Wind and Truth Chapter 33 – Discussion and Analysis

We’re a mere eleven days from the release of Wind and Truth, which means tomorrow begins our very own ten day countdown. But instead of battling Odium’s champion at the end of the countdown, we’ll be battling all the other demands on our time as we try to read the book! Today’s chapter is the first solo chapter dropped — every other Monday has had two or three chapters. The chapter marks the end of Day 2, with the prologues to be released as the final set of chapters before the book’s official release. Despite there only being one chapter, it’s a long one, and there’s still plenty to talk about.

To best enjoy this article, first read Chapter 33 of Wind and Truth over at ReactorMag.com. This article contains major spoilers for all the previous Stormlight Archive books.

Chapter 33

What a heavy chapter title, huh? “The Conflux of all Darkness and Sorrow”. Fortunately, it doesn’t represent what happens to the characters in this chapter, just the edgy arrogance of a certain mad Herald.

Lift

Oof, this first scene with Lift is a shot straight to the feels. We finally get to learn why Lift asked Cultivation to stop her from changing: because she was worried that if her mom came back and was looking for Lift, her mom wouldn’t recognize her if she’d changed.

This scene is made all the more poignant by her seeing the Lift that could have been, one who “didn’t seem afraid of anything”. While Lift is confronted with the truth of how she’s lied to herself in this scene, it doesn’t appear that she makes a step forward in accepting that her mother isn’t coming back.

It feels right, in a way — all these other characters are having personal growth moments in the preceding chapters, but Lift is someone who has specifically asked not to change, and Cultivation has granted that wish, in some way as of yet unclear. It feels right because of the contrast it provides to the other characters, and because it feels honest to the Lift we know: she isn’t ready to accept the truth about her mother.

We were already very confident that the cremlings that keep showing up in Urithiru were part of a Sleepless spying on people, but Lift basically confirms it in this chapter. Also, it’s really funny that she might know that they’re part of a larger, sentient being… and still want to eat one.

She startled a strange purplish cremling as they crawled. Those things were all over in the air shafts. She wondered what they tasted like boiled, but had never managed to catch one. She also wondered if anyone else suspected what they really were.

Wit appears to have saved the cremling that was in the air vent with Lift, suggesting that he too knows what it is, and has some kind of alliance with it — or perhaps he’s just doing what’s best for him, and having a Sleepless in your debt is a good thing. Crucially, he didn’t manage to stop Gavinor from being pulled into the perpendicularity, which means he’s in the Spiritual Realm too. Fan theories already abound regarding what this means — my personal favorite is that he’ll come back much older, and as an antagonist who hates spren.

Lift’s conversation with Wit, although short, has some funny moments. It also confirms a few crucial details, like that almost everyone in Shadesmar (Shallan and her team, plus Mraize’s team minus Lieke) got sucked into the Spiritual Realm, and that the way the contract is written, Dalinar is going to forfeit if he can’t get back in time. The chapter ends with Wit preparing what is most likely a Lightweaving — we learn exactly what the Lightweaving is in Lopen’s part of this chapter.

Kaladin

Making stew is definitely harder than it sounds. Yes, you just throw everything in the pot, but I can say from personal experience that getting the seasoning right matters, and it isn’t easy! I liked the “comparison is the theft of joy” moment Kaladin has with his stew in this bit — it’s easy to think your cooking sucks when you’re used to a real pro’s cooking.

Kaladin’s initial attempt at talking to Szeth goes about as well as his stew, which is about as well as could be expected. Frankly, Szeth’s self-flagellation isn’t unreasonable — the guy has done lots, and I mean lots, of murdering. Feeling like he should be punished for his crimes is logical, and it also makes it easier for the reader to forgive him and root for his salvation. We know from his POV chapters that he didn’t enjoy what he was doing, and that he wanted to eventually fail and die, so despite his own feelings about himself, it’s hard not to still see him as a sympathetic character.

