It will be difficult to review this without spoilers, but I will do my best. See, Oathbringer is a tome that readers that have been waiting for since mid-2014, almost four years ago. The third novel in Brandon Sanderson’s juggernaut, his magnum opus The Stormlight Archive, Oathbringer picks up right after the devastating ending of Words of Radiance, and catapults readers into a world beginning to topple. Because now, there’s no hiding from the truth. The Everstorm circles around the planet, bringing with it the spren of crimson lightning, waking the docile parshmen. And as they waken, the Knights Radiant must once again speak the ancient oaths, and work to defend humanity from Odium.
Sanderson wastes no time in bringing readers back into his massive, complex world of Roshar, where superstorms sweep now from horizon to horizon. Kaladin, empowered from his oath at the end of Words of Radiance, races home to see his parents, and if possible, find the awakened Parshendi, and figure out what their plans are. Shallan, now able to admit her terrible truth to herself, struggles to keep a grip on reality, as her abilities as a Lightweaver begin to seduce her. And Dalinar Kholin—once warlord and soldier, now a leader struggling to live a peaceful way—is bonded to the shadow of a god, the Stormfather, and must unite a world that has only ever known him as a tyrant. And these are all merely the tipping point, as Sanderson quickly unravels the status quo for each character, forcing them into difficult, uncomfortable, and often dangerous situations. Kaladin’s journey throughout the novel is fascinating, as he struggles to find the next oath within a warzone. Likewise, Shallan’s arc is unexpected but totally in keeping not only with what we know of her, but also of who she wishes to be. But of the three of them, this is Dalinar’s book to shine.
Buy the Book
Oathbringer: Book Three of the Stormlight Archive
Each book’s backstory is dedicated to a particular character, and Oathbringer belongs to Dalinar—so named for the shardblade he won in his youth. A man whose past has often been shrouded in secrecy and shadows, both deliberate and magical, Sanderson finally begins to peel away the shell around Dalinar Kholin, and what we see is not exactly pretty. Much as Kaladin and Shallan were shaped by tragedy, so too was Dalinar. Sanderson works a very beautiful effect: readers come to learn about Dalinar’s past along with the character, as memories are returned to him unbidden from the ether. These memories stack layer by layer until they reach their natural conclusion: Dalinar must come face to face with the man he was, and decide what kind of man he wants to be. It is a gorgeous moment, and Sanderson knocks it out of the park.
And, of course, it would spoil to say much of what else occurs in the novel, but suffice to say, there are mysteries answered and even more questions raised. There are characters who return for their time in the spotlight, and others who come out of nowhere and demand the spotlight for themselves. There are bit players who now have complex, three dimensional narratives, and others who fade to the back, to make room for their compatriots. There are moments of victory where I whooped with joy, and there are moments of jarring terror, where everything seems as though it will crumble. There was one moment halfway through the book where I stopped everything, and my heart flew to my throat in disbelief at what Sanderson had just done. We spend time in new cities, and we meet new friends, new forms of life, and those who live by their own rules. And we see old villains in new lights, and wonder if we can ever really forgive them.
Sanderson also makes efforts to tackle important topics in these epic fantasy novels. As much as we want to know the oaths and learn more of Odium, I was incredibly happy and proud to see Sanderson taking on the larger, important questions: when an enslaved people are now free, how do you tell them to go back? How can you? Is there a path forward when the oppressed have been freed from their shackles? How do you resolve your guilt for participation in an oppressive system, and how do you work to help those beaten down by it? Not just that, but Sanderson also attempts to engage with and talk about sexuality, gender, and identity in this novel more than the others before. And while some of the above moments can come off a little awkwardly, or sometimes exist more to hang a lampshade on important questions, I’m very happy that Sanderson is trying to tackle these issues more than he has before, and very happy to see him exploring representation more in this series.
Oathbringer is everything you need out of a Stormlight Archive novel. It has magic in bounds, and mysteries by the minute. It has characters growing and changing and learning, and just as often, failing and screwing up or making the wrong choice. It has lore for days, and deep histories that only get more tangled the deeper you go. It has answers to your questions, and more often than not, more questions after that.
It is a triumph of a novel, and if you’ve enjoyed the first two, you’ll certainly enjoy Oathbringer. I never know where Sanderson is going to take us, in this world of storms and blades, but I am more than happy to continue along the journey with him.
After all, it’s journey before destination, is it not?
Oathbringer is available November 14th from Tor Books.
