Warbreaker
If you’re following along my Brandon Sanderson book notes you’ll wonder how we got from Oathbringer to Warbreaker and that’s because the people who found out I started with Way of Kings sent me on a 12 book detour before returning to the Stormlight Archives Series. Reddit has a few good resources on best order to read in, but Sanderson’s own website encourages exploration and starting on the book that interests you the most.
That being said, there’s a lot of connections and the more you read the more you can find.
Which brings me to Warbreaker, so that I could expand my knowledge of the Cosmere.
Spoilers only for Warbreaker so if your journey is going a different route than mine it is safe to be here.
Notes are from September of 2023:
Imagine being thanked in a Brandon Sanderson book by your ign (in game name).
Lots of proper nouns here in this prologue
I probably could’ve said this sooner, but talking swords are very cool
LMFAO I’m like “mmm this old man is gonna send the rat daughter he doesn’t like isn’t he” and I’m pretty sure he’s thinking it
I meannnnn how hot is the god king? Is this a good deal for Siri?
Dad working overtime to say he’s not playing favorites lmfao sure
Ngl this has got a real fantasy romance manwha plot feel to it and depending on how hot the god king is I might allow it.
Susebron is the least hot name I’ve ever heard
Continuing on my manwha joke that means Lightsong is our second love interest and will be the “nice” one. By default that makes him blonde. That’s how him and Siri will notice each other I’m sure.
BioChroma makes me think cyberpunk but everything else about this world feels medieval. Am I overthinking this word?
Who is bankrolling these gods? What are the taxes like? This economy cannot be good.
To produce a seemingly infinite amount of breath but having to steal breath from others and they said a couple dozen gods? We are just stealing 24+ breaths a week? What’s your population like?
I did the math and Lightsong has eaten 260 people
Man’s gets to see real colors and look at art all day and is pretty butthurt about it. My pity for that is non existent
I do empathize with eating children. Why can’t they bring him old people. Less life to live dull.
Bets on these people loving that her hair can change colors
Oh lmao population size doesn’t matter when you can reanimate the dead.
LMAO THEYRE ALREADY MARRIED CAUSE HE SAID SO
Oh hell yeah they’re already talking economy this is what I wanted
SHES ONLY 17?! AGE GAP WEE WOO WEE WOO WEE WOO WEE WOO
Aw man not them confirming her virginity y’all gotta let people know when books are icky towards women
Burning bed linens every time you have sex cannot be cost efficient
Vienna didn’t think this plan through cause now there’s two royal daughters in Hellandran
Okay so there was some thought there
Oh, these mercenary dudes are about to be the best part of this entire book
As a side note I’m fully on the bit about this being a manwha
Breaths are souls? So they’re just buying and selling life?
I know coercion is a thing but if breath has to be given maybe Idrians are a little too stuck up about this
Sure hope the god king is waiting for Siri to be a legal adult
LMFAO I’m sorry they’re petitioning him to unalive himself so they can have Lightsong’s breath???
Denth as the PR guy for mercenary work is very funny
25 gods rn at 1 soul a week is 1300 dulls a year like what is your birth rate?
Siri is wearing gold and Lightsong is arriving in gold and red 👀👀👀
This isn’t nearly as fun of a joke to make when she is a CHILD
Not her showing up to court in one of these bad boys
Parlin got himbo energy?
Mmm Siri’s wearing red ribbons with her gold dress 🫣
Bro Vivenna over here like “my poor sister” who’s hair is literally outing how excited she is
Siri: so what you’re saying is susebron isn’t a god but a dude with just way more breath than everyone else
So what was that about him being stillborn?
Vivenna and Vash team up, surely.
Blushbaby really gave daddy Idris way too much credit with this thinking he intentionally made Siri a secret agent of chaos.
I guess she was inherently an agent of chaos anyway
“Nothing would be more intolerable than being overthrown by a person with whom I’d never even had a nice conversation.”
Not people watching them not have sex
How long until one of these old man advisors give Siri lessons on seduction. I bet it’d be so awkward.
I love that she’s just awkward and uninformed and Lightsong is like “wow, what incredible acting”
Vivenna: you could’ve robbed me
Denth: well, we did get GrubHub…
Dad literally wrote down he loved Vivenna too much to kill her omg bro
Not her faking sex in front of the god king I’m so glad I read this part at home this is so embarrassing but also well played
House Hunters with Denth and Tonk Fah would make me incredibly happy
Vivenna: trying to undermine Halladren’s ability to wage war
Also Vivenna: mmm idk seems kinda mean
Nightly fake sex and reading lessons 🤣🤣🤣
The church being corrupt? Who would’ve thought
OOCT (out of context thought): how do they get another god king if they took his tongue out? Is he just supposed to be immortal? Is that why a baby is a bad idea cause it disrupts the puppet system? I guess that makes sense
Do I get a Denth and Tonk Fah spin off or what.
Showing off her hair to everyone seems pretty ill-advised but what do I know about rebellion
Why everybody gotta have big titties? Why don’t we ever talk about the god man titties hmmm? HMMMMM? WHERE ARE LIGHTSONGS DADDY DRINKMES? WHY DO WE ONLY TALK ABOUT THE BAZOONGAS ON WOMEN???
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Susebron has been ruling for FIFTY YEARS this is a VERY PROBLEMATIC AGE GAP
Susebron: we’re not very good at making children
Siri: you know, we haven’t really been trying
Jewel gave Vivenna the best verbal beating I’ve heard in awhile
Lightsong in his ACAB era. These people trying to say he needs to go and he’s just like “but I’m god???”
Correction: he has always been acab
OOCT: has daddy dearest just not sent anyone to get Vivenna? He’s just like “welp, my favorite daughter is gone”
Not Susebron flirting with Siri 🫣
Susebron: breaths make everything look pretty but like, you’re pretty on the inside
Siri, realizing she’s half naked in bed with a man: 😯
Did Siri have her 18th birthday yet?
