and that means there’s something special in the works for her.
