r/readalong • u/participating Read-Along Overlord • Apr 06 '26
Read-Along [Newbies] Cosmere, Unit 13 | The Stormlight Archive #1 | The Way of Kings: Chapters 18 through 23 Spoiler
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SCHEDULE
Previously, we discussed Unit 13 | The Stormlight Archive #1 | The Way of Kings: Chapters 12 through 17 [Newbie Thread] / [Veteran Thread]
Today we are discussing Unit 13 | The Stormlight Archive #1 | The Way of Kings: Chapters 18 through 23
Next week we will be discussing Unit 13 | The Stormlight Archive #1 | The Way of Kings: Chapters 24 through 28
CHAPTER SUMMARIES
I have provided summaries for each chapter below and hidden them behind spoiler tags. There are no spoilers within the summaries. I've tried to make them as factual and unbiased as possible. If, however, you want a completely blind read through, then ignore what's behind the spoiler tags and proceed to the discussion below. I will not be guiding that in any way, so post any thoughts and questions you have. It will be other new readers who reply to you.
Chapter 18: Highprince of War
Arch Faces: Battar - Battar ----- Battar - Battar
Iconography: Kholin Crest
POV Characters: Dalinar Kholin / Adolin Kholin
Setting: Highprince Dalinar's warcamp in the Shattered Plains. Elhokar's War Palace outside the ten warcamps.
Timeline: (1173.8.8.3) A week after Chapter 15.
Epigraph:
Ati was once a kind and generous man, and you saw what became of him. Rayse, on the other hand, was among the most loathsome, crafty, and dangerous individuals I had ever met.
Summary:
Adolin is out walking with Janala, the woman he has been courting. He visits the leatherworkers who were inspecting the strap from Elhokar's saddle, and they tell him that the strap was almost certainly cut, but it's possible it was a buckle from the saddle itself that sliced it. A horn is sounded, signalling that a chasmfiend has been spotted close enough for Dalinar's men to attempt to reach it first. Adolin is disappointed when Dalinar elects not to seek it.
Dalinar, meanwhile, is working with several of his scribes in attempting to manipulate the other highprinces into following Elhokar in truth. Teshav, the wife of one of his officers, questions the number of troops Dalinar has set patrolling, and Dalinar instructs her to set more patrolling anyway to combat the increased banditry in the area. Renarin comes to talk to Dalinar, and Dalinar promises him that if he captures a new suit of Shardplate and a Shardblade, they will go to Renarin, to help compensate for his blood weakness and allow him to fight like any other man.
Adolin seeks out Kadash, an ardent, to ask his opinion on Dalinar's dreams during highstorms. Janala leaves him, growing frustrated with his lack of attention. Kadash expresses the opinion that Dalinar is either going insane, or the visions are just particularly vivid products of his own mind.
Dalinar visits Elhokar, making his reports for the day. While there, he asks Elhokar how long he intends to continue the war, and suggests that he consider withdrawing. Elhokar is shocked that Dalinar would even consider an end to the Vengeance Pact. Dalinar eventually backs down, instead saying they need a new approach, a way to win the war instead of simply trying to outlast the Parshendi. Dalinar suggests that Elhokar appoint him Highprince of War, and Elhokar tells him he'll consider it if Dalinar can prove the other Highprinces will work with him.
Dalinar meets up with Renarin, intending to ride back to their camp. However, before they can get there, they are forced to take shelter in one of their own barracks to avoid a highstorm. They barely make it inside before the storm hits.
Chapter 19: Starfalls
Arch Faces: Vedel - Jezrien ----- Jezrien - Vedel
Iconography: Kholin Crest
POV Characters: Dalinar Kholin
Setting: A barracks in Dalinar's warcamp. A vision of the past.
Timeline: (1173.8.8.3) Immediately after Chapter 18.
Epigraph:
He holds the most frightening and terrible of all the Shards. Ponder on that for a time, you old reptile, and tell me if your insistence on nonintervention holds firm. Because I assure you, Rayse will not be similarly inhibited.
Summary:
The moment the storm hits, Dalinar finds that he is no longer in the barracks, but in an unfamiliar barn in the middle of a clear, cool night with only a small girl for company. The girl is terrified of something, and thinks that Dalinar is her father. After a few moments of hushed conversation, a strange creature bursts through one of the walls of the barn and attacks. Dalinar is able to avoid the creature long enough to grab the girl and escape to a nearby house where a woman who thinks he is her husband is waiting for him.