Read the entirety of Part 1 here on Tor.com.
Martin Cahill is a contributor to Tor.com, as well as Book Riot and Strange Horizons. He has fiction forthcoming at Beneath Ceaseless Skies and Fireside Fiction. You can follow his musings on Twitter @McflyCahill90.
Looking forward to it, although I’ll have to wait for all the holds at the library to drop off before I get a chance!
Fantastic Review. Thank You.
I’m throwing money at my phone, but I still can’t see the book.
Edit: wow I did not realize this comment had posted. I started it, realized it was rude and didn’t offer anything constructive and closed the browser. I must have clicked something poorly or done it on my phone weird.
My apologies to the author.
@@.-@ Possibly there are answers to questions we’ve been asking since WoK came out.
I know this is a non-spoiler review, but I’m curious about the representation you mentioned, and its awkwardness, lampshadedness, etc. Mostly because, fan though I remain, I’ve never been wholly satisfied with Sanderson’s deflections on the subject of queer characters–the whole “the story never called for it” thing is trite. (To be clear, I’m not talking about his blog posts or personal comments on the subject; I can respect that a man might not want to openly contradict his church, no matter how much I might disagree with their stances.) All that said: 1) Are there one or more explicitly queer characters? 2) Are they allowed relationships?
I understand if you’d rather not answer, but I’m very curious.
Alex, I wanted to respond to Sanderson’s non treatment of queer characters from the exmormon perspective. I would be very surprised is Sanderson wrote any non-hetero characters because the mormon upbringing doesn’t expose you to varying ideas about sexuality (in addition to demonizig homosexuaity). I am as liberal and pro-equal-rights as any exmormon and I would not feel comfortable writing about it because I feel like it’s so far out of my wheelhouse. From the exmormon view that I have, I think his (figurative and literal) empowerment of the female characters along with upsetting gender norms is pretty revolutionary for a Mormon writer. I look at the female characters in Orson Scott Card’s work, another mormon, and Sanderson is miles away more inclusive/modern/complicated for female and gender roles. I guess my point is Sanderson writes about what he wants to write about, and writing queer characters would be really hard for someone from a Mormon background who isn’t gay.
@7 He wrote a lesbian character in Mistborn Era 2 and there is a gay character in Stormlight.
@6 Edit: Check 10, below me. He has a better response, also he’s also a way better source than I am.
Alex@6, Brandon mentioned a few years ago that Drehy in Bridge Four is gay. He’s based on a college roommate (who was also a beta reader for this book). Drehy’s boyfriend shows up in the book and is based on Brandon’s roommate’s husband (he went to their wedding, by the way). Their relationship comes up a few times, but it’s not a major plot point or theme of the book. Neither character has a POV. That could happen with a queer character in the future, but Brandon doesn’t want to end up making a botched half-effort of it. Any portrayal of a character has to be true to how someone like that person would want to be represented, similar to how Jasnah’s atheism is written from her POV.
Thanks Peter, and everyone else who commented. I knew about Drehy, but felt it was a bit… hmm, Dumbledore? Ex post factor representation that isn’t so much in the text as dictated outside of it. But I’m glad that it’s really in this text. Anyway, I don’t really want to make this a whole “thing”, or suggest what Sanderson must do in his writing. I was just curious what the reviewer meant by representation, and what we might see in this book.
I am counting the days until I can download it from Audible! Thanks for such an amazing review!
@alex it’s much more overt in Mistborn era 2. I actually think Brandon does a commendable job writing characters out of his comfort zone. Jasnah is a good example
Well, Shallan is bisexual. I don’t know whether this would be considered “in-text” or “out-of-text”: I know about it from Brandon’s confirmation, but on the other hand he only confirmed it because someone had read her interactions with Jasnah, and thought it was clear that Shallan was attracted to her.
I am not sure to buy it in hardcover (I will buy it for my iPad), Amazon and BN indicate 1248 pages for that edition, tome one was 1008 and tome 2 1088 pages. Its weight will be 3.4 pounds again 2.8 for the precedents volumes.
Alright, let’s take bets on which of our beloved protagonists is getting the ax this time.
I say The Lopen.
No way is this the end of the Lopen…. The Lopen is necessary, just as Wayne was in the ” Alloy of Law”. I’m betting on one of Dalinar’s sons.
I should not read those reviews. They make me so anxious. I really want to love this book and I fear so bad I won’t. Each line element made me fear for plot twists I really do not want to see which is a grant extrapolation on my part and likely why it is not a good idea I read them.
