The Next 5 Stormlight Archive Books, Ranked By How Excited We Are For Their Flashback Characters
There are five more books to go in The Stormlight Archive, and my excitement for them varies based on the announced POV flashback character. Since Brandon Sanderson’s fantasy epic series began in 2010, the flashback character, centered around one of the Orders of the Knights Radiant, has been a critical component of each volume. Though Words of Radiance is still widely considered Sanderson’s opus, I consider The Way of Kings to be my favorite in the series, primarily due to the focus on Kaladin and his origins.
We know very little about the next five volumes of The Stormlight Archive aside from what we can predict after Wind and Truth’s ending. However, the author has revealed who the five flashback characters will be, offering some insight into the expected books. Sanderson has planned for a ten-year time gap between books 5 and 6, so some of the following flashback POV characters will be at drastically different life stages from where we previously saw them.
|
Book Title |
Flashback Character |
Book Title |
Flashback Character |
|---|---|---|---|
|
1. The Way of Kings |
Kaladin |
6. Unknown |
Lift |
|
2. Words of Radiance |
Shallan |
7. Unknown |
Renarin |
|
3. Oathbringer |
Dalinar |
8. Unknown |
Shalash |
|
4. Rhythm of War |
Venli/Eshonai |
9. Unknown |
Talenel |
|
5. Wind and Truth |
Szeth |
10. Unknown |
Jasnah |
5
Shalash
Book 8
Shalash is one of the Heralds of the Almighty, and we’ve seen her a decent amount through The Stormlight Archive’s first five volumes. That said, as a POV flashback character, she’s easily the one we know the least about. Her behavior throughout the five books has signified that she’ll be a compelling character to follow, with her self-loathing qualities creating a fascinating contradiction to her practically being a deity. Seeing more of the Heralds in flashbacks is exciting, but I’m not as thrilled about Shalash as anyone else just yet; maybe I just need to read more of her!
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4
Renarin
Book 7
Renarin Kholin has been around since The Way of Kings and has never been the character I’ve personally related to much. That said, I really enjoyed his arc in Wind and Truth with Rlain and will be thrilled to see how that plays out. Especially with Ba-Ado-Mishram on the loose again, I’m anticipating those three characters to play a significant role in some sort of Rosharan power struggle in Arc 2, examining how the humans and Singers can co-exist moving forward. Renarin’s Truthwatcher powers will also grow more interesting as he comes into his own as an adult.
According to Brandon Sanderson’s annual blog post, Stormlight 6 likely won’t hit shelves until late 2031.
3
Lift
Book 6
Lift is the character who’s going to be most drastically affected by the time jump, as the next time we see her, she’s going to be a young woman in her early 20s. Not to mention, she’s being trained by Zahel to become a warrior, and I’ve predicted that she’ll fulfill a similar role in Stormlight 6 as Kaladin did in The Way of Kings, as a young leader and soldier taking matters into her own hands. My feelings on Lift as a character ranged throughout Arc 1, but I believe I’ll find her more consistently enjoyable as an adult.
2
Talenel
Book 9
Talenel stole the show in Wind and Truth with his brief appearance, but he’s consistently been a fan favorite for years. His moment in Oathbringer, where he gains consciousness for a short scene and realizes the opportunity his sacrifice allowed for Roshar, is one of the most poignant pieces of writing Brandon Sanderson has written. I can’t wait to find out more about his origins with the Heralds, why he apparently tried to kill Cultivation, and who he’ll be as a reformed Herald and hero of Roshar.
1
Jasnah
Book 10
Jasnah is one of my absolute favorite characters in The Stormlight Archive, so I absolutely have some bias in wanting to see her as the series’ final POV flashback character. I found Jasnah to be one of the most compelling personalities in the series dating back to The Way of Kings, and I was disappointed that she had a reduced role in practically every other novel. Hopefully, Sanderson will rectify this with book 10.
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These 2 Pages Of Wind And Truth Already Told Us Who The Stormlight Archive’s Best New Hero Will Be
Two of my favorite pages from Wind and Truth foreshadowed who the most exciting protagonist will be throughout the rest of The Stormlight Archive.
Jasnah suffered a major defeat against Odium in Wind and Truth, and this will be weighing on her mind for a long time. She’s not a character who handles being outmatched well, especially not in a conflict of intelligent debate. I’ll be eager to see how she develops in response to the character attack she endured in book 5 and to see how she reflects and improves. If Jasnah is the final POV character, then she’ll be The Stormlight Archive’s final hero, and that means there’s something special in the works for her.
The Stormlight Archive
- Character(s)
-
Kaladin Stormblessed, Shallan Davar, Dalinar Kholin, Adolin Kholin, Jasnah Kholin, Szeth-son-son-Vallano, Navani Kholin
Summary
The Stormlight Archive is an epic fantasy series by Brandon Sanderson, set on the storm-ravaged world of Roshar. The series follows multiple characters, each with their unique storylines, as they navigate political intrigue, ancient prophecies, and powerful magic. Central to the story are the Knights Radiant, legendary warriors with magical abilities who must return to save their world from impending destruction. The series explores themes of honor, leadership, and the burden of power.
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