You know what’s even harder than making stew? Playing the flute. I can say this from personal experience as well — just getting it to make noise is a challenge. Brandon yet again shows off his excellent attention to detail with his portrayal of Kaladin’s attempts to play his flute. Equally accurate is how Kaladin is still struggling with what Syl calls his “dark brain”. This scene worked especially well for me because I was so convinced by Syl’s argument — and so it was easy to believe that Kaladin would be convinced.

“I was drawn,” she said, “to willpower, determination, and a desire to protect. Yes, I like the way you dance with the wind when you use a spear, but it’s not the killing, Kaladin. It never was.”

This section also gives us yet another soldier simile — Brandon’s really on a roll with these.

They were both gone now. Teft dead. Rock maybe executed by his people. Still, Kaladin forced the dark thoughts behind him and presented good thoughts, like soldiers with spears, to keep them away. Syl was right.

I was surprised at how quickly Szeth opened up. Maybe stew really is magic. Or perhaps him noticing how dark his homeland is (no lights in the windows) made him worried, and he needed Kaladin’s support in the face of his fear. Whatever caused it, it’s a big step forward in Kaladin’s mission to help Mr. Truthless. Another big surprise comes while Kaladin is playing his flute, in the form of the Herald Ishar — the other reason Kaladin was sent to Shinovar.

I expected a long hunt for Ishar, but he showed up basically immediately. Unfortunately, he still thinks he’s God, and that people are trying to trick him. While Kaladin doesn’t make real progress with the Herald, he does get a promise that he’ll talk to the Herald again, after Kaladin helps Szeth in the task that Ishar seems to believe he’s set Szeth on — hopefully, it’s taking down the Unmade, since that’s what Szeth thinks he’s there to do.

Ishar reveals some interesting facts about the Oathpact in this conversation. He is apparently supporting the other Heralds in some way, by taking some of their pain and putting it on himself — he’s the “conflux of all darkness and sorrow” the chapter is named after. But he isn’t doing so with Taln, however godlike he thinks he is. Perhaps this is because Taln was abandoned and suffered alone, and so his pain is too much even for Ishar.

Kaladin’s conversation with the Wind seems significant. Of particular note is the mention of preserving a remnant of Honor. Some fans have speculated that this could be the Oathpact that Wind is talking about, but it almost sounds like Wind isn’t sure what part of Honor needs to be preserved. A plot thread to keep in hand, to be sure.

He changes. His attention is not on me, the Wind said. The Stones have always had the capacity to speak, but only now started doing so. I am always here… Now I warn. Odium is made anew. This is dangerous...

…Together we must preserve a remnant of Honor. Somehow…

Lopen

Not much to go over here, but this take from Lopen cracked me up:

Lopen didn’t reply. Something was up. Navani wasn’t talking, and so the Sibling wasn’t talking, but he could smell it when something strange had happened. He was an expert in strange. The literal walls had secrets. Important, terrible secrets.

Which was super-okay with Lopen. If important people had it in hand, then he didn’t need to worry!

“I’m going to assume others have it covered,” he told Isasik. “Come on. We need to fly the Mink’s people to Herdaz.”

It’s so unlike a traditional POV character to say “You know what? I don’t have to worry about this, someone else will handle it”. But Lopen isn’t a traditional POV character in many ways, and his reaction is not only believable, but smart. As he points out, if things aren’t as they seem, isn’t it possible they’d mess up the plans of whoever is hiding the truth by trying to figure out what’s going on? And as we know, he’s absolutely right to think this.

I was certain Lift would end up in the Spiritual Realm with Dalinar and Navani, but apparently she’s needed for a much funnier plot point: pretending to be Navani. Based on the fact that Navani is shrugging and eating chouta, it seems safe to assume that Lift is the person impersonating her — I have to imagine that Wit would be a better actor, after his eons spent lying to people. Actually, it could also be Design, but I hope it’s Lift. I want to get to see more of her being Navani before she’s found out — the “Wit desperately tries to get Lift to behave and play her part” subplot is now my most-anticipated aspect of Wind and Truth.

A lot has happened in two days, and it feels like things are only going to get more frenetic as we move on to Day Three. Let us know what you thought about today’s chapter in the comments below!