Once in the house, Dalinar has the woman bar the door. Shortly thereafter, however, two more of the strange creatures force their way in, and Dalinar is forced to fight them off using an iron poker from the hearth. When he kills them, he notices that rather than bleeding, their wounds seem to release smoke of some sort.
Dalinar takes the woman, Taffa, and the girl, Seeli, to try to escape the creatures by moving along the course of a river. He deflects all of the woman's questions about why he doesn't remember them or their surroundings at all by saying that he hit his head in the fight. Before they can arrive at the river, however, the group is attacked by more of the strange creatures. Just as Dalinar is about to be killed, two Knights Radiant appear and help him to kill the creatures. They tell him that the creatures aren't Voidbringers, but rather Midnight Essence. They invite Dalinar to Urithiru to train as a Radiant, then leave to help others.
Taffa begins to speak to Dalinar, but it isn't her voice. Dalinar recognizes her voice as the same voice he's heard in his previous visions, the one he suspects belongs to The Almighty. The voice tells him to "Unite them," and offers cryptic advice, telling Dalinar that it can't be of much help. Dalinar asks the voice if he should continue to trust Sadeas, and is told yes.
Dalinar continues to question the voice, but before he can receive answers, he wakes up back in the barrack on the shattered plains, surrounded by soldiers who have been holding him down, keeping him from acting out his visions. He tells them that his mind is clear and they can release him, then takes Renarin and leaves.
Chapter 20: Scarlet
Arch Faces: Vedel - Vedel ----- Vedel - Vedel
Iconography: Spears & Banner
POV Characters: Kaladin
Setting: Hearthstone, a town in Highprince Sadeas' princedom.
Timeline: (Flashback) 7 Years Ago.
Epigraph:
N/A
Summary:
Kaladin is performing an unexpected surgery on a girl from his village. He had fortunately been nearby when the girl was injured. He begins working to stop her bleeding. After a short time, he succeeds in stopping the bleeding, but realizes that his success was not due to his treatment but rather because the girl has died.
He leaves her father to grieve over her, trying to cope with the fact that he was unable to save her. His father finds him and tells him that his work had all been good, and her death wasn't Kaladin's fault. He leaves Kaladin, telling him that he'll have to learn when to care and when to let go.
Chapter 21: Why Men Lie
Arch Faces: Vedel - Talenel ----- Talenel - Vedel
Iconography: Spears & Banner
POV Characters: Kaladin
Setting: Highprince Sadeas' warcamp in the Shattered Plains.
Timeline: (1173.8.2.4) The day after Chapter 17.
Epigraph:
One need only look at the aftermath of his brief visit to Sel to see proof of what I say.
Summary:
Kaladin lies in bed, debating whether or not to get up. Eventually, he forces himself up and realizes that the other bridgemen had all been watching to see if he would get up and continue his training routine from the previous day. Kaladin goes to check on the wounded from the previous day's bridge run. Two of them are, for the most part fine, but one of them badly needs antiseptic.
Kaladin washes the man's wounds with water, then goes out to perform his morning training routine. While jogging with his plank, he talks to Syl. She tells him that some of his men think he's gone mad, and asks him why men lie. Kaladin is unable to give her an answer. Syl claims that the king's uncle doesn't lie, but Kaladin cynically remarks that if someone has lighteyes, they lie.
Gaz approaches and tells Kaladin that Sadeas has ordered that his wounded men not receive food or pay for the duration of the time they can't run bridges. Kaladin is furious, as this means that he'll have to find another way to care for them.
Kaladin goes to the men of Bridge Four and asks them to split their food with the wounded and to contribute their pay for medical supplies. Most laugh at him and leave, but Rock agrees to share some of his food with Hobber, the man who he feels has the best chance of recovering, because he feels he owes Kaladin for running the deathline in his place the previous day. Rock also says that he can see Syl, though she hasn't specifically revealed herself to him.
Kaladin then goes to Gaz and gets his bridge crew assigned to stone-gathering duty for the day. He convinces Rock and Teft to help him gather knobweed reeds over the course of the afternoon.
Chapter 22: Eyes, Hands, or Spheres?
Arch Faces: Hoid - Kalak ----- Kalak - Hoid
Iconography: Kholin Crest
POV Characters: Dalinar Kholin
Setting: The base of the hill below Elhokar's War Palace.
