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| Categories | Action & Adventure |
| Author | Brandon Sanderson |
| Publisher | Gollancz (December 6, 2024) |
| Language | English |
| Paperback | 1330 pages |
| Item Weight | 1.1 pounds |
| Dimensions |
5.98 x 2.36 x 9.13 inches |
I. Book introduction
Wind and Truth is an epic fantasy novel written by American author Brandon Sanderson and the fifth book in The Stormlight Archive series. It was published on December 6, 2024, and is the ending to the first half of the series. Sanderson has said that the latter half of the series will be written after he finishes writing the upcoming Era Three Mistborn trilogy and the two Elantris sequels and projects a completion date near the end of 2031.
As with Kaladin in The Way of Kings, Shallan in Words of Radiance, Dalinar in Oathbringer and the characters Eshonai and Venli in Rhythm of War, Wind and Truth contains a sequence of flashback chapters, this time from the perspective of Szeth, the Assassin in White.
The unabridged audiobook is read by narration team Michael Kramer and Kate Reading.
The long-awaited explosive climax to the first arc of the #1 New York Times bestselling Stormlight Archive―the iconic epic fantasy masterpiece that has sold more than 10 million copies, from acclaimed bestselling author Brandon Sanderson.
Dalinar Kholin challenged the evil god Odium to a contest of champions with the future of Roshar on the line. The Knights Radiant have only ten days to prepare―and the sudden ascension of the crafty and ruthless Taravangian to take Odium’s place has thrown everything into disarray.
Desperate fighting continues simultaneously worldwide―Adolin in Azimir, Sigzil and Venli at the Shattered Plains, and Jasnah at Thaylen City. The former assassin, Szeth, must cleanse his homeland of Shinovar from the dark influence of the Unmade. He is accompanied by Kaladin, who faces a new battle helping Szeth fight his own demons . . . and who must do the same for the insane Herald of the Almighty, Ishar.
At the same time, Shallan, Renarin, and Rlain work to unravel the mystery behind the Unmade Ba-Ado-Mishram and her involvement in the enslavement of the singer race and in the ancient Knights Radiants killing their spren. And Dalinar and Navani seek an edge against Odium’s champion that can be found only in the Spiritual Realm, where memory and possibility combine in chaos. The fate of the entire Cosmere hangs in the balance.
About the Author (Brandon Sanderson)
Brandon Sanderson (Brandon Winn Sanderson, born December 19, 1975) is an American author of high fantasy, science fiction, and young adult books. He is best known for the Cosmere fictional universe, in which most of his fantasy novels, most notably the Mistborn series and The Stormlight Archive, are set. Outside of the Cosmere, he has written several young adult and juvenile series including The Reckoners, the Skyward series, and the Alcatraz series. He is also known for finishing Robert Jordan’s high fantasy series The Wheel of Time. Sanderson has created two graphic novels, including White Sand and Dark One.
A New York Times best-selling author, Sanderson created Sanderson’s Laws of Magic and popularized the idea of “hard magic” and “soft magic” systems. In 2008, Sanderson started a podcast with author Dan Wells and cartoonist Howard Tayler called Writing Excuses, involving topics about creating genre writing and webcomics. In 2016, the American media company DMG Entertainment licensed the movie rights to Sanderson’s entire Cosmere universe, but the rights have since reverted back to Sanderson. Sanderson’s March 2022 Kickstarter campaign became the most successful in history, finishing with 185,341 backers pledging $41,754,153.
II. Reviewer: Wind and Truth by Brandon Sanderson
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1. SMITTY1423 reviews Wind and Truth
First off waiting a decade for the next installment is criminal but Wind and Truth being my most anticipated read of the year in the ending of the first era of one of the greatest fantasy series of all time…it delivered.
It delivers so well. All the main books from Stormlight intertwined and came to a head in Wind and Truth. I won’t go too far into spoilers just know I’m excited for Mistborn era 3 in the meantime.
So much sleep lost. No regrets at all.
Until next time Stormlight
Journey before destination.