@17: If Brandon kills off Adolin, my enjoyment of the series will never be the same. This is the kind of event which is likely to make me shelve the book, read the spoiler review for the ending and not further read due to too intense sadness/disappointment/general feelings. Like Joey in Friends who puts a book into the freezer because it was too hard to read.
If he kills off Renarin, I’ll be sad, but I’ll know this isn’t the end for him.
I can’t wait for the release date. These preview chapters have been awesome. It has been funny how things that are a natural transition to the next chapter when you have the complete book feel like a cliff hanger in this format. I have really enjoyed it.
I have the hard back on order but I will likely be reading on my kindle…I remember the case of Tennis elbow I got packing the WoK around train platforms in England when it first came out. It’s a small wonder I didn’t lose my luggage I was so engrossed!
It’s a good thing I don’t work Tuesdays. I plan to head to the nearest wifi network ASAP on the 14th and spend the rest of the day lost on Roshar. I am a very quick reader, which sometimes causes me to miss subtle details, but I cannot, cannot, cannot bear to try and read this book leisurely.
@18: In my opinion Adolin is the perfect character to be used to break status quo. He is 4th prominent in terms of word count(6%) and is neither a KR nor is important in political sense of greater rosharan scenario. He mostly plays supporting role for dalinar as his steady son ( which is dubious now after his actions against sadeas) and as a distraction for Shallan when she is involved in important events ( they have hardly known each other for 2 months. Shallan knew kabsal for longer time).
Hence any change in him which one can clearly anticipate from spoiler chapters will serve as important plot twist. I don’t mean only his murder of sadeas or him changing suddenly but rather subtle ones which stack up and come out. I also hate killing out characters or even them going darkside which are extreme outcomes but rather morally dubious ones like moash who clearly Didn’t go darkside but still we feel betrayal on his part. Something similar on these lines which involves break in his relationship from Shallan and dalinar will be good for him as a character and allow him to retain some semblance of importance in plot.
So anything short of killing him should make you happy cause then he will have his own importance rather than being muggle part of a clichéd relationship from Brandon’s standards ( lets accept he does that arranged marriage thing a lot in his books)
I’m so excited for this book!!!
Why does it matter if there is a gay character or not? Why is this even a prerequisite for reading the book or any book for that matter? Just enjoy his writing or go read something else…
@22: Well, people like to see themselves in their fiction. I’m a straight white female, so I’m not exactly underrepresented in modern fiction, but it’s exasperating enough to read through realms of books where the majority of women are, say, mothers or wanting to be mothers, or presented as wrong or misguided for not wanting children, or defined heavily in terms of romance. I can imagine that this vexation is increased for queer readers who not only have few heroes to identify with, but find even queer side characters vanishingly rare.
@18
I agree I couldn’t handle Adolin’s death. I have a very hard time deciding my favorite character in SA, but I think Adolin and Syl are on the top. Adolin is just so interesting and wonderful. I agrue with some of my friends about how Adolin is cooler than Kaladin. It’s not that I don’t like Kaladin, I do, expect when he was being a butt in WoR. If Sanderson wants to kill someone, that’s fine, it just better not be Adolin.
However, that being said, Sanderson could surprise me. With the people he killed at the end of Mistborn I should be forever angry at him, but I’m not since it was beautiful and too perfect.
@23 Imagine how albino people feel.
When it comes out the next week and so many can get their hands on it right away, I (as many others, I assume) must still wait until it travels across countries and an ocean. But it’s ok, it gives me time to finish my WoR reread (I started late, I know) and I have waited for this book so long I have every intention of taking it cool and savouring it. After all, it is journey before destination, and you can read it for the first time only once. The only thing I regret is not being able to participate in the avalanche of comments that will follow here on tor and not even being able to read them as with the preview chapters so as not to spoil anything for myself.
To think it is so close now … *shudders of joy*
PS. My favourite is and will remain Kaladin, but people, don’t terrify me. Now I won’t breath easy about Adolin until I’m through with the book, I don’t want to lose him!
@26 Celebrinnin
I would have the same problem if I was waiting on a hardcopy book, fortunately however im getting in an e-book format (sacrilege I know) so when I wake up on the 14th it will be waiting for me.
