Wind and Truth (The Stormlight Archive #5) by Brandon Sanderson

In Wind and Truth, the big boys have shown up on the playground, and the arena must be cleared out ahead of major confrontations.

At this point, The Stormlight Archive seems to be on the verge of rivalling even The Malazan Book of The Fallen for cataclysmic events. Every deed and every word spoken has effects that reverberate through the fabric of time and reality.

The time for playing with Shardblades is over. In Wind and Truth, the big boys have shown up on the playground, and the arena must be cleared out ahead of major confrontations.

Synopsis

With only ten days left before the clash of champions, the Bondsmiths open a perpendicularity into the Spiritual Realm in a quest to find the shard of Honor, in the hope that its power will give Dalinar an edge against Odium and his new host, Taravangian.

Under interesting circumstances, little Gav, Renarin, Rlain, and Shallan find themselves in the Spiritual Realm, with their quest involving beating the Ghostbloods to finding the prison of the Unmade Ba-Ado-Mishram.

Kaladin Stormblessed, on the other hand, is sent on a mission along with Szeth to Shinovar, where he’s supposed to help the Truthless in a quest involving the Herald Ishar. However, Odium has no intention of leaving the inhabitants of Roshar at peace for ten days. The others- Jasnah, Adolin and Sigzil- strategise, taking forces to hold territory in Thaylen City, Azir and the Shattered Plains, respectively.

The profound revelations and experiences of the wanderers in the Spiritual Realm and the pair questing in Shinovar will shape events in this story, with effects felt across all planes.

Thoughts

Wind and Truth took me the very longest to read. Indeed, I spent roughly three months reading this book. Like Oathbringer and Rhythm of War, Wind and Truth seemed slow-paced at times. But, unlike the previous two books in the series, we’re treated to several big reveals that stretch the fabric of this chronicle to even more gargantuan proportions- just when we thought it surely couldn’t get any bigger.

I’m not very familiar with Cosmere lore, and while hardcore Brandon Sanderson fans would likely have been making permutations and postulations as far back as The Way of Kings, Wind and Truth is where it became clearest to me the origins of the conflict on Roshar, from the splintering of the shards of Adolnasium to the founding of the Oathpact, the Recreance and other significant historical events involving the gods, spren, and other beings of Roshar.

This deep into the series, it’s really hard to write any sort of review without giving away spoilers, as so much has happened. But, if there’s any way I could describe Wind and Truth, I’d simply say spectacular.

Verdict

Wind and Truth is a brilliant conclusion to the first arc of The Stormlight Archive, drawing all the right oohs and ahs and reminding audiences of BS’ unrivalled worldbuilding.

None of Brandon Sanderson’s contemporaries come close where this aspect of fantasy literature is concerned. Not even fractionally.