5/5
2. MADDIE FISHER reviews Wind and Truth
RATING BREAKDOWN
- Characters: 4⭐️
- Setting: 5⭐️
- Plot: 4⭐️
- Themes: 5⭐️
- Emotional Impact: 5⭐️
- Personal Enjoyment: 5⭐️
- Total Rounded Average: 4.75⭐️
This long-awaited finale to the first arc of the Stormlight Archive stuck the landing. When I consider his story elements—characters, setting, plot—it’s tough to criticize much. When we get into the writing style and structure, I think there were some pacing issues due to repetition. Overall, the thematic beats are so strong and the emotional impact is high. It’s everything I’ve come to want from Sanderson, and I’m so satisfied with this installment.
Specifically, no one does world-building like Sanderson. The scope is impressive. Roshar and the wider Cosmere are rich in believable detail. Particularly, Sanderson does the biome and cultures so well. I love that Roshar has its own weather, climates, vegetation, landscape, and wildlife and that each country has its own political system, fashion, food, religion, language, etc. This level of detail gives the characters more layers, allowing us to place them within the world and understand their nature/nurture makeup that much better. It’s helpful because the other aspects of the character work aren’t Sanderson’s most sophisticated skill. He writes characters I am deeply invested in, because of what they’ve experienced on page. However, their inner thought lives are described in an obvious way sometimes, which feels unrealistically simple. Kalidan feeling hopeless, Shallan feeling guilty, or Navani feeling not good enough, are helpful descriptions, but ultimately I wish we saw more nuance and complication in their emotional lives. I tend to fill it in from my own empathy as I read through their experiences. The mental health focus in the series is done in a very obvious way as well, and while I deeply appreciate the representation, I don’t always love how it’s done.
The plot arc of this series has been so unpredictable and Wind and Truth is no different. I couldn’t tell where it was going, and I was so invested and stressed while reading. The stakes are so high. My love for the characters is so great. I desperately needed each character to have a satisfying conclusion. Sanderson never misses on plot payoff for me. Thematically, he delivers on character change and development, and he offers philosophical insight at the same time. This book focuses on truth, and the manipulation, corruption, and limitations of beliefs. It explores the fallibility of humans, and the dangers of truth without context, facts without experience, power without wisdom. There’s so much baked in. I find myself weeping as I consider the real-world implications.
Overall, this is a nearly perfect book. There is some filler, it is longer than necessary, and characters do repeat themselves on occasion. There are some emotional moments that lost some impact because the delivery felt forced which landed cheesy for me personally. BUT what Sanderson does well he does SO WELL that the imperfections seem insignificant by comparison.
For those who read this far into the Stormlight Archive, you will not be disappointed.
3. EL IN OZ reviews Wind and Truth
4/5
Well!!! This book just cements Kaladin as the true main character of the series and I’m ecstatic for his role in the second arc. This book gave me major The Empire Strikes Back vibes. I didn’t love every character in here, it seemed like some were broken just for the sake of them being set up to be main characters in arc 2, such as Jasnah, but I overall enjoyed the direction this story took. That all being said, nothing really shocked me besides Kaladin becoming a Herald. That had my jaw dropped and I *loved* that turn.
I’m so devestated Dalinar is dead but I did really expect that. I also must say I adore wit, as always. Unfortunately I didn’t adore adolin in this one, his POV had too many battles for my liking because it was very much a lot of the same as to what we’ve seen him do in previous books other than Rhythm of War.
One thing I will say that did annoy me about this book and it’s ending is just the fact that us as readers are the only ones who have the full picture. We’re the only people other than wit who know what Dalinar did for Roshar, we’re the only ones who know taln did not break other than a few people, only ones who know the truth about Kaladin, etc. Although it’s not realistic for anyone to truly know everything in a story of this scale, it does get annoying when so many key things have to be discovered over and over again.
I do think some of the greater Cosmere things went over my head, but that’s fine!
But all I can say is Kaladin’s return to Roshar is going to be EPIC and I’m waiting with anticipation for the sixth book in this series.
4. HARRIS reviews Wind and Truth
Spectacularly ties most loose ends
I did not enjoy this as much as the best of the previous ones. This book is full of exposition, the amount of backstory we got feels like it doubles what we had been given for all the series so far!
It’s amazing however that the outcome was not predictable at all and that we got pretty good answers. So, this part of the story focused on understanding Roshar history and crafting a satisfying finale.
While these goals might seem weak, most writers fail to deliver a proper ending or to fill the gaps in their stories. They build expectations, sheltered behind obscurity and when the time comes to drop the curtain, there hardly anything to show. Well, Sanderson does a pretty good job at that.