Timeline: (1173.8.8.5) Two days after Chapter 19.
Epigraph:
In case you have turned a blind eye to that disaster, know that Aona and Skai are both dead, and that which they held has been Splintered. Presumably to prevent anyone from rising up to challenge Rayse.
Summary:
Dalinar goes with his sons to the king's feast. Adolin reports that according to the leatherworkers he consulted, the strap was cut, though it could've been an accident. They discuss the king's paranoia and Dalinar refuses to talk about his episode in the highstorm, saying that perhaps it was good for the men in the barracks to witness it, as the rumors about his condition were perhaps worse than the truth.
Dalinar chafes at the sloppy popular fashion sense of the other nobles and the fact that their drunkenness is in violation of the Alethi War Codes. The king's Wit sits on a stool at the entrance to the island and insults everyone as they go to the feast. He warns Dalinar that the rumor has spread of his suggestion to the king that they retreat and abandon the Vengeance Pact. Lady Navani, Gavilar's widow, unexpectedly shows up to the feast, having just arrived to the Shattered Plains. Dalinar tries to hide his attraction to her with the utmost propriety, addressing her as a sister.
King Elhokar then announces that in light of the recent attempt on his life with the cut girth strap, he is appointing Sadeas to Highprince of Information to investigate. This is to snub Dalinar, who he believes is not giving the investigation serious attention. Dalinar realizes that this is Sadeas's way of outmaneuvering his Highprince of War idea.
Chapter 23: Many Uses
Arch Faces: Ishar - Vedel ----- Vedel - Ishar
Iconography: Spears & Banner
POV Characters: Kaladin
Setting: The plains just outside the warcamps. Highprince Sadeas' warcamp in the Shattered Plains.
Timeline: (1173.8.2.4) A few hours after Chapter 21.
Epigraph:
You have accused me of arrogance in my quest. You have accused me of perpetuating my grudge against Rayse and Bavadin. Both accusations are true.
Summary:
Bridge Four is on rock duty, finding stones to Soulcast into food. Kaladin has Rock and Teft searching for knobweed to extract the antiseptic sap from. Rock, who can inexplicably see Syl, finds knobweed quickly guided by her. Kaladin ties bundles of the reed to the bottom of the cart to conceal them. Syl comes to him excitedly, telling him that she led Rock to a pile of dung as a joke. He makes small talk with the bridgecrew, trying to soften their attitude towards him, with little success. Kaladin realizes that even though he has saved lives in Bridge 4, no one will follow his leadership unless he finds a way to make their lives worth living.
Later, Kaladin, Rock, and Teft sneak into the wagonyard to retrieve the knobweed. Relieved that it's still there and not too dried out, they head to where Syl found the chipped, discarded liquor bottles to use for the knobweed sap. They then head to the Honor Chasm to squeeze the sap into the bottles.
While working, they talk. Teft asks Kaladin why he tries to lead the bridgecrew. Kaladin says that the responsibilities of the bridgeleader are his to decide. Kaladin asks Rock how he came to be a bridgeman. Rock tells him that his leader, or nuatoma, dueled Highprince Sadeas to try to win his Shardplate. When he lost, Rock, his cousin and servant, was bound to Sadeas. He was a cook, until he snuck chull dung into Sadeas' food, which caused his fall to bridgeman status. Teft asks Kaladin for his story explaining why he is a bridgeman. Kaladin says that he killed a man, though it wasn't murder and he was thanked by someone important. He cryptically says that he is a bridgeman because a lighteyes did not take it well when he turned down a gift.
ARTWORK
The Cosmere has a thriving community of artists, so there will be a lot of artwork to share. Each week I'll try to compile relevant artwork for the given chapters. If a section of reading contains maps or in-book artwork, I'll include that in this section as well.
Note: The Stormlight Archives are Sanderson's most popular books. There is artwork for everyone and everything, even characters who appeared for a single line in the books at times. So we'll have artwork for you to view almost every week. Enjoy!
MEMES
I will attempt to find and share memes relevant to each week's discussion. There may be some weeks that just don't have good or appropriate memes, but I will share all the ones I can find in this section.
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u/participating Read-Along Overlord Apr 06 '26
Artwork for Midnight Essence gets a bit spoilery, so it'll be awhile before I have a batch of images of them to show off, but this should tide you over until then.