Sanderson always writes amazingly and I really cant wait to see how the multiple current crises play out
trimerion @27, I have actually thought of a possibility to get an e-book first to get it quicker, I know it would be such an easy solution to avoid waiting. But then I think of the feeling of actually holding it in my hands and smelling the fresh ink and then I prefer to wait.
But enjoy your copy! :)
Adolin might die by the hands of Dalinar.
What happens when Adolin is found out as Sadeas murderer? There might be a trial, but knowing Adolin he wants to fight a duel.
He assumes he will be fighting Amaram, but because of politics Daliniar might have to be the champion.
That would be a heartwrenching scene…
@28 celebrinnin
There is nothing wrong with double dipping if you can afford it, … I cant and e-books cant get lost or stolen, … thats why im reading in that format
@14 that’s interesting as I definitely did not pick up on that! Granted I kind of have a girl crush (not sexua/romanticl) on Jasnah so maybe I just took it for granted. But it seemed to me like a combination of awe/hero worship/I want to be her kind of thing. But I tend to read fairly fast so it’s also possible I missed whatever subtext was there (or filtered it through my own reaction).
@21: Anything is always preferable to death… I am one of those boring readers whom absolutely does not enjoy major character deaths, not unless it was heavily foreshadowed nor if it makes sense given the narrative, but killing characters just for the “shock moment” or just to “destabilize the readers” is definitely not something I personally enjoy. Especially not when the victim is my absolute favorite character within the series, but I wouldn’t enjoy it if it were other characters as well.
@22: This is a great post on why the need for better/more queer character representation. I would however point out SA is not likely to offer decent queer representation as its one member is a POV-less side character, but at least Brandon was mindful to include someone and to respect his personal limits. I wouldn’t want him to write something he is not comfortable with just because it is trendy.
@24: My advice to anyone is not to have Adolin as a favorite character unless you are willing to accept his role will be limited within the series and/or he is to remain a very side character. Sadly, it is too late for me, but having preferred Adolin over the other characters has caused me more pain than joy. If my interest within the series eventually dwindle it will be because I inadvertently ended up finding his character really really interesting. Not a good idea. Really not a good idea.
Is there a trial by combat system on Roshar? That would have some serious Zuko vibes if you’re right, 29. And not in a bad way.
@32 There’s nothing I hate more in fiction then for characters to be constantly put in dangerous, life-threatening circumstances and always come out alive. Oh, unimportant cannon fodder characters will die, but the main ones always come out mostly unscathed. If I know that all the important characters have absolutely no chance of dying, then what’s the stakes?
While I certainly don’t enjoy my favourite characters dying, I do think that is imperative that a series as big in scope as the Stormlight Archive kill off an important character or two along the way. Of course, I also agree with you that the death has to fit the narrative. A death just for the sake of a death is useless.
@32 – funny, as a rule, I find villainous turns way more upsetting than simply death (especially in a character I am particularly invested in). Although the manner of death can also impact how I fee about that. But I would rather see a character die a hero than live to be a villain, or however the quote goes. (which is not to say that I find life disposable, etc.)
I’ve booked the day off so I can start reading the kindle version at midnight.
I’ve never understood this. I read a mystery. I know they’ll catch the killer in the end. I read a thriller. I know the hero will save the queen/stop the bomb/remove the girl from the train tracks. I watch a superhero movie, and I know that, yes, Spiderman will find a way to both save the girl AND defeat the bad guy.
You know the one time that last bit DIDN’T happen? Yeah, everyone HATED that movie, and they had to reboot the franchise.
There are way worse things than dying, too, if its only about the stakes.
How many times does a fate worse than death actually happen to a protagonist?
And I’m not talking about having the absolute main character of a book/movie die. I’m content with the protagonist living, it’s expected. I just want there to actually be some death. ESPECIALLY in something like the Stormlight Archive, where the fate of the world itself is in balance.
People die all the the time in real life, even important ones, but in fiction you often know who will survive based on how “important” they are. If everyone survives and the world is saved, then everything wraps up far too nicely. It’s unrealistic and pulls me out of the immersion.
Long story short, If the world is at stake and the heroes are fighting to save it, then I expect some people to die along the way.
@34: While what you say is true, if all the major character die because it feels more realistic, then you have no one left to tell your story. Also, when it comes to story telling, the readers will develop an emotional link with the characters: you can’t kill them all and expect not to alienate them. Or at least, some of them. As such characters death have to be treated very carefully: kill the wrong character and you will lose readers. Kill the right character, the right way and you will enhance your story. So which character is it right to kill in SA? Only time will answer this question.