Our protagonists all have their moments and progress. If you have read more of Sanderson’s works you know what kind of ending to expect and yes, this feels like an ending, though there is a lot left untold. But yeah the scope of this story was so huge that not everything could be tied cleanly.
Without going into spoilers I will say that the pacing is slow. You know all will happen at the last 15% but you don’t feel that the first 85% is not worthy. I wanted to read this book in 1-2 days, though it was too large so it took me like 4-5. I could hardly stop reading.
There is emotion – not as strong as in some previous books, but enough to leave you in tears at times. Mainly that’s why I gave the 5th star.
If you reached this book I doubt you will skip it no matter what I write. If you do care, I will say that this whole journey (as journeys are often mentioned in the series) has been a precious experience for me – maybe my best book series. The ending is a bit more chaotic that Mistborn 1, but I will hold the 2 intros of the way of the kings in my heart until I die.
I must also add that if you are facing depression this series will probably help!
Life before death!Journey before destination brothers and sisters!
5. KENT reviews Wind and Truth
A wholesome masterpiece of fantasy
This is an amazing conclusion to a truly epic fantasy series. Unlike the other books in the series, that can take awhile to get going, this had me hooked from the start.
This is a wholesome series that I would recommend to all ages, with almost no sexual content, but the characters are so much more real and complex than maybe any other fantasy I’ve ever read. They actually have mental health problems. They actually grow. They actually fail. It’s wonderful.
Just read it. It’s great. I’ve never read such a huge book so fast.
6. ADAM SACHSEL reviews Wind and Truth
A Journey Well Spent
I have never written a review for a book and had never planned to until I finished the first arc of the Stormlight Archive.
Even though I have read every Sanderson book and loved every minute, I had my doubts about how he would wrap up the first arc in such an exceptional series. I had doubts that characters would get their happy or deserved endings. The first four books set up so many emotions and plotlines for so many characters and I did not believe it was possible to be satisfied on all fronts.
Believe me when I tell you that this book managed to deliver everything masterfully. The perfect mix of tragedy and happy endings has left me speechless. Every single page delivered new twists that were as unexpected but somehow made me feel like there was no other possible outcome.
The antithetic array of emotions I have from the finale is going to keep me up all night. I am distraught that we will have to wait so long for
the continuation of this amazing world but, that is all part of the journey.
Journey before Destination fellow radiants.
7. WESTON reviews Wind and Truth
Possibly the best fantasy book of all time
Brandon Sanderson absolutely nails it with Wind and Truth, delivering a jaw-dropping finale to the first arc of The Stormlight Archive. This story is jam-packed with high-stakes action, emotional gut punches, and the kind of epic twists that’ll leave you reeling. Dalinar grapples with huge moral choices, Kaladin’s journey hits all the right notes, and the pacing is relentless in the best way. Sanderson somehow balances all the intricate world-building with raw, heartfelt moments that stick with you. It’s bold, bittersweet, and flat-out brilliant—a masterclass in epic fantasy has me counting the days until the next arc!
8. KIM DIETTER reviews Wind and Truth
Halfway through seems so far
I had many mixed feelings about this book. As much as I love the Storm light Archives, I feel like this book gave me too much to digest.
I don’t want to say I’m afraid of large books, but getting my hardcopy in the mail, set the tone for me and finding out at the end of the book this is the halfway point of the archive gave me shudders of exhaustion and disappointment. I was ready to put this story to bed and focus on how this story plays out in the Greater Cosmere. Nope. Not yet.
Don’t get me wrong, the story is amazing. We still get character growth, struggles, and many resolutions. However, I felt this book was like the title of the Michelle Yeoh movie, Everything Everywhere All at Once. Chapters were long and hopped from character story to character story and as soon as I’d settle in with a part of the story, we were off to someone else who either I wasn’t invested in as much or the actual story wasn’t invested in as much.
Action by Sanderson was awesome as always. You will not hunger from lack of battle external or internal. No one does introspection better than Sanderson in my opinion. His characters tend to make me feel better than most. He is meticulous when it comes to battles as his words leap off the page and perform in front of you. His use of tempo of the text aid as you are trapped reading (and listening) the events. It is mindblowing.