I’d like to make the prediction that Arsteel became lightsong. I have very little basis for this other than him talking about getting a sword he’d win any duel and he vaguely remembered a prison. Unfortunate he juggled lemons over limes.
Vivenna is very “white girl goes to Africa for mission work” which is probably something Mr. Sandy has witnessed a lot in his Mormon life.
She did a real good job of acknowledging her dad’s kingdom isn’t exactly efficient and it forced these people to Halladren but then she loses it completely by being like “Halladren is the reason they’re in the slums” like mmmmm, but they wouldn’t be there to start with if it wasn’t for daddies levies 🤷
I thought daddy dearest did a lot to prepare Vivenna for being in Halladren but she seems woefully unprepared when it comes to politics. Interesting to see her wanting to be a beacon of hope but not understanding that all the actions she’s taking signify a desire to win a war and overthrow Halladren??? Ma’am are you paying attention? Did you think amicability was an option???
Can lifeless be reanimated or is this a one time only thing?
Vivenna tore off her skirt to run in her underwear 😱
Oh it’s only her knees. How lewd.
The returned gods all get new names? These aren’t like, titles? They’re just like, jazzy nicknames related to the things they represent?
We did a huge exposition dump and I’m a little confused. Peacegiver isn’t the first returned, that’s the other guy with the super lifeless? Strifelover/Kalad? Kalad is Siri’s ancestor so technically he’s the founder of Halladren but Peacedaddy kicked him out and in doing so made the first God King? Oh is this why her hair changes colors? Wouldn’t being a descendant of a returned honestly be a better gig than being a returned? How come strifelover could have babies and what about the rest of them?
Oh Vivenna is going to go full dark. She said FUCK THESE GARDENS, FUCK THESE PEOPLE, FUCK THIS FORCED POVERTY
Ma’am you have poverty in your own kingdom but like, we’ll get there, maybe.
Parlin put Vivenna in her place and I loved every moment of it.
I do like Vivenna admitting that she couldn’t stand being unimportant. There’s some serious religious tones of expected obedience, denial of happiness, self sacrifice, etc that are all layered here in her character.
Siri is out here playing 5D chess. Nice of her to protect Susebron, her 50 year old forced marriage partner who she taught how to read and write 🫠
I read a lot of Shonen/adventure stuff so seeing someone like Vivenna who gets in over her head and instead of being like “yeah I can overcome anything!” She’s like “fuck I’m so stupid why did I do this I’m so fucking scared right now” is both very realistic and refreshing. Home girl is really rethinking her ego rn.
Vivenna brought up the Arsteel death timeline that was not 5 years ago so axe that theory
Ohhhhhhhhh this is why no one from daddy has made contact. I see it was right in front of me this whole time.
Not poor Parlin 😭
Who would they work for if her inciting rebellion is NBD? Or is her rebellion so small potatoes the boss like “ya it’s fine let her do as she pleases”
Vivenna about to buy her first pair of trousers after this, fr.
Siri and Susebron falling in love is definitely something I’ve joked about this entire time but my age gap blinders are barely holding on at this point.
Vivenna sick arc feels very deserved
Oh, Vasher agrees with me. Nice.
Lol “did you ever think you’re the reason the war is happening?”
I like this Vivenna realization that no one gives a shit about her and that is what makes her mad. That her whole life was built around becoming a part of Halladren and literally the people couldn’t give a shit less. (But also she’s not the god king’s wife soooooo)
Oh, Siri just absolutely topped the god King
Oh thank god we got a lesson on magic it’s about fkn time
We better learn who Lightsong was before he became god
This plan to reveal the church is corrupt sure is bold. Everyone is absolutely going to die.
Did Vivenna check out Vasher? How hot is he? How much sex is in my Mormon book
Oh yeah, Vivenna thinks he’s so hot. Don’t worry girlie it’s perfectly normal to like boys who are mean to you.
Ew not Lightsong thinking Blushweaver wearing modest clothes means she respects herself. Sir???
“They all want to be involved but no one wants to be responsible”
Mmmm I didn’t see the “she doesn’t really need to be pregnant” coming either. Foolish.
There’s only 90 pages left we don’t have enough book for a whole war
Not my sentient sword who can’t tell good from evil.
Nightblood going “toss me in, that’ll figure it out” and Vasher having to acknowledge that’s actually a good idea.
Not Vasher getting outplayed by Denth 😭
Lightsong realizing being a hero takes some skill and not just determination
Me thinking Vivenna has a crush on Vasher: 🫣
Vivenna comparing him to her sister: 😦
I’m really upset to learn there’s only one cool talking sword tbh
Not Lightsong saving his boyfriend over his girlfriend.
Also not him being a scribe.
So, church- not bad?
Oh this Lightsong origin story. Scoot loves him 😭
So like, in the church’s defense it would be hard to have a continuous line of rulers who essentially have the individual power of a nuke to NOT become corrupt so you keep them stupid instead, but also ethically…
Jokes on me there was enough book left for a war to start
Vivenna has had some nice character growth this last little bit
If Nightblood is made of breath why must he take breath to be used?
Hold on, Denths hair changed color???
Hmmm how did Lightsong giving Susebron his breath give him his tongue back?
OH MY GOD IT’S CAUSE THEY CAN HEAL ONE PERSON. SCOOT IS SO PROUD.
Man I stg both of these sisters fell for men far too old for them.
WE JUST GAVE AWAY OUR WAR STONES AND IT JUST ENDS. ARE YOU JOKING ME.
When your throuple includes a talking sword >>
I had my beefs with certain plot points, but I really enjoyed the world that Sanderson created here.