@35: I actually agree with you here. Ruining a character by making him/her go “evil without redemption” is far worst turn than death. For instance, I’d rather Adolin died now than him becoming Odiums champion ultimately killed after leaving a trail of blood behind him.
@37: Yes, this. I agree. I do expect the heroes to win. I do expect the bad guys to lose. Where I do not know what to expect is in how it will happened. The path, the journey is what is in it for me, death is not a requirement.
@38: People die, yes this is true, but as I said, kill the wrong character and some readers will disengage themselves. For my part, I know which characters I wouldn’t care to see dying (well not too much) and which ones are an absolute deal breaker.
@21 – Nikhil, I have to disagree that Adolin “isn’t important” in the greater political situation in Roshar. Alethkar is implied to be the most powerful kingdom in Roshar, and Dalinar is currently the heir to the throne, which makes Adolin second. That makes him extremely important, even ignoring the fact that he’s a full Shardbearer, so one of the few hundred most powerful men or women in the world, and more than that, that he’s strongly implied to be among the best of the martial classes in the whole world, certainly among the non-KR class (so, most people). Furthermore, it ignores his reputation among the Alethi, and moreover, what that reputation means to Dalinar, both personally and politically. Obviously Dalinar would be devastated at Adolin’s death, but maybe as importantly, Adolin is an heir who is also a warrior without peer, the cement for Dalinar’s legacy (pre-Desolation legacy, at least) that Renarin, with his “disabilities”, cannot possibly be. That kind of continuity of the line is important optically. I’d argue Adolin is among the very tiniest percentage of important people. You can probably count on fingers and toes, if not just fingers, the number of named characters we’ve met who have more political significance than Adolin.
I kind of feel like Kaladin may be one to die. He’s always doing something dangerous, and “how could you Brandon” seems like that kinda thing. Possibly next time he fights Szeth/Nightblood.
In other unrelated news, I really want to see Zahel vs Adolin. Also curious, is a chasmfiend a thunderclast? Kinda random thoughts that occurred to me.
edit now that I’ve read other posts:
@40 very well articulated. Thumbs up from me.
Edit 2
Also, I hadn’t really thought of Adolin as a character that would be killed off, but I realize now it’s very possible, esp. due to a conversation in the OB pre-release chapters [spoiler in white] between Dalinar and Tarava… whatever his name is. While Kaladin is my favorite of the soldier guys (Zahel not included), I would I think rather see him die than Adolin b/c of character growth and other characters / relationships within the book (Adolins family, especially Renarin).
I adored the first two books but (spoiler for a four year old book here)…..I *really* hate it when author’s bring back a character from the dead and that made me want to give up on this series at the end of book 2. Basically if dead isn’t really dead then there is no real danger to the characters. Is anyone able to comment on whether there has been a mechanic added to the series for “perma-death” so that I can keep reading?
@42 hugo
True KR are VERY hard to kill (as evidenced by Jasnah) we dont yet know the mechanics of how she escaped tho
As for anyone else, unless revived moments after death, they can be considered truly dead
@42 @43
I believe Jasnah faked her death by escaping into shadesmar, leaving some sort of soul cast clone of herself to ‘die’. If what we saw happen to her actually did happen to her, and she didn’t breathe in storm light to heal from it, she would have actually died.
Death is still a threat to the characters, it’s just that Surgebinders are able to heal from most forms of damage with storm light so we probably won’t see many of them fall [spoiler in white] (except for those killed by shardblade to chest, or Fused (? Listener version of Surgebinders), etc.). So we won’t be seeing them die to ordinary people, in general.
If it’s any comfort, Brandon wasn’t sure about that fake-death by Jasnah either IIRC, and added it because she caused some trouble with the storyline. But he also said that he’s overdone revivals and will hold off for a bit, or something along those lines [citation needed].
@43 @44 We do know, actually. There’s a deleted scene that covers Jasnah’s “death” and immediate aftermath. It isn’t exactly canon, but it’s close enough. It’s available on Brandon’s website.
@41 No, chasmfiends are not thunderclasts. Thunderclasts are made of rock.
@44 Shallan needed to have her arc away from Jasnah, so she could develop as a character and as a person. Jasnah’s survival was also supposed to be fairly obvious, but it didn’t end up quite as obvious as Brandon intended. Remember, if you don’t see a body, they’re probably not dead!