My main issue with this book, is it’s just exhausting. It’s good, but after every reading session, I was mentally tired. The next time I went to open my Kindle, the hardcore, or pop into Audible, my heart said yay, but my soul was like “can we just stop and listen to our favorite songs or read a short story or novelle for a bit?” It lead me to serious guilt and I couldn’t get through this book as fast as the last four. If anything, I take off a star for the story because the level of fatigue I got during this book. Hate me if you like, but as heavy as concepts of this book, it felt a little like reading War and Peace. I would have preferred this book broken in half.
If you made it this far, thanks! Here’s my spoiler. Totally worth the struggle for Kalodin. Journey before Destination.
9. SHREYAS reviews Wind and Truth
First and foremost, I would like to thank Brandon Sanderson and the members of Team Dragonsteel for providing me with an advanced reading copy of the soon-to-be-released Wind and Truth. Now that I have finished reading this monster of a book, here are my SPOILER-FREE thoughts of the same:
While it is difficult to outclass the sheer brilliance of Words of Radiance, Brandon Sanderson comes quite close to achieving this insurmountable feat with Wind and Truth. Although the book is over 1300 pages long, it never felt like a tedious read. It offered a gripping tale with an intriguing narrative that was quite often fast-paced and action-packed and was filled to the brim with brilliant character arcs, intense moments, shocking reveals, ingenious schemes, disheartening betrayals, and nostalgic callbacks to events from the earlier books. On one hand, Wind and Truth offers a perfect conclusion to the first arc of the Stormlight Archive, but on the other, it flawlessly sets things up for the next arc as well as for the larger Cosmere as a whole.
Journey before destination, Radiant.
10. GILLIAN reviews Wind and Truth
This book was so good! It took me a little while to become immersed in this book but once I did I was hooked in awesome world building and story. The pacing was slow in the beginning and middle, then picked up near the end. Sanderson is such an excellent writer, his writing is descriptive while also engaging and cinematic. The characters in this series are some of my favorite characters of all time. They are well rounded, relatable, complex and all go through challenges. I love Shallan, Syl, Kaladin, Adolin, and Dalinar so much! I also really like Rlain, Renarin and Navani. I wished that there were more interactions between Shallan, Adolin and Kaladin. Szeth’s character development was excellent, I enjoyed learning more about him and realizing how his past shaped him in many ways. The world building continues to amaze me, there is so much detail and complexity to the world. I greatly enjoyed that there was a focus on the past and the history of the world, but I was hoping the plot would move along more in the present. The build up to the end was so well done, there were so many surprises and interesting plot details. The ending was so great, there plot was action-packed and I was on the edge of the my seat the last 200 pages. These characters will stay in my heart for a long time. I can’t wait to read the next book!
III. Wind and Truth Quotes by Brandon Sanderson
The best book quotes from Wind and Truth by Brandon Sanderson
“He had a large spike, also blue, through one eye. The point jutted out the back of his skull.”
“If it weren’t for that capacity, then what good would choices be? If we never had the power to do terrible things, then what heroism would it be to resist?”
“An oath could be broken, but a promise? A promise stood as long as you were still trying. A promise understood that sometimes your best wasn’t enough. A promise cried with you when all went to Damnation. A promise came to help when you could barely stand. Because a promise knew that sometimes, being there was all you could offer.”
“And so, in the face of the most awful darkness he’d ever felt, Kaladin Stormblessed took a deep breath.
Then stood up.”“You think that kid who starved didn’t want to eat? You think her parents didn’t want to escape the ravages of war badly enough? You think if they’d had more Passion, the cosmere would have saved them? How convenient to believe that people are poor because they didn’t care enough about being rich. That they just didn’t pray hard enough. So convenient to make suffering their own fault, rather than life being unfair and birth mattering more than aptitude. Or storming Passion.”
“You are normal,” Drehy said. “Or rather, nobody is normal. Normal doesn’t exist. So if we slavishly try to dress ourselves to imitate it, all we’re really doing is becoming a different kind of abnormal—a miserable kind.”
“Welcome, Kaladin Stormblessed. Herald of Kings. Herald of the Wind. Herald of…”
“Herald,” Kaladin said, “of Second Chances.”“Would that any of us,” he said, “could protect ourselves from the costs of heroism. But, again, if there were no costs, no sacrifice, then would it be heroism at all?”
