Author Topic: Dalinar's visions *SPOILERS*  (Read 5612 times)

Salkara

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Re: Dalinar's visions *SPOILERS*
« Reply #15 on: September 09, 2010, 10:49:41 PM »
then things might be a step towards slightly less doomed.

From what I've seen, this is not how Brandon's books work.  We will read because he gives us flashes of hope and amazing action sequences, but he will tear at our hearts and souls the rest of the time. Up until the last couple chapters of the last book, it will appear as though Odium is going to win, just like it appeared that Ruin would triumph or Raoden would fail. At the climax, Brandon will kill off half the characters we have come to know and love over more than a decade. Afterward, we will love him for it even more than we did before.

...
As for Dalinar's visions, I see them being exactly what we're told they are. Most likely they're related to his dalliance with the Old Magic (which I personally think comes from Cultivation) in some way. Of course, the important thing to realize here is that Dalinar just found out that the deity he worships is dead and has been dead for some time. I predict a certain amount of bitterness/depression from him in the next few novels.

Wolpertinger

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Re: Dalinar's visions *SPOILERS*
« Reply #16 on: September 09, 2010, 11:06:23 PM »
then things might be a step towards slightly less doomed.

From what I've seen, this is not how Brandon's books work.  We will read because he gives us flashes of hope and amazing action sequences, but he will tear at our hearts and souls the rest of the time. Up until the last couple chapters of the last book, it will appear as though Odium is going to win, just like it appeared that Ruin would triumph or Raoden would fail. At the climax, Brandon will kill off half the characters we have come to know and love over more than a decade. Afterward, we will love him for it even more than we did before.

A haphazard recreation of the Radiants would still fit with that, though - I doubt a recreation would be as powerful or skilled or numerous as the original, and probably wouldn't have all the Shardblades, etc. The Heralds are all gone except for one, too.  Having a few new Knights Radiant would be one of those 'flashes of hope' - but in and of itself it would be a drop in the bucket against the True Desolation, presumably.

One thing to also keep in mind is all the previous Desolations were apparently much lesser than the one coming now - they were just 'Desolations' - this one sounds extra-nasty, the 'True Desolation', the 'Everstorm' and all that.  Under that context, you could probably doubt that even all the Radiants in their full glory and all the heralds and all the armies of mankind might still lose under ordinary circumstances.

Regaining some of that lost power wouldn't be making things 'too easy' for the main characters by any means.

happyman

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Re: Dalinar's visions *SPOILERS*
« Reply #17 on: September 10, 2010, 07:19:44 PM »
Ten books long, we've got one,  and we're already speculating about the ending?

I hope we get a better story than that for ten books worth of work.  There's gotta be more going on than just a simple battle.  I mean, we've already got hints that the story is going to go cosmic.
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Cheese Ninja

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Re: Dalinar's visions *SPOILERS*
« Reply #18 on: September 10, 2010, 08:18:19 PM »
Anyone else think that Taravangian might have the visions too?  His actions are a bit extreme otherwise, but if he was convinced that was the only way to unite people, it makes a bit more sense. The chapter 66 death quote
Quote
“That chanting, that singing, those rasping voices.”—Kaktach 1173, 16 seconds pre-death. A middle-aged potter. Reported seeing strange dreams during highstorms during the last two years.
implies that Dalinar might not be the only one.

Munin

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Re: Dalinar's visions *SPOILERS*
« Reply #19 on: September 10, 2010, 08:58:14 PM »
Ten books long, we've got one,  and we're already speculating about the ending?

I hope we get a better story than that for ten books worth of work.  There's gotta be more going on than just a simple battle.  I mean, we've already got hints that the story is going to go cosmic.
To be honest, I wouldn't be at all surprised if Odium isn't the big villain here.

I mean, I'm sure he's a villain, but given the way Brandon's other books have turned out, there might be a bigger one.
There's a difference between what's best and what's right. What's best might be different tomorrow or the day after, but right and wrong will stay the same after a thousand years.

Andrew the Great

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Re: Dalinar's visions *SPOILERS*
« Reply #20 on: September 10, 2010, 09:35:48 PM »
I wouldn't be terribly surprised either.

Just a random though - could "Unite Them" refer to uniting men and Spren, allowing them to become Radiants? This would certainly help man's cause, though granted, it wouldn't help much if he didn't have a united mankind as well. Otherwise, we've just got more Radiants killing each other. No bueno.
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Wolpertinger

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Re: Dalinar's visions *SPOILERS*
« Reply #21 on: September 11, 2010, 01:41:38 AM »
Ten books long, we've got one,  and we're already speculating about the ending?

I hope we get a better story than that for ten books worth of work.  There's gotta be more going on than just a simple battle.  I mean, we've already got hints that the story is going to go cosmic.

Well, we're not exactly speculating about the ending - but it wouldn't be too far-fetched to guess that there will be some massive battles involving huge armies against Voidspawn or something even nastier at some point.  We're mostly just speculating as to what the real purposes of the visions are.

rjl

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Re: Dalinar's visions *SPOILERS*
« Reply #22 on: September 11, 2010, 02:04:15 AM »
This is Brandon, he's a king of plot twists, if the ending involves an epic battle of men vs parshmen I'll be somewhat shocked.

Andrew the Great

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Re: Dalinar's visions *SPOILERS*
« Reply #23 on: September 11, 2010, 02:59:12 AM »
I imagine we'll get some thunderclasts and other such awesomeness too. But I agree, I doubt it will end up being Humanity vs Parshendi at the end. Otherwise, we wouldn't have had a big reveal at the end of book one.

That said, I'm a little at a loss as to what it will end up being - but it's only the end of book 1...
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Salkara

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Re: Dalinar's visions *SPOILERS*
« Reply #24 on: September 11, 2010, 06:16:11 AM »
Yeah, I have issues with the Parshendi being the army humanity fights against at the end. Why would they be so respectful in battle if they're this ultimate force of destruction? Still, I'm looking forward to finding more about their 'terrible gods' that Gavilar talked about. Somehow I don't think those gods will end up being large chasmfiends like Gavilar thought.