@39 I never said to kill ALL the main characters. That is foolish. Also, the problem with “killing off the right character or people will disengage themselves” is the following: who is the right character?
Answer: There isn’t one. As long as the character in question is important, then there will ALWAYS be a reader who disengages themselves at their death. An author will either have to life with that, or simply not kill anyone at all.
I simply don’t think we’ll see eye-to-eye on this subject.
Can I just say, Sanderson is an absolute machine, how many full novels over the past few years? And that’s barring all his short stories and novellas. Guy must never sleep.
And then you have Ol’ Georgey Martin…
Just got to hope he can keep each story line interesting with so many perspectives happening. I could see him falling into a Wheel of Time syndrome with all his seemingly plot driving characters.
Thanks for the info folks
Drew @22, “I’m so excited for this book!!!
Why does it matter if there is a gay character or not? Why is this even a prerequisite for reading the book or any book for that matter? Just enjoy his writing or go read something else…”
It matters. Full Stop.
Not everyone reading (and very much enjoying) these books are heterosexual. Not everyone is cisgendered. Not everyone wants to continually read amazing stories in far off lands where its completely ridiculous to fathom EVERY person EVER born is heterosexual AND desirous of having children. If they were, the in story ecosystem wouldn’t be sustainable (regardless of how much magic, technology, etc. is available to alleviate certain situations).
So yes, it matters. It matters that they be written well. It matters that they not be used as the stereotypical funny sidekick or the villain or the tragically lost too soon blah-blah-blah.
It matters.
PS is it Tuesday yet?!
I should have just not read this or the comments, LOL. Now I have all these stupid little thoughts running around in the back of my head. I pre-ordered it on Audible months ago so I’m ready to download and listen first thing on Tuesday.
I’m going to go ahead and make my own comment on this notion of ‘representation’ in the books. I think Sanderson has actually done an excellent job in making sure that diversity is out there, whether it’s race, sexuality or gender….if a character is there in the story and they have certain demographics, characteristics, backstory – it’s because they are part of advancing the story he is trying to tell. It’s always going to be contextual. I don’t see him doing some kind of fan service or bending to critics to write a certain type of character or characters just because people cry about the lack of someone like them in the book. At the same time, I don’t see him ignoring the fact that in his Cosmere – not every person is a white, 100% dark haired Alethi who ascribes to the most fundamental tacets of Vorinism.
I feel like my thought is not getting out the way I want it to, but I’m at work and I can’t stop completely to focus on writing this out.
I normally read Science Fiction rather than Fantasy, but a few years back I picked up The Way of Kings in paperback and enjoyed it greatly. Shortly thereafter, Words of Radiance came out, and I bought it in hardcover so I wouldn’t have to wait.
It was a slight disappointment. I enjoyed it, but nothing was getting resolved.
Then I dicovered that there are ten volumes anticipated. Maybe I would have known that if I had been paying closer attention.
And it took four years to publish Oathbringer.
So I’ll wait. I’d have to re-read the first two to start on the new one, and at the current rate of production, I’ll be dead before the series is complete. And it’s not like I’m lacking good books to read.
Maybe once the entire series is complete, I’ll pick it up again.
I’m with the please don’t kill Adolin crowd. It will break my heart like Ned in GOT. I won’t stop reading though, I have the rest of the characters to pull me through.
That comment in the review about the “surprise” has just filled me with dread. Is it sad that I’m so worked up over a book?
@45
I skimmed the deleted scenes for Way of Kings and didn’t see anything that looked like Jasnah. Am I missing something?
@50
I agree with the fact that it matters that fantasy has representatives of all walks of life. However, I think it’s more tasteless to put, just as an example, a gay man on a pedestal and dedicate his entire character to his choice of romantic partner. My personality isn’t just my choice in partner. Neither is yours. I loved how characters were “outed” in Mistborn era 2. “Ranette has a girlfriend. Would you PLEASE think with your brain and not the other thing, Wayne?”
Ranette’s girlfriend is mentioned, and her sexuality is given a reference, but it’s only as relevant as it needs to be for the story (and Wayne) to move on.
I think it’s irritating IRL, those “Have I Mentioned I’m _____sexual/Sexually Active Today”-types. It’s just as annoying, if not more so, in a movie/book since a writer, editor, beta readers, etc all decided that it wasn’t repellant.
@51 As I understand it, it’s not one ten-book series; it’s two five book series with independent arcs. We’re three-fifths through the first series with Oathbringer.