“Perhaps the question isn’t ‘What use is art?’ ” Wit mused. “Perhaps even that simple question misses the point. It’s like asking the use of having hands, or walking upright, or growing hair. Art is part of us, Kaladin. That’s the use; that’s the reason. It exists because on some fundamental level we need it. Art exists to be made.”
“A virtue is something that is valuable even if it gives you nothing. A virtue persists without payment or compensation. Positive thinking is great. Vital. Useful. But it has to remain so even if it gets you nothing. Belief, truth, honor … if these exist only to get you something, you’ve missed the storming point.”
“The thing is, the deepest truths always sound a little trite. Because we all know them, and feel foolish being reminded.”
“That should have made him an anxious, stewing pot of nerves. Instead he tipped his head back, sun warm on his skin, and acknowledged that while he didn’t feel great, someday he would feel great again. For today, that was enough.”
“nothing is easier to sell someone than the story they want to hear.”
“Ideals are dead things,” Kaladin said, “unless they have people behind them. Laws exist not for themselves, but for those they serve.”
“May you have the courage someday to walk away. And the wisdom to recognize that day when it arrives.”
“You know what first drew me to you, Kaladin?” Wit asked. “You did one of the most difficult things a man can do: you gave yourself a second chance.”
“The dirty secret is that all governments are quietly republics—the voting is simply done with the sword or with coin. Everyone conveniently neglects to tell the lower class that it’s their coin, and their lack of swords.”
“I’m a storyteller,” Wit said, with a flip of his fingers. “I have the right to redefine words.” “That’s stupid.” “That’s literature.” “It’s confusing.” “The more confusing, the better the literature.” “That might be the most pretentious thing I’ve ever heard.” “Aha!” Wit said, pointing. “Now you’re getting it.”
“Murder?” Pattern said, placing another soldier. He’d built a surprisingly tall pyramid. “Oh, you mean murder! Shallan is good at murder. Yes, mmmmm…” “Pattern,” she said, “please don’t say it that way.” “She is good,” Pattern corrected himself, “at making people who were once alive and threatening, unalive and unthreatening. Mmmm. Very good at it.”
“Every decision we make influences others, and sometimes harms them. That’s not the way of kings. That’s the way of life.”
“…Kaladin glanced over the pages. They had odd symbols on them, which made Kaladin nervous, but Wit insisted it wasn’t actual writing. Merely marks on a paper representing sounds. It took Kaladin a few minutes to realize the joke.”
“Wit grew distant, a faint smile on his lips. “Once. It wasn’t a full Ascension, but a mortal did give up the power once. It proved to be the wrong choice, but it was the most selfless thing I believe I’ve ever witnessed. So yes, Dalinar, it is possible. But not easy.”
“He had mistakenly assumed that liking something soft would make him soft. A common failing among men who wished to appear strong. It was not weakness to relax. By being so afraid of it, they gave simple things power over them.”
“Curious, how people’s decisions are an individual matter when they’re confronted about them—but those decisions form blatant patterns.”
“I will not lie, and promise you that all future days will be warm. But Ishar, you will be warm again – and that is another thing entirely to promise.”
“just because something is fleeting, do not imagine it to be unimportant.”
“She kept drawing, lines imitating life, freeing it, but altering at the same time. You could never make an exact copy; that wasn’t the point. Every sketch was a picture of the artist, as well. Their perspective, their emphasis, their instinct, reclaiming a moment otherwise lost.”
“The darkness was still there and wanted him to believe things would never change, but this little victory proved the opposite. Because while he might never be rid of the thoughts permanently, he was done letting them win.”
“people break, and sometimes the strong ones break harder than the weak ones—because they’re the ones you pile everything on top of.”
“What did you do when you weren’t enough anymore? When you had been the best all your life, but suddenly you were obsolete?”
“Why pay attention if it could all be lies?”
“Because truth is just the lie that happened,” Renarin said.”“One last lesson for tonight: Don’t ever get mad at a person you’re sparring with, especially when they defeat you. Their victory is training for you. More importantly, you need to be the kind of person the best duelists want to fight—because if you only ever face people you can beat, then you’ll never improve.”
Excerpted from Wind and Truth by Brandon Sanderson
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