Clara’s Verdict
At 62 hours and 48 minutes, Wind and Truth is not a book you begin casually. Brandon Sanderson’s fifth Stormlight Archive novel is the promised culmination of the series’ first arc – a conclusion to threads woven across thousands of pages and hundreds of hours of listening. That kind of accumulated investment creates both extraordinary opportunity and significant risk: Sanderson has to close storylines that readers have been following for over a decade, while leaving the door open for the second arc. By the consensus of reviewers, he largely manages it. This is not the place to start with Sanderson, but if you’ve been with the Stormlight Archive from the beginning, Wind and Truth delivers what was promised.
About the Audiobook
Published by Gollancz, Wind and Truth is Book 5 of The Stormlight Archive. The situation: Dalinar Kholin has challenged the evil god Odium to a contest of champions to decide the fate of Roshar. The complication: the crafty Taravangian has replaced Odium, changing the rules of engagement entirely. The ten days before the contest must serve as preparation for a scattered cast: Adolin in Azimir, Sigzil and Venli at the Shattered Plains, Jasnah at Thaylen City. Former assassin Szeth, accompanied by Kaladin, works to cleanse his homeland from dark influence – while Shallan, Renarin, and Rlain pursue a mystery that goes to the root of the entire saga. Sanderson’s structural ambition here is considerable: the novel manages multiple concurrent storylines across a continent, bringing them to convergence with the control of a writer at the peak of his craft.
The Narration
Kate Reading returns to the Stormlight Archive, and her familiarity with the material is evident in every chapter. Reading has narrated Sanderson’s work across multiple series and has developed a rapport with these characters that a first-time narrator could not replicate. Over 62 hours, the quality of narration is a significant factor – and Reading’s performance is one of the audiobook’s genuine strengths. Her handling of the female characters is particularly assured.
What Readers Say
Rated 4.7 out of 5 from 32 reviews. T. Armstrong called it “an ambitious and emotionally resonant conclusion – its scope and character depth are impressive, offering both epic battles and human vulnerability.” Cetrie noted the different structure: “This book has a different structure to the previous books yet fitted the pacing of the story so well. The pleasure is in all the characters’ individual stories.” Sarah was simply direct: “It’s a long time since I’ve read something this engaging and well crafted – despite the massive word count, there were very few sections I wanted to skip.”
Who Should Listen?
Stormlight Archive fans who have made it this far already know whether they’re picking this up – the question is only when. For listeners new to Sanderson, start with Book 1, The Way of Kings: the investment is considerable, but the world Sanderson has built is unlike anything else in epic fantasy. Listen to Wind and Truth on Audible UK and close out the first arc of one of the most ambitious fantasy series of the twenty-first century.