Welp, now that the book is out…
No, Drehy is in no way a good example of inclusion and representation.
He’s outed (and I use that term very intentionally) by a third party while he’s OFF SCREEN, and that third party also mentions he should be “socially reassigned”. Sorry, nope, even obliquely referencing ghettos or reversion therapy are full stop bad plan IF your goal is representation/inclusion.
It’s brought up exactly one time while Drehy is on screen, and AGAIN, it’s by a third party – he doesn’t get to identify himself, someone else insists that he should behave a certain way because he’s gay. Yeah, that person immediately gets told they’re being stupid, but still. You’re not representing here, Brandon. You’re not including.
(Oh, and the part where we get to hear his inner monologue for half a second and he’s thinking about having style? During a pretty intense crisis? That gave me a pretty serious eye roll.)
Finally, we don’t even get to see the love interest ON screen at the same time as Drehy, unless you buy a blink-and-you’ll-miss it reference at the extreme end of the book is to his BF, and even then, it’s not explicit, you have to assume.
I’m fine with Kaladin and Adolin not immediately making out. I don’t want anything shoehorned in. Honestly, I would rather have no gay characters than this mess.
@57
Whoa! What on Earth gave you the idea that was what was being talked about!?
The specific line is that he should apply for social reassignment, which, coming from an Azish guy, is an indicator that their bureaucracy has a specific set of forms you have to fill out if you’re gay (just like they have a specific set of forms for literally everything else) and which reads to me more like saying “Oh yeah, that’s something that’s officially recognised and accepted by the government in Azir, just make sure you file the proper paperwork”
@57: Was Drehy representation? Yes. Was it significant satisfying representation for those hoping to read more of it within future books? Probably not.
Drehy being gay was introduced as an afterthought. We could argue as to whether or not it should have been included, but then again, we aren’t arguing on the relevance of Peth and his fiancee, nor the relevance of Sigzil mentioning many of the guys having formed new relationships. In the scope of each and every one of those relationships are relatively insignificant to the overall story arc, then why pick on Drehy for being equally insignificant?
I am one of those who was annoyed by it as it felt like representation made for the sake of representation, but then, I kind of changed my mind. Why am I expecting, because a character is gay, he ought to be given a bigger arc then initially intended? None of the bridgemen personal relationships currently matter much besides the obvious fleshing out of characters, in this optic, how does Drehy being gay ends up being targeted?
The topic of relationship for several of the guys ends up being broached, among those relationships, one happens to be homosexual just as it happens in real life. Some people are gay. Period. Sigzil has some problems with it and speaks of how Azis would deal with it, Kaladin doesn’t and, in the end, they all agree Drehy ought to be with whomever he wants to be, end of the story.
So while it wasn’t a complete essay on homosexuality into Roshar nor did it offer a protagonist having sexuality related issues, it does mentioned, in a very casual way, that yeah, some people are gay and that’s about the end of it.
I have to admit that this review gave me worries before I actually read the book. It sounded as though Brandon Sanderson had made clumsy references to an important subject so as to appeal to a certain type of vociferous person. And before people make stupid assumptions about me and my sexual orientation, I happen to have personal inherent characteristics that have virtually no representation in media in comparison to homo-/bisexuality despite being not all that much less unusual. (And no, I’m not going to say what they are – I’m only out to approximately one person in real life – I just know that there is a certain type of person that that matters to, even though there is no rational reason why it should. And no, it’s not illegal nor immoral.)
The thing I would dread more than anything when it comes to representing me in that respect is for someone to write about something for no reason other than pressure to do so. When you make a statement in that way on behalf of another group of people it almost always ends badly and even more assuredly it comes across as clumsy. It’s really hard to imagine other people’s lived experiences. You have to let authors tell their own stories, not yours. Your priorities might lead you to place greater emphasis on some things than other people do, but you don’t have the right to dictate to someone else what their priorities should be.
If, like me, this sentence of the review made you worry:
Then don’t. There is no sign that any issue is raised other than for the reason that these are people inhabiting the world of Roshar, and these are some of the things that make them what they are. It’s not forced, it’s not cack-handed, it’s just (in my opinion) a storyteller excelling.
Frankly, if there was one thing that would make me more likely to come out, it would be if my particular closeted thing was treated in this manner. And that’s coming from someone who has written and rewritten this post for fear of someone, somehow, working out just what I am closeted about. I still am not sure if I’ll press the ‘post comment’ button.