Fourth Time Through Words of Radiance

Spoilers, whatever. The books have been out for years.

I'm re-reading The Stormlight Archive again. Book 5, Wind and Truth, was released almost 2 years ago and I haven't read it yet. For my favorite series, I start from scratch each time a new book comes out. I'm currently on my 4th read of Words of Radiance.

I can hear it now, "That sounds crazy, why would you do this?" Agreed. I don't imagine everyone reads this way but there are a few reasons why I like to re-read books.

I forget the details

When a series is still being written, it can be a year or two between books. In that time, I've forgotten a lot of the details in the book. I can remember the basic plot line but the details are missing, and it's the details that stitch the story together and bring it to life in my mind.

For example, when a Shardblade is summoned, that blade is coated with condensation. It's mentioned many times, but why? To me, this adds a bit of realism to the blade itself. It doesn't just appear, it came from somewhere and the physics of turning nothing into a solid results in drawing moisture out of air condensing on the blade. In this fantasy story, there is science involved. We may not understand the science yet, but it's present in the story.

Character arcs are full of details I don't remember from one read to the next. I know that Kaladin transitions from a slave into a Radiant, but there are times along the way where he makes questionable choices. When he agrees with Moash about wanting to remove the king, the contradiction between protecting and killing starts to affect him and his bond is at risk. It seems he might have lost his way. Feeling his frustration, almost fear, at losing his way makes his character seem more real. Nobody is perfect, and when characters in the books we read show the same flaws we experience all the time, it connects us to those characters. Their actions could become our actions.

I discover new things

Ok, biggest spoiler here. I know from reading other people's posts on the internet that Wit is Hoid and he can move between the different planets in The Cosmere so he shows up in different book series. If you didn't know about The Cosmere, these series would feel unrelated. Wit/Hoid connects the stories in a way I wouldn't have picked up on myself.

I'm ok with spoilers like this when I read books. When I know specific things about people or plots, I look for them. If you've only read The Stormlight Archive and didn't know that Wit could move between planets in seemingly unrelated stories, it might look like his role is smaller than it really is.

What I didn't know about him and learned in this re-read, is that he seems to have a plan which is bigger than The Stormlight Archive. In a conversation with Dalinar, he says:

...while I am your friend, please understand that our goals do not completely align. You must not trust yourself with me. If I have to watch this world crumble and burn to get what I need, I will do so. With tears, yes, but I would let it happen.

-- Wit, Words of Radiance, Brandon Sanderson

What's his goal? What does he need? I don't know yet, so maybe I have a bit of research to do or maybe I'll find out in Wind and Truth. Either way, the first time through I didn't understand that the "goal" might be something which affects multiple planets and multiple stories.

The book didn't change, I did

I read almost exclusively on an e-reader and while doing so, I highlight passages which resonate with me. The kinds of things I highlight fit into a few different categories, like phrases reminding me how to act, or things which resonate with what I believe and want to reinforce.

When I re-read a book, it's likely I'm at a different stage in my life or my circumstances are different, so different things resonate with me. When I run across a previous highlight, I stop to think whether it still applies, if I still feel the same way.

Often, I find new passages to highlight. They might be things I missed, or things that are important now but may not have been important enough to highlight during my last read.

In this reading, I highlighted the following:

This...was what some people lived for. A day of honest labor, followed by an evening at the tavern with friends. That was not so bad a life.

-- Kaladin, Words of Radiance, Brandon Sanderson

Kaladin hanging around with Bridge Four eating stew after the work day. Why does this resonate with me now? I love Tuesday night trivia hanging out with friends. It's a great way to wind down after the work day. This wasn't so much the case on my last re-read.

I don't think Sanderson wrote that line about tavern nights for me. But a version of me three years ago read straight past it, and this version stopped.